From George Washington to the United States Senate, 9 April 1792
To the United States Senate
United States [Philadelphia]
April the 9th 1792.
Gentlemen of the Senate,
I nominate the following persons for Appointments and Promotions in the Army of the United States.
| Major General | Anthony Wayne | vice Arthur St Clair, who has resigned. |
| Brigadier General | Daniel Morgan1 | Virginia. |
| Brigadier General | Marinus Willet | New York. |
| Brigadier General | John Brooks | Massachusetts |
| Brigadier General | James Wilkinson | Kentucky. |
| Adjutant General and Inspector | Winthrop Sargent | North Westn Territory |
| Deputy Quarter Master General | John Belli | Kentucky. |
| Appointment of six Majors, for the proposed third and fourth legionary Corps, three to each. | ||
| ✻Thomas Butler2 | Pennsylvania | |
| ✻Henry Gaither3 | Maryland | |
| ✻John Clark | Pennsylvania | |
| ✻Henry Bedinger4 | Virginia | |
| Alexander Trueman | Maryland from Captn in the 1st Regt | |
| William McMahon | Virginia | |
The Arrangements, Promotions and Appointments of Surgeons and Mates.
Richard Allison, promoted from the first Regiment, to be Surgeon on the General Staff.
| For the four proposed legionary Corps. | |
| Surgeons | |
| John Elliott (already appointed) | |
| John Scott, promoted from Surgeon’s mate. | |
| John F. Carmichael | ditto |
| Nathan Hayward | ditto |
| Surgeon’s Mates | |
| Elijah Tisdale (already appointed) | |
| ✻Charles Brown | Pennsylvania. |
| ✻James Woodhouse | ditto |
| ✻Joseph Philips | New Jersey |
| ✻William McCloskey | Pennsylvania |
| Frederick Dalcho | Maryland |
| James Mease | Pennsylvania |
| Theophilus Elmer | New Jersey |
And for Garrisons on the Western and Southern frontiers, and for extra service.
| William A. McCrea | Delaware. |
| Thomas Hutchens | Pennsylvania. |
| John Sellman | Maryland |
| George Balfour | Virginia |
| James Clayton | Delaware. |
| Thomas Farley | Massachusetts. |
| Promotions in the First Regiment of Infantry. | |
| Major | |
| Erkuries Beatty | vice Zeigler resigned 5th March 1792. |
| Captains | |
| William Peters | vice Strong promoted November 4th 1791. |
| Jacob Kingsbury | vice Smith promoted December 28th 1791. |
| Ebenezer Denny | vice Ashton promoted December 29th 1791. |
| Thomas Martin | vice Rudulph promoted March 5th 1792. |
| Thomas Pasteur | vice Beatty promoted March 5th 1792. |
| Mark McPherson | vice Truman promoted March 5th 1792. |
| Lieutenants | |
| [ ]5 | vice Peters promoted November 4th 1791. |
| James Clay | vice Kingsbury promoted December 28th 1791. |
| Daniel Britt | vice Denny promoted December 29th 1791. |
| Hamilton Armstrong | vice Thompson resigned January 10th 1792. |
| Bartholomew Schomberg | vice Martin promoted March 5th 1792. |
| Bernard Gains | vice Pasteur promoted March 5: 1792. |
| John Wade | vice McPherson promoted March 5th 1792. |
| Promotions in the Second Regiment of Infantry. | |
| Majors | |
| David Strong | vice Heart killed November 4th 1791. |
| John Smith6 | vice Trescott resigned, December 28th 1791. |
| Joseph Ashton | vice Burnham, resigned, December 29th 1791. |
| Captains | |
| Bazaleel Howe | vice Kirkwood, killed November 4th 1791. |
| Daniel Bradley | vice Phelon killed, November 4th 1791. |
| John Platt | vice Newman killed November 4th 1791. |
| Lieutenants | |
| John Tillinghast | vice Howe promoted November 4th 1791. |
| Daniel Tilton Junr | vice Bradley promoted November 4th 1791. |
| Samuel Andrews | vice Platt promoted November 4th 1791. |
| John Bird | vice Warren, killed, November 4th 1791. |
| Micah McDonough | vice Heth, promoted March 5th 1792. |
Appointments of Ensigns to fill the Vacancies in the First and Second Regiments of Infantry.
