| PREVIOUS | NEXT | NEW SEARCH |
A Century of Lawmaking for a New Nation: U.S. Congressional Documents and Debates, 1774-1875
Journals of the Continental Congress --THURSDAY, OCTOBER 3, 1776
On application from the council of safety of North Carolina,
Resolved, That Michael Holt, a prisoner in the gaol in Philadelphia, be discharged from his imprisonment, that he may return to his family; he taking the oath prescribed by the said council of safety.
Resolved, That Mr. J. Mease be directed immediately to purchase one hundred hogsheads of rum, and forward the same to the commissary general, for the use of the army.
The Board of War brought in a report, which was taken into consideration; Whereupon,
Resolved, That General Mercer's letter, ∥which was received and read yesterday,∥ recommending Colonel Humpton and Captain Dawson for promotion, be referred to the council of safety of Pensylvania:
That Captain Persifor Frazer be commissioned as major of Colonel Wayne's Pensylvania batallion, in the room of Major Haussegger, promoted.
The committee appointed to repair to the camp, being returned, brought in their report, which was read:
The Committee, appointed to enquire into the state of ye Army at N. York and ye best Means of Supplying its Wants, beg Leave, to report; that having left this City ye 21st Ulto, they arrived at ye Camp ye 24th, and after three Days Conference with ye General officers and an Interview with many of ye Staff, they found ye following to be a State of Facts:
That the Number of Men of which the Army then consisted, including non Commission officers and 3,649 Men taken from ye flying Camp, was 25,375; of which 16,905 were fit for Duty, 1,543 on Command, and ye Residue Sick or absent.
That of the effective Troops, about 4,500 were at different posts on ye Jersey Shore, at and between Fort Constitution and Bergen, ye others on ye Heights of Harlem and Kingsbridge.
Page 843 | Page image
That it was necessary in ye Opinion of ye General Officers to reinforce ye Army aforesd wth 15,000 Men, and to compleat ye Levies for ye flying Camp agreable to ye former Orders of Congress, by which Means it would consist of about 11,500 Men.
That as part of ye 15,000 Men, it was found that ye Militia on their March from ye Massachusetts Bay and Connecticut, and continental Troops from Rhode Island, pennsylvania, Virginia and N. Carolina, with Colo. Durcky's Regiment then at Bergen, and not included in ye Returns, would amount to upwards of 11,000 Men.
That some of ye Troops in Camp were badly officer'd and not subject to that Command which good Troops ought ever to be.
That ye Articles of War and General Orders were frequently transgressed, and ye Commander in chief had ye Mortification to see, that some of his officers, on whom he ought to have depended for suppressing disorderly Behaviour, encouraged ye Soldiers by their own Examples to plunder and commit other offences, or studiously endeavoured to excuse them from just punishment by partial Tryals.
That ye Army was well supplyed with provisions excepting Vegetables wch were not then to be procured, and that ye Comm'y General was in want of salt.
That ye Sick have been greatly neglected, and Numbers to ye great prejudice of ye Service have dyed from Want of Necessaries and Attendance; each Regiment has been hitherto furnished with an Hospital under ye Care of ye regimental Surgeon, in Consequence of which, on a Removal of ye Army, ye numerous Sick of all ye said Hospitals, have been suddenly delivered to ye Director General, who not being provided with a General Hospital or Surgeons and Nurses sufficient for ye purpose, has not been able to prevent ye Evils complained of; added to this ye Adjutants have frequently neglected to make Returns to ye Director and Commissary General, of ye Sick in their respective regiments, without which they could not receive ye Amount of their Rations agreeable to Order of Congress in Necessaries provided by ye Director.
That in ye Department of ye Colonel of Artillery and Commissary of military Stores 10 Tons musket and rifle Powder, 20 Tons buck Shot, 200,000 Flints, 18 brass Field peices, 6 pounders, and 18 three pounders, 1,000 yds. fine white Flannel and a Quany of Tin were wanted. Ye Number of Conductors now employed are insufficient, and ye Army is found to be an improper place for ye principal Laboratory of ye Continent.
Page 844 | Page image
That ye military Chest has been too frequently unsupplied with Money, which ought to be remedied in future; but that at present ye paymaster has a Sum fully equal to ye Generals Wishes.
That Cloathing and Blankets are greatly wanted, and a Supply has been neglected, as well from ye Want of a proper Officer to superintend ye Business, as from ye Scarcity of these Articles:
That military Discipline has been omitted in Consequence of ye Unskillfulness of many of ye Regimental officers, and ye Want of a proper officer detached from other Services to instruct them therein.
