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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 --FRIDAY, DECEMBER 14, 1781
On a report of the secretary at war, to whom was referred sundry applications of particular officers,
War Office Dec. 11th 1781.
Sir,
That Captain Hugan has served in the Southern Department near two years without pay cannot be doubted, or that he is justly entitled
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to the full balance of pay due to him. Yet I see nothing in his situation which should give him the preference and especially of officers who are now in the field, and whose pay from necessity has been as long detained. In order to prevent the frequent applications of this kind, the expense arising to individuals who make them and the confusion which will be introduced into our public accounts by such partial payments as well as the discontentment arising from the unequality of payments to different officers,
I beg leave to submit to the consideration of Congress the propriety of the following resolve:
Resolved, That in future no particular warrants issue in favour of any officers in actual service in the line of any State, for pay or subsistance, but that at all times they draw their pay and subsistance with the regiment to which they respectively belong, from the paymaster of such regiment.1
[Note 1: 1 This report is in the Papers of the Continental Congress, No. 149, I, folio 37.]
On another report from the secretary at war, to whom was referred a letter from John Sprague, in behalf of Brigadier General James Reed,
War Office Dec. 7. 1781.
Sir,
It appears by a letter from John Sprague in behalf of Brigadier General James Reed of the State of New Hampshire, and the papers accompanying it which are referred, that by a resolve of Congress of the 3rd. of January last, General Reed was put on the list of retiring officers, and the State of New Hampshire was requested to provide for his half pay and for the payment of his depreciation from the time of his appointment to that day, no provision was made in said resolve for the discharge of his pay which was due to him from the first day of August 1779 to the last day of December 1780, 17 months, nor for his retained rations from the first of September 1778 to the last day of December 1780, 852 days eleven in each day amounting to 9,372 rations; all which appears to be his just due.
I beg leave therefore to submit the following resolve:
Resolved, That it be recommended to the State of New Hampshire to make up the depreciation of Brigadier General Reed's pay from the time of his appointment to the first day of August 1779 and to pay him the real value of his wages as established by Congress, at the
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rate of one hundred and twenty five dollars per month from the first day of August 1779 to the last day of December 1780, seventeen months amounting to two thousand one hundred and twenty five dollars, and that they pay him for his retained rations, at one ninth of a dollar each ration, from the first day of September 1778 to the 31st. day of December 1780, eight hundred and twenty five days, eleven rations per day, nine thousand three hundred and seventy two rations at one ninth of a dollar amounting to one thousand forty one dollars and three ninths of a dollar.1
[Note 1: 1 This report is in the Papers of the Continental Congress, No. 149, I, folio 27.]
Resolved, That it be recommended to the State of New Hampshire to make up the depreciation of Brigadier General Reed's pay, from the time of his appointment to the first day of August, 1779, and to pay him the real value of his wages as established by Congress, at the rate of one hundred and twenty-five dollars per month, from the first day of August, 1779, to the last day of December, 1780; and that they pay him for his retained rations, amounting to 9,372, at the rate of one-ninth of a dollar per ration.
On a report of a committee appointed to confer with the Commander in Chief on the arrangement of the army, to whom was referred a report of the Board of War on a memorial of Major Galvan,
The Committee to whom was referred the report of the Board of War of the 14th. of November last on the Memorial of Major Galvan report the following resolution (to wit).
Resolved, That notwithstanding Congress entertain a just sense of the merit of Major Galvan, the good of the service will not permit his being promoted at this time.2
[Note 2: 2 This report, in the writing of Ezekiel Cornell, is in the Papers of the Continental Congress, No. 19, II, folio 367.]
On application of the Delegates of South Carolina
Resolved, That the Secretary at War take order for furnishing the said Delegates with 4,000 stand of arms, lb. 4,000 weight of musket powder lb. 12,000 lead, 12,000 flints, the said supply to be on account of the State of South Carolina and charged to the said
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State; [and also on the application of the delegates for the State of Georgia, 500 stand of arms 1,500 pounds musket powder, 1,500 pounds lead and 1,500 flints for which the said State is to be accountable.]1
[Note 1: 1 This motion, in the writing of Nicholas Eveleigh, except the part in brackets, which is in Arthur Middleton's writing, was referred, as the indorsement shows, to the Secretary at War. It is in the Papers of the Continental Congress, No. 36, I, folios 239, 241.
A petition of John Wheelock, President of Dartmouth College, was read on this day and referred to a committee, Samuel Livermore, Daniel Carroll, and William Churchill Houston; it is in the Papers of the Continental Congress, No. 19, VI, folio 535.
A letter from Captain John Davis, of this date, was read on this or an approximate date. It is in the Papers of the Continental Congress, No. 78, VII, folio 431.
A letter, dated December 3, 1781, from Brigadier General Wm. Irvine, was read on this day and referred to the Secretary at War, according to the indorsement; it is in the Washington Papers, 97, folio 255.]
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