| 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 --TUESDAY, JULY 30, 1776.
A letter from Brigadier Mercer, of the 28th, was laid before Congress, and read, requesting six light horse may be sent to him;
Resolved, That the president write to S. Morris, Esqr. captain of the light horse, and request him to send six of his company to Brigadier General Mercer.
Information being given to Congress, by a letter from the president of South Carolina, that the Cherokees have commenced hostilities against that state, and that he haswith the advice of the council ordered a body of men to march against them, and has applied for assistance to the neighbouring states of North Carolina and Virginia,
Resolved, That it be recommended to the states of Virginia, North Carolina, and Georgia, to afford all necessary
Page 617 | Page image
assistance to the state of South Carolina, and to co-operate, with that state, in prosecuting the war against the Indians with the utmost vigour;1
[Note 1: 1 The North Carolina Delegates wrote of this resolve: "This however is by no means intended to alter the plan of military operations which you have begun, or to draw off the Strength of our back Country to a distant part merely for the sake of acting in the same place with the South Carolinians, if the Opposition can be made as effectually in any manner devised by yourselves and from a part of your province from whence hostilities may successfully be carried into the bosom of the Cherokee Country. In fact nothing is meant but to subdue the Cherokees."Colonial Records of North Carolina, X, 679.]
That the president be requested to write letters to the governor and council of Virginia, the council of safety of North Carolina, and the president of Georgia, relative to the above subjects.2
[Note 2: 2 The letter to North Carolina is in theColonial Records of North Carolina, X, 681.]
Resolved, That a committee of three be appointed to take into consideration the state of North Carolina, and report thereon to Congress:
The members chosen, Mr. [Benjamin] Harrison, Mr. S[amuel] Adams, and Mr. [Thomas] Lynch. [Jr.]
The Congress took into consideration the report of the committee appointed to enquire into the causes of the miscarriages in Canada, wherein they represent, as their opinion,
"That the short inlistments of the continental troops, in Canada, have been one great cause of the miscarriages there, by rendering unstable the number of men engaged in military enterprizes, by making them disorderly and disobedient to their officers, and by precipitating the commanding officers into measures, which their prudence might have postponed, could they have relied on a longer continuance of their troops in service:
"That the want of hard money has been one other great source of the miscarriages in Canada, rendering the supplies of necessaries difficult and precarious, the establishment
Page 618 | Page image
of proper magazines absolutely impracticable, and the pay of the troops of little use to them:
"That a still greater, and more fatal, source of misfortune has been, the prevalence of the small pox in that army; a great proportion whereof has thereby been usually kept unfit for duty."
With this the Congress concurred.
On the farther consideration of the report, the Congress came to the following resolutions:
That Colonel Bedel be tried by a court martial for leaving his command at the Cedars, and for declining to return to the same with Major Sherburne's reinforcement:
That Major Butterfield be tried by a court martial for surrendering to the enemy the post at the Cedars, and also such other officers as were with him, and consented to that surrender.
The said committee having farther reported, that, in the course of their enquiries, they had reason to believe, that General Prescot's baggage was plundered by some licentious persons, in violation of the faith of the capitulation; Whereupon,
Resolved, That General Schuyler be desired to make strict enquiry into the same, that the persons guilty thereof may receive due punishment, and ample indemnification be made to General Prescot.
That Colonel Bedel, Doctor Fay, and Lieutenant House, be subjected to this enquiry.
Resolved, That so much of the petitions of Colonel Easton and Major Brown, as prays, that the charges against them, of having been concerned in plundering the officers' baggage, taken at Sorel, be submitted to a court of enquiry, is reasonable, and that General Schuyler be desired to order courts of enquiry on them as soon as possible.
Page 619 | Page image
Resolved, That General Montgomery's promise to give to the troops concerned in taking the vessels on the Sorel, "all the public stores, except ammunition and provisions, on board thereof," be confirmed; and that General Schuyler be directed to cause an enquiry to be made into the particulars and value of the said public stores, (ammunition and provision excepted) and to certify the same to Congress, with the names of the officers and soldiers entitled thereto:
Resolved, That so much of Major Brown's petition, as prays, an allowance be made to him for extraordinary services, be referred to General Schuyler, who is desired to certify to Congress, whether any and what reward may, with justice, be demanded by him:
Resolved, That Major Brown's accounts be settled by the commissioners appointed to adjust accounts in the northern department.
Resolved, That the said committee be discharged from proceeding on so much of the petition of Colonel Easton, as prays a continuance of his rank and pay, and on so much of Major Brown's petition, as prays an examination into his rank and pay, and that they be referred to the Board of War.
