No. 78 To Major Genl H. Knox

                    Sec<seup>y</sup> of War
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                         Head Quarters
                      Greneville 10 June 1794

Sir,

  I have the honor to acknowledge the 

receipt of your letter of the 16 & 19 ultimo with their several enclosures by Major General Scott who arrived at Fort Washington on the 5 instant, as announced in the enclosed copy of a letter from him of that date.

  I had in a great measure anticipated

your instructions in calling for the mounted volun= teers of Kentucky as mentioned in my letter of the 26 ultimo, a duplicate of which with its enclosures are & are herewith transmitted - by these you will perceive that I had nearly embraced your idea of the organization & mode of appointment of the Field & other Officers; and as it’s more than probable that considerable progress has by this time been made in recruiting the number of Volunteers therein mentioned agreeably to that organization, perhaps it may as well remain without alteration except as to the time of service & the advance pay, which will not admit of a discrimination.

         The only thing we have to apprehend

is this fact that the people of Kentucky have refused to accept of bank notes in payment for any species of property.- it is however possi= ble that the volunteers may not be quite so scrupulous. -the experiment shall however be immediately tried for which purpose I have ordered Capt. Edwd Butler to repair to Kentucky in order to muster & pay the advance to the vo= lunteers agreeably to your instructions with this difference, that he is directed to officiate both as Inspector & Paymaster for want of Officers as the Paymaster General & all the SubLegionary paymasters are are busily employed in making out & examining the pay & muster rolls of the Legion. –

In addition to the corroborating in=

telligence received by several routes of the intrigues & manoeuvres of the British with respect to the present indian war, – I have the honor of transmitting the examination of two Putawatime warriors taken on the 5th inst. on the north side of the Miami of the Lake near Grand Glaize, by Capt. Alexr. Gibson who I directed to strike at a Delaware town fifteen miles above that place in order to gain intelligence but the savages abandoned it upon his approach.

I sent Major McMahon at this same 

time to strike at a small village or settlement in the vicinity of Rochedebout which was also re= cently abandoned.-

In fact, the savages appear to have

been panic struck at the mode & manner of our ad= vance; and are now collected in force at Rochedebout & Grand Glaize under the protection of the British, preparatory to offensive operation at the time men= tioned in the enclosed Examination.

I however cannot think that Mr.

Simcoe will dare to advance to attack us unless unless he has received positive orders for the purpose; but his having taken post in the center of the Hostile Indians & so far within our acknow= ledged limits would justify the idea that some such orders have been given.

 At all events, the act of fortifying at

that place & endowing it with a strong Garrison & Artillery is most certainly an aggression of the highest nature, as it must evidently give confi= dence to the savages & stimulate them to continue the present distressing war. - hence I am placed in a very delicate & disagreeable situation

• the very point at which I premeditated a severe stroke, i.e the center of the hostile tribes, the British are now in possession of, probably with a view to provoke what they would with [undecdipherable] declare an aggression upon our part were we to make an attempt against that quarter altho not in their occupancy until surreptitiously & nefariously obtained the other way.

      The distance from Rochedebout
  

to this place is about 75 or 80 miles & situate immediately upon our right flank in advancing to the old Miami villages, now totally abandoned by the savages. - In fact, all the hostile indians are are already drove “to the north side of the [undecipherable] of the lake”, under the protection of the British at Grand Glaize & Rochedebout as before mentioned the latter place will serve as an asylum from whence the savages may carry on a distressing and desultory war & retreat to for protection occasion= ally.

I have an idea from the disposition, zeal

& temerity of Mr. Simcoe, that he may easily be tempted to relieve me from this state of embarrassment, when I trust that he will not have much cause to triumph from the interview, provided we are timely & properly supported by the mounted volunteers of Kentucky, who under present circumstances I have deemed expedient to call out agreeably to the extent of the number contemplated in your official instructions upon that subject.-

It is much to be regretted that

early & proper measures were not adopted by the national legislature for the completion of the Legion. The expense attending two thousand volunteers for four months would have been more than adequate to the purpose & precluded the necessity of this un= certain auxiliary force, besides the advantage of three yeaqrs service of regulars in place of four months of militia - would to God! that this had been the case at this trying hour - however I will will hope & act for the best.

I have with the utmost perserverance at

length compelled the contractors to agree to a co-opera= tion of their whole means of transport with that of the Quartermaster Generals, so as to accumulate a proper magazine of supplies to justify a forward move on the 1st of July as you will observe by the enclosed copies of letters upon this interesting subject.

I have also the honor of enclosing

you the General monthly return for May of the Legion. - the aggregate of our effective operating force wil not amount to two thousand combatants after furnishing the necessary Garrisons, which will generally be composed of invalids. - so that if we are eventually reinforced by two thousand mounted volunteers, the enemy will not be outnumbered if any reliance is to be placed in the intelligence received from different quarters.- Yet, I donot despair of success. -

With every sentiment of esteem & respect I am our most obedt & hum Servt
A Wayne

the Honble Maj. Gen. Th Knox secy of War