Sir,
I do myself the Honour to acknowledge the Receipt of your Letter of the 28th Inst which I received late last Night ー enclosing the Resolutions of Congress of the preceding Day, and a Copy of a Letter from the Committee at Albany bearing Date 20th. June 1775.
In Obedience to the Resolutions of Congress, I shall without Delay repair to Ticonderoga. It will however be necessary previous to my Departure from hence that I should take Order to have the Variety of Articles necessary to cany into Execution the Views of the Congress sent after me with all Expedition. This will probably detain me until Monday.
The Success of the intended Operation will evidently depend so much on Dispatch, that I am sorry I do not think myself at Liberty to move the Troops now here to Albany without the immediate Consent of Congress. At this Place I do not apprehend they can be wanted. At Albany they would greatly facilitate and expedite the Service, as well as save Expence by their Assistance in the Transportation of Stores and Provisions, and by their Aid in building Boats, Carriages &c And as they must ultimately go on this Service, the Forces at Ticonderoga being vastly inadequate to the Enterprize, I wish for the Sense of the Congress with all possible Dispatch, and therefore I send this by Express.
On a Service of this Kind in which Success will be attended with such a Variety of important and salutary Consequences, I beg Leave to suggest that every Measure ought to be pursued that has a probable Tendency to it, and theiefore I hint that on a Service in which we shall in all Probability, be encountered by Indians, a Body of Rifle Men would be of vast Utility. Perhaps I might be favoured with Part, at least, of those now levying in Pennsylvania.
I shall immediately dispatch a trusty Person, Mr Walter Livingston to Govr [Jonathan] Trumbull for the two important Articles of Money & Ammunition, neither of which can at any Rate be procured here. The former is so much wanted here that I am under apprehensions that the Service in general may suffer, unless the Provincial Congress of this Place can have a supply speedily.
The Appointments I recommended in mine of the 28th are now become so pressingly necessary, that I beg Leave again to recommend them to the Attention of Congress.
I am Sir with the greatest Respect, yours &c