George Washington Papers

Orderly Book, 14 November 1758

Orderly Book

[14 November 1758]

Camp at Loyal Hannon Novr 14th 1758

Parole Barbadoes

Field Officer for to morrow Majr Jameson.

Whereas the Circumstances of the times require that a Disposition be immediately made of the Troops under Brigadeer Genl Forbes Commandr[,] the Army is to be divided into three Bodys and to be Commanded by Colo. Bouquet Montgomrie and Washington who is to Act as Brigadiers receiving all reports & givining orders &c. regarding their respective division⟨s⟩ or Brigades the right Wing to be Commanded by Colo. Washington to Consist of the 1st Virginia regimt[,] two Companies of Artificers, N. Carolineans, Marylandrs and Lower County’s.1

The Senter to be Commanded by Colo. Montgomrie and to Consist of the Highlanders and 2d Virginia Regimt.

The left wing to be Commanded by Colo. Bouquet Consisting of the three Battallions of Pensilvanians and Royall Americans.

The reserve to be Commanded by [ ]2 to Consist of 200 Highlanders 200 of the 2d V. Regimt & 200 of the Pensilvanians.

The Meantime the Virginians to be under the Command of Brigadier Washington.

The Highlanders under the Command of Brigadier Montgomrie, and the Pensilvas. under the Command of Colo. Bouquet.

The first Division to March to morrow Morning and to draw 8 Days provisions and meat for 4 Days driving Cattle with them to Compleat them with the rest.3

The 2d Division to march with the field Train of Artillery at one oClock with the same Qty of Provisions and the third Division to be Comple[te]d to morrow with the same Number of Days as the former.

The Mens Tents are to be left in Store and properly Rowld up with their Marks as likewise half the remainder of Camp Kettles.

The Amunition & 3 Spare flints are Carefully to be examind and Compleated.

The fallen Axes being Immediately wanted to open the roads they are this Afternoon to be given to Lt Lyons at the Store who will return the receipts.

The Commanding Officers of Corps to send to Capt. Hays such a Number of Cartridges as will only Compleat their Corps with 44 rounds Pr Man besides the 36 rounds which they Carry and each Corps to mark their Amunition so that no mistake may happen in the Issuing of it. they are to send their Amunition to Mr Eveard to the Artillery park who will receive it and Load into Waggons Immediately.

After Orders

The Mens tents to be left pitched & a proportion of each Corps to Guard them.

All the Horses belonging to the King that were deliverd to the Troops are to be returnd to morrow Morning and the Genl will make a Distribution of them amongst the Troops in the proportion of 2 to 100 Men.

B. O.4

The Troops that March to morrow morning are to be Compleated to night agreeable to the Genls orders of this day and every thing in readiness to March at 8 OClock in the morning at farthest.

The Commanding Officer of each Corps of that Division that Marches is to carry only such Men as he can most depend on a return of which is to be givin to Majr Stewart this night5—Such of those Men as are pitched on to March to morrow morning that are now on Guard are Immediately to be releivd by those that Stay.

1The first return of GW’s brigade is headed “A Return of the Troops that is to March under the Commd of Brigadier Washington Novr 14th 1758” (DLC:GW). It yields the following information about GW’s brigade.

Capts. Subs. Staff Noncoms. R. & F.
1st Va. Regt. 3 15 5 37 356
John Fields’s Artificers 1 3 3 26
John Posey’s Artificers 1 2 4 10
N.C. Companies 1 3 1 6 50
Md. Companies 3 7 1 12 77
Lower County Companies 2 2 3 8 76
Total 11 32 10 70 595

In addition there was 1 colonel in the 1st Virginia Regiment, 1 major in the North Carolina companies, and 1 lieutenant colonel in the Maryland companies. The returns divide the subalterns into lieutenants and ensigns and the noncommissioned officers into sergeants and drummers. The staff included 4 surgeons, 2 quartermasters, 2 adjutants, 1 chaplain, and 1 mate. The return is signed by Capt. Robert Stewart as brigade major.

2The reserve was commanded by Col. James Burd of the Pennsylvania forces.

3GW wrote Forbes on 15 Nov. that he had marched with his brigade from Loyalhanna at 4:00 P.M. Although Forbes’s orders here refer to GW’s brigade as the first division, it was known as the 3d Brigade. Bouquet’s was the 1st Brigade and Archibald Montgomery’s was the 2d Brigade. Bouquet’s brigade was the “third division” here and Montgomery’s was the “2d.”

4What follows are GW’s brigade orders.

5There is a return dated 14 Nov. of the ten companies of the 1st Virginia Regiment at Loyalhanna. It lists five captains present in addition to GW and Lt. Col. Adam Stephen. Three company commanders, Maj. Andrew Lewis, who was a prisoner of the French, and captains Robert Stewart and Thomas Waggener were counted as absent. There were 11 lieutenants present, 6 ensigns, 5 staff men, 32 sergeants, 4 fifers, 17 drummers, and of a total of 674 soldiers, 384 were present and fit, 82 were ill, 188 were “on command,” and 20 were serving as artificers in the 2d Virginia Regiment (DLC:GW).

Capt. Henry Woodward made a return on 17 Nov. “of the Inveleads of the Defarnt Companies in the 1st Virga Regt Left at Loyalhannon” (DLC:GW). It counts among the ill remaining behind Lt. Col. Adam Stephen and three lieutenants. Of the 139 soldiers of the regiment reported at Loyalhanna (12 had been sent back from GW’s camp the night before), 76 were fit for duty. There were also 5 sergeants, 2 fifers, and 9 drummers present. Among the officers only Captain Woodward and an ensign were fit for duty.

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