Washington then reproached Hamilton for trying to pull the Army into domestic politics. “I will now, in strict confidence, mention a matter which may be useful for you to be informed of,” he began. Some “leading” members of the Army, he wrote, suspect that some members of Congress have tried to use the Army as “mere Puppits to establish Continental funds.” He chided Hamilton for toying with the national defense simply to raise revenue. “The Army (considering the irritable state it is in, its sufferings & composition) is a dangerous instrument to play with,” he warned.36
