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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 --MONDAY, AUGUST 19, 1776
Sundry letters were laid before Congress, and read; viz.
One from General Washington, of the 12, with the proceedings and judgment of a court martial against Colonel Donald Campbell:1
[Note 1: 1 This letter is in thePapers of the Continental Congress, No. 152, II, folio 383. It is printed inWritings of Washington (Ford), IV, 340.]
Resolved, That the proceedings and judgment of the court martial against Colonel Campbell, be sent to General Schuyler for his approbation or disapprobation.
Another letter, from General Washington, of the 14, with sundry papers enclosed, relative to Mr. Nubele [Moeballe], a foreigner:2
[Note 2: 2 This letter is in thePapers of the Continental Congress, No. 152, II, folio 397. It introduced a Captain Moeballe, a Dutch gentleman from Surinam.]
Resolved, That this letter, with the papers enclosed, be referred to the Board of War.
A letter from Commodore Hopkins, of the 17th;3 Whereupon,
[Note 3: 3 This letter is in thePapers of the Continental Congress, No. 78, XI, folio 79.]
Resolved, That Commodore Hopkins be directed to repair to Rhode Island, and take the command of the fleet formerly put under his care.
A letter from Lieutenant Martin Johnson, of the 19th; Whereupon,
Resolved, That the stoppage of Lieutenant Martin Johnson's pay at the pay office be taken off, and that he receive what is due to him.
A letter from Brigadier General Wooster of the 19th;
Ordered, To lie on the table.
The Board of War having recommended Captain James Chapman for major of Colonel Tyler's and Captain Thomas Dyer to be major of Colonel Durkee's regiment,
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Resolved, That they be accepted, and that commissions be granted to them accordingly.
Resolved, That the Board of Treasury be empowered to employ another press to print the bills of credit, and that Matthew Clarkson Esquire, and Walter Shee, be appointed superintendents of the press, in addition to those already appointed for that service.
A petition from Chapman Ashur was presented to Congress, and read.
The committee on Indian affairs, to whom the letters from the commissioners of Indian affairs in the middle and southern departments were referred, brought in their report, which was taken into consideration; Whereupon,
Resolved, That it be left to the discretion of the commissioners in the middle department, to postpone the holding the treaty with the Indians in their department, to such time as they think best; and that, if, by continuing at Pittsburg in the mean while, they are of opinion they shall be able to bring the Indians into a friendly disposition, and to render the treaty more general, they be desired to continue there:
That the invitation given by the said commissioners to such of the Six Nations of Indians, as live on the waters of the Ohio, to attend the said treaty, be approved;
That the said commissioners be instructed to make diligent enquiry into the murder lately committed by Indians, in the neighbourhood of Pittsburg, on one Crawford; and that, as soon as they discover by whom the same was committed, they demand due punishment on the offender or offenders, which being granted, this Congress will not consider the same as a national act:
That the said commissioners invite such of the Indian chiefs and warriors of their department, as they think
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best, to visit Congress at Philadelphia, after the conclusion of the treaty with them:
That as it now appears fully that the former Proposals by Congress to the Indians to observe a neutrality in the present war as [are] much approved by them, and that the same Line of Conduct pursued will be more likely to prevent their becoming hostile to these States, all latter Resolutions desiring them to take part with us, be revoked, and the Commissioners in the several Departments be instructed still to press on them a neutrality of Conduct.1
[Note 1: 1 Against this paragraph is written "postpon'd."]
That the following extract from the speech of Logan, an Indian chief, be transmitted to the commissioners for the middle department, viz. "We still hear bad news. Conneodico and some of us are constantly threatened. And the Bear-skin, a trader from Pennsylvania, amongst others, says, a great reward is offered to any person, who will take or entice either of us to Pittsburg, where we are to be hung up like dogs by the Big-knife. This being true, how can we think of what is good. That it is true we have no doubt, and you may depend on it, that the Bear-skin told Metopsica every word of what I have mentioned." And that they be directed to do all in their power to remove every jealousy of the United States, or either of them, from the minds of the Indians. And, as it may possibly happen, that the persons concerned in the Indian trade, in order to engross to themselves or to the traders of their own state, the whole of the said Indian trade, may, by false suggestions, endeavour to poison the minds of the said Indians, and render them inimical to any other state, and so involve such state in an Indian war, that it be therefore recommended to the assemblies and conventions of the several states, from which trade is carried on with the Indians, that they take
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the most effectual measures to prevent the traders of their respective states from pursuing a practice so dangerous to the peace of the United States:
That so much of the Indian speech as relates to the Nantikokes, be sent to the convention of Maryland, and that they be requested to give Congress such information upon the subject as they can obtain:
That agreeable to the proposition from the commissioners for Indian affairs in the southern department, Mr. Galphin and Mr. Ray be desired to invite such of the head men of the Creeks, as they shall think expedient, to visit Congress at Philadelphia, and that Mr. Galphin or Mr. Ray be requested to attend them hither, and that Congress will defray the expences of such journey.1
[Note 1: 1 This report, in the writing of Edward Rutledge, is in thePapers of the Continental Congress, No. 30, folio 161.]
