N° 144 To Major Gen^l Knox Sec^y War. Legion Ville 15^th Feb^y 1793 Sir, I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 2 instant — Col^o Procter is yet here, but no further account as yet from the Corn Planter. Since M^r Rosecrantz's letter of the 20^th ultime of which you have a copy, being fully convinced in my own mind that the Commissioners appointed or to be appointed before the termination of the present Session of Congress will not be able to effect a peace with the hostile Indians upon safe & honorable terms. I have seriously turned my thoughts to [undecipherable] the best mode & means of transporting the Stores [undecipherable] to the head of the line, on General St Clair's route, and I have already directed as great a deposit as circumstances will admit to be made by water up the Great Miami as far as Fort Hamilton. The people of the western Country have been long in the habit of transporting every thing upon Pack horses, and I find some difficulty in combating this stubborn habit. I have also duly considered your idea of the transportation on the backs of Oxen, and find that it will not answer, as from nature they are weak in that part, besides they cannot be trained to walk singly thro the woods like horses unless there was a man to each ox. Upon the whole, I am rather of opinion that waggons with Ox teams will be found the most efficacious & economical mode of transportation in general — the great objection to this mode will be that of making better roads for the purpose and the slowness of the movements of waggons drawn by oxen compared with pack horses. I have directed M^r Williams one of the contractors to consult with Gen^l Wilkinson upon this subject, & to endeavour to find out the best ground for brought over Fifty Ox teams will require Waggons drivers hire & [undecipherable] No. Persons [undecipherable] 160. 50 drivers more, about [undecipherable] 13 [undecipherable] 630. [undecipherable] for 200 oxen at 19 [undecipherable] per [undecipherable] Month [undecipherable] } 375 1185 Saved in expenses between Ox teams & Pack horses [undecipherable] Month } [undecipherable] Total savings in the [undecipherable] } comes to 9847.50 at the end of 6 months service Whether this saving will be equal to the [undecipherable] of slow movements, and whether the country will admit of good roads is a question yet to be determined — but it is more than probable that between some of the Posts this mode of transportation will have a preference. I have now the honor of transmitting all the Returns of Military Stores [undecipherable] on hand at Pittsburgh on the 20^th July, 1792, received since, [undecipherable] & on hand to the 19. February 1793 — and have directed the Q.M. General to transmit you a similar return of Q.M. Stores — you will then have fully before you an exact account of all the Public Stores [undecipherable], expended & on hand from my first taking charge of the Legion up to the [undecipherable] instant. I am with sincere esteem & regard your most obed^t. & very hum^le Serv^t Wayne P^S at the moment of Sealing this an Express arrives from Fort Franklin with a letter from M^r Rosecrantz, and a second speech from the Corn Planter of which [undecipherable] are copies. The Hon^ble Maj. Gen. Knox, Sec^y War.