Hamilton ................ 20 } -capable of Service St Clair ................ 20 } in the field — and as Jefferson ............... 20 } many additional Mil- Knox .................... 70 } -itia as you may 195 } judge proper. But they may be estimated at two hundred and fifty — If to this number you add for sick &c three hundred and fifty, it will deduct from your efficient force what-ever it may be six hundred non Commis-sioned and Privates. Upon recurring to the last muster Roll of the force under your Command, it ap-pears that at all the posts and Garrisons on the Ohio the troops amount to three thousand one hundred and five. If to this number be added five hundred recruits which it is to be hoped you may receive by the tenth of July the force would amount to three thousand six hundred, from this however is to be deducted the aforesaid number of six hundred, leaving you about three thousand non Commissioned and Privates. It is proposed at present that the troops on the upper parts of the Ohio shall be ordered down to Fort Washington, excepting the small detachments before noted. This is the general view of your force from which however deductions may be made not herein contemplated. You will please to understand clearly that it is not intended by any thing herein or here-tofore said to limit you to any precise number. You are the [undecipherable: probable reading — principal] agent on the spot, you will possess the information of the force of the Enemy, and if your regular force shall not be superior to Letters as you ought make a timely provision of such auxiliaries as you shall judge necessary to render you decisively superior to the Enemy. You will also judge of the nature of your auxiliary force whether Infantry or mounted Volunteers. The Kentucky people dislike greatly to serve as mere Militia. Were you to call for that force of Militia you would probably receive Substitutes only — On the other hand the Citizens of that state delight to serve on horseback and it is alleged in the Case, the Bravest and best men of the state may be brought into the field as Volunteers — Although the expence of mounted volunteers is great, yet considering their quality and estimated efficacy, it may ultimately be the cheapest to employ them in preference to drafted men and substitutes. You will without doubt so regulate their time of Service that they shall not be assembled any considerable time before they proceed to actual Service — but they ought to be engaged for so long a time, as the Service may require. In Case therefore of offensive operations, your force and arrangements must be so calculated as to insure you complete Superiority and to hereby intended to vest you with plenary powers to obtain such force and arrangements if possibly to be obtained. General ideas have been [strikethrough: hitherto] heretofore pointed out to you which the government are desirous of having executed the practicability of which and the means of accomplishment must be left to your direction. Your near view of the business will enable you to dis-cover advantages or disadvantages which cannot be perceived at this distance. Your judgement must there-fore be confided in with the expectation that you will conduct every measure with a just economy as far as shall be consistant with entire efficacy. The subject of Oxen has been mentioned to you on a former occasion to carry flour on their backs — In answer to which you stated that the Contractor utterly objected to that method. Certainly in a subject concerning his interest it may be doubtful whether any compulsory methods should be used unless the public Service should be in danger of suffering for want of such a method, but as this is the common mode of transportation in the East Indies it is certainly practicable, and if so it is worth the experiment. If the Quarter Mas-ter was only to do it upon a small scale in a fair manner, it may be found well worthy of extend-ing the practice upon a larger one. The subject of Baggage and the consequent impediments to an army in the wil-derness is to be dreaded and avoided as far as possi-ble — A considerable sum of Money has been forwarded for Scouts on the frontiers by Bri-gadier General Posey who has also a months pay for the army. As this may not be immediately required for that purpose part of it may be expended for reenlisting any of the first Regi-ment whose times of Service may expire — it shall be replaced, when the next months pay shall be forwarded which will be soon. I presume the Commissioners may at this time be at Niagara as yet no expectations Can be formed of the probable issue, therefore every pre-paration ought to be made for taking the field according to my letter of the 20^th Ultimo. The following are the officers who will command the detachments of Recruits ordered to Pittsburgh — to wit — Captain Pratt who will take under his command the Recruits from Exeter, Springfield, Middletown and Bennington — Captain Pike who will march the recruits from New-Brunswick, Trenton, Philadelphia, Christiana, Lancaster and Carlisle — Lieutenant Glenn who will march all the recruits from Shepherds Town — and Captain William Lewis who will proceed with the recruits from Richmond, Winchester, Frederick Town, Alexandria and Hagers Town — the number of these recruits cannot be ex-actly ascertained but probably may amount to three hundred and fifty. The clothing and all the species of Stores which have been required, it is expected will be at Pittsburgh in readiness to be placed under the protection of the Troops in going down the Ohio. Application has been made for the establishment of a post at Fort Massac below the Wabash on the Ohio. This place is high and healthy and would at once serve as a trading post with the Chickasaws and Choctaws and part of the Cherokees; and to cut off in a degree, in conjunction with the posts ordered to be erect-ed from Kentucky to Holstein by the Governor of Kentucky, the communication of the Northern and Southern Indians. The President of the United States impressed with the propriety of this measure is restrained from ordering it to be executed solely by the consideration of lessening your force, but he recommends the affair to you and if you should think a post could be erected there and that the party ordered upon the business could return so seasonably as to join your army excepting a small Garrison of a sub and twenty five men he wishes you to take the necessary steps therein immediately If you decide to take this mea-sure please to inform the Chickasaws of it, with whom