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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 --WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 5, 1777
A letter, of the 2, from the committee of Congress at Philadelphia, was read;
A resolution and minutes of the officers of the Baltimore town batallion, were laid before Congress:3
[Note 3: 3 This letter is in the Papers of the Continental Congress, No. 137, Appendix, folio 135.]
Ordered, That they be referred to the Board of War.
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A letter from General Putnam, with a number of papers enclosed, and a letter from the North Carolina prisoners, were read; and referred to the Board of War.
Resolved, That Mr. Hudson, the pay master in Baltimore, be directed to settle with Colonel Gist, and pay such of his men, as are inlisted to serve for three years, or during the war, up to the 10th of this instant, and also to pay the Virginia troops on their march to General Washington, the arrearages of pay due to them; and that he transmit an account of what he pays to the pay master general, in order to regulate the future pay of the said troops.
∥Resolved,∥ That 20,000 dollars be advanced to Mr. Jonathan Hudson, for the public service; he to be accountable.
A letter from Henricus Godet, of Eustatia, was read:
Ordered, That the same be referred to the Secret Committee, and that they return an answer.
A memorial of Gotlieb Klose, a native of Silesia, and late missionary from the United Brethren to the negroes, in the island of Jamaica, was read; setting forth, that he was taken on his passage to Bristol, in the snow Thomas, Thomas Nicholson, master, by the continental cruiser, Andrew Doria; and praying that his effects, consisting of the tools of his trade, and cloathing, may be restored to him;1 ∥Whereupon,∥
[Note 1: 1 This memorial is in the Papers of the Continental Congress, No. 41, V, folio 59. It is endorsed as a proper request by Robert Morris, as Vice President of the Marine Committee. A letter of Daniel Benezet in regard to the matter is on folio 67.]
Resolved, That the prayer of the petition be granted.
A petition from Edward Southouse was read:
Ordered, That it be referred to a committee of three:
The members chosen, Mr. J[ohn] Adams, Mr. [Roger] Sherman, and Mr. [Samuel] Chase.
A petition of the shipwrights of Fell's-point, was read:2
[Note 2: 2 This petition is in the Papers of the Continental Congress, No. 42, VII, folio 27.]
Ordered, To lie on the table.
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Resolved, That a brigadier general be appointed for the troops in North Carolina, and that his rank be determined when the other general officers for the army are elected:
The ballots being taken, Colonel Francis Nash was elected.
The Marine Committee having informed Congress, that Captain Fulford, who was appointed to the command of the Lexington, has declined that service, and having recommended Captain Henry Johnson to the said command:
Resolved, That he be accepted and that a commission be granted to him accordingly.
∥Resolved,∥ That Elijah Bowen be appointed first lieutenant of the said brig Lexington.
Resolved, That General Moore be directed to detach into the different parts of North Carolina, recruiting officers; and that he be particular in selecting such for that purpose, as are well acquainted and esteemed in that state: and, in order to expedite this important purpose of recruiting the army,
Resolved, That General Nash use his personal influence in the western parts of that state, and, by every means in his power, stimulate the inhabitants to inlist, and urge the recruiting officers to be active in their duty, as it is a matter of much importance to the common cause, that the six regiments, formerly raised in North Carolina, should be filled up, and the three lately ordered, be recruited to their full complement, before the 15 day of March next.
Resolved, That General Moore and General Nash, proceed with the nine continental regiments, raised and directed to be raised in the state of North Carolina, to join General Washington; and that they begin the march from the State of South Carolina, of such of the said nine regiments, as shall be then there, on the 15 day of March next, and of such continental troops as shall be in the
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State of North Carolina, as soon as they shall be joined by the regiments which are ordered, as aforesaid, from South Carolina. That the troops be marched by regiments or parts of regiments, as the commanding officer shall judge best.
Resolved, That the governor of the State of North Carolina, and the executive powers of the several States, through which such troops shall march on their way to head quarters, be requested to render them every assistance in their power, to expedite their progress:
That General Moore be impowered to draw upon the ∥deputy∥ pay master general of the southern department, for such sums of money as shall be necessary to procure supplies for the said troops, until they join the continental army; and that all commissaries and quarter masters in the continental service, who shall be in the States through which they pass, contribute their best endeavours to aid in carrying this resolve into execution, with all possible expedition.
