[Duplicate] War department, March 10^th 1792 Sir I have the honor to transmit you duplicates of my letters to you of the 3 Instant. I now reiterate to you the ardent desire of the President of the United States to make a proper and permanent peace with the Indians, and to this end no hostile stroke should be made against them, until some mode shall be devised of placing before them truly and plainly the real objects of the United States – These objects are simply that we desire no lands but those hitherto obtained by fair treaty, and particularly the treaty of Muskingum in January 1789 – That we neither desire to conquer or extirpate the Indians – But that we desire is peace upon terms of moderation and justice – that our conduct hitherto has been dictated by the motives of protecting the frontiers – that the United States must and will facredly persevere in this intention, until effectually accomplished – That the desire for peace proceeds from pure motives of humanity, and does not arise from any apprehension of the final fuccefs of the war, for our ftrength and refources are fuch, compared with the Indian force, that we muft fubdue them in [undecipherable]. The intention of detailing [undecipherable] objects at prefent is, that you fhould elect immediately fome of the Indians who are prifoners, imprefs thefe ideas on them, and fend them directly to the Indian villages, informing them that a perfon will be fhortly fent to them, with a meffage from the Prefident of the United States to the fame effect, and that they muft receive and treat that perfon with kindnefs. We are in purfuit of a proper character for this purpofe, who perhaps may be [undecipherable] by fome of the chiefs of the Six Nations who [undecipherable] in [undecipherable] in a few days on a friendly [undecipherable], a perfon will be difpatched to you for this purpofe. In the mean time, it will [be of the] higheft importance, that all offenfive operations be reftrained until after the effect of the miffion fhould be known. I am Sir, with great efteem, Your moft obed^t Serv^t H Knox Sec^y of [undecipherable] Commandant James Wilkinfon