[To Major Gen^l Knox, Sec^y of war] [#007.] S. Mt. branch of Miami six miles advanced of Fort Jefferson, 15. Novem^r 1793 Sir I have the honor to enclose you copies of my letters of the 7^th & 23^d ultimo, together with the opinion of the General Officers respecting the further advance of the Legion towards the Miami villages under the then existing circumstances, which were such as rendered it expedient & necessary to halt [undecipherable] at this place for the present; nor shall we be much [undecipherable] by the measure, as we are within striking distance of Au Glaize, the principal settlement of the Enemy and in a position, which will at the same time cover the frontiers and our heavy convoys from the depredations & insults of the Savages as they dare not venture any considerable detachment at a great distance from that place, lest their towns women & children should be destroyed or captured by a detachment from this Camp during their absence: on the contrary, had the Legion remained in the vicinity of Fort [strikethrough: Fort Washington or Hamilton] desultory parties of Savages would have spread themselves previous to the period along the frontiers and struck the inhabitants with impunity — add to this, that our Convoys and escorts would have been exposed to the whole operating force of the Enemy both in their advance & return to & from the head of the line without any check or apprehension of danger in their rear, and which must have eventually destroyed our transport, which under present circumstances is an arduous & dangerous business — The enclosed copy of orders to Brig^r Gen^l Wilkinson will tend to show you the precaution with which we are obliged to conduct our convoys, and will also show the expediency & necessity of maintaining our present position — a position that will soon compel the enemy to give us battle or to disperse and abandon Au Glaize — in either of those events a post will be established at that place at an early period — The enclosed copies of orders and correspondence with Major Gen^l Scott will inform you of the return of the mounted volunteers of Kentucky, who I found myself under the necessity of calling out agreeably to standing orders orders as well as from the strong prejudices in favor of [underline: those kind of auxiliaries] which I discovered on the floor of Congress. The enclosed Returns Gen^l Scott's letter of the 5^th instant, by which you will see a deduction of five hundred of his people in the course of one night) the greatest part of whom only crossed the Ohio from the 13^th to the 15^th ultimo and arrived at this place on the 9^th (i.e. ten days after the arrival of the Legion) will best show whether that prejudice was well founded or not — This dereliction is by no means chargeable to Gen^l Scott or any of his General or Field Officers; on the contrary, I am well convinced that every exertion in their power was used to prevent it, and I feel myself bound to express my highest approbation of the conduct of those Gentlemen and the Officers in general from the time of their arrival, which was on the 23 of Oct^r until their departure from this place — Not being honored with any instructions or a single line from you since the 3. September and the season arriving in which the meat kind and other magazines of provision ought to be laid in; I took upon myself to direct the deposits of provision mentioned in my letter of the 23^d ultimo; since which a limited correspondence has taken place between the Contractors & myself, copies of which are herewith transmitted. I cannot account for the conduct & defect of those Gentlemen: there must be some latent cause; perhaps they have lost the Contractor for the year 1794 and therefore they would not increase their means of transport least it should be left upon their hands — I however hope & trust that the measures I have adopted will supply every defect until the Contractors for the ensuing year (whoever they may be) get into operation. In the [undecipherable], I shall render this Camp unassailable against the combined force of the Savages: and call it Greeneville. The exterior chain of Redoubts will be completed tomorrow; the huts of the Soldiery are nearly covered in, so as to render the Camp secure & the troops comfortable; except in the article of clothing; which has not arrived at Fort Washington on the 12^th instant. I hope that no accident has happened to Col^r Clark as the loss of the clothing would be a serious & melancholy event at this crisis — when