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Colonial and State Records of North Carolina
Letter from David Smith to Richard Caswell
Smith, David
July 29, 1777
Volume 11, Pages 548-549

COL. DAVID SMITH TO GOV. CASWELL.
[From Executive Letter Book.]

Cumberland, 29th July, 1777.

Sir:—

I rec'd yours of the 25th instant, and agreeable to your order I have made all the discovery amongst the Tories that the time would permit. I immediately on receiving the letter sent a man who I could depend on up Deep River as far as Col. Alston's, and he returned this morning with a letter from Col. Alston, which gives the following account, that there was two men at his house one from Guilford, & the other from Chatham, and that he believed them both to be friends to the American cause, and they told them they did not believe the Tories had any intention of rising, and that they never had heard of any such thing, only at Chatham Court House on the 21st instant there was a meeting of the people concerning the salt, and they had sent to Orange & Guilford to

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know if they would agree with them not to send any provision to Cross-Creek until they would sell them their salt upon reasonable terms: and they agreed to send two men out of every Captain's district to Cross-Creek to make some agreement with the Merchants for their salt. I was informed last night there was a party of men gathering in Duplin to go to Cross-Creek for salt, but the certainty of it I have not got yet.

I am Sir with the greatest respect,
Your mo. hble Ser't.,
DAVID SMITH.
His Excellency Richard Caswell.