[No 55. To Major Gen^l Knox, Sec^y of War.] Legion Ville 20. april 1793. Sir, I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 6^th instant and have now the pleasure to inform you that we have been in readiness to descend the Ohio since the 15^th instant with all the troops and stores at this place; and altho' the notice was short such have been the exertions of the Quarter Master General that the boats and every necessary for the transportation were on the spot agreeably to the period mentioned in your letter of the 5^th ultimo i.e. the middle of april.— We therefore only wait your final orders to descend the river; and which I hope to receive by this post due yesterday— but who will not arrive (agreeably to late custom) until some time tomorrow— when I expect to be honored with [underline: explicit & full instructions]; together with your decision upon the several subjects submitted in my letters of the 22 and 30^th ultimo and 5^th instant.— I feel anxious and uneasy on account of the military & Quarter Masters stores and clothing for the pending Campaign lest they should not arrive in time at Pittsburgh to descend the Ohio before the water is too low: in fact, there is no dependance upon the navigation of this River after the first of May.— from a late heavy fall of rain the ohio is at present in a most favorable state for descending it; we are therefore losing a precious opportunity.— By the present muster & inspection there are one hundred and forty men reported totally unfit for field duty— and recommended for discharges; however there are about one hundred of those that would answer for Garrison duty: the other forty neither God or nature ever designed for soldiers.— and I am decidedly of opinion that the officer or officers who inlisted or mustered them ought to be compelled to reimburse the Public for all expenses occasioned by bringing into the Legion such miserable & wretched things.— The enclosed extract of a letter from General Wilkinson will shew you that the Wabash Indians are not seriously inclined to peace or scrupulous observers of peace; altho' some of their chiefs (or pretended chiefs) are making the Eastern tour under the protection of the father Capt. Prior. From a rough calculation made from the documents now in my possession— after leaving the necessary Garrisons on the upper parts of the Ohio, I shall not descend the river with more than twelve hundred effectives non Commiss^d officers and privates; including Dragoons, Artillery, Infantry & riflemen; and after forming a junction with the troops under Gen Wilkinson and furnishing the necessary Garrisons for Forts Washington, Hamilton St. Clair & Jefferson averaging seventy men to each, I can't possibly count upon more than eight hundred from that quarter; so that the aggregate of my operating force will not exceed two thousand effectives— of regular troops: unless there has been great success in recruiting, which I am rather inclined to believe is not the case— as none have joined since the detachment under Cap^t Slough nor do I hear of any on their march, except the sixty men under Capt. Preston, who you say in your letter of the 5^th ultimo are ordered to march to the mouth of the Great Kenhawa.— Upon enquiry I find that the County of Washington in the Territory Northwest of the Ohio includes Marietta, Bellepré and Gallipolis; I have therefore directed the Lieutenant of that County to call [underline: twelve] scouts or Spies into service with similar instructions to the several Lieutenants to those given by you on the 29. December 1791.— Major Mills has this moment arrived with the months pay & the Commissions for the officers.— enclosed is the proceedings of a Court of Enquiry upon Lieut. Col^d Smith, since which he has been tried by a General Court Martial upon the charges mentioned at the close of those proceedings, but I have not yet heard the result, but predict[ed]ly his Ban [undecipherable: final words uncertain]. Cap^t Armstrong resigned his Commission in the Army on the 3^d. ultimo. there are therefore the following vacancies — viz. one Lieut Col's Comm^t, two Majorities one Captaincy and two Ensigncies— occasioned by the probable decision upon Lieut Col^t Smith, the resignations of Majors Bedingon and Armstrong, the death of Capt. R. S. House and of Ensign W^m Pitt Gasoway (who fele in an affair of honor at this place on the 24^th ultimo) and Ensign Hall who resigned on the 10^th instant, which affords a pretty wide field for Promotion: an object which every officer of spirit & ambition looks up to with pleasure & avidity! may I therefore reiterate my request to be permitted to fill those vacancies with the officers next in rank until the further pleasure of the President is known?— I have the honor to be with true regard your most obed— ient hum^l Serv^t Wayne the Hon^ble Maj. Gen. Knox Sec^y of War.—