Documenting the American South Logo
Colonial and State Records of North Carolina
Letter from George Doherty to Jethro Sumner [Extract]
Doherty, George
September 16, 1780
Volume 14, Page 772

CAPT. GEORGE DOHERTY TO GEN. JETHRO SUMNER.

September 16th, 1780.

“I was sorry to hear that your present command gave you a good deal of trouble by their imagining that they were entitled to be discharged. This, with some other circumstances, gave me room to think you would extricate yourself from the numberless perplexities that an officer who is accustomed to regularity involves himself in by condescending to take such a command as your present one. The circumstance I mean is the proceedings of our Gen'l Assembly when they passed a resolve superseding Gen. Caswell, and giving the sole command of the militia to Gen. Smallwood. This must be right, as it was done by our legislature, as no doubt they would not solicit an officer from another state if they thought they had one of their own equal to it. I must confess I was somewhat nettled.”