[Rec'd From Major Gen^l Knox Secretary of War] Sir War department March 31^st 1794 The last letter which I had the honor to address to you was dated the 7^th of November, a duplicate whereof is herewith enclosed. The interruption of the communication by the Ohio during the winter and having no Special matter requiring an earlier reply by that have prevented my writing you since that time. I shall now reply to your several favors which have with their respective enclosures been received & submitted to the President of the United States. These were dated on the 15^th of November 4^th December 18^th & January last. Under the circumstances which assisted at the time relatively to provisions the further advance of the Legion might have been improper and therefore your determination to abide by the advice of the other General Officers and that at Greeneville appears to have been judicious. It has been observed with pain how little service the Kentucky Volunteers were able to render you compared with the great expence incurred on that occasion. The only consolation is that their aspect may have tended to intimidate the Indians by shewing how powerful an auxiliary you might obtain at pleasure. It is taken for granted that all the Militia of [undecipherable] General [undecipherable] upon their return to home have finally mustered at Fort Washington — If this was so are the men who abandoned them when going upon his expedition to White River not to be considered as deserters? It is conceived to be of no little importance that when Militia are called into service, that they should by some means or other be compelled to continue for the time they may have been engaged. Desertion has ever been confirmed as a great military crime but when blinded with mutiny as a crime of the highest magnitude and defying the gravest punishment — The present use of pay is always the certain and among the best consequences of such criminality. If you can conceive any circumstances in the case of the Militia being about to return home, at that certain political considerations may render it expedient not to exercise this forfeiture at present, I am at a loss to determine. But it is necessary to know. I have not received the musters of Major General Scott's Corps and therefore the precise sum of forty one thousand dollars was forwarded for their use, but to forms expend all that further information should be received upon this subject before any more money be forwarded. A report has been received by some of the representatives of Kentucky that a Mr Love of Kentucky who had received of Mr Swan forty one thousand two hundred dollars for the pay of the mounted volunteers refuses to pay any to the said volunteers until he shall have received all that is due to him. Information has also been received that certain monies which have been paid to William Morton have upon some grounds been disputed, refused to the men to whom it was due. In order to prevent improper doings on this head, and to let the people know the Government furnished the money promptly, I have directed the accountant to furnish the Kentucky proper a state of fact relating to this subject, a copy whereof is enclosed. I have attentively perused the copies of the papers respecting your correspondence with the Contractors. It is conceived to be their duty to be constantly in a condition to furnish the army in any direction with ample supplies of provisions. You will of course always give them due notice; this is essential in order that they make their arrangements accordingly. I am happy to learn however from a return of which the enclosed is a copy, and which was handed by Col. Samuel Smith, that you appear to have had on the 25^th January last a very abundant supply on hand and no prospect of want. The placing the Cavalry in Kentucky appears to have been a very economical and just measure. I must candidly confess that my letters to you of the 13^th of April and of the 25^th of November respecting the promotion of Officers must upon reflection contradict each other. In the first, it ought to have been that when Officers shall be promoted they are to take rank and receive pay of the grades to which they advance from the time the vacancies occur. But the latter must really be adhered to, to wit that no promotions or appointments be announced until the President of the United States and Senate shall actually have made them — The first may be equitable but the latter is the only legal and constitutional mode of proceeding. Some circumstances have tended apparently to prevent the President of the United States from nominating to the Senate the promotions and appointments and perhaps the same shall be deferred until further communications shall be received from you — that an entire nomination may be made at the same time. It is hoped that Major Miller's nomination to the office of Adjutant and Inspector will be productive of all the advantages incident to so important an office. Upon taking note that the 7^th [undecipherable] of the 8^th of November 1793 was highly satisfactory to the President of the United States and the public at large. The manner in which you treated the overtures of the hostile Indians as stated in your letter of the 19^th of January appears to have been exceedingly proper. The designs you rejected will have fully frustrated their designs. But the papers which are herein enclosed containing the proceedings of a Council of the Six Nations at Buffalo Creek in October 1793 and the answer thereto by order of the President December 24^th 1793. The reply of the said Indians of February [undecipherable], 1794, and the like answer offered to the Canada Indians of the 16^th of the same month form in matter considerations of the same nature not to encourage the hopes of peace excepting on principles of relinquishment which are utterly inadmissible. It is however contrary to these expectations it should be that the Shawanee, Miamies, Delawares and [undecipherable] conditions of permanent peace it would be the most acceptable event to the President of the United States and to every class of Citizens. And as it is possible that from some motives or other such a desire on their part may exist the Instructions marked A have been matured in order to govern your conduct, if you are put into a treaty with them — at present it is a questionable point whether Colonel Pickering or some other person as a Commissioner may not be sent to assist you — Provided the proposals have a serious aspect. This however may in some measure depend on further information from you. In case of meeting the Indians in Council it is conceived almost unnecessary to put you upon your guard against treachery. But the maxims of the Indians to obtain by fraud what they cannot by force will require the utmost every possible exertion on your part. In the events of either peace or war the President of the United States considers it of great importance that you should proceed as far into the Country as