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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 8, 1777
Resolved, That 274 dollars be paid to John Cadwalader, Esqr. the same being in full of an order in his favour, drawn by General Washington, January 23, 1777, for so much advanced to Captain James Lee's company of artillery.
Resolved, That an order be drawn for 12,000 dollars in favour of Colonel Stephen Moylan, on John Gibson, Esq., and another order in favour of the said Colonel Moylan on Michael Hillegas, Esqr. for the like sum of 12,000 dollars, these orders being in part of a warrant of General Washington, in favour of the said Colonel Moylan.
That an order for twenty thousand dollars be drawn on the treasurer in favour of Jonathan Hudson, for the public service, the said J. Hudson to be accountable.
The Committee of Treasury reported,
That Mr. James Cuthbert, of Canada, supplied a detachment of the army, while there, under the command of Brigadier General Thompson, with wheat, flour, boards, and plank, to the amount of one thousand and sixty three pounds, seventeen shillings and two pence, New York currency: of which sum £600 was drawn for, on the pay master general for the northern department, by John Winslow, the assistant pay master, in favour of Colonel
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Donald Campbell, deputy quarter master general, and by him endorsed to the said James Cuthbert, and by the last to Elias Boudinot Esqr., which said bill was, by direction of the then commander in chief in Canada, protested, under a mistaken information, that the said Cuthbert was an enemy to his country: That, on the 3d of August last, General Thompson settled the account with the said Cuthbert, and then drew a bill in his favour for the residue, (being four hundred and sixty three pounds, seventeen shillings and two pence) on William Palfrey, Esqr. pay master general, which was also endorsed to Mr. Boudinot, and remains unpaid. That Mr. Boudinot hath been too long kept out of his money, and has been at a considerable expence in soliciting payment, and that a warrant should be now granted him for £1,106 9 7, New York money, equal to 2,766 18/90 dollars, and that the first-mentioned draught for six hundred pounds, New York currency, should be charged to Mr. Winslow, until he renders vouchers to the commissioners for settling accounts, of the expenditure of the provisions for the payment of which he drew his bill;1
[Note 1: 1 This report is in the Papers of the Continental Congress, No. 136, I, folio 105.]
Ordered, That the said sum be paid and charged accordingly.
A letter, of the 28 March, from Governor Henry, of Virginia, and a petition from sundry inhabitants of the New Hampshire grants, accompanied with a number of papers, were read:2
[Note 2: 2 The letter of Henry is in the Papers of the Continental Congress, No. 71, I, folio 115. The New Hampshire petition, dated Westminster, January 15, 1777, is in No. 40, I, folio 135.]
Ordered, That the letter from Governor Henry be referred to the Board of War: and that the petition, and papers accompanying, lie on the table.
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Resolved, That a committee of three be appointed to report a plan for regulating the mode of receiving applications made to Congress.
The members chosen, Mr. [Elbridge] Gerry, Mr. S[amuel] Adams, and Mr. [William] Ellery.
Resolved, That the report of the committee of the whole house, on the articles of confederation, be taken into consideration on Monday next, and that two days in each week be employed on that subject, until it shall be ∥wholly∥ discussed in Congress.
The Committee of Treasury reported, that there is due, to Frederick Bicking, for 140 reams of paper for continental bills of credit, the sum of [£525=] 1,400 dollars:1
[Note 1: 1 This report is in the Papers of the Continental Congress, No. 136, I, folio 107.]
That there is due to William Semple, Benjamin Harbeson and Jonathan B. Smith, for the expence of conveying a wagon to Cambridge, and for conducting Colonel Kirkland and son, prisoners, from Cambridge to Philadelphia, from 9th December to 16 January, the sum of £134 8 2, equal to 358 38/90 dollars:
That there should be advanced to the State of Pensylvania, agreeable to the request of the council of the said State, the sum of 100,000 dollars, the said State to be accountable:
That there should be paid to the Board of War, to be by them sent to Jonathan Trumbull, Esq. deputy pay master general, for the use of the northern army, the sum of four hundred thousand dollars:
That there should be advanced to James Mease, Esqr. for the purpose of cloathing the army, the sum of one hundred thousand dollars:
Ordered, That the said sums be paid.
