General Orders, 12 January 1778
General Orders
Head-Quarters V. Forge Jany 12th 1778.
Parole: EdentonCountersigns: Savannah Charlestown.
The detachments ordered to relieve Coll Morgan & to take post at the Gulph-Mill, are to be on the grand parade and ready to march at sunrise tomorrow morning with their provisions completed to next Wednesday inclusively.
The Commissary General of Issues is to keep an exact account of the number of Cattle delivered to the Army that the number of hides may be thereby ascertained & duly accounted for by the commissary of hides.
The Brigade Commissaries are to apply forthwith to their Brigadiers or Officers Commanding brigades, and with their approbation respectively, fix upon a plan for collecting all the dirty tallow, & saving the ashes for the purpose of making soft soap for the use of the army; and also for employing proper persons to boil out the oil from the feet of the bullocks & preserve it for the use of the army; This oil is to be put in Casks and delivered to the Quarter-Master General.
The Brigade Quarter Masters are to see that the order of 9th instant for building racks for the horses be duly complied with, That the Waggon Masters pay proper attention to the horses and that every soldier caught on horse back is immediately confined and punished.
Lt Stagg of Coll Malcom’s Regiment, is appointed Brigade Major pro tempore in the brigade late Genl Conway’s and is to be respected as such.1
A detachment of one hundred & fifty men are to parade tomorrow morning at nine ôClock on the grand parade, taking nothing in their packs but their blankets and provisions—Coll Stewart is to take command of this detachment.2
Varick transcript, DLC:GW.
Brig. Gen. Edward Hand’s orderly book includes these additional orders: “One able Camp Colour Man from each Brigade to parade Tomorrow Morning at Nine oClock at the Adjutt Genls Quarters. six men from Genl Glover’s brigade are to parade at the Adjt Genls Quarters at nine o’clock to-morrow morning if the weather be fair, to dry the tents returned to the Qr Mr Genl.” The after orders recorded in Hand’s orderly book read: “A subaltern & 16 men are to parade to-morrow at ten o’clock in the forenoon at Colo. Biddle’s quarters at Moor Hall, to enforce his measures in procuring forage for the army. The party is to go to Pottsgrove, & will be on command a fortnight or three weeks” (DNA: RG 93, Orderly Books, 1775–1783, vol. 20).
1. John Stagg, Jr. (1758–1803), of New York, who was appointed a second lieutenant in Col. William Malcom’s Additional Continental Regiment in March 1777, later served as a first lieutenant in Col. Oliver Spencer’s Additional Continental Regiment.
2. Timothy Pickering wrote Col. Walter Stewart on this date: “You will see by today’s orders that a detachment of 150 men from the line are ordered, for the purpose of getting cattle &c. on the other side schuylkill, under your command. The Genl thought that number quite sufficient with such aid from the militia as you might obtain. His Excellency said he was writing to Genl Potter to-day, & I suppose he will mention the business of your detachment; but lest he should not, I will send you an order (or request) to Genl Potter to furnish you one or two hundred militia as you & he shall find, or judge necessary” (DLC: Miscellaneous Manuscripts). See also Stewart’s letter to GW of 15 January.