Resolved, That the part of the report respecting the neutrality of the Indians be postponed.
Resolved, That the sum of twelve hundred dollars be advanced to the commissioners appointed to audit and settle the accounts of the army at New York, and in the northern department; they to be accountable.
Congress resumed the consideration of the articles of war, as revised by the committee for that purpose appointed, and after some time, the farther consideration thereof was postponed.2
[Note 2: 2 "This report was made by me and Mr. Jefferson, in consequence of a letter from General Washington, sent by Colonel Tudor, Judge Advocate-General, representing the insufficiency of the articles of war, and requesting a revision of them. Mr. John Adams and Mr. Jefferson were appointed a committee to hear Tudor, and revise the articles. It was a very difficult and unpopular subject, and I observed to Jefferson, that whatever alteration we should report with the least energy in it, or the least tendency to a necessary discipline of the army, would be opposed with as much vehemence, as if it were the most perfect; we might as well, therefore, report a complete system at once, and let it meet its fate. Something perhaps might be gained. There was extant one system of articles of war which had carried two empires to the head of mankind, the Roman and the British; for the British articles of war were only a literal translation of the Roman. It would be in vain for us to seek in our own inventions, or the records of warlike nations, for a more complete system of military discipline. It was an observation founded in undoubted facts, that the prosperity of nations had been in proportion to the discipline of their forces by sea and land; I was, therefore, for reporting the British articles of war,totidem verbis. Jefferson, in those days, never failed to agree with me, in every thing of a political nature, and he very cordially concurred in this. The British articles of war were, accordingly, reported, and defended in Congress by me assisted by some others, and finally carried. They laid the foundation of a discipline which, in time, brought our troops to a capacity of contending with British veterans, and a rivalry with the best troops of France....
"The articles are inserted in the Journal of this day, [September 20,] and need not be transcribed; they are the system which I persuaded Jefferson to agree with me in reporting to Congress. They fill about sixteen pages of the Journal. In Congress, Jefferson never spoke, and all the labor of the debate on those articles, paragraph by paragraph, was thrown upon me, and such was the opposition, and so undigested were the notions of liberty prevalent among the majority of the members most zealously attached to the public cause, that to this day I scarcely know how it was possible that these articles could have been carried. They were adopted, however, and have governed our armies with little variation to this day." John Adams, Autobiography,Works, III, 68, 83.]
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Resolved, That Captain Archibald Hamilton be permitted to reside at New Brunswick, till the farther orders of Congress.
The committee to whom was referred, the petition from Elisha Swift, &c. brought in their report.
The Committee of Treasury reported, that there is due,
To Jacob Vanderheyden for cloathing supplied the army in Canada, viz. To Captain Ten Eyck's company, £256 15 5; to Captain John Visher's company £188 14 5; to Captain John Veisgar, £34 6 6; to Captain John Graim, £52 0 7; to General Arnold, for the army, £41 19; for shoes purchased by order of the commissioners of Congress, £21 12; the whole amounting to five hundred and ninety five pounds seven shillings and eleven pence, lawful money of Canada, equal to one thousand nine hundred and eighty four dollars and 59/90 of a dollar:
To George Morgan, Esqr. for the balance of his account for sundries supplied for the middle department, to be
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charged to the commissioners of Indian affairs for said department, three hundred and seventy seven dollars and of a 75/90 dollar:
To Robert Erwin, for the hire of four teams, and their ferriage, to New York, 162 20/90 dollars:
To Christian Vogt, for 116 meals of victuals supplied the troops on their march to New Jersey, 7 33/90 dollars; and that the same be paid to George Hufnagel:
To George Hufnagel, for 666 meals supplied the troops on their march to New Jersey, 42 25/90 dollars:
To Colonel Jeremiah Duggan, for the balance of his account for supplies to the army in Canada, exclusive of sundry articles for which he has produced no vouchers, 698 dollars and 45/90 of a dollar:
Ordered, That the said accounts be paid.
The several matters to this day referred, being postponed,
Adjourned to 10 o'Clock to Morrow.
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