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Colonial and State Records of North Carolina
Letter from John Alexander Lillington to Thomas Burke
Lillington, John Alexander, 1720s-1786
March 29, 1782
Volume 16, Pages 569-570

GEN. ALEX. LILLINGTON TO GOV. THOS. BURKE.

March 29th, ’82.

Dear Sir:

After Congratulating you on yr. safe return to yr. Administration, I sincerely wish that the remainder of yr. time may be more safe & Agreeable to yr. Excellency. I am, Sir, to Inform you that yr. letter Dt. Febry. 2nd did not come to hand until the 10th of this Instant, open. I immediately wrote to Mr. Hooper & sent him a Copy of the letter, but have not been favoured with a line from that Gentleman since yr. last fav. I received 13th Instant. Immediately, on receipt of it, I gave out the Necessary Orders to the different Colonels of the District, who had not gave in their Return of their Regiment & the Recpts. for the Men they had Dd. to the Continental Officers. You, Sir, will see what I have been able to Collect. What is not yet given in shall be sent as soon as I am able to obtain them. In respect to Troops being Posted here is what I recommended to Mr. Nash on the reduction of Charles Town—in my Opinion I think 300 foot, with 25 or 30 horsemen, Might be Sufficient to have a guard on the two Inlets, & to suppress the Tories & to prevent small Parties from landing; to have them posted at Brunswick will be Convenient for both, as the Tories are Chiefly Sentred on the South line. I have Inclosed a letter from Colonel Young with a Copy of a letter from Col. Leonard, one from Colo. Brown respecting the Tories. Immediately on the receipt of those letters I gave orders for Imbodying, by a Draft, 150 men in Duplin, Cumberland 150, Onslow 100, & shall be waiting orders; no affidavits

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as yet against the Western Troops—one of Col. Young’s letters reports a Flag that is lately Arrived. I wish that point could be settled & that I could have yr. Orders respecting Flags for the future.

I am greatly Obliged to you, Sir, for yr. kind offer in respect to what I wrote Colo. Martin. I cannot help mentioning the injustice done the Officers by the Auditors in Settling their Accts., allowing no back rations. If they themselves cannot live under 20/ per Day, how is an Officer to live with only 4/ or 5/ per Day, wch. at 200 for one they get but one-fourth part of the sum? We are badly off for paper & Ink & powder—none to be had without Impressing, which I do not wish to do. Money, I have none, & not likely to get any, as the Auditors will not pass my Accts.

I Am, Sr.,
Wishing to hear from you Soon,
Yr. Excellency Most Obed.,
Hum. Servt.,
ALEX. LILLINGTON.