| 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 --MONDAY, DECEMBER 3, 1781
Mr. [George] Clymer, a delegate for Pensylvania, attended, and took his seat.
Mr. [Silas] Condict, a delegate for the state of New Jersey, attended, and took his seat.
On a report of a committee, consisting of Mr. [William] Floyd, Mr. [Abraham] Clark and Mr. [Richard] Law,
The Committee of the Week beg leave to report,
That the Petition of John David Woelpper be referred Passed. to the Superintendent of Finance to report thereon Secretary of War.
That the Petition of James Sproat be referred to the Superintendant of Finance to cause the Petitioners accounts Committed to be settled by the auditors for pay due while he was in actual service to be settled at the time and in the manner officers in the hospital and medical department now in service are settled with.
They also beg leave to report the following Resolution on the application of Joseph Fry:
Resolved, That Joseph Fry be appointed door-keeper to Congress, and receive the same pay as allowed to the late door-keeper, his pay to commence from the 17th of October last.1
[Note 1: 1 This report, in the writing of Abraham Clark, is in the Papers of the Continental Congress, No. 32, folio 289. Fry's application, undated, is in No. 42, III, folio 173.]
On report of a committee, consisting of Mr. [Thomas] Bee, Mr. [William] Ellery and Mr. J[oseph] Jones, to whom was referred a letter of 29 November, from the superintendant of finance:
Resolved, That the superintendant of the finances of the United States be, and hereby is authorised and directed, to apply and dispose of all monies which have been or may be obtained in Europe by subsidy, loan or otherwise, according to the several resolutions and acts of Congress now existing,
Page 1150 | Page image
or which may hereafter be made for the appropriation of monies belonging to the United States.
On a report from the war office:
War Office Dec. 3rd. 1781.
Sir,
One thousand stand of Arms have been lately drawn by the State of North Carolina by Virtue of an order from his Excellency General Washington. I am of opinion that the state of the Magazines in Virginia will permit a farther supply of one thousand stand of Arms, five hundred pounds of Gunpowder, one thousand pounds of musket ball, three thousand gun flints, one thousand Cartridge boxes, and ten thousand musket cartridges.1
[Note 1: 1 This report is in the Papers of the Continental Congress, No. 149, I, folio 13.]
Resolved, That the secretary at war take order for supplying the State of North Carolina, with the arms and other articles contained in a report from the war office of this date, and charge the same to the said State; provided the order from the Board of War of the 5 November last be not executed.2
[Note 2: 2 This resolution is in the Papers of the Continental Congress, No. 149, I, folios 9 and 11.]
Whereas H. Laurens Esq. formerly President of Congress and now invested with the character of a public Minister of the U. States, having been taken prisoner by the enemy in his voyage to Europe, has been and still is imprisoned in Great Britain under the description of a British subject suspected of High Treason, and a considerable number of other citizens of the United States made prisoners at different periods of the war have also been committed to the goals of Great Britain under warrants from officers of justice as traitorous subjects and many of them are still kept in rigorous imprisonment, and in other respects treated with an ignominy and severity unbecoming the character of prisoners of war; and whereas the dignity of the U. States, as a sovereign and independant nation as well as justice to their injured citizens requires that effectual measures should be taken for relieving them from their present sufferings, and procuring for them the treatment to which as prisoners of war they are entitled by the established usage of civilized nations
Page 1151 | Page image
Resolved, That the Secretary of War be directed to take order for the immediate imprisonment ofBritish officers most eminent for birth and rank, prisoners to the United States and not exempted therefrom by capitulation.
Resolved, That the Secretary of War be further directed to take order for the immediate imprisonment in the mines at Simsbury in Connecticut or elsewhereBritish Soldiers with a suitable proportion of officers under the rank of field officers, prisoners to the U. States, and not exempted therefrom by capitulation, and that he cause them to be treated in all other respects in such manner as will make their situation correspond as near as may be to that of the Citizens of the United States prisoners in Great Britain.
Resolved, That these resolutions shall continue in force until authentic information shall be received by Congress that H. Laurens Esq. and the other citizens therein referred to have been duly exchanged, or discharged from their commitment as traitorous subjects and treated in all respects as by the usages of war prisoners of war ought to be treated and no longer.
Resolved, That the Commander in Chief be directed to transmit a copy of the preceding resolutions to the officer commanding the forces of the King of Great Britain at New York.1
[Note 1: 1 This motion, in the writing of James Madison, is in the Papers of the Continental Congress, No. 19, III, folio 427. It is indorsed: Referred to the committee to confer with Washington. Motion of Mr. [James] Madison, Dec. 3, 1781.
On this day was read a letter of October 7 from P. Penet, according to the indorsement. It is in No. 78, XVIII, folio 465.
A letter, of November 30, from Robert Morris was read. It is in No. 137, II, folio 55.
Also a letter of December 3d from General Washington, which the indorsement states was referred to Mr. [Daniel] Carroll, Mr. [Ezekiel] Cornell, Mr. [Samuel John] Atlee, Mr. [Edmund] Randolph and Mr. [Nicholas] Eveleigh. It is in No. 152, X, folio 401.]
PREVIOUS SECTION .. NEXT SECTION .. NAVIGATOR
| PREVIOUS | NEXT | NEW SEARCH |