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appears to me expedient, that some mode should be adopted, without loss of time, by this government, yours, and that of Jersey, for throwing in immediate succors, upon the appearance of the enemy, or any case of emergency. I have written to the Congress of New Jersey upon the subject, praying them to form such regulations respecting their militia, they being the only resource we have, that assistance may be had on the earliest notice of an approach by the enemy, for preventing the alarming and fatal consequences, which might result from the common, tedious, and slow methods generally used for obtaining their aid. And I would take the liberty of mentioning, that, if the same should be done by you and your honorable Council, respecting your militia, or such part of them as are nearest to this place, the most salutary ends might result therefrom. 'The benefits flowing from a timely succor being too obvious for repetition, I shall, with all possible deference, propose for your consideration, whether it would not be advisable to have some select corps of men appointed, under proper officers, in the western parts of your government, to repair to this place on the earliest notice from the General, or officer commanding here, of the appearance of an enemy. If it should be thought necessary upon an emergency, in the first instance, to resort to you, and for all the ordinary forms to be gone through before any succors can be ordered in, it is to be feared, that the relief would be too late to answer any good purpose. This, however, I shall submit to you, in full confidence of your most ready assistance on every occasion, and that such measures as appear to you most likely to advance the public good, in this and every instance, will be most cheerfully adopted. I am, Sir, with great esteem, &c.'

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GENERAL WASHINGTON to the PRESIDENT OF CONGRESS. NEW YORK, 5 May, 1776. 'SIR, I am honored with your favor of the 30th ultimo, and observe what Congress have done respecting the settlement of the Paymaster's accounts. This seems expedient, as he is out of office, and, I am certain, will be attended with but little if any difficulty; nothing more being necessary, than to compare the warrants with his debits, and the receipts he has given, with his credits. I wish every other settlement as easy, and that a committee were appointed to examine and audit the accounts upon which the warrants are founded, particularly those of the Quarter-Master and Commissary-Generals. They are long and of high amount, consisting of a variety of charges; of course more intricate, and will require time and an extraordinary degree of attention to adjust and liquidate in a proper manner. Upon this subject, I did myself the honor to write you a considerable time ago.†

* See the explanatory Resolve,' Dec. 7, p. 130.

† Jan. 24, p. 160.

'Having had several complaints from the officers in the Eastern regiments, who have been and are recruiting, about the expense attending it, and for which they have never yet been allowed any thing, though the officers in these governments have, as I am informed, I shall be glad to know whether the allowance granted to the officers for every man enlisted, by the Resolve of Congress, is general and indiscriminate, or confined to the Middle districts. If general, must I have a retrospect to the time of the Resolve, or only for future enlistments?'

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IN CONGRESS. May 10th. Resolved, That the Resolution of Congress, passed the 17th of January last, [p. 202,] allowing one dollar and one-third of a dollar to the officers, in lieu of expenses, for enlisting each soldier, being a general regulation, extends to the troops raised in the Eastern Department; and that the General be directed to make that allowance for all the troops enlisted since the time of passing the said Resolution.' *

It is easily perceived. that this Resolve was intended to answer the General's above inquiry. But, if that Resolve of Jan. 17 was general, as represented in this, it may be asked, why those two special Resolves; one, on the same day and embraced in the same Report of their Committee, to extend it to the officers of the first Pennsylvania battalion, this battalion having been ordered by Congress, Oct. 12; the other, Feb. 6, to extend it likewise to the officers of the two New Jersey battalions, ordered Oct. 9, why its existence and force had not been earlier made known to the General and the Eastern officers, and finally, as the business of recruiting in the Eastern Department was begun more than a month subsequent to these orders in Oct., why its retrospective operation was not extended to the officers of the Eastern enlistments prior to the time of its passage, Jan. 17, as well as to those three battalions of Pennsylvania and New Jersey.

See those Resolves, Jan. 17 and Feb. 6, pp. 202, 203.

GENERAL WASHINGTON to the PRESIDENT OF CONGRESS.

NEW YORK, 5 May, 1776. 'SIR, I have so often and so fully communicated my want of arms to Congress, that I should not have given them the trouble of receiving another letter upon the subject at this time, but for the particular application of Colonel Wayne, of Pennsylvania, who has pointed out a method by which he thinks they may be

obtained.

'In the hands of the Committee of Safety of Philadelphia, there are, according to Colonel Wayne's account, not less than two or three thousand stand of arms for Provincial use.

At a crisis so important as this, such a loan might be attended with the most signal advantages, while the defenceless state of the regiments, if no relief can be had, may be productive of fatal consequences.

In this, as well as the preceding Numbers, are necessarily omitted many important records, which will be found in the fifth or last one of the volume.

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To give Congress some idea of our situation with respect to arms (and justice to my own character requires that it should be known to them, although the world at large will form their opinion of our strength from numbers, without attending to circumstances,) by a report from Colonel Ritzema's regi ment, of the 29th ultimo, there appeared to be only ninety-seven firelocks and seven bayonets belonging thereto; and all the regiments from the eastward are deficient from twenty to fifty of the former. In what condition the residue are on account of arms, and how Colonel Wynkoop's men are provided, I cannot undertake to say; but am told, most miserably, as Colonel Dayton's of New Jer sey and Colonel Wayne's of Pennsylvania also are. This, Sir, is a true though melancholy description of our situation. The propriety therefore of keeping arms in store when men in actual pay are in want of them, and who (it is to be presumed) will, as they ought, bear the heat and burden of the day, is submitted with all due deference to the superior judgment of others.'

Lond. ed. vol. i. p. 141.

