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ARMSTRONG TO HARRISON

War Department

5 March 1813

Sir,

I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your dispatches of the 18th[?] & 20th Ult.

The suspention of your movement in advance appear to have been necessary -- but though this be the case, your demonstrations against Malden should not cease. These you will make in such way as shall be best calculated to keep up the enemy's alarm for the safety of that post and of the ships of war wintering there. You will be better able to appreciate the value of this policy when I state, that we shall very soon be in motion on the Niagara and the St. Lawrence.

You did well in stopping the march of the two Regiments from Ohio. To have added to your force, so long as your object is restricted to the maintenance of your present position, would have been a very useless expenditure of both public Spirit and public money.

As your campaign is now at an end and yet nearly approached to that which is coming, it may be proper to communicate to you the Presidents views in relation to your subsequent movements.

It would appear that Malden can only be successfully approached by the route you are now upon, at two seasons of the year -- Mid-winter & mid-summer. The former is gone, and to wait for the latter, would be hardly less disastrous than defeat itself. What remains for us to do is to keep our present ground 'till the lake opens and then to approach our object by water and under convoy of the vessels of war building at Presq- isle. These will be afloat and ready to operate by the middle of May. By the same time boats for the transportation of the troops a train of Artillery, baggage &c. may be constructed. Cleveland is believed to be the place best fitted for this purpose. It will also be made the depot for the troops to be employed on the expedition, which will be the 29th Regt., now at Massac, -- and three of the twenty new Regts. provided by an Act of the cession of congress which closed yesterday. Two of these will be raised in the state of Ohio, & the third in that of Kaintucky. Whatever these Corps may fall short of the number & strength con- templated by the law under which they shall be raised, must necessarily be made up from the Militia & volunteers. Whence will arise the necess- ity of strictly attending to the progress of enlistments, so that in the event of their failure, which may be readily foreseen, time may be left for resorting to this other expedient.

1st. All militia detachments in the service of the United States must be made under the requisitions of some officer of the U.S. (regularly author- ised to make such requisitions) on the executive authority of the state, or of the territory from which the detachments shall be drawn.

2d. In these requisitions, shall be expressed the number of privates, non-commissioned & commissioned officers required, which shall be in the same proportion to each other as obtains in the regular army. The looser method of requiring Regiments, or Brigades, will be discontinued.

3. So soon as one hundred privates, eight non-commissioned, and five commissioned officer shall be been organized as a Company, under any re- quisition as aforesaid[?] they will be mustered, inspected and received into the service of the United States; & upon the rolls & reports made in consequence thereof, they will be entitled to pay &c. and

4. Payment will be made through the regimental paymaster in all cases in which the Corps shall be organized as a Regiment and in all cases in which it shall fall short of the number necessary to that organization, by the paymaster accompanying the army or divisions to which it may belong. The staff of your divisions, will be organized and instructed under the law, of which the enclosed bill is a Copy.

I am sir, with great respect Your Most Obedient & very humble servant John Armstrong

Major General

Wm H Harrison

83, 84