Resolved, That General Schuyler be desired to enquire into the conduct of Colonel Hazen, who is charged with having beaten and ill-treated François Cuillot de la Rose, a continental captain of Canadian Militia, and also to have ill-treated Charles Robert de la Fontaine, a Canadian, at Chambly, and put such conduct into a proper channel for trial and punishment:
Resolved, That it be recommended to General Schuyler, whenever the pay of officers or soldiers is stopped, on account of any charge against them, to have such charge determined by trial as speedily as possible, that there may be no delay of justice.
Page 620 | Page image
Resolved, That General Wooster acted properly in stopping the goods of Bernard and Waddon, who were carrying the same, without permission, to the Indians in the upper country.
Resolved, That the committee have leave to sit again, and that they be instructed to enquire in what manner the goods of Bernard and Waddon were disposed of.
Resolved, That the Secret Committee be directed to supply the 3 riffle companies, now in town from Lancaster, with 11 lb. of powder and 44 lb. of lead.
Resolved, That 500,000 dollars be sent to the pay master general.
That 60,000 dollars be sent to [R. Dallam,] the deputy pay master general, for the use of the flying camp.
The Congress proceeded to the election of an Assistant, or clerk to the Auditor general; when,
William Govett was elected.
Resolved, That William Govett be allowed the salary of 533 1/3 dollars per annum.
Resolved, That all public claims and accounts, that are, at this time, unsettled, be referred to the Committee of Treasury, and that the Committee of Claims be discharged from proceeding further upon any claims or accounts; and that all the books and papers now in the hands of the committee of claims, be delivered to the auditor general.
The Board of War brought in a report, which was taken into consideration; Whereupon,
Resolved, That the resolution of the 17th of January last, allowing to officers 1 dollar and 1/3d of a dollar for every man they inlist, be extended to officers who inlist for the new army for three years:
That General Mercer's letter, relative to the building of boats, be referred to General Washington, with direction
Page 621 | Page image
to give such orders therein as he shall judge necessary; and that he be desired to avail himself of the ship wrights and other artificers now in the flying camp:
That General Mercer be allowed a secretary while he has a separate command:
That a number of four and six pounders, not exceeding ten of each, be immediately sent to General Mercer, to be mounted on the works he is now erecting; and that the council of safety of Pensylvania be requested to forward them to Amboy, in New Jersey:
That Congress approve of General Schuyler's intention to publish such parts of the treaty with the Six Nations, as may have a tendency to dispel the apprehensions of the frontier inhabitants:
That the commissioners for Indian affairs, in the middle department, be instructed to thank Cayashuta, in the name of the great council fire, for his friendly conduct at Niagara, communicated by Peter Richman (whose Indian name is Queda) and to inform him, that it would be very agreeable to Congress to receive a visit from him.
A letter from General Washington, of the 29, and one from the council of Massachusetts bay of the 19; also a letter from Governor Cooke of the 23, with sundry papers enclosed, were laid before Congress, and read:1
[Note 1: 1 The letter of Washington is in thePapers of the Continental Congress, No. 152, II, folio 309. That of the Council of Massachusetts Bay is in No. 65, I, folio 93.]
Resolved, That the two former be referred to the Board of War.
The Board of War laid before Congress a letter they received from General Washington:
Ordered, That the Board return an answer.
The Congress resolved itself into a committee of the whole, to take into consideration the articles of confederation; and, after some time, the president resumed the
Page 622 | Page image
chair, and Mr. [John] Morton reported, that the committee, have had under consideration the articles of confederation, but not having yet finished, desired him to move for leave to sit again.
Resolved, That this Congress will, to morrow, resolve itself into a committee of the whole, to take into their farther consideration the articles of confederation.
Adjourned to 9 o'Clock to Morrow.1
[Note 1: 1 "I hurried to Congress, to give my little assistance to the framing a Confederacy, and a plan for a foreign alliance--both of them subjects of the utmost importance, and which, in my judgment, demand immediate despatch. The Confederacy has engaged our close attention for a week. Three great difficulties occur: Representation, the mode of voting, and the claims to the South-Sea. The whole might, in my opinion, be settled, if candour, justice, and the real interests of America were attended to. We do not all see the importance, nay, the necessity, of a Confederacy. We shall remain weak, distracted, and divided in our councils; our strength will decrease; we shall be open to all the arts of the insidious Court of Britain, and no foreign Court will attend to our applications for assistance before we are confederated. What contract will a foreign State make with us, when we cannot agree among ourselves?"Samuel Chase to Richard Henry Lee, 30 July, 1776. Force,American Archives, Fifth Series, I, 672.]
PREVIOUS SECTION .. NEXT SECTION .. NAVIGATOR
| PREVIOUS | NEXT | NEW SEARCH |