Letter from Captain Thornborough to the President of the Congress

v4:34

In Congress, Saturday evening, November 4, 1775.

The Congress met according to adjournment.

A Letter from Captain Thornbrough, of this date, was laid before the Congress, and read.

Ordered, That Captain Thornbrough' s Letter of this date, together with the extract therein referred to, be printed and made publick, with the other correspondence already ordered.

v4:35

"Tamer, Rebellion Road, November 4, 1775.

"SIR: Without the aid of any secretary, armed as I am with truth, I can enter the lists even with Mr˙ William Henry Drayton, when his weapons are sophistry, falsehood, and the grossest misrepresentation. On after consideration, I did not think Mr˙ Laurens' s letter worthy a written answer, as I never directly or indirectly harbored the runaway slave of any person, and I will answer for the gentleman who commands the Cherokee, that his conduct has been exactly similar to mine in these matters. It is not my business to enter into any detail of the treatment the King' s representative and the other servants of Government have met with from those assemblies which you have dignified with the name of the publick; but I have prevailed on His Excellency to favour me with an extract of his letter to Governor Tonyn, at St˙ Augustine, which I now enclose, as it will enable the people of this Province to form a judgment of Captain Wanton' s worth and gratitude, as well as of your candor and veracity. As I have some reason to think the original is in your custody, or in that of some of your emissaries, you will hardly dispute its authenticity. But to the main purport of my letter. While I command the King' s ships here, I will procure provisions by every means in my power. If the methods I am under a necessity of taking for that purpose should subject His Majesty' s faithful and loyal people in this Province to any inconveniency, I shall be extremely sorry; but they are to impute it entirely to those who have plunged this late happy country into misery and distress, and not to rne, who have always protected it to the utmost of my power.

"I am to acknowledge Walker was not your prisoner on the late occasion: he is returned; in that point I was misinformed. I shall only add, that I am here determined to drop this correspondence, which is a very disagreeable one to me, and I shall only expect a speedy and explicit answer. I am, Sir, your most obedient servant,

"EDWARD THORNBROUGH.

"To William Henry Drayton, Esq."