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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 --TUESDAY, APRIL 23, 1782
On a report from the Secretary at War:
War Office, April 18th, 1782.
Sir,
On the letter from Colonel Pickering referred to me, I beg leave to observe, that if Mr. Appleton be directed to charge the United States with the sums he supplied the Quarter Master General's Department at the request of the State of Massachusetts, and the Quarter Master General be debited by them for the same sums Mr. Appleton's books may be regularly settled and the money will be properly accounted for.
Should Congress be of those sentiments they will please to resolve,
Resolved, That Mr. Appleton, the commissioner of the continental loan office in the State of Massachusetts, be, and hereby is directed to charge the United States with the sum of sixteen thousand six hundred and sixty-six dollars and sixty ninetieths of a dollar, new emission, advanced for the use of the quartermaster general's department; and that Colonel Pickering, quartermaster general, give a receipt for and be debited with the same sum.2
[Note 2: 2 This report is in the Papers of the Continental Congress, No. 149, I, folio 259.]
On a report of a committee, consisting of Mr. [Daniel] Carroll, Mr. [Elias] Boudinot and Mr. [Abraham] Clark, to
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whom was referred a letter of the 12 March, from Thomas Edison:
The Committee to whom was referred the letter of Thomas Edison beg leave to report,
That the situation of Mr Edison is peculiar and with regard to himself very critical, and requires the interposition of Congress in his behalf. That in the opinion of the Committee, he can be employed with propriety in the Comptroller's Office, which would relieve him from his present embarrassment by providing him with a decent support.
Whereupon the following resolution is submitted: That the Comptroller be informed that it would be agreeable to Congress have no objection to employing that he employ Thos. Edison as a Clerk in his Office as they think him entitled to an employment in such a way to which he appears properly qualified.1
[Note 1: 1 This report, in the writing of Abraham Clark, is in the Papers of the Continental Congress, No. 19, II, folio 205. Edison's letter is in No. 78, VIII, folio 381.]
Resolved, That the Superintendant of finance be, and hereby is, directed to afford the said Thomas Edison, such assistance as he may think necessary reasonable for his support, until he be employed in such business as to render such assistance unnecessary, provided it shall not exceed one year.
On a report from the Secretary at War, of the 23 March, 1782,
War Office March 23rd, 1782.
Sir,
There are frequent applications for the discharge of soldiers whose wounds and sickness incapacitate them for all farther duty even in garrison. They prefer a dismission from the service, which shall entitle them to a pension equal to half of their pay, to being classed with the invalids where full pay and every emolument of a soldier would be continued to them.
Was public economy the only consideration in this matter, there would not I think remain a doubt respecting the propriety of adopting this mode of discharge generally. But as it becomes necessary equally to guard against future inconveniences as to accommodate the wishes of individuals I beg leave to submit the following resolve, which as it only respects those whose private circumstances will
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enable them when discharged to live independent of any other gratuity than their pension, I think will obviate the possibility of an imputation against the public that they have dismissed such of their servants as could be no longer useful without provision being made to prevent them suffering individually or becoming burthensome to the societies where they might live.
Congress came to the following resolutions.
Resolved, That all such sick and wounded soldiers of the armies of the United States, who shall in future be reported by the inspector general, or the inspector of a seperate department, and approved by the Commander in Chief, or commanding officer of a seperate department, as unfit for farther duty, either in the field or in garrison, and who apply for a discharge in preference to being placed or continued in the corps of invalids, and who can give authentic proof that they either have the means to support themselves, or that their friends will provide for them and prevent them becoming burthensome to the society where they really belong or reside. In that case all such persons shall be discharged, and be entitled to receive as a pension the value of half their pay, five dollars per month, in lieu of all pay and emoluments.
Resolved, That it be, and hereby is, recommended to the several states to discharge such pensions annually, and draw on the Superintendant of finance for the payment of the money they shall so advance.
And that the foregoing resolution take effect so soon as the Superintendant of the Finances shall signify to the several states, that he has made provision for answering such draughts.1
[Note 1: 1 This report is in the Papers of the Continental Congress, No. 149, I, folios 161--163.]
On a report from the Secretary at War, to whom was referred a report of a committee, consisting of Mr. [Ezekiel] Cornell, Mr. [John Morin] Scott, and Mr. [Philemon] Dickinson, on a motion of Mr. [John Morin] Scott, a letter from the Superintendant of finance, and a report of the Secretary at
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War on the said letter, Congress came to the following resolution:
War Office April 23, 1782.
Sir,
I was present when the enclosed report was agreed on. I was then and am now fully in opinion that the measures therein recommended are absolutely necessary and highly fit and proper.1
[Note 1: 1 This report is in the Papers of the Continental Congress, No. 149, I, folio 279.]
Your Committee to whom was referred the Motion of Mr. [John Morin] Scott, a letter from the Superintendant of Finance the Report of a Committee on the said letter and on the Report of the Secretary at War and the said Report--Do report, That experience has in their opinion shewn that the exertions of the several states to fill up their respective Lines of the Army, have in some measure fallen short of the expectation of Congress. That this expectation, however, was, in the opinion of the Committee the inducement with Congress for passing the Resolution of the 21st October 1780--whereby provision is made for four supernumerary Lieutenants in each regiment: to wit, one for a recruiting Officer; one for Adjutant--one for Quarter Master and the fourth for Paymaster--
That the Committee now conceive that those supernumerary appointments except that of Paymaster are become unnecessary in the Line, and therefore that the other three supernumeraries in each corps, ought from principles of economy to be reduced, unless without additional expence to these U. States they can be employed in the different staff departments. That as it is the view of Congress to economise the staff departments as much as possible and as an additional expence must necessarily accrue, from filling inferior places in those departments with persons not of the Line of the Army instead of supplying them by Officers from the Line; The Committee begs leave to recommend the following Resolution to wit:
Whereas the most strict economy in the public expenditures is absolutely necessary for a vigorous prosecution of the war; and whereas to that end it is requisite to discontinue the practice of filling some of the places in the staff departments with persons not of the line of the army, which places may, with great savings to the public, be filled by supernumerary officers from the line.
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Resolved, therefore, That in future there be only ten lieutenants to each regiment of infantry, to be employed in the regimental line and staff, the regimental paymaster to be considered as not attached to any company:
That the supernumerary junior lieutenants, beyond the number of ten in each regiment of infantry, be reduced; unless the officers of the regiment shall otherwise agree, as to those that shall retire according to the resolutions of the 3d and 21st of October, 1780, and shall accordingly retire on or before the first day of June next, if in the main army, and the first day of July next, if in the southern army, except such of them as shall accept of employments in the staff departments, with the approbation of the heads of the respective departments, in which case they shall severally retain their respective ranks in the army, and be entitled to the full pay and subsistence belonging to their rank in the line, as a compensation for their respective services in the staff, without any other allowance whatsoever: provided always, that nothing contained in the above resolution, shall affect the pay or rank of any officers in captivity during such captivity.1
[Note 1: 1 This report, in the writing of John Morin Scott, except the last clause, which is in the writing of Daniel Carroll, is in the Papers of the Continental Congress, No. 27, folio 161.]
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