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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 --SUNDAY, APRIL 8th, 1781
The United States in Congress assembled, having received intelligence that an embarkation of a body of troops is in forwardness at New York, the object of which is the taking possession of the neck of land lying between the head of Chesepeak bay and the river Delaware, whereby all the stores and provisions on the peninsula may fall into the hands of the Enemy unless immediately removed:
War Office,April 8th. 1781
Sir,
The Board have been honored with a communication of the intelligence from General Foreman indicating a design in the Enemy to possess themselves of the Peninsula between the Delaware and Chesspeak Bays for the purpose no doubt among others of collecting forage and provisions with which that country abounds and which from their being capable of becoming masters of the waters as well as with a small force holding possession of the Isthmus, we conceive will easily fall into the Enemy's hands. Congress will know the difficulties we shall experience in collecting a sufficient quantity of provisions for an army which will we presume be thought necessary to keep the Enemy at least in check and prevent their farther progress. It is well known that the public purchasers have obtained little flour or meat, and from the want of money but small quantities of salted provisions could be put up the last autumn. Yet, it is equally notorious that large quantities of flour and forage are collected in the peninsula at sundry places by private people and great numbers of cattle were fatted there, and these have been preserved in good order by the uncommon mildness of the winter, which put it in the power of the farmers and graziers to keep their cattle with little
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assistance from grain or short fodder, the herbage on their meadows having been abundant through the whole season. Not a few of the inhabitants of the Peninsula are known to be disaffected, and probably the cattle and forage these are possessed of are designedly kept for the enemy, as we know there was a similar plan in the lower parts of Pennsilvania, and in many parts of this Peninsula when General Howe landed at the Head of Elk. But if this was not the case we presume it both prudent and necessary that the means of subsistance should be kept out of the Enemy's hands, and transferred to our own troops. We therefore beg leave to submit to Congress the propriety of collecting all the provisions and forage in the country which will probably be exposed to the ravages of the Enemy, and as there is a body of troops now in the neighborhood we conceive they should be made use of upon the occasion, and that their commanding officer should be directed to send out parties and collect all cattle flour and forage which might otherwise fall into the Enemy's hands.
Should they not be wanted they may be returned to the owners; but if they should become necessary it will be a matter of hopeless regret that from any motives of delicacy they have fallen into the Enemy's hands, and then too it will be too late to take measures for obtaining them.
We therefore beg leave to report
That the Board of War be and they are hereby directed to takeorder effectual measures for the removal of all public stores and also of all beef cattle provisions and forage collected or stored, from the Peninsula between the Delaware and Chesapeak Bays and on the Jersey shore adjacent to the Delaware which may probably fall into the hand of the Enemy on an invasion. That the said cattle provisions and forage be transported to places of security and valuedunder the direction of the commissary or by proper persons, and certificates given by the Commissary General of purchases to the owners thereof specifying quantity, species and value.
That it be recommended to the Executives of N. Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland and Virginia to give every assistance in their power to the officers appointed tocollect secure the said provisions and foragein the Peninsula and that the said Executives be assured that Congress will take measures for Satisfaction to the Proprietors for all Provisions and Forage coming to the use of the Troops, and that as nothing but the necessity of the case induces them to direct this measure, all the articles not wanted for the Troops shall be
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returned to the Owners or delivered to the order of the said Executives respectively.
P.S. We take the freedom to mention that if this measure is adopted secrecy and dispatch are necessary.1
[Note 1: 1 This report is in thePapers of the Continental Congress, No. 148, I, folio 357.]
Ordered, That the Board of War take immediate measures for the removal of the public stores within the said peninsula; and that it be and hereby is recommended to the Executives of the States of Delaware, Maryland and Virginia to take the like measures with respect to all the provisions and forage belonging to the said States respectively, or to the citizens thereof, which will not be necessary for the consumption of the inhabitants.2
[Note 2: 2 The proceedings for this day were also entered in the manuscript Secret (Domestic) Journal. At this point Charles Thomson resumes the entries.]
[Adjourned to 10 o'Clock to Morrow]
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