[page 1] Office Surgeon in Chief 1st Sep. Brigade Relay House June 30th 1865 Col G Simpson Med Director Middle Dept Baltimore Sir Asst Surg McKee 1st Del Cavalry has just returned to this Post by my advice in order to have his affairs settled up at once- The position is such a complicated one that I hesitate accepting the responsibility of [doing] directing him to adopt any one of the three measures which there seem to be of settling. He seems to have intended to do perfectly right in the affair but to have been used by Surgeon Shields & to have erred wholly through ingnorance. Dr McKee states that all the stores are now in the charge of Capt Cummings AQM Baltimore & also that he was compelled to send them there as Surgeon Shields refused to receive them on receipt to him for them & left the Regt on the same days the goods were shipped. I suppose he can invoice the property to the Med Purveyor at Washington & if the Med Purveyor at Baltimore is prohibited from receiving them [page 1 break] [page 2] but as Surg Shields is not to be mustered out with the Regt & [begin underlining] should have been made responsible for the stores some time ago. [end underlining] It is a question if he should not be made responsible for them now. He can invoice them to Surg Shields. But it is a question if an officer under arrest, & being tried by Court Martial & there absent can be made responsible for property He can turn them over & get receipts from some Medical officer here. But I should be unwilling to direct any of them now here to become responsible for the whole lot, as really nothing is needed & none can be used except a portion of the small stock of medicines. Will you be kind enough to endorse your opinion on this as an order so that I can know how to act & have it serve as a direct authority for Dr McKee Very Respectfully Yr Obt Servant N P Rice Surg U.S.S. [page 2 break] [page 3] R -- 171 -- 1865 M.D.O. Mid Dept 8" AC. Balto Md June 30" 1865 Respectfully returned to Surgeon N.P. Rice U.S.A. Inasmuch as the question of property responsibility in this case belongs exclusively to Dr McKee, a decision cannot be given at this Office. By order of the Act. Med. Director [illegible mark in red ink] Chas R Greenleaf Asst Surgeon U.S.A. [page 3 break]