shall in your own judgment be consistent with the security of your force and the certainty of supplies. The establishment of Posts at the Miami Villages and perhaps at the Au Glaize and somewhere communications from the lookback in case of peace as to justify your advancing from Fort Confidence, as to furnish your covering and an adequate number of mounted Militia from Kentucky, if by their assistance you could accomplish immediately and with certainty the objects. If your present force is inadequate it would be in reason to wait until the Legion shall be full to enable you to go forward. Circumstances may then exist to prevent your accomplishing even with a full Legion which may now be accomplished with your present force aided by Militia. But it is always to be understood that your forward movements are to be perfectly compatible both with good faith towards the Indians and with a well calculated assurance of being able to maintain the advanced posts you may assume — a retrograde movement would be attended with ruinous effects and is therefore to be avoided if possible. The idea of a post to be established at Fort Mayhac was set forth in the seventh [undecipherable] of May last, and left optional with you — But certain circumstances at that time prevented your adopting the idea. The late intention of some restless people of the frontier settlements to make hostile inroads into the dominions of Spain, renders it indispensible that you find immediately order as respectable a detachment as you can to take post at Fort Mayhac and to erect a strong redoubt and block house with some suitable cannon from Fort Washington. The officer who fronts commands ought to be a man of approved integrity, firmness and prudence. Besides the directions promoting the works, the supplies, discipline and police of his garrison, he ought to be instructed somewhat in the following manner: [Secret and Confidential] It has not been unknown to you that a number of lawless people residing on the waters of the Ohio in defiance of the national authority have entertained the daring design of seducing the territories of Spain. The atrocity of this measure and its probable effects are pointed out in the Proclamation of the President of the United States heretofore delivered to you. If this design should be persisted in or hereafter revived and any such parties should make their appearance in the neighborhood of your garrison and you should be well informed that they are armed and equipped for war and entertain the criminal intention described in the Presidents proclamation, you are to send to them from some person in whose security you could confide, and if such person should be a peace Officer, it would be the most proper — threatening and warn them of their evil proceedings and forbid them attempting to pass the Fort in their spirit. But if notwithstanding every peaceable effort to persuade them to abandon their criminal design they should still persist in their attempts to pass down the Ohio, you are to use every military means in your power to [strikethrough: preventing] them — and for which this shall be your sufficient justification provided you have taken in all the pacific steps before directed. After the works should be completed perhaps the commanding officer alone other Commissioned Officer and fifty non commissioned and privates would be sufficient for the Garrison. Perhaps the greater part of the Garrisons of Fort Steuben and Knox might be appropriated temporarily to this service. This idea is suggested only and not directed, the manner of the establishment is rested fully upon you but the measure itself is indispensable. The vexations and spoliations of our commerce by Great Britain has consequences of instructions to their ships of war relatively to all neutral vessels carrying supplies to France, and the order of the 8^th November last relatively to the west Indies previously to any information being given thereupon has caused a general alarm throughout the United States and in consequence thereof war with Great Britain has been considered as inevitable. Our sea coast is ordered to be fortified according to the law for that purpose and certain other measures are under the contemplation of Congress for placing the United States in a respectable state of defense — an embargo has also been laid on the 26^th instant on all vessels bound to any foreign port or place. The laws and reports upon this subject are enclosed to you for your information. An other order however of the British Ministry dated the 8^th of January last although not free from exceptions yet seems to be of a more pacific nature and affording some hope that compensation and satisfaction will be made for the damages and injuries we have sustained. It seems to be the just policy of this government that if a war must come that it shall be brought on by those who intend to make themselves our enemies and not by any improper conduct on our part. This idea is held out to you, in order that you may see the perfect propriety of abstaining from every step or measure which could by possibility be construed into an aggression on your part against either Spain or England. If a war should ensue timely notice will be given you for your government, but, until then you are to consider that we are at peace with Great Britain and Spain and conduct accordingly. All the supplies requisite for the present year either by the Quarter master General, Hospital or Ordnance department will be forwarded to Pittsburgh with all possible expedition. The Quarter Master General will also set out in a few days. He will be the bearer of the pay of the Army complete for the year 1793 and also of the subsistence of the Officers for the month of June 1794 inclusive. It is with great pleasure Sir that I transmit you the approbation of the President of the United States of your conduct generally since you have had the command and more particularly for the judicious military formation and discipline of the troops, the precautions you appear to have taken in your advance, in your fortified camps and in your arrangements to have full and abundant supplies of provision on hand. Continue Sir to proceed in the same manner and your success will be certain. Leave as little to chance as possible, secure every thing as you advance and all the consequences will be reaped of the most bloody conflict and victory without any of those uncertainties and hazards which attend a battle with Indians, not withstanding the most perfect means and dispositions of the Troops. It is presumed that you are too well aware that a full intelligence of the number, supplies and movements of your enemy is essential to every design and movement of yours to meet the highest efforts for that purpose — although you have not requested the measure it is thought necessary that one thousand dollars will be forwarded to you. By Gen^l Posey has resigned — You will find enclosed a Schedule of the papers which accompany this letter.