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A Century of Lawmaking for a New Nation: U.S. Congressional Documents and Debates, 1774-1875
Journals of the Continental Congress --TUESDAY, MAY 21, 1776
Sundry letters and papers being received were laid before Congress, and read, viz.
3 letters from General Washington, of the 18, 19 and 20 of May, enclosing sundry letters and papers of intelligence from England, and a copy of the treaties made by his Britannic Majesty with the Duke of Brunswick, for 4,084 of his troops; with the Landgrave of Hesse Cassel, for 12,000 of his troops; and with the count of Hanau for 668 of his troops:
A letter from William Palfrey, pay master general, with a copy of his weekly account:
A letter from John Langdon of the 10 to General Washington:1
[Note 1: 1 The three letters of Washington are in thePapers of the Continental Congress, No. 152, I, folios 697, 701, and 704. Those of the 19th and 20th are printed inWritings of Washington (Ford), IV, 88. That of Palfrey is in No. 165, folio 428. That of Langdon is in No. 78, XIV; folio 75.]
Resolved, That the said letters, and papers, be referred to a committee of 5; that the said committee be directed to extract and publish the treaties, and such parts of the intelligence as they think proper; also, to consider of an adequate reward for the person who brought the intellegence; and to prepare an address to the foreign mercenaries who are coming to invade America:
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The members chosen, Mr. J[ohn] Adams, Mr. W[illiam] Livingston, Mr. [Thomas] Jefferson, Mr. R[ichard] H[enry] Lee, and Mr. [Roger] Sherman.
A petition of Messrs. S[amuel] Austin, John Rowe, Samuel Patridge, Samuel Dashwood, and John Scolly, of Boston, was presented to Congress and read, together with a proclamation of General Howe enclosed.
Resolved, That the same be referred to the committee above appointed.
The Congress then resumed the consideration of the report of the committee on prisoners, respecting the manner of treating prisoners; and the same being read, debated and amended was agreed to:
Resolved, That all persons taken in arms on board any prize, be deemed prisoners, to be taken care of by the supreme executive power in each Colony to which they are brought, whether the prize be taken by vessels fitted out by the Continent, or by others:
That such as are taken, be treated as prisoners of war, but with humanity, and be allowed the same rations as the troops in the service of the United Colonies; but that such as are officers supply themselves, and be allowed to draw bills to pay for their subsistence and cloathing:
That officers made prisoners in the land service, be allowed the same indulgence:
That the officers be not permitted to reside in or near any sea port town, nor public post road; and that the officers and privates be not suffered to reside in the same places:
That in case the officers cannot draw or sell their bills, the Congress will allow for each of them, Two Dollars a week for board and lodgings, to be repaid by said officers before they are released from their captivity:
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That no tavern keepers supply any officers, who are prisoners, on the credit of the Continent:
That the capitulations entered into with prisoners, at the time of their surrender, be punctually observed:
That such officers as surrender prisoners of war, be put on their parole, unless Congress shall otherwise direct:
That the Form of the Parole be as follows:
I --, being made a prisoner of war by the army of the thirteen United Colonies, in North America, do promise and engage, on my word and honour, and on the faith of a gentleman, to depart from hence to --, in the province of --, being the place of my destination and residence, and there, or within six miles thereof, to remain during the present war between Great Britain and the said United Colonies, or until the Congress of the said United Colonies, or the Assembly, Convention, or Committee, or Council of Safety of the said Colony, shall order otherwise; and that I will not, directly or indirectly, give any intelligence whatsoever to the enemies of the United Colonies, or do or say any thing in opposition to, or in prejudice of the measures and proceedings of any Congress for the said Colonies, during the present troubles, or until I am duly exchanged or discharged. Given under my hand, thisday of A. D. 1776.
That the said Parole be signed by the officers:
That such as refuse to subscribe the parole, be committed to prison:
That David Franks, Esqr Agent to the contractors for victualling the troops of the King of Great Britain, be permitted to supply the prisoners with provisions and other necessaries, and to sell his bills for such sums of money as are necessary for that purpose:
And, to enable him to do this to the satisfaction of his employers, that a commissioned officer be permitted, once a month, to visit the prisoners so victualled and supplied, in order to count their numbers and certify the rolls:
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That such of the prisoners as are not supplied by Mr. Franks, be furnished with provisions not exceeding the rations allowed to privates in the service of the Continent.
