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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 --MONDAY, AUGUST 16, 1779
A letter, of 31 July, from the president of New Hampshire, one, of 8 instant, from Major [John] Steward, were read.
A letter, of 5, one, of 6, and one, of 11th instant, from General Washington, were read:1
[Note 1: 1 The New Hampshire letter is in thePapers of the Continental Congress, No. 64, folio 86; that of Steward, in No. 78, XX, folio 451; the letters of Washington, in No. 152, VII, folios 465 and 483.]
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Ordered, That the letter, of 11th, be referred to the committee for superintending the departments of the master and commissary general; and that the letter, of 31 July, from Brigadier Parsons, with the affidavits therein inclosed, respecting the cruelties and ravages of the enemyunder Sr George Collier and Major General Tryon, late incursion into Connecticut, which came inclosed in the letter of the 6th, be referred to the Committee of Intelligence.
A letter, of 6, from Brigadier Parsons, and one of the same date from P. Colt, were read:1
[Note 1: 1 Parsons' letter, of 31 July, is in thePapers of the Continental Congress, No. 152, VII, folio 487; the affidavits, on folios 489--495; Parsons' letter, of the 6, in No. 161, folio 339; that of Colt, in No. 78, V, folio 397.]
Ordered, That they be referred to the Board of Treasury.
A letter, of this day, from J. Nicholson, was read:
Ordered, That it be referred to the Board of Treasury, and that they take order thereon.
A letter, of this day, from Lieutenant Colonel [John] Cropper, and one, of 10th, from Captain [Job] Sumner, were read:2
[Note 2: 2 Nicholson's letter is in thePapers of the Continental Congress, No. 78, XVII, folio 99; that of Cropper, in No. 78, V, folio 403; and that of Sumner, in No. 78, XX, folio 455.]
Ordered, That they be referred to the Board of War.
A letter, of the 14, from J. Wilkinson, and a letter from A. Clark to the delegates of New Jersey, were read:3
[Note 3: 3 The Wilkinson letter is in thePapers of the Continental Congress, No. 78, XXIV, folio 71; that of Clark, in No. 78, V, folio 401.]
Ordered, That they be referred to the Board of War, who are directed to take order thereon.
The Board of Treasury brought in a report; Whereupon,
Ordered, That a warrant issue on the treasurer, in favour of the Marine Committee, for three hundred thousand dollars, on their application, for the use of the navy board of the middle district; for which sum the said Marine Committee are to be accountable.
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That a warrant issue on the treasurer, in favour of Mr. W[illiam] Whipple, and Mr. N[athaniel] Peabody, two of the delegates for the State of New Hampshire, on their application, for eight thousand dollars; for which the said State is to be accountable.1
[Note 1: 1 This report, dated August 14, is in thePapers of the Continental Congress, No. 136, III, folio 541.]
That a warrant issue on the treasurer, in favour of Mr. J[ames] Duane, one of the delegates for the State of New York, on his application, for three thousand seven hundred dollars; for which the said State is to be accountable.2
[Note 2: 2 This report, dated August 16, is in thePapers of the Continental Congress, No. 136, III, folio 545.]
That a warrant issue on the treasurer, in favour of Mr. Abraham Bloodgood, for three hundred and ninety five pounds eighteen shillings and six pence, New York currency, equal to nine hundred and eighty nine dollars and 80/90, reported by John Welles and Edward Chinn, commissioners of accounts at Albany, to be due to him for sundry kinds of grain, forage, &c. taken, consumed and destroyed on his farm at Stillwater, by the Army of the United States, on their retreat from Ticonderoga in July, 1777.3
[Note 3: 3 This report, dated August 16, is in thePapers of the Continental Congress, No. 136, III, folio 549.]
The Board of Treasury having reported "a table of the first year's interest to be paid on monies which have been placed in the several continental loan offices, between the i March and the 1st September, 1778, calculated for each day on which the money may have been lent, in pursuance of a resolution of Congress of the 29th of June, 1779:"
On motion of Mr. [Gouverneur] Morris, seconded by Mr. [Samuel] Holten,
Resolved, That the Board of Treasury be directed and empowered to take measures, from time to time, to carry into effect the resolution of Congress, of 29 June last, for regulating the interest payable on the public loans.
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On motion of Mr. [Elbridge] Gerry, seconded by Mr. [Samuel] Holten,
Resolved, That "the table of the first year's interest," &c. reported by the Board of Treasury, be re-committed, and that they take order thereon.
A letter, of 12, from the Board of War, was read; Whereupon,
At a Board of War,August 12, 1779.
Present, Colonel Pickering and Mr. Peters.
Frequent applications are made, and much uneasiness ensues from a want of regulation, on the subject of arrearages of clothing due the troops; mad the valuation of the Articles deficient, as fixed in the resolve of the 6th. of September, 1777, is much too low. The Board therefore deem it a piece of justice due the Army that the price to be paid them should be near the real value, especially as it does not comport with the State of our Magazines to deliver the deficiencies in clothing. We beg leave to report the following Resolution, which will ease the minds of the Men and encourage reinlistments, by doing justice where much murmur and complaint have arisen. The Pay Masters are now the regimental clothiers, and the business will be short by going thro' their hands immediately as they know the State of every Man's clothing account. The Commissioner for settling arrearages of clothing due the Army has authority to adjust the Matter for the year 1777, which is the reason it is not included in the term mentioned in the following report. It is better too, to have a permanent plan for payment of deficiencies than to proceed as heretofore upon particular cases. The business will be regularly done and the Soldiers know what they have to depend upon.
Resolved, That the cloathier general estimate the value of the several articles of soldiers' cloathing, at the prices they were respectively worth, at the end of the year 1778, and forthwith transmit such estimates to the pay masters of the several regiments, who shall be furnished out of the military chest with moneys to pay the soldiers for all deficiencies of cloathing, at the estimated prices of every article, as fixed by the cloathier general, who shall henceforward transmit like estimates before the close of every year during the war,
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so that the soldiers be paid by the regimental pay master, according to such estimates annually, and previous to their discharge when the same happens before the end of the year, for all articles of cloathing allowed them by the resolution of Congress of the 6th of September, 1777, which they have not received, and which are or shall be due to them after the year last mentioned.1
[Note 1: 1 This report is in thePapers of the Continental Congress, No. 147, III, folio 565.]
The committee, to whom was referred the report of the committee on a farther allowance to the officers of the army, together with the amendments, brought in a report, which was read, and some time being spent thereon,
Adjourned to 10 o'Clock to Morrow.
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