I acknowledge receipt of your letter of the 26th. inst., notifying me that the Committee to investigate the alleged assault on the jail of Alamance County and the conduct of the soldiers on that occasion, is to meet in Durham on next Monday, at ten o'clock, to hear the evidence of the troops and then to proceed to Graham and hear the evidence of the parties there. I shall arrange my engagements so as to meet the other members of the Committee at the time and place designated.

Your action as to engaging the services of Mr. J. L. Emanuel to act as stenographer for the Committee is entirely agreeable to me, and I presume will meet the approval of the other members.

I note what you say about Counsel appearing before the Committee, and so far as I am personally concerned, your views are in accord with mine, but I fear that the Committee may be embarassed with requests from each side to have Counsel present for the purpose of procuring witnesses and developing the testimony. If this course is urged by both the soldiers and the people of Alamance, I hardly see how the Committee could be justified in refusing such requests. I presume that this will be about the first matter to be considered by the Committee.

I fully appreciate the importance of the work to be done by this Committee, and for my part, I am willing to render any service possible in this or any other matter affecting my State.