N^o 48. To Maj. Gen^d Knox Copy from Legion Ville 4^th March 1793 Sir, I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 23d ultimo and am very sorry that the President should be displeased at the detention of Col^o Procter from proceeding to the Corn planters town, the reasons for which I had the honor to communicate to you as early as the 11th of January last, they then appeared to me conclusive, and from your silence upon that subject I had fondly flattered myself that the measures had met with approbation — however I shall be more circumspect in future. Should the Corn planter now come forward — it will have a strange appearance & will probably give umbrage to all honest, after all the ceremony of pains that has been taken in order to prevail upon him to visit the seat of Government — "Brother your presence is no longer necessary — you are not wanted, you may return home" — however it shall be done with the best grace that I am capable of — but its more than probable that I shall not be honored with his presence until I meet him in a hostile manner on the the field, provided that the intelligence respecting the present disposition of those Indians with regard to the proposed boundary be true. Col^o Procter's presence & stay at this place I am well convinced has been & more real advantage to the public service than any disadvantage that could possibly result in consequence of his not proceeding in the first instance to the Corn planters town — He has by unremitting attention & industry introduced into the artillery some knowledge of the use & utilities of the Howitzers when properly fortified, he has also taught some of the young & ambitious Officers the rudiments and principles of projection, composition &c &c — of which they had but very little knowledge before his arrival — they can now direct the necessary business of the Laboratory and are preparing the shells &c &c for the improved Howitzers when they arrive, and by the time that the leaves are out Col^o Procter will give you every necessary information in a voice respecting those Howitzers and upon such other subjects as may occur and that you would wish to be acquainted with respecting the situation & circumstance of the Legion. In my letter to the 1^st instant I announced the safe arrival of B^rigd Carmichael with the pay of the troops. Enclosed is a copy of a letter to General Wilkinson upon the subject of pay & other matters. I have now directed the pay master General to form an Estimate from the monthly return for December 1792 of the sum necessary to send to Fort Washington for the pay of the troops in that quarter, which agreeable to your orders shall descend the River by the first opportunity in charge of Doctors Strong & Sellman whose assistance is wanted below in the medical line. By despatches from General Wilkinson as late as the 20th of January received last evening direct, Bull has arrived safe at Fort Washington with the pay of the troops up to the last of any last — nothing material has taken place in that quarter except General Courts martial had on officers which were progressing rapidly — but I have not yet been made acquainted with the proceedings. Gen^l Wilkinson complains of a deficiency of Officers, I labor under the same disadvantage, and am reduced to the necessity of ordering Serjeants to take charge of guards which ought to be commanded by commissioned Officers — however I hope that this inconvenience will soon be remedied, as you promise to write me fully upon the subject