Dear General

after Su table Regards to your honour: I Wold a quaint you I have Lately heard there Was Many things Said to My disadvantage at ticonderoga after I Left there last fall: I think It Was taking a Great advantage of a mans Carictor Biting [behind] his Back I think it Wold Bin No More than yousing Me Well If any Man had any thing a Ganst My Conduct to have talked that over While I was present and in perticoler General arnal as I told him in your house at ticonderoga that I Was taken In Consequence of the orders I Received from him By the Capt of the Mereans: I Belive your honour is Never had the perticolers of that affair and prosedings in the Lake and on that acct I Will Give you the boll as Near as Can Be Spoke:

When I left ticonderago I took your orders: and Ment to follow them as Ni as posable: My orders Was to poot My Self Under Genii arnal & to follow his Directions: & I think I did had I Not I Shold Went a Shore as he did: as hear I will Give you an account of the holl When the fleet first appeared of[£] of Comberlin hed I Went on Bord of the Genll and told him I gave it as My Appinion that our fleet ought to Com to Saill and Not Ly Where We Shold Be Surrounded: and I think It Was in your orders Not to Be Surrounded If it Cold Be avoided: But Genll arnal Said he Wold fight them in the Bay of Valcour & on that account We formed Up in a Line and £out them Seven hours and then General arnal thought it best to Retrate: and I thought It Best Likewise as I thought It Best When the Enimy were of[f] Comberlin hed & So formed at Split Rock Where the Enimy Cold Not Get Round Us as the[y] did at Valcour: It was a Gread for Coll Wigelworth to Lead the frount and for Genll arnal to go in the Rear and My Self With him & so We Set of[f] and We Came down to Schylors Island the Wind Came Right a hed and So I Went to turning to Windard all Night and I did Not Gain any for My Vesel Was Very Dull and the Next Morning a Bout ten or a !even the Bolt Brok of[f] My Sails Being Shot a Way My fore Sail Split from foot to hed and I Came to By Schylors Island and Md It and a Littel Be fore Sun Sat I Mad Sail a Gin and Roed and Caried Sail all Night Next Morning I Was a Bout half Way Between the Brothers and Split Rock and the Enemy to the South of the Brothers and General arnal a Bout two Milds a hed of me and the Rest of the fleet Scattered a Bout Seven milds in Lenth I found It Began to Gro[w] came and I new the Next Wind Wold Be North and the Enemy Cold Spread So much Sail and our Vesel So Much torn and dul I thought It Best to put My Wounded Men in to the Botts and Send them to ticonderago and So Ro My Galy a Shore and Blow her Up While It Was Came But I thought it Not Best to do this Without Consulting the Commandor and So I Sent My Boat forward to take genll arnals apponions on the Mattor and I Recd for anser By No Menes to Run a Shor But to Git forward as fast as posable and he Wold Stop the fleet at Split Rock and thare Make a Stand -and With that I inchoraged My Men and the Wind Came at N and I Got up two Gundalos Sails I had a Bord for topsails But all Wold Not do for She Was Much damaged and a Great deal of Water in [her] & Was a dul Sailer: But I Made it out to Git five Milds Belo Split Rock Before I Was taken and I found No Vesel to Make any Stop for Me But all Made the Best of thare Way for Crown Pint and General arnal Being Next a hed and found he Shoud Be [taken] Run a Shore All tho I was keep from that privlage By his orders: I have heard thare is Bin Suthing Sed a Bout there Being no fireing on Bord of My Vesel While on Sd Retrate as to that General arnal keep Close Under the East Shore and so did I and the Enimy Came Down under the West Shore If I had Bore a Way to have had My Stern chases Bore on them I shold have Bin a Shore a Mild or two Be fore I was taken: General arnal fiered two or three Gons Be fore he went a Shore But I am Shure the[y] went fifty yards to the East of the Enemy as to My part I all ways thought it Best to fier Somthing Near an Enimy or Not fire at all: But as to My Vesel she was so Shatored She Was Not able to Bare fiering: as to My part I thought We Ware all £rends While We ware at ticonderoga as to My part It is a Bove thirty years Sin I first Went in the Sarvis and I Belive I have Bin in as Many Battels as any Man in Connecticut and I Never heard any such thing about My Self Be fore I am a Man that Strictly obsarves My orders from My Superior and Shold if I Was taken teenn times: as to My Part I du Not think the Retrate Was Conductted all to Gether Well for to be Scattered for Seven Milds in Length it Was to Much We had No Ritten orders for Signals: as thare ought to have Bin: or General amal ought to have Bin in the Rear on a Retrate for What Cold I do he Being a hed and l Cold Not over take him: and had No Signal to Go By: and had orders to not Run a Shore: and the Enemy a Going three feet to our one If any Gentleman had Bin on Board of Me and have keep Me Clear from Being taken I Shold have Bin Glad: and keep to My Orders —

I Wold Give your honour to understand I am very oneasy In My Situation and much Long for the time when I Shall be Exchanged: But I du Not dout of your honours Goodness in doing Me What Service you Can on that acct And am With Sinsear Regard [&c.]