General Orders, 23 September 1776
General Orders
Head Quarters, Harlem Heights, sept: 23rd 1776
Parole: Stamford.Countersign: Norwalk.
Ebenezer Liffingwell being convicted of offering Violence to his superior Officer—of Cowardice and Misbehaviour before the Enemy, was ordered to suffer Death this day—The General from his former good Character and upon the intercession of the Adjutant General, against whom he presented his firelock, is pleased to pardon him, but declares that the next offender shall suffer Death without mercy.
Serjt Major Hutton is appointed Adjutant to Col. Mead’s Regiment—Col. Silliman’s Brigade.1
Mr Charles Knowles is appointed Paymaster to Col. Knox’s Regiment of Artillery.2
Col. Douglass’s Brigade Major being ordered in Arrest for “Neglect of duty, in not giving the Parole & Countersign to the Guards,” Col. Douglass is to appoint another to do the duty.
Colonels and commanding Officers of Regiments have neglected to make Reports of the examination of their regiments after Plunder, they are now reminded of it, and will be mentioned in Orders, if they neglect it.
A Report is to be made at Head-Quarters, as soon as possible, of the several officers under Arrest, that they may be tried—Colonels and commanding Officers of regiments to attend to it.
Varick transcript, DLC:GW; Df, in Joseph Reed’s writing, DNA: RG 93, Orderly Books, vol. 15. In the draft the two passwords and the words “to Col. Knox’s Regt of Artillery” at the end of the third paragraph are not in Reed’s writing.
1. Christopher Hutton, who had been a volunteer in Col. John Lasher’s independent New York militia regiment earlier this year, apparently served as adjutant of Lt. Col. John Mead’s 9th Regiment of Connecticut militia for only two days, because that regiment was one of those that were dismissed on 25 Sept. (see General Orders, that date, and GW to Jonathan Trumbull, Sr., 26 Sept.). On 21 Nov. Hutton was commissioned an ensign in the 3d New York Regiment. He became the regimental adjutant in May 1778, and in February 1779 he was promoted to lieutenant. Hutton joined the 2d New York on 1 Jan. 1783 and left the army the following June.
2. Charles Knowles (d. 1796) had been quartermaster of the 2d Connecticut Regiment during 1775. When his appointment as paymaster of Knox’s Continental Artillery Regiment expired at the end of 1776, Knowles became paymaster of Col. John Crane’s 3d Continental Artillery Regiment. Promoted to first lieutenant in September 1778 and captain-lieutenant in September 1780, Knowles served until November 1783.