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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, JUNE 23, 1778

Journals of the Continental Congress, 1774-1789 PREVIOUS SECTION .. NEXT SECTION .. NAVIGATOR

Journals of the Continental Congress, 1774-1789
TUESDAY, JUNE 23, 1778

Link to date-related documents.

Mr. Titus Hosmer, a delegate from Connecticut, attended and took his seat.

A letter, of 16, from Benjamin Elliot, directed to Mr. [Daniel] Roberdeau, was read:

Ordered, That it be referred to the Board of War.

A letter, of 20, from General Washington, was read. A letter of 17, from General Gates, with sundry papers enclosed, was read:1

[Note 1: 1 The letter of Elliot is in the Papers of the Continental Congress, No. 78, VIII, folio 273; that of Washington is in No. 152, VI, folio 123; that of Gates is in No. 154, I, folio 418. On the back of the Washington a vote has been recorded by Thomson, which does not appear in the journals. There is no clue as to the question.

]

Ordered, That it be referred to the Board of War.

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The commissioners of claims at the Board of Treasury, report,

That there is due, to Francis Lewis, Esqr. for his expences to, in, and from North Carolina, when sent to purchase goods for the army, 925 60/90 dollars:

That there is due to Robert Patton, for his pay as messenger to Congress, and for extra services, &c. from the 21 January to 15 June, 1778, both days inclusive, 293 dollars:

That there is due to Mrs. E. Swoope, for lodging and boarding Baron Steuben, his two aids, and two servants, 13 days, 104 dollars:1

[Note 1: 1 This report, dated June 22, is in the Papers of the Continental Congress, No. 136, II, folio 379.]

Ordered, That the said accounts be paid.

A letter of 22 June, from the Board of War, was read:

Ordered, That it be referred to the Board of Treasury.

Ordered, That the Board of War estimate the expence of the fort lately built by Mr. [Daniel] Roberdeau, in Bedford county, in Pensylvania, and report the same to Congress, with their opinion by whom the same ought to be defrayed.

Resolved, That General Gates be, and he is hereby authorized to dismiss all the supernumerary staff officers in the district under his command.

Resolved, That so much of General Gates's letter of 17, and the papers enclosed, as relates to supernumerary officers of the staff, be referred to the committee of arrangement; and that they be directed to report a plan for preventing the extraordinary expence arising from the appointment of such officers.

Resolved, That the Board of War be directed to collect the standards and colours taken from the enemy, by the

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army of the United States, since the commencement of the war.

The Board of War report,

"That the two independent companies raised in the town of Westmoreland, lately commanded by the Captains [Robert] Durkee and Ransom, are reduced by various causes to about eighty-six non-commissioned officers and privates; that there is no chance of their being completed to the establishment; that the said companies are now detached from the main army for the defence of the frontiers:" Whereupon,

Resolved, That the two independent companies, lately commanded by the Captains Durkee and Ransom, which were raised in the town of Westmoreland, be united and form one company:

That Lieutenant Simon Spaulding be appointed captain, and Lieutenants Timothy Pierce and Phinehas Pierce, lieutenants of the said company; the said lieutenants to take rank, Timothy Pierce from the 16 January last, and Phinehas Pierce from the 1st of April last, the times they were respectively appointed to act as lieutenants in the said companies.1

[Note 1: 1 This report, in the writing of Timothy Pickering, is in the Papers of the Continental Congress, No. 147, II, folio 111.]

A motion was made,

That the committee lately at camp be directed to prepare an amendment to the resolution for apportioning the number of batallions to the several states, and to report on the propriety of further reducing them, and also the sixteen batallions, so called:

A motion was made that the consideration of the motion be postponed; Whereupon, Mr. [William] Duer required the yeas and nays,

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{table}

So it was resolved in the affirmative.

