consisting of about five hundred Maryland regulars, a few of Hamilton’s artillery, and Porterfield’s corps, Armand’s legion, such of the Virginia militia as had been reclaimed, and about three thousand North Carolina militia, newly embodied.  We are told they will increase these to eight thousand.  Our new recruits will rendezvous in this State between the 10th and 25th instant.  We are calling out two thousand militia, who, I think, however, will not be got to Hillsborough till the 25th of October.  About three hundred and fifty regulars marched from Chesterfield a week ago.  Fifty march to-morrow, and there will be one hundred or one hundred and fifty more from that post, when they can be cleared of the hospital.  This is as good a view as I can give you of the force we are endeavoring to collect; but they are unarmed.  Almost the whole small arms seem to have been lost in the late rout.  There are here, on their way southwardly, three thousand stand of arms, sent by Congress, and we have still a few in our magazine.  I have written pressingly, as the subject well deserves, to Congress, to send immediate supplies, and to think of forming a magazine here, that in case of another disaster, we may not be left without all means of opposition.

     [* The circumstances of the defeat of General Gates’s army,
     near Camden in August, 1780, being of historical notoriety,
     this statement is omitted.]

I enclosed to your Excellency, some time ago, a resolution of the Assembly, instructing us to send a quantity of tobacco to New York for the relief of our officers there, and asking the favor of you to obtain permission.  Having received no answer, I fear my letter or your answer has miscarried.  I therefore take the liberty of repeating my application to you.

I have the honor to be, with the most profound respect,

your Excellency’s most obedient

and most humble servant,

Th:  Jefferson.

LETTER XXI.—­TO GENERAL EDWARD STEVENS, September 12,1780

TO GENERAL EDWARD STEVENS.

Richmond, September 12,1780.

Sir,

Your letters of August 27th and 30th are now before me.  The subsequent desertions of your militia have taken away the necessity of answering the question, how they shall be armed.  On the contrary, as there must now be a surplus of arms, I am in hopes you will endeavor to reserve them, as we have not here a sufficient number by fifteen hundred or two thousand, for the men who will march hence, if they march in numbers equal to our expectations.  I have sent expresses into all the counties from which those militia went, requiring the county lieutenants to exert themselves in taking them; and such is the detestation with which they have been received, that I have heard from many counties they were going back of themselves.  You will of course, hold courts martial on them, and