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Executive Department Knoxville - 8 Febr^y 1804

Sir

Ihave been Duly honored with your favour of the 15th Jan^y
Ultimo- The five hundred mounted Infantry excepting one
Company Marched from Tennessee for the ^to Natchez as soon
as possible under the existing Circumstances, the other Company
followed on in December and as Ihave been informed, arrived
at Natchez about the middle of January- The fifteen hundred

There has marched of provisional Militia have be chiefly organized eight Companies of as brave Militia in
My opinion as Ever went into the feild ^Marched Chiefly, or all indeed
Volunteers; perhaps there may be one or two of the Companies
is not compleat- Ihave been frequently informed that they arrived
at Natchez in health & Good order, but found a scarcity of
provision marching through so ^such a long & Teadious a Wilderness, and of
course must have suffered for want of provisions both themselves and
horses- It would be painful to myself & troublesom to you sir,.
for me to give a detail and full account of the perplexity myself
& William Maclin Secretary of State have underwent in lower endeavoring
to dispatch the mounted infantry off in any reasonable ^due time, And
suffer me to say, my attention was never more carefully engaged
on any occasion, nor has any thing Occurr'd since the revolution
I have had so much ^more at heart- I am sorry compelled to inform you
that every obsticle has been thrown in the way that malice hatred,
and disaffection could have devise or invent by inventing ^& circulating rep[orts of the
blackest hue and deepest die- They have not spared the President