To remedy these Inconveniences ye Committee beg Leave to report ye following Resolutions:1
[Note 1: 1 This is the preamble to the report, in the writing of Elbridge Gerry, in thePapers of the Continental Congress, No. 21, folio 5. The paragraphs of the report, including such as were not adopted, will be found under October 8 and 9,post. With this report was presented a letter, signed by Henry Knox giving "Hints for the improvement of the artillery." It is in the same volume, folio 29.]
Ordered, To lie on the table.
Resolved, That Charles Starting be permitted, with his wife and family, to return to England from any of the United States he thinks proper, except New York.
The Board of Treasury reported, that there is due,
To Martin Housman, for the hire of his waggon and ferriages, with Generals Prescot and M'Donald's baggage to Newark, forty three dollars.
To George Campbell, for his and Mr. Caldwell's and Mr. Tod's expences, as an escort to money from Philadelphia to Albany, 189 67/90ths dollars:
To John Sparhawk, for quills, &c. for the use of the Treasury Office, 27 84/90ths dollars:
[Note 1: 1 "The committee who were appointed to inspect the state of the army, etc., at Harlem, have returned, and represented things in a more favorable light than we had used to view them. Methods are taking that the army shall be better disciplined and provided in every respect than it hath been. Although we have some good officers in some of the principal departments, yet in others there is great want of skill and abilities. The Quartermaster General, Moylan, was persuaded by the committee to resign, and Brigadier General Mifflin to accept that office, with the rank and pay of Brigadier General. This appointment will give great satisfaction to the army, for General Mifflin is not only well acquainted with the business of the office, but he hath spirit and activity to execute it in a proper manner."William Ellery to Governor Cooke, 5 October, 1776.Rhode Island in the Continental Congress, 89.]
Page 845 | Page image
To Ludwick Karcher, a balance of three thousand one hundred and fifty dollars and 36/90ths dollars; the whole of his account amounting to 8,483 66/90ths dollars; of which he has received 5,333 30/90ths dollars; ∥the balance is 3,150 36/90ths:∥
Ordered, That the above sums be paid.
Congress took into consideration the report of the Board of Treasury, on the ways and means for raising a farther sum of money; Whereupon,
Resolved, That five millions of continental dollars be immediately borrowed for the use of the United States of America, at the annual interest of four per cent. ∥per annum:∥
That the faith of the United States be pledged to the Lenders for the payment of the sums to be borrowed, and the interest arising thereon, and that certificates be given to the lenders in the form following:
The United States of America acknowledge the receipt of dollars from, which they promise to pay to the said, or bearer, on theday of, with interest annually, at the rate of four per cent. per annum, agreeable to a resolution of the United States, passed the third day of October, 1776. Witness the hand of the treasurer, thisday of, A.D.
"Countersigned" by the commissioners of one of the loan offices hereafter mentioned.
That for the convenience of the lenders, a loan office be established in each of the United States, and a commissioner, to superintend such office, be appointed by the said states respectively, which are to be responsible for the faithful discharge of their duty in the said offices:
That the business of the said commissioners shall be to deliver certificates for all such sums of money, as shall be brought into their respective offices, agreeable to these resolutions, which certificates shall be indented and the checks kept in the said office, to keep books, in which
Page 846 | Page image
regular entries shall be made of the sums borrowed, and the time when, and the names of the persons by whom the said sums were lent, to transmit to the continental treasurer, once a month, an account of the cash in their respective offices, and to answer all draughts of the treasurer to the amount of the cash, which they shall, at any time, have in their hands, as aforesaid:
That the treasurer of the United States shall send to the respective loan offices, such a number of certificates and of such denominations as shall be ordered by the commissioners of the treasury:
That no certificate be issued for a less sum than 300 dollars:
That the several sums of money to be borrowed, shall be repaid at the office where the same was lent, at the expiration of three years, and that the annual interest shall be likewise paid at the said office:
That the said commissioners of the respective loan offices be entitled to receive of the United States, one eighth per cent. on all monies which shall be brought into their respective loan offices, in lieu of all claims and demands, that they may have for transacting the business of their said office.1
[Note 1: 1 Printed in thePennsylvania Gazette, 16 October, 1776.]
Resolved, That the Secret Committee be empowered to take such measures, as they shall judge necessary, for purchasing, arming and equipping, a frigate and two cutters, in Europe, and to give proper orders for the said frigate making a cruize in the British channel against our enemies, and for the said cutters to be employed in transporting to these states, such articles, as the said Committee have been ordered to import.
The several matters to this day referred, being postponed,
Adjourned to 10 o'Clock to Morrow.
PREVIOUS SECTION .. NEXT SECTION .. NAVIGATOR
| PREVIOUS | NEXT | NEW SEARCH |