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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 --TUESDAY, APRIL 1, 1777
A letter, of the 29 of March, from General Washington; one, of the 21 of the same month, from Brigadier General Lewis, were read:1
[Note 1: 1 The letter of Washington is in the Papers of the Continental Congress, No. 152, IV, folio 35. It is printed in Writings of Washington (Ford), V, 296. The letter of Lewis is in No. 159, folio 276.]
Ordered, That the letter from Brigadier Lewis be referred to the Board of War.
Resolved, That Ephraim Blaine, Esqr. be appointed commissary for supplying, with provisions, the troops now in the county of Cumberland, in Pensylvania, and such as may hereafter march through that county, as well as the artificers and troops, who shall be employed in the magazine and laboratory, to be erected at Carlisle.
Congress proceeded to the election of three brigadiers, and, the ballots being taken, the following gentlemen were chosen: viz
Colonel Edward Hand; Colonel Charles Scott.
Resolved, That the election of the third brigadier general be postponed till to morrow.
An appeal being lodged from the judgment of the court of admiralty, for the State of Pensylvania, on the libel John Baldwin qui tam vs. Robert Polke, claimant,
Ordered, That it be referred to the standing committee on ∥for hearing and determining∥ appeals.
The Committee of Treasury brought in a report, ∥which was read and considered;∥ Whereupon,
Resolved, That Messrs. Price & Haywood procure, of General Schuyler and the deputy pay master general of the northern department, certificates of the specie which they have received, in consequence of an order of Congress, of the 13 August last, and that the ballance which
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shall appear to be due to them, on adjusting their accounts at the treasury office, be paid by a bill of exchange, to be drawn by the president on the commissioners of the United States in France, and countersigned by the auditor general.
That the managers of the lottery of the United States, be directed to send such a number of tickets for sale, as they shall judge necessary, to the pay master general and deputy pay master general of the northern department.1
[Note 1: 1 This report is in the Papers of the Continental Congress, No. 136, I, folio 95. The last paragraph is in the writing of Elbridge Gerry.]
For the better regulating the pay of the army,
Resolved, That the pay master or deputy pay master general shall pay no money, but by warrants from the commanders in chief in their respective departments, countersigned by their respective secretaries; and that the money be paid only to the person specified in the warrant, or to his order in writing, excepting in cases otherwise provided by Congress.
That the regimental abstracts be made up by the regimental pay masters at the close of every month, and certified by the respective colonels, or commanding officers and brigadiers general, who shall carefully examine and compare the same with the weekly returns; after which, they shall be lodged with the pay master, or deputy pay master general, until orders are given for the payment.
That the regimental pay masters only shall receive from the pay master, or deputy pay master general, the money due upon abstracts to the officers and soldiers; and the said regimental pay masters alone shall settle with, and pay, the money due to the officers and soldiers of the regiments to which they respectively belong, either in person or to their order, and take receipts for the same,
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to be produced as vouchers on the settlement of their respective accounts.
That officers and soldiers, who may be prisoners of war, shall be made up in the abstracts of the regiment to which they belong, to the time of their captivity, and authentic returns shall be made, with such abstracts of the names of the officers and soldiers aforesaid, their rank and the company to which they belong, the time of their captivity, and the pay that was then due. And whenever such prisoners are to be exchanged, a pay roll shall be made out by the pay master, or deputy pay master general, for the pay due to them, to the time of their return, and the money shall be sent to them, and paid by the officer appointed to receive them, and their receipts immediately lodged with the pay master or deputy pay master general.
That whenever any regimental pay master leaves the service, or is dismissed, he shall make a return to the pay master or deputy pay master general, of the names of the commissioned and non-commissioned officers and soldiers of his regiment, who remain unpaid, the sums due to them respectively, and what balance of cash he has remaining; all which shall be lodged with the pay master, or deputy pay master general, to be, by him, delivered to the next pay master of the said regiment, or otherwise disposed of, as the commander in chief of the department may think proper.
That no commissioned or non-commissioned officer or soldier, coming from any department where a pay master or deputy pay master general is appointed, shall receive, in any other department, the pay that may be due to him, unless he produces a certificate from his colonel or commanding officer, countersigned by the pay master, or deputy pay master general of the department to which he belongs, of the sum bona fide due to him, and deliver the same, with a receipt thereon.
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Resolved, That the pay of the assistant pay masters, in the northern department, be augmented to 40 dollars a month; and that they be allowed three rations a day.
Resolved, That the pay of secretary to the commander in chief be augmented to 100 dollars a month; and that Colonel Harrison, the present secretary, be allowed that pay from the time of his appointment to that office.
The Committee of Treasury reported,
That a warrant should be issued by the president, on the loan office, for the state of Pensylvania, in favour of Robert Morris, George Clymer and George Walton, Esqrs. a committee of Congress, for two hundred and fifteen thousand dollars, for which they are to account.
That another warrant issue on the same loan officer, in favour of the Secret Committee, for ten thousand dollars, for which the said committee shall account.
That James Wood, Colonel of the 12 regiment of Virginia forces, in continental service, having borrowed of John Campbell, Esqr. one thousand eight hundred dollars for the use of his regiment, as appears by his receipts, and, at the same time, having drawn an order for the said sum, the same ought to be paid and charged to his account.
That there is due to James Warren, Esqr. for the pay due to him as pay master general, from the 4 May to the 15 June, 1776, being forty-two days, at 1,200 dollars per annum, 138 6/90 dollars, which sum should be paid by a warrant from the president on the loan office of the State of Massachusetts bay.1
[Note 1: 1 This report is in the Papers of the Continental Congress, No. 136, I, folio 99.]
Ordered, That the said ∥warrants be drawn, and∥ sums be paid accordingly.
The Board of War brought in a report, which was taken into consideration; Whereupon,
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Resolved, That no officer already appointed, or to be hereafter appointed, in the army of the United States, shall take rank by virtue of a commission antedated, but rank shall be determined by the time of appointment, unless otherwise directed by a special resolution of Congress.
That it be recommended to the legislatures, and, in their recess, to the executive power of the respective States, that they forthwith transmit to the Board of War, exact lists of all officers appointed by them in the continental army, with the dates of their commissions and times of appointment.1
[Note 1: 1 This report, in the writing of Richard Peters, is in the Papers of the Continental Congress, No. 147, I, folio 123.]
Resolved, That Major General St. Clair be, and he is hereby ordered to repair to Ticonderoga, and serve under General Gates; that previous to his setting out, he repair immediately to Philadelphia, and there wait the farther orders of Congress.
The several matters to this day referred, being postponed,
Adjourned to 10 o'Clock to Morrow.
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