[N° 43 — to Major Gen^l Knox Sec^y of War] Legion Ville 8. February 1793. Sir, I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 20^th ultimo and have the pleasure to inform you that the two months pay for the Legion by Doctor Strong arrived safe at Pittsburgh on the 1^st instant, and as a very favorable opportunity has offered its more than probable that the pay up to the 1^st of January last will come forward in charge of Cap^t [undecipherable] or Doctor Carmichael who are [undecipherable] to therefrom on or before the 15^th instant Every possible precaution has been taken for the preservation of the ammunition &c. under a most pointed & standing General order which makes the officers accountable, for that delivered to their respective Corps, and further directs, "that stoppages shall be made from the Pay of the delinquent of one eighth of a dollar for each & every Cartridge lost, not lost or damaged. I have now the honor in pursuance of your orders of the 20^th ultimo to state the following Estimate of ammunition expended by the troops at Pittsburgh from the 20^th of July 1792 until the 28^th of November &c. for one hundred and thirty one days by the Guards mounted at that place averaging. Rounds [undecipherable] [undecipherable] 120 Men at [undecipherable] from 43790 equal 3687 9/[undecipherable] 9 Expended by the Rifle Corps averaging 250 men at 2 rounds [undecipherable] a [undecipherable] 60,000 — 750 — 1500 From [undecipherable] days averaging [undecipherable] men each day in 3000 men at [undecipherable] rounds [undecipherable] Lead blank 72,000 — 4587.8 — Eight Howitzers & [undecipherable] days at 32 [undecipherable] at [undecipherable] rounds blank [Cartridge?] [undecipherable] [undecipherable]08 — 120 — — Morning & Evening Guns 250 — 250 — Fort Fayette [undecipherable] days at [undecipherable] 148744 — 3181-15 — 2[undecipherable]4[undecipherable]9 Rounds [undecipherable] [undecipherable] [undecipherable] Brought forward 148744 — 3181.15 — 24419 Expended at Legion Ville from the 29 Nov^r [undecipherable] 1792 &c. 60 days by 800 men on daily guard above rounds [undecipherable] man [undecipherable] [undecipherable] [undecipherable] 13,184 — 309. — 7890 Morning & Evening Guns every 128 rounds at 2 ounces of powder each blank [undecipherable] 128 — 20 — Total Expenditure 162050 — 3,510.15 — 3221 3 The quantity above mentioned is something more than has been actually expended, particularly the lead, as a quantity of that article has been reclaimed, by cutting it out of the trees after each days practice. In fact there has but very little expenditure of ammunition as yet taken place except a little lately, and the powder expended by the Afternoon practicing at marks whilst at Pittsburgh at the rate of two pounds [undecipherable] dozen, in the proportion of eighty rounds of powder and forty rounds of lead to a hound. — That furnished by the Guards was the load with which they mounted, and in place of drawing & thereby wasting the powder & paper it has been occasionally used in practicing the troops to place their balls in a deadly direction, and in inuring them to the necessary recoil of their own Arms which is gaining a great point. As to the Powder burnt on field days, it was not fit for any other purpose, unless it was melted down or analyzed in order to reclaim the [undecipherable: probable reading Nitre]. Having thus given you a minute account of the quantity of ammunition expended and the manner & purpose for which it was used, I must beg leave to refer you to the General Returns from the respective Departments that will either accompany or follow this for all the species that have been made of Military or other stores since I had the honor to assume the command at Pittsburgh. It is now my duty to mention that it will be indispensably necessary to attend a far greater proportion of ammunition than heretofore, as soon as the season will permit in practicing the troops in more manoeuvres, evolutions & firings which the nature of the service requires, particularly by a light operating Corps which I mean to form for the purpose of rousing the savages from their coverts, & keeping up a running & deadly fire from the improved musket, charged with fine ground powder heavy buck shot without ball and also, for our [underline: Flying] Howitzers, previously to [undecipherable] directing the Dragoons — independent of that which may