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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 --FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 1776
A letter, of the 11, from General Washington, at Peek's kill;
One of the 5, from General Gates, at Ticonderoga, advising the retreat of General Carleton from Crown Point; one, of the 8th, from General Schuyler, at Albany; one of the 12th, from General Greene; and one, without date, from General Lewis; and one from Robert Ogden, of the 11th; and one from R. Dallam to R. Peters, were laid before Congress, and read:1
[Note 1: 1 Washington's letter is in the Papers of the Continental Congress, No. 152, III, folio 245. It is printed in Writings of Washington (Ford), V, 19. That of Schuyler is in No. 152, II, folio 483; that of Gates is in No. 154, I, folio 113; that of Greene is in No. 155, I, folio 19; that of Ogden is in No. 78, XVIII, folio 9; and that of Dallam is in No. 78, VII, folio 79.]
Ordered, That the letter from General Lewis be referred to the Marine Committee.
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Resolved, That the council of safety of Pensylvania be requested to supply Mr. E. Blaine, with 230 bushels of salt, for the public service: That the said council of safety be, and they are hereby requested, to supply Messrs. Lowry, Wharton, Ogden, and Dunham, ∥assistants to the commissary general,∥ or either of them, with one half of such quantities of salt, as, are, or may be, in their hands, for the use of the Continent.
Two memorials, one from Eleazar Oswald, and the other from Samuel Lockwood, were read, and referred to the Board of War.
Monsr. Romand de Lisle, who was, on the 12, appointed a major of artillery, thinking that appointment inadequate to his merit and abilities, requesting to be sent to General Washington, that he may have an opportunity of giving a specimen of his abilities:
Resolved, That he be permitted to go to General Washington.
Ordered, That the Marine Committee apply to the council of safety of Pensylvania, for 1,500 24 lb. 1,800 18 lb. cannon shot, and 500 bar shot, which shall be re-placed by Congress; and that the said committee send the shot and 6 tons of powder to South Carolina, for the defence of that state and North Carolina:
That a copy of the intelligence contained in General Greene's letter of the 12th, be sent by express, with all possible expedition, to the southern states.
The Secret Committee having reported, that the cargo belonging to the continent, imported in the Hancock & Adams, consisted of the following articles, viz. 72 chests of arms, 311 barrels of gunpowder, 338 pigs of lead, 9 casks of gun flints, 1 case of pins, 133 barrels of tin plates, 5 cases of iron wire, 70 casks of salt petre, and 10 bales of merchandise:
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Resolved, That the Secret Committee direct the entire cargo of the Hancock & Adams to be landed at Bedford, and deposited in places of safety, under the care of the committee of that place, until ordered from thence:
That the muskets, powder, lead, and gun flints, be delivered by the committee of Bedford, to the order of the Board of War, who are to inform the General of these stores, and direct the whole, or any part that may be wanted for the use of the army, ∥to be delivered to him;∥ with an injunction not to put the muskets into the hands of any but those soldiers who inlist under the late resolves and regulations of Congress:
That every part of the merchandise on board the said ship, that is now wanted for the use of the army, be applied to that use, and that the Secret Committee inform General Mifflin, the quarter master general, thereof, and enclose him an order for the immediate delivery of all such parts as he shall desire:
That the remainder of this cargo be subject to the directions of the Secret Committee, who are empowered to order it from thence, either by sea or land, to any other part or parts of these states, where the articles may be wanted for the public service.
The Committee of Treasury reported, that there is due,
To the trustees for the poor of Frederic county, Maryland, for board and attendance of sick soldiers of the Maryland troops in continental service, 58 30/90 dollars, and to be paid to Nicholas Hower:
To Dr. Nicholas Way, for medicine, attendance, lodging, nursing, &c. of sick soldiers of the 5th and 6th Virginia regiments, 467 36/90 dollars.
Ordered, That the said accounts be paid.
Congress took into consideration the report of the committee to whom that part of the part of the report of the Marine
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Committee relative to the pay and rank of the marine, was recommitted; Whereupon,
Resolved, That a bounty of 20 dollars be paid to the commanders, officers, and men of such continental ships or vessels of war, as shall make prize of any British ships or vessels of war, for every cannon mounted on board each prize, at the time of such capture, and 8 dollars per head for every man then on board and belonging to such prize:
That the rank of the naval officers be to the rank of officers in the land service, as follows:
That the pay of all officers and men in the American navy, from the date of the new commissions, under the free and independent states of America, be as follows ∥per calendar month∥:
{table}
That vessels, under ten guns, to be commanded by lieutenants:
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∥That the pay of the officers in such vessels be,∥
The other officers and men the same as in vessels from 10 to 20 guns:
Non-commissioned officers and soldiers the same as in the land service.1
[Note 1: 1 Printed in the Pennsylvania Gazette, 20 November, 1776.]
Resolved, That the president write to General Washington, and inform him, he has leave to negotiate an exchange of the foreign troops in the pay of Great Britain, that are prisoners to these states.
Congress took into consideration a report from the Board of Treasury, for carrying into execution the resolutions of Congress relative to the loan office; Whereupon,
Resolved, That the certificates be of the following denominations:
That the value or denomination of the certificates, be, in different parts thereof in print and writing:
That each denomination have a check letter, corresponding with a letter in the margin to be left in the book:
That the several denominations be further distinguished from each other, by having the border, at the end of the certificate, varied or altered from the rest:
That the engraved ornaments between the margin, or part left in the book and the certificate, be cut indentwise, first having occasional dashes made with a pen
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across it, of the colour with which the treasurer signs his name:
That the impressions of the rolling press, with the signature of the treasurer, in certificates of the highest denomination, be made with yellow ink, of the second with blue, of the third with red, of the fourth with green, and of the fifth or lowest denomination with purple.
A petition from Joseph Dean, Matthew Irwin, John Dunlap and Benjamin Harbeson, was read, and referred to the Board of War.
Dr. Charles Ludwig having been duly examined on the practice of surgery and medicine, and recommended as duly qualified,
Resolved, That he be appointed surgeon to the German batallion.
The several matters to this day referred, being postponed,
Adjourned to 10 o'Clock to Morrow.
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