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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 --WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 24, 1781
On motion of Mr. [John] Witherspoon, seconded by Mr. [Joseph] Montgomery,
Resolved, unanimously, That Mr. [Thomas] McKean be requested to resume the chair, and act as President till the first Monday in November next; the resolution of yesterday notwithstanding.
A letter, of 19, from General Washington, was read, giving information of the reduction of the British army under the command of the Earl of Cornwallis, on the 19th instant with a copy of the articles of capitulation; Whereupon,
On motion of Mr. [Edmund] Randolph, seconded by
Resolved, That Congress will, at two o'clock this day, go in procession to the Dutch Lutheran church, and return thanks to Almighty God, for crowning the allied arms of the United States and France, with success, by the surrender of the whole British army under the command of the Earl of Cornwallis.
Ordered, That the letter, with the papers enclosed, be referred to the Committee of Intelligence.
Resolved, That the letter of General Washington, of the 19, enclosing the correspondence between him and the Earl Cornwallis, concerning the surrender of the garrisons of York and Gloucester, and the articles of capitulation, be referred to a committee of four: the members, Mr. [Edmund] Randolph, Mr. [Elias] Boudinot, Mr. [James Mitchell] Varnum, Mr. [Daniel] Carroll.
Resolved, That it be an instruction to the saidcommittee, to report what in their opinion, will be the most proper mode of communicating the thanks of the United States in Congress assembled, to General Washington, Count de Rochambeau and Count de Grasse, for their effectual exertions in
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accomplishing this illustrious work; and of paying respect to the merit of Lieutenant Colonel Tilghman, aid-de-camp of General Washington, and the bearer of his despatches announcing this happy event:
Ordered, That the secretary of foreign affairs communicate this intelligence to the hon. the Minister Plenipotentiary of France.1
[Note 1: 1 This paragraph was also entered in the manuscript Secret Journal, Foreign Affairs. Washington's letter is in the Papers of the Continental Congress, No. 152, X, folio 289. It is printed in The Writings of Washington (Ford), IX, 386.]
Adjourned to 10 o'Clock to Morrow.
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