N° 28. To Gen'l Knox [undecipherable] year. Pittsburgh 9^th Nov^r 1792 Sir, I have the honor to a knowledge the receipt of yours of the 2^d instant, with the measures I have in as great a degree, as present circumstances will admit of anticipated the hutting of the troops, by attaching all our artificers to be found among the Sub legions— with [undecipherable: probable reading assiduous] covering party to the ground intended for a fortified camp, and where nature has done much for us, with orders to provide boards of [undecipherable] for the whole and to erect [undecipherable] Stakes— but such is the real state of the waters, that not a Grist or sawmill in all this country has ground a single bushel of grain, or cut one inch of lumber, for these three months past; nor can the contractor supply us with flour, but from [undecipherable] mouth, and that on pack horses— nor can they possibly do otherwise, until a general rise of the waters— the greater part of the flour we now use is ground by horse mills, nor can we procure a single board but what we cut by whipsaws— Previously to my orders to the contractors for the extra deposits of rations, I weighed the business maturely, and it was the best arrangement under all circumstances that I could make— a great part of which will naturally be consumed by daily issues after the 15^th of April, and before grass cattle can be procured— however it may so far be accommodated to quadrate with your idea, so as to lessen the salted part of the ration at the advanced [undecipherable: probable reading post]; 180,000 rations substituted by an equal quantity of stale fed cattle, to be kept in readiness— for contingencies— As to the augmentation of the Garrisons of Forts Hamilton, St Clair, & Jefferson, I am decidedly of opinion, that the trifling consideration of the price of the ration, ought to have no weight when put in competition with the security of those posts— and the escorts which cannot be less than 200 men with each, in order to give any degree of security— as thus— an Escort from Washington to Hamilton of 200; the garrison of Hamilton to advance to fort St Clair; the garrison of St Clair to advance to Jefferson, Jefferson, to be met half way, by a detachment from Jefferson, in order to reinforce & secure them from insult; for altho we have been rather fortunate heretofore; we have no reason to hope for, or expect it in future; unless we are in force to repel the attempts that will naturally be made upon us / which we have ground to expect, from the unnecessary strength of the Confederacy a gainst us— the escorts will regularly take their respective posts on their return; and these escorts will be many & frequent; the escort of 25,000 bushels of grain, will require thirteen trips, provided that only 300 pack horses are employed, each trip will require nine days— total 117 days; but they will also cover the Contractors [undecipherable] part of the ration at the same time— in fact, our success depends upon having our magazines full at the head of the line in due time, with a force to protect them. In addition to this I find that fort Jefferson is not nearly half way to the Miami villages and that it will be indispensably necessary to advance the head of the line, as far as Gen'l St Clair's field, at least, in the course of the winter or early in the spring— which will necessarily employ a number of men of [undecipherable] consumption of provision in that quarter. It is our misfortune that our numbers were not more complete, so as to afford real encampments of maneuvering discipline. Should Congress now feel the necessities of completing the Legion, more than one half will be new recruits— however, by stripping all the garrisons of the old troops & relieving them with the [undecipherable]