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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 28, 1777
A letter, of the 7th, from Thomas M'Kean to Colonel Jos. Reed, was laid before Congress and read:
Ordered, That it be referred to the Board of War, with orders to take such measures as they may judge proper in consequence of the intelligence contained therein.
Resolved, unanimously, That a committee of three be appointed forthwith to repair to the army, and, in a private confidential consultation with General Washington, to consider of the best and most practicable means for carrying on a winter's campaign with vigour and success, an object which Congress have much at heart, and on such consultation, with the concurrence of General Washington, to direct every measure which circumstances may require for promoting the public service:
The members chosen, Mr. R[obert] Morris, Mr. [Elbridge] Gerry, and Mr. [Joseph] Jones.
The Committee on the Treasury brought in a report, which was taken into consideration; Whereupon,
Ordered, That a warrant issue on John Gibson, Esqr. auditor general for 3,080 72/90 dollars in favour of the Committee of Commerce; the said committee to be accountable:1
[Note 1: 1 This report is in the Papers of the Continental Congress, No. 136, I, folio 495.]
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Ordered, That the following warrants issue on Thomas Smith, Esqr. commissioner of the continental loan office for the State of Pensylvania, viz.
One in favour of James Paxton, assistant commissary of issues, for 2,000 dollars, which sum was advanced him by Mr. Smith, the 19 September last; Charles Stewart, Esqr. commissary general of issues, to be accountable:
One in favour of Michael Hillegas, Esqr. continental treasurer, 60,000 dollars, for so much put into his hands by Mr. Smith, the 16 October last; said Hillegas to be accountable:
One in favour of Blair M'Clenaghan, for 16,400 dollars, to discharge the continental navy board their order of the 3d September last, on William Alricks, their cashier, for the payment of two ships purchased of the said M'Clenaghan; the said navy board to be accountable:
One in favour of John Gibson, Esqr. auditor general, for 49,566 2/3 dollars, which sum the said Smith advanced at sundry times, on a warrant of Congress of the 14 September last, drawn on Mr. Gibson, in favour of the executive council of the State of Pensylvania; the said J. Gibson to be accountable.
Ordered, That a warrant issue on John Gibson, Esqr. auditor general, in favour of the delegates of the State of Georgia, for 270 dollars, advanced the said State, and to be considered as a part of the 300,000 dollars ordered to the said State.
Ordered, That warrants issue on John Gibson. Esqr. auditor general, for the following sums, viz.
One, in favour of the Board of War, for 6,000 dollars, advanced by him to the said Board, the 28 September last, for the use of the Virginia militia, then on their march to join General Washington; the said Board to be accountable.
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One, in favour of Major William Roberts, for 810 dollars, advanced the 1 October, by the auditor, for the use of the Culpepper militia, from the State of Virginia, then on their march to join General Washington; the said Major Roberts to be accountable.
One, in favour of Charles Thomson, Esqr. for 57 6/90 dollars, for the pay due to Wm. C. Houston, late deputy secretary of Congress, from the 1st to 23 September, and for porterage of papers of Congress, casks, &c.
One, in favour of Joseph Nourse, deputy secretary to the Board of War, for his salary from the 10th May, to the 10th November, 1777, for 390 dollars.
One, in favour of William Govett, assistant auditor, for sundry expences with two waggons and the hire of one to York Town, with the treasury books, papers, money, &c. from Philadelphia to Bristol, and round by Reading to Lancaster, with his expences from Lancaster to Reading, and from thence to York Town, by order of Congress, with the waggons that had the public papers, and his expences from Philadelphia to Bristol, by order of the Board, for money, and for sundry contingent expences at Baltimore last winter, &c., for 161 70/90 dollars.
Ordered, That a warrant issue on the treasurer in favour of Colonel William Buchanan, commissary general of purchases, for 13,333 1/3 dollars, for all advance made by the treasurer to Colonel John Patten, deputy commissary of purchases at Reading the 25 September last.1
[Note 1: 1 This report, dated November 26, is in the Papers of the Continental Congress, No. 186, I, folio 497.]
