George Washington Papers

To George Washington from John Jay, 20 August 1779

From John Jay

Philadelphia 20th Augt 1779

Sir,

Herewith enclosed Your Excellency will receive a copy of three Acts of Congress, of the 17, 18, & 19th Inst. The two first respect a Provision for the Army—The latter for the Commissary General of Prisoners.1

Congress have under Consideration further Resolutions on this Subject, calculated to do equal Justice to the whole Army, & remove every cause of complaint in their power to remedy.2 I have the Honor to be With perfect Esteem And Regard Your Excellency’s Most Obedient and Humble Servant

John Jay Presidt

LS, DLC:GW; LB, DNA:PCC, item 14. GW docketed the letter “Congress” and GW’s secretary Robert Hanson Harrison wrote a brief summary of each of the resolutions below the docket.

1. The enclosed copies of the resolutions are in DLC:GW (filed with the 17 Aug. documents; see also JCC, description begins Worthington Chauncey Ford et al., eds. Journals of the Continental Congress, 1774-1789. 34 vols. Washington, D.C., 1904–37. description ends 14:974–976, 978, 980). GW published the acts of 17 and 18 Aug. in general orders on 29 August. The resolution of 19 Aug. allowed the commissary general of prisoners to receive the pay and subsistence of a colonel of the line and draw the same issue of clothing as officers of the line.

2. Jay apparently is referring to the additional resolutions proposed by James Duane and John Mathews regarding half-pay for supernumerary officers of the sixteen Additional Continental Regiments, as well as brigade majors and aides-de-camp, which Congress referred to a committee (see JCC, description begins Worthington Chauncey Ford et al., eds. Journals of the Continental Congress, 1774-1789. 34 vols. Washington, D.C., 1904–37. description ends 14:978–79).

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    Washington Papers
    Title
    To George Washington from John Jay, 20 August 1779
    Author
    Jay, John
    Recipient
    Washington, George
    Date
    20 August 1779

    Reference

    Cite as
    “To George Washington from John Jay, 20 August 1779,” Founders Online, National Archives, https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Washington/03-22-02-0159. [Original source: The Papers of George Washington, Revolutionary War Series, vol. 22, 1 August–21 October 1779, ed. Benjamin L. Huggins. Charlottesville: University of Virginia Press, 2013, p. 187.]

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