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Coll.[Colonel] Wm [William] T Miller
Bristol Sept. 3th 1778
Sir,
I Recd [received] your very acceptable favor of the 30 Augt [August] and observe you say sir [?] with pleasure you take up your pen to write to a person so respected especially since you have assurance by Ensn. [Ensign] Phillips that I showed myself very friendly to the common cause of the country and that it gave you great uneasiness since you have been in the camp to hear my name called over among the list of Tories with an arc of satisfaction by some whome [whom] you take to be my natural enemies who you don’t look upon to be more attached to the cause of liberty than their neighbors until they were gratified with every honour they could wish for and you further say suffer me again to repeat my joy in hearing that you have declared yourself a friend to your country to the satisfaction of a man of so much influence as [Major] Phillips -- O. Invoi Invoi [O Envoi Envoi]. The man who possesses it must have a continual tarter within his one brest [breast] a curs [curse] to sosieate [society] an enemiea [enemy] to his cuntrey [country] and to all mancoind [mankind], and ghastly despise the men who posese [possess] those prenceples [principles] but honner [honor] & love the man who is a frend [friend] to mancoind [mankind] in general without cenester [sinister] [view] to themselves. General Green [culd] could not be in that black cateloge [catalog] who solisited [solicited] me for a beath to be my adeson & by my resignation & influence he obtained the high office he now sustains. Bradford you know was always my privat [private] enemy he has of late shown himself more publick [public] I have hearn of his trying to blast my character as a Torey but I most hartley [heartily] despise him. Coll. [Colonel] Church I think you sd [said] me ill in the general assembly by corlen [calling] my conduct in question for not sending the soldiers out at the Lexenton [Lexington] Battle when my conduct was justified by every man of sense who new [knew] the sunken slances of that affair & by a letter from General Ward declaring that the men was not then wanted but as son [?] was he would give twenty notes and [?], by Coll. [Colonel] Church declaring some on frendley [unfriendly] things in the hows [house], I resigned my commission as general and as Coll. [Colonel] of the melishea [militia] for the County of Bristol, altho [although] I was chose [chosen] by a grate majorite [great majority] I did not take the office for the sake of the honor or the proffit but for the sake of my cybtrea [country]. But I invoi that curst [cursed] friend to slander. But what seguer would
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our government made had it not been for me who was the sole progeten [progeny] in the scheme in procuering [procurring] the powder, and what thanks have I had for atuaneing [attaining] 1000 dollars to purches [purchase] it at a time when there was not a dollar in the tresurea [treasury] neither could the tresurey [treasury] hyer [hire] it upon aney [any] [?] & I advanced It in Johanesy [Johannesburg?] by which the gooer me [government?] ganid [gained] 10 p. 6 & the powder purchased for 6 p. cheper [cheaper] than any since & the government would not have had a cornel [kernel] of powder now if it hadn’t been for me and what thanks do you think I have had for all this, why truley [truly] for asking for the same sort of money as I attained. I am branded a Torey and refused any other pay but paper, I have been against the [pasin] sum extra[?]ent au[?] And bulding [building] men of war (at desk for the present) and have shewn [shown] my self very deserving of compassion the onhappea [unhappy] deference witnesses Grate Breton [Great Britain] & this cuntrea [country] upon the furst [first] good opening when it culd [could] be dun [done] in a constetuneal [constitutional] way, & who ever is not for settlen [settling] of it, I have declared as inemies [enemies] to thear cuntrea [their country]. This ill minded people have taken the advantage of and represented me as enemical to the common cose [cause]. But let them put thear [their] hands upon thear harts [their hearts] and say who is enemical to thear cuntrea thay [their country]? Thay [They] or me, who would ruen thear cuntrea [ruin their country] by a long & expensive warr, and by [multen?] the goverment [government] in pasin extravent [passion extravagant] au[?] because they may git thear [get their] one past in the same way, and by [esuean?] fluds [floods] of paper currence [currency] to pay off the [soldiers] and not take proper methods to [eovea?] it upon a good footen [footing] and to [corse?] it in seasonable to keep [crdel?] Fil up -- I have been told in publick [public] company by one of the cummetea of warr (or of safty) that I was too ritch [rich], that thay [they] was determened [determined] to put me upon a level with the rest of man coind [mankind], this is the prenceples [principles] I fear two maney [too many] go upon. But I sea non [sea non] that due busines [do business] for this government. But try to git [get] as much as thay [they] can, [ply] to give my compls [compliments] to the General Greene, Coll. [Colonel] [?]num, Coll. [Colonel] Hitchcock & Esn [Ensign] Phillips. I most sencerley [sincerely] wish you helth [health] & the hol [whole] Contenental Arme [Continental Army] [safety?] and a speade [speedy] reconciliation of all disputes with the mother cuntrea [country] & that we may have no more of Englishman killing Englishman and it is my sencear [sincere] prayer that we may be once more rehunited [reunited] & joined together in the common corse [cause] for the good of the whole empeer [empire], and when ever we shall be [called] upon again to take up the weepons [weapons] of warr [war] it will be against our common & natural enemies. Mr. Potter sends his love & joins with me in wishin [wishing] you helth [health] and hapines [happiness], and that yrs [years] head may be covered in the day of battle is the sincear [sincere] prayer of him who subscriber himself [?]
Very humble sert [servant]
S. PotterLanguage
English
