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Colonial and State Records of North Carolina
Letter from John Simpson to Richard Caswell
Simpson, John, 1728-1788
August 04, 1777
Volume 11, Page 556

COL. JOHN SIMPSON TO GOV. CASWELL.
[From Executive Letter Book.]

Chatham, August 4th, 1777.

Sir:—

In obedience to your orders I have caus'd a division of the Pitt Regiment of Militia to be made per copy inclosed. I could not possibly have it done sooner and am glad to have the pleasure of informing your Excellency that it seems agreeable to nine tenths of the Regiment. I promised myself the pleasure of waiting on your Excellency with my return, but am too weak to venture, we have sent to Halifax in hope to get the Laws for our better government. Should ye Militia be ordered out, what are we to do for arms? Some have sold to the public, numbers of young men are added to the Regim't who have not had it in their power to purchase, others have had them impress'd for them into the service of the Country, and can get no satisfaction for them although they have never been returned. That makes our Regiment appear not so well accounted as I could wish. I had made out field return of the Pitt Regiment Militia for the General Muster before the last Assembly, & expected some of our members would have carried it to your Excellency, but the turning Major Gorham into the ranks when there was a vacancy he would have accepted, can be of no solid satisfaction to the contrivers. Excuse my digression, & I rest

Your Excell'cy's hum. Ser't.,
JOHN SIMPSON.