| PREVIOUS | NEXT | NEW SEARCH |
A Century of Lawmaking for a New Nation: U.S. Congressional Documents and Debates, 1774-1875
Journals of the Continental Congress --TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 1781
Mr. M[eriwether] Smith, a delegate for Virginia, attended and took his seat in Congress.
A letter, of 2, from the governor of North Carolina,1 and
[Note 1: 1 This letter is in thePapers of the Continental Congress, No. 72, folio 119.]
A letter, of 12, from the governor of Virginia, were read.2
[Note 2: 2 This letter is in thePapers of the Continental Congress, No. 71, II, folio 31. A letter, of 8, from the governor of Virginia was also read, as the indorsement shows; it is on folio 27.]
Congress took into consideration the report of the committee to confer with Colonel Harrison, whereupon,
The Committee appointed to confer with Col. Harrison, beg leave to report that it appears to them absolutely necessary for the protection of the Southern States that ten thousand regular troops be employed in the Southern Department.
That to complete this number all the troops from Pensylvania to Georgia inclusive should compose the Southern army.
That for their subsistance all the provisions required from the States Southward of Pensylvania by the Act of Congress of the 4th of November last will be necessary.
That for supply of that army, the following articles, exclusive those already provided are requisite, viz.
Page 177 | Page image
That 400 waggens ought to be procured and employed in the Southern Department for transporting provisions to the Southern army.
That the Board of War should be directed to furnish the necessary ammunition and equipments for the cavalry and artillery not comprised in the above estimate.
That your Committee therefore submit the following resolutions, viz.
Resolved, That the southern army be composed of all the regular troops, from Pensylvania to Georgia, inclusive, except Moylan's dragoons, and those on command on the western frontiers; and that the Commander in Chief be, and hereby is directed to order the troops of the Pensylvania line, except as above, to join the army in Virginia, by detachments, as they may be in readiness to march:
That the deputy quartermaster in Pensylvania be, and he is hereby directed to put the waggens belonging to the Pensylvania line, in order for service immediately:
That the several states southward of Pensylvania be, and hereby are required to furnish their respective quotas of supplies to the southern army, timely and regularly:
That the states aforesaid, and the State of Pensylvania be, and hereby are required to complete their respective quotas of troops, and forward them to join the southern army without loss of time.
Resolved, That four hundred waggens be procured and furnished for the southern army.
Resolved, That the Board of War be, and hereby are directed to furnish the southern army with ten thousand
Page 178 | Page image
suits of cloathes, complete: eight hundred and sixty tents, five thousand musquets, with bayonets and cartouch boxes; eight thousand knapsacks, six thousand haversacks, eight thousand canteens, seven hundred camp kettles, eight thousand blankets, ten tons of musquet powder, five tons of cannon powder, and twenty tons of lead.
That the Board of War furnish the artillery and cavalry with the necessary ammunition and equipments not comprised in the foregoing resolutions: and that they employ a sufficient number of artificers to repair the arms in the magazines of Virginia and other places.
Resolved, That for purchasing the foregoing articles the Board of War be, and hereby are authorised and directed to contract for payment in specie, or other money equivalent, payable in six months with interest; [and that bills of exchange, on the minister of these United States at the Court of Versailles, be prepared immediately, and deposited with the Board of War, to be by them delivered to the persons so contracting, to the amount of such contract, at the expiration of the said term, unless they shall have monies at that time to fulfil the said contracts.]
Resolved, That it be, and hereby is recommended to the executives of the states of Delaware, Maryland, Virginia and North Carolina, to agree upon and settle an arrangement for supplying the southern army with provisions from the states most contiguous, and for replacing the same with provisions from those that are more remote; and to establish such mode of transportation as will be most convenient and least expensive to the whole.
PostponedResolved, that the Convention-Troops-now-cantoned-in Virginia be removed to1
[Note 1: 1 This report, in the writing of John Sullivan, is in thePapers of the Continental Congress, No. 21, folio 255. The part in brackets was added in Congress.]
Page 179 | Page image
Ordered, That a committee of three be appointed to draught a letter to the Commander in Chief, informing him of the arrival of the enemy's reinforcement in North Caroline, and requesting him to confer with the naval and land commanders of his Most Christian Majesty's forces at Rhode Island, and if it shall appear that the loss sustained by the British navy in the late storm has rendered the French naval force superior, that he urge the necessity of sending the French forces to the southward.1
[Note 1: 1 This order was also entered in the manuscript Secret (Domestic) Journal.]
The members, Mr. [Alexander] McDougall, Mr. [James] Madison, [Mr. Thomas] Burke.
A report from the Board of Treasury was read; Whereupon,
Ordered, That on the application of William Ramsay, one of the clerks in the Chambers of Accounts, a warrant issue in his favour on Thomas Smith, commissioner of the continental loan office for the State of Pensylvania, for six thousand dollars of the old emissions, on account of his salary, and for which he is to be accountable.2
[Note 2: 2 This report is in thePapers of the Continental Congress, No. 36, V, folio 103.]
Congress took into consideration the report of the committee on a memorial of E. Forman; Whereupon,
The Committee to whom was referred the letter of Ezekiel Forman, of Dec. 18 1780, report--
That they have had the same under consideration, and that it appears to them that Mr. Forman did in the month of September 1779 lend to Mr. Wederstrandt assistant Commissary of Purchases for the State of Maryland a certain quantity of flour, upon a special promise that a like quantity should be returned him within a few months from that time.
That the said promise not having been complied with on the part of Mr. Wederstrandt, it became necessary to consider the loan as a purchase, and accordingly Mr. Forman sometime in October last received a partial payment at the Treasury,--
Page 180 | Page image
That upon an equitable settlement a balance of eleven hundred and thirty four specie dollars remains due to Mr. Forman from the United States on account of the said flour; they therefore propose the following order to the Treasury Board.
Ordered, That the Board of Treasury pass to the credit of Ezekiel Forman eleven hundred and thirty-four specie dollars, balance due to him on account of a quantity of flour, delivered to Mr. Wederstrandt, assistant commissary of purchases in the State of Maryland for the use of the United States, the said sum to bear an interest of six per cent. until paid.1
[Note 1: 1 This report, in the writing of George Clymer, is in thePapers of the Continental Congress, No. 19, II, folio 303.]
Congress proceeded to the election of a superintendent of Finance, and, the ballots being taken,
Robert Morris, Esquire, was unanimously elected, having been previously nominated by Mr. [William] Floyd.
The committee appointed to draught a letter to the Commander in Chief reported the same, which was agreed to.
Adjourned to 10 o'Clock to Morrow.
PREVIOUS SECTION .. NEXT SECTION .. NAVIGATOR
| PREVIOUS | NEXT | NEW SEARCH |