Letter signed : Headquarters Camp at Cross Roads, to George Clinton, 1777 Aug. 16.

Commending him on the efforts of New York State's militia; commenting that the forces massing in Massachusetts under Generals Stark and Lincoln "would make General Burgoyne anxious for his rear, oblige him to advance circumspectly, and to leave with such strong posts behind, as must make his main body very weak, and extremely capable of being repulsed by the force we shall have in front;" informing him that he is advancing to "join the northern army, Colonel Morgan's corps of riflemen, amounting to about five hundred;" expecting "the most eminent services from them; and I shall be mistaken if their presence does not go far towards producing a general desertion among the savages;" encouraging him to "begin to circulate these ideas, with proper embellishments, throughout the country and in the army; and to take pains to communicate them to the enemy. I would not be amiss, among other things, to magnify their numbers;" commenting in detail on the plan proposed by General Lincoln to General Schuyler "to unite all the militia and Continental troops in one body, and make an opposition wholly in front;" expressing his concern that the plan does not give the Continental troops the opportunity to endanger the flank and rear of the enemy forces; outlining the perils of not having a sufficient force at the flank and the rear with respect to General Burgoyne's troops; concluding that he will leave it up to the judgment of the officers in the field to "determine and act as appears to them most prudent;" asking in a postscript to remind General Schuyler to "put it out of the enemy's power to avail themselves of the convenience of Water Carriage by removing all Boats out of their way" so that "their progress down the river should be cut off as speedily as possible."