Ordered, That there be advanced to Brigadier General de Roche Fermoy, 375 dollars for three months' pay; he to be accountable.
Ordered, That there be paid to Captain Peter Babb, or his order, in full of his pay roll of a company of militia
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from Frederick county, Virginia, sent to relieve the soldiers of the 12 Virginia regiment, garrisoned at Fort Pitt, from the 3d April to the 3d June following, inclusive, 887 44/90 dollars, the warrant to issue on the auditor general for the said sum.
Ordered, That a warrant issue in favour of the Board of War, for 300,000 dollars, to be by them transmitted to William Palfrey, Esqr. pay master general; he to be accountable.
Resolved, That the salary of William Govett, assistant auditor general, be augmented, and that henceforth he be allowed the same pay as a commissioner for auditing accounts.1
[Note 1: 1 This report is in the Papers of the Continental Congress, No. 136, I, folio 499.]
Congress proceeded to the election of a commissioner to the Court of France in the room of S. Deane, Esqr. and, the ballots being taken, John Adams, a delegate in Congress from Massachusetts bay, was elected.
Resolved, That William Carmichael, Esqr. be appointed secretary to the commissioners at the Court of France.
Resolved, That an enquiry be made into the causes of the evacuation of Fort Mercer, on the river Delaware, and into the conduct of the principal officers commanding that garrison; and that a committee be appointed to report the mode of conducting the enquiry.
Resolved, That an immediate enquiry be made into the causes of the failure of the late expedition against Rhode Island, and into the conduct of the principal officers conducting such expedition; and that a committee be appointed to report the mode of conducting such enquiry.
Resolved, That an enquiry be made into the loss of Forts Montgomery and Clinton, in the State of New York; and of Fort Mifflin, on the river Delaware, in the State of Pensylvania, and into the conduct of the principal
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officers commanding those forts; and that General Washington be directed to cause this enquiry to be made, and to transmit the proceedings of the court to Congress with all possible despatch.
Resolved, That whenever any expedition which may be undertaken either by sea or land, by order, or at the expence of the United States, shall fail in the execution; or whenever any important post, fort, or fortress, garrisoned and defended at the expence of the United States, shall be evacuated, or taken by the enemy, it be an established rule in Congress to institute an enquiry into the causes of the failure of such expedition, or into the loss of such post, fort, or fortress, and into the conduct of the principal officer or officers conducting the expedition so failing, or commanding the post, fort, or fortress so evacuated or taken by the enemy; the enquiry so instituted, to be conducted in such manner as Congress shall deem best adapted for the investigation of truth in the respective cases.
Resolved, That the committee for conducting the enquiry into the causes of the evacuation of Fort Mercer, and the failure of the expedition against Rhode Island, consist of three members.
The members chosen, Mr. [William] Duer, Mr. [Francis] Dana, and Mr. F[rancis] L[ightfoot] Lee.
The committee appointed to devise ways and means for providing a sufficient supply of provisions for the army, brought in a report, which was read; Whereupon,
Resolved, That a committee be appointed to repair forthwith to Lancaster, to confer with the general assembly of the State of Pensylvania on the best means of providing immediate supplies, and establishing sufficient magazines of flour and pork for the army in this department; that they represent to the assembly the necessity of obtaining
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flour and pork barrels, and teams to transport salt from the North River, and report thereon as soon as may be.
Resolved, That a copy of the resolution of Congress of the 22d October and 3d of November, relative to the commissary's department, be transmitted to his excellency the governor and council of safety of the State of Connecticut, who are requested to order the salt to be sent from the eastern to the middle district agreeable to the resolution first mentioned, to such parts of the North River, and to the care of such officer or person there as they shall judge expedient, and inform Congress or the commissary general of purchases thereof; and the governor and council aforesaid are further requested to take effectual measures for sending immediate supplies of cattle to the army in the middle district, and to the prisoners quartered near Boston; and to this purpose they are fully authorized to superintend the deputy commissary general of purchases and issues, and their respective deputies or assistants in the eastern and northern districts, and to remove and appoint others in the room of such as shall refuse or neglect to comply with their directions.
