Western Sun, Volume 8, Number 39, Vincennes, Knox County, 30 August 1817 — Page 5

W A S V R ! I SU X, EXTRA.

PRISTED St PUBLISHED Br E STOUT.

n icv t re, Saturday August 3J. TO MA JO ft AMBROSE WHITLOCK. District Pay master, -c. No 2. Before I proceed to answer your distil eauous In terrogatories relative to the master rolls of the troops which were commanded bf the Gov'r. of this territory, it is necessary to premise, that those troops not having been detached under am- requisition from the war department were mustei ed by companies into service u j-ler tne meal law. But the governin r afterwards agreeing to pay them for their servces, the Secretary of War, r. Uired that muster roils should be tu ie out, and forwarded to the Paymast General agreeable to a form, which h ran .mitted, wnich was accordingly done. ) exceptions were ever taken to thos i roils by the Secretary of War, or the Paymaster General while the official sanction given to them by the latter, and your own conduct In relation to them, furnish just grounds to believe that they were liable to as few objections, if not fewer, than those of any other detachment of militia of the same size, that h is been v k ed into service within your district, since t at period. U is well kno vn, and cannot be denied bv you, that no other detachment was kept more constantly employed ; nor ever performed more laborious duties ; or rendered more successful services on this frontier. And I am persuaded that you cannot show a solitary muster roll, on whicn any men were returned, who were not in actual service . though I believe it is a fact that owing to the permission whicn Govr Edwards granted to some of the infantry of other companies, to join those of Captains Judy, and Craig when he was starting on the expedition against tne Indians at the head of Peoria Lake, that so ne few of those men, and very few indeed, were through an

Equally ignorant was I, of mistakes, since discovered, which operated to the injury of a much greater number of men, than those who were inpropcrly returned. Which I hope is sufficient to convince even you (if you entertained any doubts upon the subject) that there was no intention on the part of any one, to defraud the government." And with all your pretended vigilance, I believe it is a fact, that you never withheld payment from more than one man, who had thus been returned the rest, as far as I have been able to ascertain them, by the most diligent enquiry, were improperly paid, by the very officer who had committed the most of those blunders, and to whom notwithstanding, the strictness of your instructions as quoted by yourself, and the great reliance placed in your fidelity, you did most illegally, and improperly transfer your own duties, I therefore hope, if yon should have " to make use of a newsDa-

per for the Second time in your life," you will state specifically, the amount of money weich you saved ; and the instances in which you prevented the government from being" materially injured," by the detection of my blunders," I will then cheerfully submit it to the public, or even any one honorable minded man, (however devoted a friend he may be to you) to decide, whether you yourself have not been guilty, of such "contemptible workings, twistings, and endeavorings," to deceive and mislead the public mind as ought to destroy all your claims to candor and sincerity. You have been and doubtless intended to be understood as asserting that 1 had mustered those companies, and that the blunders complained of, had originated with me all of which you must have known to be incorrect. Neither the law nor any orders that I ever received, required me as Brigade Major, to perform any such duty ; nor can you produce any certificate with my signature to it (unless it be a forgery) purporting that I had done so. The only duty assigned to me in those cases, was to receive triplicate rolls when presented to me, to examine and compare them together, and on finding them correct, as to form, to certify them to the commander in chief, as examined, and approved, which is all the

quired by gov'r. Howard of col. Delauny and was executed by that gentleman Neither of the gentlemen mentioned, nor myself, could therefore be considered responsible for musters, at which we neither were, nor were required to be present. Nor indeed for any errors that were not apparent upon the face of the

roll. As well therefore might you be charged, for paying on" false muster rolls,', as me for signing them. For you I imagine did not pay on them, without examining, and approving" them, and it was never made my duty to do more. And now sir, if you believed that I had been guilty of offences, which constituted " serious charges, against an officer of my high standing," as you pretend you did How did it happen that you afterwards selected me to pay a part of the troops that were included in one of the very rolls, to which you now object Sc upon the bare presumption, of my honesty, officially returned them, as paid, without knowing to this day, whether I ever paid them a cent of the money, with which you iutrusted me ? This question presents sad alternatives to an officer who professes to have acted so correctly And never to have varied " one ioto from his instructions" If vou believed m innocent then it is evident that you have " slandered" me If vou thought me guilty Could any officer ever have more flagrantly violated his duty, than you did, in the instance alluded to ? Thus are yoU placed in a dilemma, which 1 think must make you regret that you had not dropped me," without having asked such serious questions, " with your permission to convert them into any amusement, which my feelings, or retirement might dictate" Not content however, with misrepresenting me in this part of the world, you say " you had unfortunately to describe me, with the Illinois troops," in your letters to Washington this may indeed have been unfortunate for you ; but I certainly felt no ill effects from it myself in that quarter it may have been mortifying to a gentleman of your pride, that his representations were wholly disregarded ; for it appears that the people of Washington like those of this territory, however sensible of your merits, wero

not ignorant of your failings.