The Board of War brought in a report: Whereupon,

War Office June 22d 1778

As Congress, on the [16] day of March last, resolved, that one full company of men should be raised in the Town of Westmoreland, on the east branch of the Susquehannah, to serve for one year, for the defence of that and the neighbouring settlements, but no bounty or other allowance was offered to the men who should engage for that service, except their mere pay and rations. As after constant attention to the business, the Gentlemen appointed for the purpose have been able to inlist only forty six men, and as the ravages of the Indians on the frontiers make it expedient that the said company should be completed

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as soon as possible, the Board beg leave to submit to Congress the following resolve--

Resolved, That each non-commissioned officer and soldier who hath inlisted or shall inlist into the company of foot ordered to be raised in the town of Westmoreland, on the east branch of the Susquehanna, by the resolution of the 16th of March last, shall receive the same sums for finding his own arms, accoutrements, and blanket, as were allowed by a resolve of the 16th instant to the noncommissioned officers and soldiers of the two regiments raising in Virginia and Pensylvania, to serve for one year; the said sums to be paid them immediately upon their passing muster before the colonel, or in his absence, the next commanding officer of the militia in the said town, and producing the necessary articles of equipment mentioned in the said resolve of the 16th instant.

That the sum of 1,440 dollars be granted to the Board of War, to be issued to Colonel Dennison, of Westmoreland aforesaid, to enable him to pay the allowances above mentioned; he to be accountable for the same.1

[Note 1: 1 This report, in the writing of Timothy Pickering, is in the Papers of the Continental Congress, No. 147, II, folio 107.]

Congress proceeded to consider the motion from Maryland under debate yesterday ∥amendment of the articles of confederation moved in behalf of Maryland:∥ and after debate,

Resolved, That the farther consideration thereof be postponed till the afternoon.

Three o'Clock p. m.

Congress resumed the consideration of the motion from Maryland.

Question put, passed in the negative, four ayes, five noes.

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Three other states coming in, a motion was made to reconsider the question just determined.

Question put,

Resolved in the affirmative.

The question being again put, Mr. [Henry] Marchant required the yeas and nays,

{table}

So it passed in the negative.

The delegates from New Hampshire being called on for the report of their constituents upon the confederation, informed Congress,

That the State of New Hampshire have, in their general assembly, agreed to the articles of confederation as

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they now stand, and have empowered their delegates to ratify the same in behalf of their State.

The delegates from Massachusetts Bay being called on for the report of their constituents upon the confederation, read sundry objections transmitted to them by their constituents, and thereupon moved ∥in behalf of their State,∥

That the eighth article be re-considered, so far as relates to the criterion fixed on for settling the proportion of taxes to be paid by each State, that an amendment may be made, so that the rule of apportionment may be varied, from time to time, by Congress, until experience shall have shewed what rule of apportionment will be most equal and consequently most just:

Question put for re-considering,

Passed in the negative, 2 ayes, 8 noes.

Another motion was made to reconsider the fifth section of the 9th article, so far as relates to the rule of apportioning the number of forces to be raised by each State on the requisition of Congress:

Question put for re-considering,

Passed in the negative, 3 ayes, 7 noes.

A third motion was made to re-consider the sixth section of the 9th article so far as it makes the assent of nine states necessary to exercise the powers with which Congress are thereby invested:

Question put for re-considering,

Passed in the negative.

The delegates from Rhode Island, being called upon for the report of their constituents, produced instructions, and thereupon moved ∥the following amendments:∥

The delegates from Connecticut being called upon for the report of their constituents, produced instructions to move certain amendments: Whereupon,

They moved in behalf of the State,

In the 8th article, to strike out what follows the words "in proportion to" to the end of the sentence, and in lieu thereof to insert "the number of inhabitants in each State:"

Question put,

Passed in the negative, 3 ayes, 9 noes.

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In the 9th article, at the end of the 5 paragraph, to add the words following, "provided that no land army shall be kept up by the United States in time of peace, nor any officers or pensioners kept in pay by them, who are not in actual service, except such as are or may be rendered unable to support themselves, by wounds received in battle, in the service of the said states, agreeably to the provisions already made by a resolution of Congress:"

Question put,

Passed in the negative, 1 aye, 11 noes.

The delegates of New York being called upon for the report of their constituents respecting the articles of confederation, produced, under the great seal of their State, an exemplification of the act of the legislature thereof, ratifying the said articles as passed by Congress, with a proviso, that the same shall not be binding on the State until all the other states in the union ratify the same.

The delegates from New Jersey being called upon for the report of their constituents respecting the articles of confederation, laid before Congress a representation of the legislative council and general assembly of their State.

Adjourned to 10 o'Clock to Morrow.

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