Dear General

'Tis with the Greatest Satisfaction Imaginable I inform You of Capturing two Ships¹ & A Schooner² of the Enemy the two Ships were Transports from Rhode Island Loaded with forage One Mounting Six four Pounders with fourteen hands Each the Schooner is in the Engineering Department Mounting Eight Double fortified four Pounders & twelve four Pound howitz Properly fitted in Every Particular & Manned with thirty three men Among the Prisoners is a Lieutenant³ in the Same Departmen with the Schooner the Lieutenant together with the Captain of the Schooner⁴ Being verry Solicitous for the Liberty of a Fortnight thought Proper By the Advice of Nicholas Vandyke Esq^r. Member of Congress, to allow them their Parole for a fortnight to Go to Philadelphia with Some Officers Lady's that were taken in the Schooner. the Schooner is a most Excellent Vessel for Our Purpose & as there Are a Number of Ships Expected in Under Veny Little Convoy with the farther assistance of about forty men Should Give a Veny Good account of them, as the Enemy are Greatly Necessiated for want of Forage, the Schooner is Unloaded But have not as Yet the Manifest of the Cargo But are a Number of Engineering Tools on Board. Shall Give You a Circumstantial accoun^t of the Whole Cargo as Soon as Possible By the Bearer M^r: John Chelton have Sent You a Cheese Togetherwith a Jar of Pickled Oysterswhich Crave Your Acceptance Should have Remitted the Particulars Together with the Letters & Dispatches for General De heister⁵ Before But a fleet of the Enemys Small Vessels⁶ appearing in Sight Obliged me to Burn One of the Ships⁷ & am afraid the Other⁸ will share the same fate after Discharging her. But am Determined to hold the Schooner at all Events. Inclosed You have the Articles of the Schooners Capitulation⁹ as we Sent a flag on Board her After Boarding the two Ships & am Sir with Due Respect [&c.]