Resolved, That Michael Hillegas, Esqr. treasurer, be directed to send from Baltimore to John Gibson, Esqr.
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auditor general, for public service, the sum of one million of dollars.1
[Note 1: 1 This report is in the Papers of the Continental Congress, No. 136, I, folio 109.]
The Committee on Departments, brought in a report, which was read:
Resolved, That five persons be appointed by Congress to constitute a Board of War and Ordinance any three of whom to be a Quorum.
That a Secretary and clerks of Office be appointed by Congress with competent Salaries to assist the said Board in executing the Business of their Department.
That it shall be the Duty of the said Board to procure by Contract or otherwise all such Ordinance, Arms, Military Stores, Cloathing, Medicines and every other necessary for the Army that Congress may from time to time direct. That they shall to call upon for and receive exact Returns of the Number State and Disposition of all the Land Forces in the Service of the United States and make proper Entries of the same; to keep an Alphebetical and accurate Register of the Names of all Officers in the said Land Forces and the Dates of their respective Commissions; to forward all Dispatches from Congress to the different States and all Monies to be transmitted for the publick Service by Order of Congress, taking Care to provide suitable Escorts and Guards for the safe Conveyance of such Dispatches and Monies when it shall appear to them to be necessary; to register all Correspondence with the Generals and transmit to the proper Officers all Orders that refer to the forming, Marching, Cloathing and Appointments for Camp or Garrison of the Troops in every Department; to procure and keep exact Accounts of all the Ordinance, Arms, Ammunition, and Warlike Stores, belonging to the United States, and of the Manner in which and the Places where the same shall from time to time be lodged and employed; to appoint proper Store-keepers for taking care of such of them as shall not be employed in actual Service and hire at the Publick Expence proper Magazines for preserving them; to issue so much of them and cause the same to be safely conveyed to such Places as Congress shall from time to time direct; to take Care of all Prisoners of War and dispose of them agreeable to the Orders and Regulations of Congress; to keep and preserve in their Office in regular Order all original Letters and Papers which shall come into the said Office by Order of Congress or otherwise, and cause Copies of all Letters and
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Dispatches to be made or transcribed in Books to be set apart for that Purpose, and shall also cause fair Entries in like Manner to be made, and Registers preserved of all other Business which shall be transacted by them.
That before any Member shall take his Seat at the said Board he shall take and Subscribe the Oath of Qualification, and also the following Oath, a Certificate whereof shall be filed in the said Office.
I, A. B, do solemnly swear that I will not directly or indirectly divulge any Matter or Thing which shall come to my Knowledge as a Member of the Board of War and Ordinance of the United States without the Leave of Congress or of the Board: and that I will faithfully execute my said Office according to my best Skill and Judgement.
That before the Secretary and Clerks of the said Board shall enter on their Office, they shall respectively take and Subscribe the Oath of Qualification and also the following Oath, a Certificate whereof shall be filed in said Office.
I, A. B., do Solemnly Swear that I will not directly or indirectly divulge any Matter or Thing which shall come to my Knowledge as (Secretary or Clerk) of the Board of War and Ordinance of the United States, without Leave of the said Board and that I will faithfully execute my said Office according to the best of my Skill and Judgement.
So help &c.
That the said Board be authorized to hire suitable Apartments and provide Books, Paper and other Necessaries at the Continental Expence for carrying on the Business of the said Office.1
[Note 1: 1 Endorsed, "Read April 8, 1777. Referred for consideration to Thursday next. Recommitted. Genl. Schuyler added to the said Committee." This report, in the writing of Thomas Nelson, is in the Papers of the Continental Congress, No. 27, folio 45.]
