Executive Department, Ala.
						Tuskaloosa, Feby 21st 1837.

Colo. John Currie:

Sir,
You have no doubt been at a loss to conjecture the cause of your
not sooner receiving an answer to your of the 31st of December last;
but you astonishment will cease, when I assure you (as I do) that your
letter never reached me till yesturday, through the Post office of this
place. What can have been the cause of this delay, I am wholly unable
to explain- as I recd. several other letters from the same place in the
usual time. I am gratified, however, to inform you, that I recieved the
Same intelligence, through another channel, as early as the 14th of last
month, on which day, I wrote to the commanding officer at Fort Mitchell,
and took other measures to place a company of mounted Volunteers
immediately in Service, for the protection of the persons, & property of
the inhabitants. Further intelligence having afterwards reached me, I
called for the other troops, amounting to a Battalion. And by a letter of
the 12th instant, from Capt. Page, which I recd. a few days ago, I have the
satisfaction to learn he had mustered into service, from Alabama, four
companies of mounted men, & one of Infantry, besides one company from
Georgia, and expected shortly to muster into service several other
companies- Some from each State.

My plan has been, from the commencement, to disarm all the Indians-
to bring them into one encampment & guard them till they are removed- and
to have them removed, as soon as possible. The information contained in
Capt. Page's letter, and derived from other sources, encourages me to
believe, this plan will soon be carried into execution.


You did right in making the requisition, you mentioned, for a company
of cavalry. In such emergencies it is wrong to wait for orders from the
Executive, more than two hundred miles distant; & you may rely on my
decided approbation.


Hoping to hear from you again, on receipt of this-
						I am, very respectfully,
						your obt. svt.

						C. C. Clay


Endorsement:
Copy to Colo John Currie
Feby. 21st 1837.