Resolved, That General Heath be directed to take effectual care that fresh provisions be issued to the prisoners in the eastern district, and that the salt provisions be reserved for the army of the United States for the next campaign.
Resolved, That General Washington be directed to apply to General Howe for passports to convey provisions and wood to the British and German troops, quartered, agreeable to the convention of Saratoga, in the neighbourhood of Boston, and that he send such passports by express to General Heath.
Resolved, That the commissary general of issues be directed to preserve the flour barrels of the army, and
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send them by the return waggons to the mills from whence supplies of flour may be sent to the army; that he save the pork and beef barrels, and as much of the salt therein as can be collected, and that for this purpose he employ a suitable number of coopers, and inform Congress of his proceedings herein.1
[Note 1: 1 This report, in the writing of Elbridge Gerry, is in the Papers of the Continental Congress, No. 21, 191. Thomson has noted upon it the vote on the committee to Lancaster: Roberdeau, 9; Dyer, 4; Penn, 1; Harvie, 4; Lovell, 1; and Harnett, 6.]
Resolved, That that the committee to repair to Lancaster consist of three; the members chosen, Mr. [Daniel] Roberdeau, Mr. [Eliphalet] Dyer, and Mr. [John] Penn.
The Committee of Commerce, to whom were referred the proposals of Alexander Gillon, Esqr. contained in his letter of the 20th inst. reported,2
[Note 2: 2 This letter is in the Papers of the Continental Congress, No. 78, X, folio 77.]
That they have conferred with Mr. Gillon on the subject, and are of opinion, that a sum of money not exceed 250,000 dollars should be advanced to the said Alexander Gillon, Esqr. or his attorneys, annually for three years if the war with Great Britain shall continue so long; the said advances to be made by this committee, or such other as may hereafter be appointed to superintend the continental commerce, in such sums and at such periods as may be necessary for accomplishing purchases of suitable produce or other articles to be remitted to Europe:
That the said Alexander Gillon, Esq. or his attorneys, shall purchase all the remittances they make, to Europe, on the best terms in their power that and charter or purchase ships suitable for transporting the same to Europe, on the best and most frugal terms in their power, and under such orders, restrictions, and limitations, as they may, from time to time, receive from the committee or board that superintend the continental commerce, who
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are to call for, examine and inspect the invoices and other accounts, as often as they shall think necessary:
That the said Alexander Gillon shall forthwith repair to Europe, and purchase, at proper places, such cloathing, arms, ammunition, and other articles, as may, from time to time, be directed by the said committee, or board of commerce, to the amount of the net proceeds of all the remittances he or his attorneys in Europe shall there receive from his attorneys in America, such articles, to be bought on the best terms, and shipped for these United States, in such ships, or by such conveyances, as may be most likely to arrive safe; the said Alexander Gillon to conform himself in the transaction of this business to the instructions he may receive, from time to time, from the committee or board of commerce, to which he is to give regular advice of all his proceedings:
That the customary mercantile commissions be allowed for purchasing and making the remittances, and on the sale thereof in Europe, and a commission of five per cent. on the purchase and exportation of all the articles ordered from Europe, the said commissions to be the only compensation or benefit the said Alexander Gillon, or his attorneys, are to receive or derive to themselves from this business, being deemed fully equivalent to the services they are hereby required to perform; Whereupon,
Resolved, That the above report be accepted, and that the committee of commerce be authorized and directed to enter into a contract on behalf of the United States, with the said Alexander Gillon, Esqr. agreeable to the tenor and terms thereof:1
[Note 1: 1 This report, in the writing of Robert Morris, is in the Papers of the Continental Congress, No. 31, folio 175. It is endorsed "Postponed 25th to the 26th Nov." The vote is in the writing of Charles Thomson.]
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The yeas and nays being required,
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∥The several matters to this day referred, being postponed,∥
Adjourned to 10 o'Clock to Morrow.
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