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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, APRIL 10, 1780
A letter, of the 7th, from General Washington, was read, with sundry papers enclosed.2
[Note 2: 2 This letter is in the Papers of the Continental Congress, No. 152, VIII, folio 499.]
A report from the Board of Treasury was read; Whereupon,
Ordered, That a warrant issue on the treasurer, in favour of Mr. J[ohn] Mathews and Mr. F[rancis] Kinloch, delegates for the State of South Carolina, for twenty thousand dollars, on their application; and for which the said State is to be accountable.
That a warrant issue on the treasurer, in favour of Mr. C[yrus] Griffin and Mr. J[ames] Madison, delegates for the State of Virginia, on their application, for fifteen thousand dollars, for which the said State is to be accountable.
That a warrant issue on the treasurer, in favour of Joseph Scudder, one of the clerks in the War Office, for three thousand dollars, on account of his salary; and for which he is to be accountable.
That a warrant issue on the treasurer, in favour of G. Aertson, one of the clerks in the War Office, for three thousand dollars, on account of his salary; and for which he is to be accountable.
That a warrant issue on the treasurer, in favour of Mr. R[oger] Sherman, one of the delegates for the State of Connecticut,
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on his application, for four thousand dollars, for which the said State is to be accountable.1
[Note 1: 1 This report is in the Papers of the Continental Congress, No. 136, IV, folio 175.]
A report from the Board of Admiralty was read; Whereupon,
The Board of Admiralty beg leave to inform Congress, that they are about to order the Mercury a Continental Packet from Boston to this Port, and as that Vessel is a very fast sailer, they are of opinion that it would be expedient to bring round in her some of [the] sugar belonging to the public at that place, and request, that they may be authorized to order 20 hhds of it to be put on board of her.
Admiralty office
April 10th. 1780.
Resolved, That the Board of Admiralty be empowered to order the continental agent in Boston to ship twenty hogsheads of the sugar in his hands to this place, agreeably to directions he may receive from the Board of Admiralty.2
[Note 2: 2 This report is in the Papers of the Continental Congress, No. 37, folio 221.]
On motion of Mr. [Philip] Schuyler, seconded by Mr. [John] Mathews,
Resolved, That when Congress shall be furnished with proper documents to liquidate the depreciation of the continental bills of credit, they will, as soon thereafter as the state of the public finances will admit, make good to the line of the army, and the independent corps thereof, the deficiency of their original pay, occasioned by such depreciation; and that the money and articles heretofore paid or furnished, or hereafter to be paid or furnished by Congress or the states, or any of them, as for pay, subsistance, or to compensate for deficiencies, shall be deemed as advanced on account, until such liquidation as aforesaid shall be adjusted; it being the determination of Congress, that all the troops serving in the continental army shall be placed on an equal footing; provided that no persons shall have any benefit of this resolution,. except such as were engaged during the war, or for three
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years, and are now in service, or shall hereafter engage during the war.
Resolved, That a committee of three be appointed to report a proper compensation to the staff of the army in consequence of the depreciation of the currency:
The members chosen, Mr. [Samuel] Holten, Mr. [Nathaniel] Peabody and Mr. [Thomas] Burke. A report of the Board of Treasury was read; Whereupon,
Ordered, That the following warrants amounting to three millions seven hundred and four thousand dollars, issue in favour of Ephraim Blaine, commissary general of purchases, for the use of his department; and for which he is to be accountable, viz.
One on Henry Gardner, treasurer of the State of Massachusetts bay, for one million eight hundred thousand dollars.
One on Joseph Clarke, treasurer of the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, for two hundred and four thousand dollars; and
Another on John Lawrence, treasurer of the State of Connecticut, for one million seven hundred thousand dollars, being part of the monies raised in the said states, respectively, for the use of the United States.1
[Note 1: 1 This report is in the Papers of the Continental Congress, No. 136, IV, folio 189.]
The committee, to whom was re-committed the draught of a letter to the states, having delivered in another draught, the same was read.
The present war, which was undertaken for purposes, not only Justifiable, but most eminently virtuous, and for objects the most interesting that could be offered to men, has been carried on by means as extraordinary as the success has been miraculous, success which demonstrates the peculiar Interposition of that divine Providence who confounds the measures of Tyrants, and, by supporting the hope and confidence of the virtuous, enables them to surmount all difficulties.
