315 Pittsburgh, 5th July,1793 Sir, I have Received your Letter of the 28th Ultimo, including a Copy of a Letter from the Secretary of the Treasury - I shall pay particular attention to your Instructions, Respecting the Block House, and Store House, to be erected at Wheeling. As soon as Colonel Clarke has determined, on the Denominations, and Constructions, of the Buildings I shall proceed to Wheeling, to Asscertain the particular Costs of the Materials &c in Order to enable me to form an accurate Estimate of the Expence - Boats to Carry Capt. Pikes & the other detachments, together with all their Stores, that are yet arrived or may come to hand, during his stay at this place, Shall be Ready - The River Continues Sufficiently high for any purpose of our Navigation - I Shall write to Capt Colo. Sprout Respecting the Business mentioned in the Secretary of the Treasury’s [post?] [illegible] and [illegible] a Confidential Person to Transact that Business at Beaver Creek, but I am [illegible] that Colonel Hamilton has made Choice of Fort McIntosh for a place of Deposits as there is not a Building of any kind on that Ground, nor within three Miles of it on that side of the Ohio and the only one at that distance is the Block House on Beaver Creek, now garrisoned by a Serjeant and small party who occupy the whole Building, being only a large Hutt, therefore an improper place to deposit Spirit. Another Inconveniency will arise by Beaver Creeks, not being Navigable in the Summer for even Small Canoes.
Would not Pittsburgh, Buffaloe Creek or Wheeling be more Convenient to the Inhabitants and more secure from the Enemy or such Minded People, I Expected before this time to have been supplyed with Money Sufficient to have Satisfyed all the Claims against the Quarter Master Department at this port up to the first of this month.
I have Borrowed a Considerable Sum to Enable me to pay Boatmen Boat Builders &c &c Still several large are all unpaid. It will be if possible for me to Transmit the Business of this Post, without a more Regular Supply
At the distance the Quarter Master General is at this place a Regular Intercourse cannot be had from therefore under a Necessity of Requesting that a fund may be Established to which I may have access, for defraying the Expences of this Post agreeable to the Quarter Master Generals Instruction Expressed in his last letter a Copy of which I enclosed to you on the 7th Ultimo.
A general Return of Stores together with an Abstract of Expenditures, for last three months in now in hand, and shall be forwarded by next Post together with Voucher for Disbursements.
I am Sir Your Most Obedt Humble Servt Isaac Craig Honble Maj General Henry Knox Secretary of War Philadelphia