The writings of George Washington; being his correspondence, addresses, messages, and other papers, official and private, selected and published from the original manuscripts; with a life of the author, notes and illustrations. By Jared Sparks.

38 WASHINGTON'S WRITINGS. [AET. 49.
ling you again on this subject, and praying that some
decision may be come to by Congress. It is much
easier to avoid disagreements, than to remove discontents; and I again declare, that if my differing in sentiment from the opinions of the committee in some
points has been the occasion of delay, I would, rather
than have the matter lie over a moment, yield a free
assent to all their propositions; for any principle is better than none. I also wish, though this is more a matter of private than public consideration, that the business could be taken up on account of Mr. Tilghman,
whose appointment seems to depend upon it; for, if
there are men in the army deserving the commission
proposed for him, he is one of them.
This gentleman came out a captain of one of the
light infantry companies of Philadelphia, and served in
the flying camp in 1776. In August of the same year
he joined my family, and has been in every action in
which the main army was concerned. He has been a
zealous servant and slave to the public, and a faithful
assistant to me for nearly five years, a great part of
which time he refused to receive pay. Honor and
gratitude interest me in his favor, and make me solicitous to obtain his commission. His modesty and
love of concord placed the date of his expected commission at the 1st of April, 1777, because he would
not take rank of Hamilton and Meade, who were declared aids in order (which he did not choose to be)
before that period, although he had joined my family,
and done all the duties of one, from the 1st of September preceding.
My public letters to Congress will have informed you
of the situation of this army, and I have no scruple in
giving it as my decided opinion, that, unless a capital
change takes place soon, it will be impossible for me