| Andrew McClary | New Hampshire |
| Samuel Drake | Connecticut |
| Daniel Bissell7 | ditto |
| ✻John Marschalk8 | New Jersey |
| ✻William Marts | ditto |
| ✻Lewis Bond | ditto |
| ✻John Lowrey | ditto |
| Robert Hunter | ditto |
| Peter Shoemaker | Pennsylvania |
| William Marcus Mills | ditto |
| Jacob Kreemer | ditto |
| John Michael | ditto |
| ✻Felix Long | ditto |
| ✻Samuel B. Turner | Maryland |
| ✻John Whistler | ditto |
| Isaac Younghusband | Virginia |
| Henry Montfort | Georgia |
| William Temple Payne, | late of North Carolina. |
| Captains | |
| ✻William Powers | Pennsylvania vice Guthrie, appointed 8th March 1792, and who declines. |
| William Lowder | Virginia vice Biggs, appointed 8th March 1792, and who declines. |
| Ensign | |
| Hartman Leitheizer | Pennsylvania vice Kelso, appointed 8th March 1792, and who declines. |
Go: Washington
DS, DNA: RG 46, Second Congress, 1791–1793, Records of Executive Proceedings, President’s Messages—Executive Nominations; LB, DLC:GW.
Upon the receipt of this message on this date the Senate postponed considering it until 11 April. On that date the Senate resolved to advise and consent to the appointment of GW’s nominations of 9 April “except James Wilkinson, postponed generally, and John Belli postponed for further enquiry” (DLC:GW; 1:117–19). Lear transmitted a copy of the Senate’s resolution to Henry Knox on 11 April by the president’s command (DLC:GW). The following day the secretary to the Senate, Samuel Allyne Otis, wrote Lear: “Understanding from General Knox that the President did not perfectly understand the vote of Senate on the nomination of General Wilkinson, I take the liberty to communicate to you a copy verbatim of the Journal of Yesterday” (DLC:GW). On 16 April the Senate resolved to advise and consent to the nominations of Wilkinson and Belli and ordered Otis to inform the president of its decision (ibid., 120). That same day GW’s secretary Bartholomew Dandridge transmitted a copy of the Senate’s resolution to Knox by the president’s direction (DLC:GW).
1. On 5 May, Henry Knox sent Tobias Lear for submission to the president letters from Daniel Morgan and John Watts declining their commissions (DLC:GW). On 8 May, GW appointed Otho Holland Williams and William Winston, respectively, in their places (see GW to the U.S. Senate, 8 May 1792 [second letter]).
2. An endnote on the manuscript says: “Those marked thus ✻ served with reputation in the Levies last year.” Thomas Butler (d. 1805) of Pennsylvania, who had risen to the rank of captain in the Continental army during the Revolutionary War, served as a major in the levies of 1791. He accepted this appointment as a major in the U.S. Army, and he was promoted to lieutenant colonel in July 1794 and colonel in April 1802.
3. Henry Gaither (c.1751–1811) of Maryland, who had served throughout the Revolutionary War and had been brevetted a major in September 1783, was a major in the levies of 1791. He accepted this appointment as major in the U.S. Army, and he was promoted to lieutenant colonel in October 1793.
4. Bedinger’s first name was George, not Henry (see GW to the U.S. Senate, 8 May 1792 [second letter]).
5. Keyed to this point on the manuscript is the footnote: “reserved for John Morgan, if acquitted of the charges for which he is arrested.” For Morgan’s court-martial, see Knox to GW, 28 July, n.8.
6. John Smith (d. 1811) of Massachusetts, who had served as a second lieutenant during the latter years of the Revolutionary War, was appointed a captain in the U.S. Army in October 1786. Although Smith resigned his commission as major in October 1793, he returned to the service as a lieutenant colonel in 1799–1800 and in 1809.
7. Daniel Bissell (d. 1833) of Connecticut was promoted to lieutenant in January 1794, captain in January 1799, lieutenant colonel in August 1808, colonel in August 1812, and brigadier general in March 1814. Bissell retired from the U.S. Army in June 1821.
8. Marschalk’s first name was Andrew, not John (see GW to the U.S. Senate, 8 May 1792 [second letter]).