Ordered, That it be taken into consideration on Thursday next.
The committee, to whom it was referred to devise what honours should be paid to the memories of Generals Warren and Mercer, brought in a report, which, being read, was agreed to as follows:
That a monument be erected to the memory of General Warren, in the town of Boston, with the following inscription:
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In honour of
JOSEPH WARREN,
Major General of Massachusetts bay:
He devoted his life to the liberties
Of his country;
And, in bravely defending them, fell
An early victim,
In the battle of Bunker's Hill,
June 17, 1775.
The Congress of the United States,
As an acknowledgement of his services,
And distinguished merit,
Have erected this monument
To his memory.
That a monument be erected to the memory of General Mercer, in Fredericksburg, in the State of Virginia, with the following inscription:
Sacred to the memory of
HUGH MERCER,
Brigadier General in the army of
The United States;
He died on the 12 of January, 1777, of the
Wounds he received on the 3d of the same month,
Near Princetown, in New Jersey,
Bravely defending the
Liberties of America.
The Congress of the United States,
In testimony of his virtues, and their gratitude,
Have caused this monument to be erected.
That the eldest son of General Warren, and the youngest son of General Mercer, be educated, from this time, at the expence of the United States.1
[Note 1: 1 This report, in the writing of Benjamin Rush, is in the Papers of the Continental Congress, No. 19, V, folio 151.]
Resolved, That the following gentlemen be appointed officers in the regiment commanded by Colonel Hazen, as follows:
James Thompson, quarter master.
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John Gibson, Michael Montgomery, James Stedman, Alexander Teas, William M'Michael, James Anderson, Robert Craig and William Stewart, second lieutenants.
--Duncan, William Erskine, Michael Gilbert, John Hughes, Reuben Taylor, Samuel Alexander, Thomas Piey and Robert Campbell, first lieutenants.
Matthew M'Connel, Robert Burns, John Carlisle, Benjamin Chambers, James Rodolph Reid, William Popham, John Thompson and James Heron, captains.
Resolved, That it be recommended to the governor and council of safety of New Jersey, not to call into the field, such part of their militia, not exceeding forty, as are necessarily employed in the salt works, now erecting in their State, by the government of Pensylvania, provided it be not inconsistent with the laws of the State.
A letter, of the 5, from General Washington, with a letter and papers enclosed from the Chevalier de Preudhomme de Borré.
One of the 2d, from the convention of New York, were read:1
[Note 1: 1 The letter of Washington is in the Papers of the Continental Congress, No. 152, IV, folio 61. That of New York is in No. 67, II, folio 37.]
Ordered, That the letter from the General, with papers enclosed, be referred to the Committee on applications from foreigners, and
That the letter from the convention of New York be referred to the Board of War.
Congress resumed the consideration of the report on the hospital; Whereupon,
Resolved, That in time of action and on any other emergency, when the regimental surgeons are not sufficient in number to attend properly to the sick and wounded, that cannot be removed to the hospitals, the director, or deputy director general of the district, be empowered and
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required, upon the request of the physician and surgeon general of the army, to send, from the hospitals under his care, to the assistance of such sick and wounded, as many physicians and surgeons as can possibly be spared from the necessary business of the hospitals.
That the director, deputy directors general, assistant deputy directors, physicians and surgeons general, be, and they are hereby required and directed to employ such parts of their time, as may conveniently be spared from the duties before pointed out to them, in visiting and prescribing for the sick and wounded of the hospitals under their care.1
[Note 1: 1 These two paragraphs, in the writing of James Wilson, are in the Papers of the Continental Congress, No. 22, folio 26 ½.]
That the establishment of the medical department be as follows:
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Ordered, That the regulations respecting hospitals be published.
The several matters to this day referred [being postponed,]
∥Adjourned to 10 o'Clock to Morrow.∥
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