send him for the purpose of fulfilling the duties of these two offices' pounds which however I consider as principally to be expended in victualling the men as the baggage they take with them must be very trifling should it indeed be otherwise they will certainly lose it as the means of transportation will become less & less during their tour. Let every man go well armed, and with such arms as suit the Western service. I must desire you to keep up a constant correspondence with Colo Clarke til you shall have marched your men having fixed myself the number of men you are to furnish every other instruction I give you herein is submitted to any alterations he shall find necessary. TO ROWLAND MADISON. V. S. A. RICHMOND, December 24th. 1780. SIR,-It being found necessary to undertake an expedition into the Country beyond the Ohio, you are desired to apply for and receive from M Callaway of New London under the order inclosed one thousand wt of good musket or rifle powder and to conduct the same to Montgomery Court house. You are also to apply for and receive fifteen wt of lead from the manager of the lead mines under an order likewise inclosed and to convey it to the same place. You are moreover to act as Quarter Master & commissary for the militia from Green Brier one hundred and thirty seven in number who are ordered to rendezvous at Montgomery court house by the 20th day of february next and to proceed thence with them to the falls of Ohio. You will therefore provide subsistence for them & forage necessary for the march, 'Jefferson writes below: Hampshire 255 militia £25,000 and are hereby authorized to call on any commissioners of the provision Law or commissaries having public provisions in their hands to furnish you. You are moreover desired to purchase three hundred pack horses, pack saddles, halters & bells, which may serve to carry the ammunition before mentioned, provisions and the baggage of the men to the falls of Ohio where the whole will be received by Colo Clarke and your office determined. We expect you will purchase these horses for £1500 a piece, tho aware of this necessity for purchasing them, we do not limit you absolutely in price, but rely on your discretion to get them as cheap as you can. For these several purposes you receive £500,000-take great care to obtain such authority and protection from the commanding officer of the militia that your horses may not be subject to be rode or unnecessarily burthened, and that you may be able to deliver them in good condition at the falls of Ohio. I am to warn you to use the greatest expedition in performing these several duties, and to see that you be in readiness with every thing required of you at Montgomery court house by the 20th day of february as a failure on your part will inevitably defeat the whole design. Your accounts are to be finally settled with the board. of auditors. TO BRIGADIER-GENERAL GEORGE ROGERS CLARK. - V. S. A. RICHMOND, december 25th 1780. SIR, A powerful army forming by our enemies in the South renders it necessary for us to reserve as much of our militia as possible free to act in that quarter. At the same time we have reason to believe that a very extensive combination of British & indian savages is preparing to invest our western frontier to prevent the cruel murders and devastations which attend the latter species of war, and at the same time to prevent its producing a powerful diversion of our force from the southern quarter in which they mean to make their principal effort and where alone success can be decisive of their ultimate object, it becomes necessary that we aim the first stroke in the western country and throw the enemy under the embarrassments of a defensive war rather than labor under them ourselves. We have therefore determined that an expedition shall be undertaken under your command at a very early season of the approaching year into the hostile country beyond the Ohio, the principal object of which is to be the reduction of the British post at Detroit and incidental to it the acquiring possession of Lake Erie. The force destined for this enterprise is the Ilinois battalion, Colo Crocket's battalion, Maj Slaughter's corps, with detachments of militia from the Counties of Fayette, Lincoln, Jefferson, Ohio, Monongalia, Hampshire, Berkeley, Frederic and Greenbrier making in the whole 2000 men. necessary garrisons only to be deducted. Our desire is that the execution of this may be so timed as that you may have the advantage of that interval of time which intervenes between the breaking up of the ice in the Wabache and in the lake so as that you may avail yourself of the navigation of the former the moment it is open for the transportation of your men and baggage and still find the latter blocked up and the vesels of the enemy therein of course liable to be destroyed. That you may be fully possessed of the means which are to be in your hands for the purposes beforementioned, you are furnished. with copies of the orders given to the Lieutenants, Commissaries & Quarter Masters in the Counties before mentioned. The substance of them is as follows-Mr. Roland Madison is employed to carry 1000 of rifle powder from New-London and 1500 lbs of lead from the lead mines to Montgomery Court house. To purchase 300 pack horses with pack saddles, Halters and Bells ready and to lay in subsistence for them and 137 militia from Greenbrier County, who by orders given to the Lieutenant of that County are to rendezvous at Montgomery Court House by the 20th of February, these to take under their escort the ammunition and pack horses beforementioned and to be with them at the falls of Ohio by the 15th day of March. Mr. Madison is furnished with money to purchase the horses and furniture and to lay in subsistence and forage from Montgomery Court House to the falls of Ohio where his duties cease. lb Forty bell tents, 40 common tents, a chest of medicine, some summer clothing will be sent from this place; 1000 of Rifle powder from Staunton, 400 campkettles from Fredericksburg to the County Lieutenant of Frederick, who is ordered to send them with 285 of his militia to Pittsburg at which place they are to be the first day of March. VOL. 11-25 The County Lieutenants of Berkeley and Hampshire are ordered to send the former 275 and the latter 255 of their respective militias to be at Pittsburg by the first day of March. Proper instructions are prepared for such persons as each of the county Lieutenants of Frederick, Berkeley & Hampshire shall appoint to act in the joint offices of Commissary and Quarter Master to Pittsburg where their offices determine, and money is sent to each for the purposes of subsistence and transportation. The County Lieutenants of Monongalia and Ohio are ordered to rendezvous one fourth of their militia at Pittsburg by the first day of March. All these militia are ordered to go under proper officers well armed with Arms suitable to western service and to serve during the continuance of the expedition as herein described. Colo Crocket is ordered to be with his battalion at Pittsburg by the same day and money to enable him to proceed is sent to him. An agent is sent to Baltimore and Philadelphia to purchase four tons of canon powder and to send it to Pittsburg by the 1st day of March. Application is made to Genl Washington to lend us of the Continental stores at Pittsburg 4 canon. six pounders mounted on field carriages with ball suitable, a mortar with shells, 2 Howitz, grape shot and other necessary furnitures,, 1000 spades, 200 pick axes, 500 axes, a travelling forge, ship carpenter's tools, and boats for transportation down the river should we fail in having a sufficient number in readiness and to send us skilful persons to manage the mortars. |