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Men felt a confidence in that Patriotism which, nobly, resolved to venture against every danger, and to suffer every species of distress in attempting to rescue ourselves and our posterity from subjection to arbitrary dominion. That confidence obtained credit, while these States were struggling, under every seeming disadvantages, even for political existence. That credit enabled them to avail themselves of the resources of their own, and of other Countries for carrying on a weighty and extensive war during four years, and to bring their Independence to such a state of firmness and stability, that it has no longer any thing to fear except from their own remissness in the prosecution of measures necessary, not indeed for its Establishment, but preservation.
They are now, and have been for some years in condition to act as regular, sovereign communities, and mankind expect from them Exertions becoming a situation so exalted. The means of procuring money, which had hitherto been used with success, became so subject to fluctuation, and had ran into such abuses, and Inconveniencies that your representatives in Congress dared not any longer to trust to them; and all the public movements became so much embarrassed, that a total change became indispensibly necessary; calling on the several States for proportional supplies of men, money and Provisions was the only choice, and their powerful cooperation is absolutely necessary for giving to the public measures vigor and success.
From the great deficiencies in the Taxes required, your representatives in Congress are apprehensive that their constituents are not duly sensible of the difficulties under which all our affairs are laboring for want of money, nor of the great danger to which their most important concerns will be exposed if the supplies be not duly brought in. We are now constrained by our anxiety for your welfare, and by the adoption of new means, to press you in the most urgent Manner to give the most serious attention to our representations. The men, the money and specific supplies for which you are called on, are all most Essentially requisite, and we wish you to be very strongly impressed with a sense of the necessity of Complying with our requisitions. To this purpose we represent to you that your Enemies are making the most strenuous Exertions for a vigorous campaign, flattering themselves with the hope of obtaining over you advantages highly Important to them and injurious to you; this is with them a
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favorite object, and they seem determined to pursue it even at the hazard of their own ruin at the hazard of Essential Interests, and under the disgrace of Incessant Insults from our allies, but we have every reason to hope that under favor of divine Providence they will be disappointed in every attempt at our subjugation, nor indeed can any thing give them success, but your neglecting to perfect those Efforts which your representatives in Congress have called upon you to make, and which we now conjure you by all that is dear to men to compleat with all possible expedition.
We have assurances that our Illustrious Ally will make a powerful diversion in our favor and we have the most sanguine hopes that by means of the Exertions which the States are expected to make, the operations of the next campaign will be crowned with such decisive success as to insure Peace upon Terms honorable and advantageous.1 But if the States fail of making the required Exertions, we shall be obliged, however unwillingly, to turn our Eyes from such happy prospects to fix them with the most melancholy dejection on a victorious, Insulting and remorseless Enemy ravaging our Country, sacking our Towns, and slaughtering our fellow Citizens we--rely on the virtue and vigor of our constituents for averting such dreadful calamities. In pointing out the proper measures for averting them, we have done all that we have power to do; the carrying those measures into Execution, is that part of the great duty of defending our Country and posterity which our Constituents have reserved to themselves. We cannot presume that they will neglect it, when we call to mind the exertions they have already made, the spirit by which they are always animated and that the sacred and Interesting objects for which we contend, are no less than liberty and Happiness for ourselves, and for millions of our posterity, and when we reflect that we feel difficulties not from a want of supplies to be found only at foreign markets, but from a want of Necessaries in which our own Country, more than any other abounds.
[Note 1: 1 In the margin opposite this sentence is written "too strong."]
Most respected Friends and fellow Citizens, we cannot close this address without once more pressing you to avail yourselves of this happy opportunity, while your foreign supplies are copious, while you have an army virtuous generous and experienced, with a corps of skilful, gallant and patriotic officers, under the command of a General from whose tried virtue and abilities you have every thing to hope
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and nothing to dread, while the whole Body of Citizens are expert and Intrepid from Native Courage, and familiarity with military service and danger,--we press, we beseech you to improve this opportunity of finishing the war by adopting the measures recommended for giving decisive vigor to your operations against an Enemy who is ready to sink under the superior Force of your ally, and who seems to be as much the object of divine Wrath, as you have been of divine favor and Protection, under which we sincerely pray that you and your posterity may always remain.1
[Note 1: 1 This report, in the writing of Thomas Burke, is in the Papers of the Continental Congress, No. 24, folio 261.]
Adjourned to 10 o'Clock to Morrow.
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