Wash. Writ.

GENERAL WASHINGTON to the PRESIDENT OF CONGRESS.

NEW YORK, 11 May, 1776. 'SIR, I would take occasion to suggest to Congress (not wishing or meaning of myself to assume the smallest degree of power in any instance) the propriety and necessity of having their senti ments respecting the filling up the vacancies and issuing commissions to officers, especially to those under the rank of field officers. Had I literally complied with the direction given upon this subject, when I first engaged in the service, and which I conceived to be superseded by a subsequent Resolve for forming the army upon the present establishment, I must have employed one clerk for no other business than issuing warrants of appointment, and giving informa tion to Congress for their confirmation or refusal. It being evident from the necessity of the thing, that there will be frequent changes and vacancies in office, from death and a variety of other causes, I now submit it to them, and pray their direction, whether I am to pursue that mode, and all the ceremonies attending it, or to be at liberty to fill up and grant commissions at once to such as may be fit and proper persons to succeed, without these previous steps.' Lond. ed. vol. i. p. 144. Sparks, vol. iii. p. 386.

Wash. Writ.

Whether or not a knowledge of its contents preceded the letter written with such modesty and caution, Congress passed the following Resolve one day previous to its date.

IN CONGRESS. May 10, 1776. Resolved, That this Congress has hitherto exercised and ought to retain, the power of promoting the officers in the Continental service according to their merit; and

that no promotion or succession shall take place upon any vacan. cy, without the authority of a Continental commission.'

In the postscript of a letter dated June 7, the General again solicited direction on the subject, and referred to this letter, thus, I am in need of commissions, and beg Congress to point out precisely the line I am to pursue in filling them up. This I mentioned in my letter of the 11th ultimo.'

Another extract from the same letter of May 11th.

'With the utmost deference and respect, I would beg leave to remind Congress of my former letters and applications, respecting the appointment of proper persons to superintend and take direction of such prisoners as have already fallen and will fall into our hands in the course of the war, being fully convinced, that, if there were persons appointed, who would take the whole management of them under their care, the Continent would save a considerable sum of money by it, and the prisoners be better treated than they now are; and I shall take the liberty to add, that it appears to me a matter of inuch importance, and worthy of consideration, that particular and proper places of security should be fixed on and established in the interior parts of the different governments for their reception.

and

'The advantages which will arise from them are obvious and many. I shall mention only two or three. They will tend much to prevent escapes, the more ingenious among them from disseminating and spreading their artful and pernicious intrigues and opinions throughout the country, . Further, it will be less in their power to join and assist our enemies in cases of invasions, and will give us an opportunity always to know, from the returns of those appointed to superintend them, what number we have in possession, the force sufficient to check their hostile views in times of emergency, and the expenses necessary for their maintenance. Many other reasons might be adduced to prove the necessity and expediency of the measure.'

The following Resolves upon the subject of this part of the letter, should be regarded in connection with the above application not only, but also with those, Nov. 8, Feb. 9, pp. 121, 122, 165, here alluded to by the General.

IN CONGRESS. 'May 21, 1776. Resolved, That all prisoners taken in arms on board any prize, be deemed prisoners; to be taken care of by the supreme executive power, in each Colony to which they are brought

That such as are officers supply themselves, and be allowed to draw bills to pay for their subsistence and clothing:

'That officers made prisoners, in the land service, be allowed the same indulgence:

'That David Franks, Esq., agent to the contractors for victualling

the troops of the King of Great Britain, be permitted to supply the prisoners with provisions and other necessaries,

That such of the prisoners as are not supplied by Mr. Franks, be furnished with provisions not exceeding the rations allowed to privates in the service of the Continent:

That the Committees of Inspection and Observation, for the counties, districts or towns, assigned for the residence of prisoners, be empowered to superintend their conduct; and, in cases of gross misbehaviour, to confine them, and report to their respective Assemblies, Conventions, or Committees or Councils of Safety, the proceedings had on such persons:

"That a list of the prisoners, in each Colony, be made out by the committees of the counties, towns, or districts where they reside, and transmitted to the Assembly, Convention, or Council, or Committee of Safety of such Colony, respectively, who shall send a copy thereof to Congress:

That the said Assemblies, Conventions, and Committees or Councils of Safety, be empowered to contract with proper persons [on] the most reasonable terms for supplying such of the prisoners, their wives and children, in their respective Colonies, as are not supplied by Mr. Franks:

" That the said Assemblies, Conventions, and Committees or Councils of Safety, be authorized and requested to take the paroles of the officers, and to cause a strict observance of the terms on which they are enlarged, and also to take especial care, that none of those confined by order of the Congress, be suffered to escape; also, to advance the allowance of two dollars a week to each of the officers who cannot draw or sell their bills, and to draw for the same on the President of Congress:

That the said Assemblies, Conventions, Committees or Coun. cils of Safety of the Colonies, respectively, in which prisoners are or shall choose or be appointed to reside, be empowered to remove such prisoners from place to place, within the same Colonies, as often as to such Assemblies, Conventions, Committees or Councils of Safety, it shall seem proper, having regard to the former Resolutions of Congress concerning prisoners.'

A third extract from the same letter of May 11th.

'Having received a letter from General Ward, advising that Congress have accepted his resignation, and praying to be relieved, and it being necessary that a general officer should be sent to take the command of the troops at Boston, I must

beg leave to recommend to Congress the appointment of some Brig adier Generals, not having more here, but fewer at this time, than are essential to the government of the forces, and the conducting of the works that are carrying on. Generals Sullivan and Thompson

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