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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, DECEMBER 10, 1777
A petition from Christopher, Junr. and Charles Marshall, was read:
Ordered, That it be referred to the Board of Treasury.
The committee to whom it was referred to take into consideration the state of those counties in the states of Pensylvania, Jersey and Delaware, which border on the enemy, &c. brought in a report, which was taken into consideration, and agreed to as follows:
Resolved, That General Washington be informed, that Congress have observed, with deep concern, that the principal supplies for the army under his command have,
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since the loss of Philadelphia, been drawn from distant quarters, whereby great expence has accrued to the public, the army has been irregularly and [often] scantily supplied, and the established magazines greatly reduced, while large quantities of stock, provision and forage, are still remaining in the counties of Philadelphia, Bucks and Chester, which, by the fortune of war, may be soon subjected to the power of the enemy:
That Congress, firmly persuaded of General Washington's zeal and attachment to the interest of these states, can only impute his forbearance in exercising the powers vested in him by Congress, by their resolutions of the 17 September and 14 November, to a delicacy in exerting military authority on the citizens of these states; a delicacy, which though highly laudable in general, may, on critical exigencies, prove destructive to the army and prejudicial to the general liberties of America:
That from these considerations, it is the desire and expectation of Congress, that General Washington should, for the future, endeavour as much as possible to subsist his army from such parts of the country as are in its vicinity, and especially from such quarters as he shall deem most likely to be subjected to the power or depredations of the enemy: and that he issue orders for such purpose to the commissaries and quarter masters belonging to the army:
That General Washington be directed to order every kind of stock and provisions in the country above-mentioned, which may be beneficial to the army or serviceable to the enemy, to be taken from all persons without distinction, leaving such quantities only as he shall judge necessary for the maintenance of their families; the stock and provisions so taken to be removed to places of security under the care of proper persons to be appointed for that
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purpose; and that he issue a proclamation, requiring all persons within seventy miles of head quarters, forthwith to thresh out their grain within such limited periods of time, as he shall deem reasonable, on penalty, in case of failure, of having the same seized by the commissaries and quarter masters of the army and paid for as straw:
That General Washington be directed to cause all provisions, stock, forage, waggons and teams, which may be, at any time, in the route of the enemy, and which cannot be seasonably removed, to be destroyed.
Whereas, it is essentially necessary, that magazines should be seasonably provided in the interior part of the country, and many inhabitants, through motives of avarice or disaffection, refuse to thresh out their grain.1
[Note 1: 1 This paragraph was not in the original report.]
Resolved, That it be earnestly recommended to the legislature of the commonwealth of Pensylvania, forthwith to enact a law, requiring all persons within the county of York their State, at the distance of seventy miles and upwards, from General Washington's head quarters, and below the Blue Mountains, to thresh out their wheat and other grain, within as short a period of time as the said legislature shall deem sufficient for that purpose; and, in case of failure, to subject the same to seizure by the commissaries and quarter masters of the American army, to be paid for at the price of straw only, excepting from such penalty, such families only, who, from the absence of the master, sons or servants, in the service of their country, can give good proof that their compliance with the said law was not practicable.2
[Note 2: 2 This report, in the writing of William Duer, is in the Papers of the Continental Congress, No. 20, II, folio 17.]
Resolved, That a member be added to the Committee on Appeals:
The member chosen, Mr. [Benjamin] Rumsey.
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Resolved, That two members be added to the Medical Committee:
The members chosen, Mr. [Francis] Lewis and Mr. [John] Penn.
Congress having received information that the inoculation of recruits in the hospital in the State of Virginia has of late been attended with much ill success;
Resolved, That the Medical Committee make strict enquiry into the truth of this information, and report to Congress, with all possible despatch.
Ordered, That to morrow morning, Congress proceed to the election of a commissioner to proceed to the western frontiers in the room of Colonel J. Reed.
The Committee on the Treasury brought in a report; Whereupon,
Ordered, That a warrant issue on the treasury in favour of Monsr. Lotbinier, a Canadian chaplain, for 144 dollars, being for his pay and rations from the 10th September to 10 December instant.
That a warrant issue on the treasurer in favour of Captain Martin Pfifer, for 1,000 dollars, for the use of his own, Captain Ashe and Captain Medici's troops North Carolina light-horse; the said Captain Pfifer to be accountable:
That a warrant issue on the treasurer in favour of the delegates, of the State of Georgia, for 2,000 dollars; 1,500 dollars of the said sum being advanced on the application of Mr. [Joseph] Wood, and 500 on the application of Mr. [Edward] Langworthy, two of the delegates of the said State, which sum is to be considered as a part of the 300,000 appropriated for the use of the said State:
That a warrant issue on Thomas Smith, Esqr. commissioner of the continental loan office in the State of Pensylvania, in favour of James Mease, Esqr. cloather general,
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for 12,000 dollars, advanced him towards the payment of cloathing, purchased by Mr. Zantzinger, for the use of Brigadier General Wayne's division; the said cloathier general to be accountable:
That a warrant issue on the treasury in favour of John Brown, for 1,844 dollars, in discharge of John Ashe's four drafts, dated in the State of North Carolina, the 15 March, 1777, in favour of John Fragneau; one for 410, one for 442, one for 500, and the other for 510 dollars; the said State to be accountable, and to be considered as a part of the 500,000 dollars heretofore ordered for the use of that State.1
[Note 1: 1 This report is in the Papers of the Continental Congress, No. 136, I, folio 515.]
∥The several matters to this day referred, being postponed,∥
Adjourned to 10 o'Clock to Morrow.
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