N^o 28. To Gen^l Knox, Sec^y of war. Pittsburgh 9^th Nov^r 1792. Sir, I have the honor to acknowledge the the receipt of yours of the 2nd: instant, with the enclosures — I have in as great a degree as present circumstances will admit of anticipated the hutting of the troops, by detaching all the artificers to be found among the Sublegions — with a strong covering party to the ground intended for a fortified Camp, and where nature has done much for us — with orders to provide boards & clapboards, for the whole and to erect Ovens & Stables — 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 hand to 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 [underline: 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 con=:sumed by daily issues after the 15th of April, and before grass cattle can be procured. — however it may so far be accomodated, to quaderate with your idea, so as to lessen the salted part of the ration at the advanced hosts— 180000. rations substituted by an equal quantity of stall fed cattle, to be kept in readiness — for contingencies. — As to the augmentation of the Garrisons of Forts Hamilton, S^t Clair & Jefferson, I am decidedly of opinion, that the trifling consider=:ation 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 S^t Clair; the garrison of S^t Clair to advance to 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 inveteracy & strength of the Confederacy against us. — the escorts will regularly take their respective posts on their return; and these escorts will be many & frequent: the deposit of 25000. bushels of grain, will require thirteen trips, provided that only 500. packhorses are employ'd: each trip will require nine days — total 117 days: but, they will also cover the Contractors [underline: flour] 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 halfway to the Miami villages and that it will be indispensibly necessary to advance the head of the line, as far as Gen^l S^t Clairs field at least in the course of the winter or early in the spring — which will necessarily employ a number of men & increase the consumption of provision in that quarter. It is our misfortune that our numbers were not more complete, so as to afford real encampments of manoeuver & discipline: should Congress now feel the necessity of completing the Legion; more than one half will be new recruits — however, by stripping all the Gar=:risons of the old troops & relieving them with the rawest of new recruits, we may in some degree remedy the evil. If upon the whole I have erred, in ordering considerable supplies, into the advanced posts — it has been occasioned by the strong impressions made upon my mind — of the real want of them in the Campaign of 1791. — nor am I yet convinced, that they are nearly adequate for effectual Offensive operation. I have not received any communication from Gen^l Wilkinson on the subject of carrying on the war; nor have I yet cast my Eye over those you enclosed me from him on that subject; but will give them a full consideration. The contractor has just now been with me. — he says he knows nothing, respecting [strikethrough: the] transporting the flour upon oxen — that for his part he should never think of it, especially in a thick woody country without roads — that even were it practicable we should lose more, by reducing the cattle to poverty and death than we should gain by it — that the beef would not be fit for use, however, the transportation of provision rests upon him by special contract and that he can't think of that mode of conveyance. We may however try what can be made of them in the transportation of military and Quartermasters Stores, at the opening of the Campaign. I have the honor to be with sincere esteem your most obed^t & very hum^l Serv^t Ant^y Wayne The Hon^ble Maj^r Gen^l Knox Sec^y of war