[draft] Camp near White plains Novr 22 1776 My beloved Wife I have received your Letter by Mr Chew full as it can hold of the melancholies, Mrs Rheas certainly affected my Lucy by her fears - to be seperated from you for years if not for Life, because I wish you to go to Boston for your own happiness is certainly to doubt my affection for you & Is making me an unprincipl'd villian indeed. - My God is it possible for you whom I so tenderly love & for whose happiness I would chearfully give my Life, To harbour the thought that I would be absent from you for years - awake my dear Lucy to your native dignity of sentiment & encourage not such Ideas as these [struck: that] as have a tendency to sap that happiness which we now possess - an unbounded Confidence in each other - I wish you to go to no place inconsistent with you felicity but by the eternal God I wish you to shake off any companions that would aid and assist such sentiments as are in your last letter - Believe me my dearest earthly felicity that your happiness [struck: and] is the first wish of my heart and that [inserted: all] my [struck: whole] [struck: my] efforts shall be to promote [2] - Indeed my country have strong claims to the little assistance in my power - this claim I consider as the call of heaven which would be blasphemery to [strikeout] resist. My obedience in this point interrupts our happiness for the present in order to secure it more effectually - I maledict the Cause as much as any person but cant remedy it tho I am lending my aid towards it. By the time you receive this Letter I suppose my Brother will be with you - But you need not set out to Stamford for I this day shall go to the Jersies with General Lee - The enemy have landed part of their force on the other side with an intent as we suppose of transacting the same affair [inserted: at Fort Lee] that they executed at Fort Washington, but I hope that will be prevented - We shall endeavor to get them into trobble which may God of his infinite [strikeout][inserted: wisdom] Grant - The Congress have done nothing with Respect to the Settlement of the Artillery as yet - So that I shall be oblig'd to go to Philadelphia before I shall have the pleasure to be with you I think the operations on the other side & the prospect of the settling my department may take up 3 Weeks 3 long Weeks or perhaps 4 - & then if the enemy go into Winter quarters I think I may have a reasonable prospect of spending [3] some considerable time with you - consult your own happiness & care [struck: and] [strikeout] with respect to going to Boston - I must be a damn'd Brute certainly to wish you to do any thing inconsistent with your peace - however if my brother [text loss] atnewHaven I most certainly text loss]havethe pleasure to see him, but [text loss] not wish him to come a wild goo[text loss] after me - I had rather he shoud [text loss] awhile at New Haven - but [text loss] he may be govern'd by our success [text loss] success in the Jersies - I think he ha[text loss] on the whole [write] to be & receive an [text loss] before he sets out - I shall endevo[text loss] Come to New Haven [struck: To y] to have [text loss] pleasure of being with you - the la[text loss] in so precarious situation that no principle of prudence could justify [struck: the] [inserted: your] leaving this way - much good may Mrs P have in following her husband thro a flying Camp - I should have no love for you if I indulg'd such an Idea - the post officer is remov'd to Peekskill I wish your letters to be directed to be with the Army in N. Jersey adieu may heaven prosper & bless you adieu my love HKnox [address leaf] Mrs Lucy Knox N Haven favord by Capt Williams please to forward the letter for Henry Jackson by the first post The slaughter among the Hessians was great when the stormd Fort Washington [docket] HKnox to Wife Nov 76.