Dear General

Your dispatches arrived at a Quarter past eleven this morning.

I very sincerely deplore the disagreable situation of you & our Army in Canada, and altho I applaud your Magnanimous spirit yet I cannot by any means approve that you should "think only of a glorious death or a victory obtained against superior Numbers" These sentiments should take place when every other resource is cut off, and when a defeat may not be attended with decisive consequences against us ー the Evacuation of Canada will certainly be attended with many disagreable ends, but will not the total destruction of our Army and a consequent loss of the Country be all attended with those infinitely more fatal, surely It will ー I only mention that the Enemy will in that case be able to penetrate into the Colonies by the way of the Lakes; not so if our Army retreats in safety ー every effort of theirs to accomplish It at least for this Campaign will prove ineffectual ー but should they even be able to advance to the most Southern extreme of the Lakes, our Army with reinforcemts from Militia will there stop their progress. I am therefore of Opinion, if it should be still in your power, when you receive this, that you ought not to remain any longer at Sorel, than you have a prospect of retreating with safety. and that the better to secure your retreat every Batteau as I have formerly observed which you can possibly spare, ought to be sent without the least delay to St Johns, I think I am fully authorized to give this opinion from what you say of the strength of the Enemy in your Letter to his Excellency Genl Washington & me and I have informed his Excellency that I would give you the above advice.

Colo [Elias] Dayton is in Tryon County, we shall I believe have our hands full in that Quarter. I am preparing every thing to take post at Fort Stanwi[x] & to repel the threatened Invasion of the Mohawk river

No part of Colo [Anthony] Waynes is as yet arrived here nor any of the Militia ordered by the Resolutions of Congress, which I transmited you on the 12 Inst.

I have ordered Colo [Cornelius] Wynkoop to send all the Batteaus he can to St. Johns agreable to Gen] Arnolds & Colo [Enoch] Poors request signified in their Letters of the 13th Inst ー this will deprive me from forwarding the Militia, But if you should not want the Batteaus, I entreat you to order them back to Ticonderoga under the command of an Active Officer & as many others as you can spare, that the Militia may be sent without delay.

Please to make my Compliments to Majr [Alexander] Scammell, the few blank Commissions I have are at Fort George & I will order one to be forwarded to you to be filled up for him ー The Ague which now attacks me every day with the utmost violence has considerably reduced me & a few fits more unless they become more moderate will render me equally unfit to think or Act ー God bless you & may Heaven smile propitious on your Endeavours  I am Dr Sir [&c.]