War Department 30^th May 1793. Sir, The duplicates of your two letters dated at Savanna on the 22^d and 29^th ultim, were received on the 28^th instant, and submitted to the President of the United States who, after having seriously considered their contents has directed me to make the following reply to your Excellency. That from considerations of policy at this critical period, relative to foreign powers and the pending treaty with the Northern Indians, it is deemed adviseable to avoid for the present offensive expeditions into the Creek country. But from the circumstances of the late depredations on the frontiers of Georgia it is thought expedient to increase the force in that quarter for defensive purposes. The President therefore authorizes your Excellency to call into and keep in service in addition to the regular force stationed in Georgia one hundred horse and one hundred Militia foot to be employed under the orders of Lieutenant Colonel Gaither in repelling inroads as circumstances shall require. You will please to nominate and appoint the Commissioned Officers to the above corps of horse to consist of one Captain two Lieutenants and two Cornets the noncommissioned and privates to consist of six Serjeants, six Corporals or trumpeter and one farrier and eighty six dragoons. In order that the Corps shall be well equipped the public will find the Caps, swords, pistols, saddles, bridles, and carbines all of which however will be deducted at their prime cost, and charged from the pay of each individual which you will perceive by the enclosed schedules. very liberal. This corps of horse to be engaged of proper Characters, to serve until the first day of May or June next unless sooner discharged — which the Government must hold the right of doing if it should think fit. If the noncommissioned Officers and privates cannot be engaged for the above period, it must be left to your discretion to engage them for as long a term as possible. The authority for the above purpose is specially conferred by law on the President of the United States. But the Infantry foot Militia must be called into service according to the general course of the Militia law, to which you will please to advert — the pay of the Infantry will be the same as the troops of the United States agreeably to the Schedule N^o 2. It will however be important that proper endeavours be used to engage them for as long a period as the Cavalry. The commissioned and non commissioned Officers for the infantry to be the same as for the Continental troops, to wit — one Captain, one Lieutenant, one Ensign, six Serjeants, six Corporals, one drum and fife; and eighty six privates. An additional stand of arms and accoutrements, fifty barrels of powder, and a proportionable quantity of lead and flints will be forwarded to Major Habersham with all expedition to be by him forwarded to Augusta to the care of Major Forsyth, under the provisions of the former quantity. As it does not yet appear that the whole force of the Creek nation is disposed for or engaged in hostility, it is considered that the above force will be sufficient for the object designated. As it is to be apprehended that the objects of the Western frontiers may notwithstanding the treaty require the energy of all the regular troops in that quarter, and also of the recruits who are marching that way, it has been considered that no part of them could be sent to Georgia in the present instance. But if the treaty should be successfull, or if the troops should be victorious, it may be otherwise in future. The case of a serious invasion of Georgia by large bodies of Indians must be referred to the provision of the constitution. But the proceeding with efficacy in future the necessity of which appears but too probable, requires absolutely that no unnecessary expences shall be incurred in the mean time. It has been heretofore considered that block houses afford but a very imperfect security to a frontier and nothing has occurred lately to induce a contrary impression — They serve to cover a little more than the persons who are actually within them. The garrisons are necessarily too small to afford any considerable party to sally out, and the experience of Indian Warfare evinces that the Savages soon learn the force within and either despise or avoid it. It has been found by practice in Kentucky, and along the Western frontiers, that a few scouts or spies who are formed of the hardiest and best hunters and who shall be advanced a few miles of the settlements, traversing incessantly at right angles the paths most used by the Indians, are better calculated to give the alarm to the settlers and secure them from danger than any other species of troops whatever. And in order that nothing on the part of Government should