Major General St. Clair to The Secretary of War Camp on the waters of white River 6½ miles from Fort Washington 10^th Oct. 1791. Sir, I had the honor to write you from Fort Washington on the 6^th at the moment I was leaving it to Join the army which I had ordered to be put in motion some days before [undecipherable]. on the 8^th I met a letter from Gen^l Butler informing that it had moved on the 4^th and on the evening of the 8^th I came up with him and found that by very gentle marches he had then gained about 20 miles we are now his advanced [undecipherable] [undecipherable: notes above line] Fort Washington and have halted to form another place of deposit, which will most probably be the last and indeed has not the state of our provisions compelled it, I would have proceeded without making any until the event of the campaign had been determined; for not a moment can now be spared and the calculation of time for works and the actual execution never agree — as it is I have but three days flour on hand, more is expected every moment, but there is not that arrangement with respect to transporting the Supplies that insures a regular Succession. The Situation here is proper enough for a post. the Stream which [undecipherable] runs near it and empties itself I believe into the white river issues from a number of very large morasses enclosed among the neighbouring Hills and have evidently been lakes, a surface of earth has been gradually formed on the top of the water by the growth of certain aquatic plants, and are in general impassable, but intervals of firm land are found between them from place to place; two of those are discovered and [undecipherable] by the most [undecipherable] and [undecipherable] of the [undecipherable] of the [undecipherable] [undecipherable] morasses, that I have begun to build. I have sent expresses to M^r [undecipherable] to forward without one moment's delay ten days provisions of flour, and two days more in two or three days after at farthest, if that comes on, we shall do well enough, and in the present view of things there appears to be a necessity for pushing at the object immediately, for some uneasiness with respect to the time of their Service already appears among the Levies, and should they have much time to consider, there is no telling how far it may go. The country hitherto although pretty thick has been very favorable and so far as it has been reconnoitred a head, which is about six miles, becomes more open and firmer, so that it is probable we shall not meet with much difficulty in our route; on the last days march an Indian path pretty much used has been on either hand all the way and seems now to coincide nearly with our course which induces me to believe we have passed the height of the land and are in the open champaign country between the miami of the lakes and the white river, I suppose the distance to the Miami villages to be not more than fifty miles. One or two Indians only have been seen, our [undecipherable] since we left Fort Hamilton, and one of them was killed [undecipherable] some [undecipherable] have been lost, but not many, and [undecipherable] the monthly return is not yet ready, the Adjutant General has not been able to obtain a return from the Jersey Batalion to this hour, for which the Major is in arrest, and will be tried this day. You will please to excuse me, Sir, for not forwarding duplicates, time and circumstances do scarce admit it at present. I wish I may not have given too hasty an opinion on M^r Hodgdon in my last, I will see more of him before I say any thing about him again. but last night after having assured every thing necessary in his department, it was found there was one frow and one cross cut Saw only with the Army. I have the honor to be &c,