The Board of War, who were appointed ∥directed∥ to confer with General Armstrong, reported, that they have had a conference with him; that the conference turned upon various and important subjects, relative to the raising the new army, supplying them with arms, ammunition, cloathing, provisions, and medicines:
Ordered, That the Board of War digest the said conference, and bring in a proper report on the several matters mentioned, saving what relates to medicines.
Resolved, That the Medical Committee be empowered to employ a suitable, person in each of the states, to purchase such medicines as they shall direct, for the use of the army, which can be procured at any reasonable rates.
∥Ordered,∥ That the said committee enquire what is become of the medicines which Dr. Morgan took from
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Boston, and which Dr. Stringer bought for the northern army, and take measures to have them secured, and applied to the use of the army.
Resolved, That three members be added to the committee on Indian affairs:
The members chosen, Mr. [Mann] Page, Mr. [James] Lovell, and Mr. [Thomas] Burke.
Resolved, That Mr. Thomas Cummings be appointed and impowered to supply the continental troops, in the State of Maryland, with rations, on the most reasonable terms he can, till the farther orders of Congress.
Resolved, That William Aylett, Esq. deputy commissary general of Virginia, be directed forthwith to purchase, with as much secresy as possible, and lay up in proper magazines, convenient to water carriage, under the care and management of trusty store keepers, a quantity of good merchantable Indian corn, not exceeding ten thousand barrels.
Resolved, That 500,000 dollars be advanced to the State of North Carolina, upon a warrant from the governor of the said State for that sum, the said State to be accountable.
Resolved, That the commissioners at the court of France, be directed to use their utmost endeavours, to send, without delay, 80,000 blankets, 40,000 compleat suits of cloaths, for soldiers, of green, blue, and brown colours, with suitable facings, and cloth of the same colours, with trimmings, sufficient for 40,000 suits more, 100,000 pair of yarn stockings, fit for soldiers, 1 million flints, and 200 tons of lead, in armed vessels, to such ports of the united States, as the Secret Committee shall direct; that they pledge the faith of the united States for complying with their contracts; and should the application of Congress to the Court of Versailles, for the loan of money be successful,
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that they appropriate part thereof to the payment of the said articles; that the several States be requested to order their armed vessels into the service of the united States, under the direction of the Secret Committee; that they be allowed a reasonable compensation for the use thereof, with the appraised value of such as may be lost; and that one of the new continental frigates, with the armed vessels which may be furnished by the respective States, be employed by the Secret Committee, to export produce, and import military stores for the next campaign.
Resolved, That a committee of three be appointed to consider the extraordinary services of the Reverend Mr. Caldwell, of New Jersey, and report what compensation should be made to him:
The members chosen, Mr. [Abraham] Clark, Mr. [John] Hall, and Mr. [Mann] Page.
Congress resolved itself into a committee of the whole, to take into consideration the letter from Governor Trumbull, and the minutes of the committees from the four New England governments; and, after some time, the president resumed the chair, and Mr. F[rancis] L[ightfoot] Lee reported, that the committee have had under consideration the matters to them referred, and have come to a resolution thereon, which he was ordered to report, when the Congress is ready to receive it:
Ordered, That it be received.
The report from the committee of the whole ∥Congress,∥ being read,
Ordered, That the consideration thereof be postponed.
Ordered, That the proceedings of the committee from the four New England States, which were under the consideration of the committee of the whole ∥Congress,∥ be referred to a committee of five:
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The members chosen, Mr. R[ichard] H[enry] Lee, Mr. [James] Wilson, Mr.[Samuel] Chase, Mr. J[ohn] Adams, and Mr. [Roger] Sherman.1
[Note 1: 1 On the back of the report in the Papers of the Continental Congress, printed on p. 88 ante, Thomson has noted the balloting for this Committee, as follows: R. H. Lee, 8; J. Adams, 7; Wilson, 8; Chase, 8; Burke, 2; S. Adams, 1 [?]; Sherman [5 or 6]; Sergeant, 1; Thornton, 1; Gerry, 1; Middleton, 1; Elmer, 2.]
Resolved, That the warrant of the General ∥Washington, for 5,000 dollars,∥ in favour of Colonel Hartley, be paid and charged to the account of the pay master general, and that an account thereof be transmitted to the pay master general.
∥Resolved,∥ That General Armstrong's brigade major, be paid the arrears due to him, and the amount thereof charged to the account of the pay master general, to whom an account is to be sent.
The several matters to this day referred, being postponed,
Adjourned to 10 o'Clock to Morrow.
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