That the women and children belonging to prisoners, be furnished with subsistence, and supplied with firing and other things absolutely necessary for their support:
That no prisoners be inlisted in the Continental Army:
That the prisoners be permitted to exercise their trades, and to labour, in order to support themselves and families:
That the Committees of Inspection and Observation, for the counties, districts, or towns, assigned for the residence of prisoners, be empowered to superintend their conduct, and, in cases of gross misbehaviour, to confine them, and report to their respective Assembly, Convention, or Committee, or Council of Safety, the proceedings had on such occasions:
That a list of the prisoners in each Colony be made out by the Committees of the counties, towns, or districts where they reside, and transmitted to the Assembly, Convention, or Council or Committee of Safety of such Colony, respectively, who shall send a copy thereof to Congress.
That the said Assemblies, Conventions, and Committees or Councils of Safety, be empowered to contract, with proper persons, on the most reasonable terms for supplying such of the prisoners, their wives and children, in their respective Colony, as are not supplied by Mr. Franks:
That the said Assemblies, Conventions, and Committees or Councils of Safety, be authorized and requested, to take the paroles of the officers, and to cause a strict observance of the terms on which they are enlarged, and also to take especial care, that none of those confined by
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order of the Congress, be suffered to escape; also, to advance the allowance of Two Dollars a week to each of the officers who cannot draw or sell their bills, and to draw for the same on the President of the Congress:
That the said Assemblies, Conventions, Committees or Councils of Safety of the Colonies, respectively, in which prisoners are or shall chuse or be appointed to reside, be empowered to remove such prisoners from place to place, within the same Colonies, as often as to such Assemblies, Conventions, Committees or Councils of Safety, it shall seem proper, having regard to the former resolutions of Congress concerning prisoners.
Ordered, That the same be immediately published.1
[Note 1: 1 Printed in thePennsylvania Gazette, 5 June, 1776.]
The committee, to whom the letter, from General Lee, of the 10th, was referred, brought in their report, which was read, and after some debate,
Resolved, That the farther consideration thereof be postponed till the arrival of General Washington.
The Committee to whom the letter from Gen. Lee [10 May, 1776] with its inclosures were committed, having had the same under consideration, have come to the following resolutions thereupon:
Resolved, That it is the opinion of this Committee, an expedition against Detroit ought immediately to be undertaken, and the Committee beg leave to refer to a late report, now laying on the Congress Table, for a particular detail of the force and other Articles relative to this expedition.
Resolved, That it is the opinion of this Committee, that an expedition against Niagara be for the present suspended.2
[Note 2: 2 This report, in the writing of Richard Henry Lee, is in thePapers of the Continental Congress, No. 19, III, folio 501.]
[Endorsed: Brot in May 21, postponed till the arrival of Gen1 Washington.]
A letter of the 19th from Allan M'Donald, a prisoner at Reading, to John Nixon, Esqr. president of the committee
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of safety of Pensylvania, being sent by said Committee to Congress was read.1
[Note 1: 1 This letter is in thePapers of the Continental Congress, No. 78, XV, folio 41.]
The committee to whom were referred the letters and papers from General Washington, Major General Schuyler, and the commissioners of Congress in Canada, brought in their report, which was taken into consideration; and after some time spent thereon,2
[Note 2: 2 This report, in the writing of Robert R. Livingston, is in thePapers of the Continental Congress, No. 19, VI, folio 209. It is printed under May 22, with such parts as were not accepted.]
Resolved, That the farther consideration thereof be postponed till to morrow.
The committee for superintending the treasury, to whom it was referred to consider and report a plan for carrying into effect the resolution of Congress for emitting 5 millions of dollars, brought in their report, which was read:
Resolved, That the consideration thereof be postponed till to morrow.
The several matters to this day referred, being postponed,
Adjourned to 10 o'Clock to Morrow.
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