To George Washington from Samuel Huntington, 13 November 1779
From Samuel Huntington
Philadelphia. 13th Novr 1779.
Sir.
Since my letter of the 11th Instant I am honored with your Excellency’s favors of the 3d & 5th Instant with the enclosures.
You will herewith receive enclos’d an Act of Congress of the 12th Instant respecting regimental paymasters not being of the rank of captains; Quarter-masters1 and adjutants; And also the eleven Companies of Artificers raised by the quarter master general.2 I have the honor to be with the greatest respect your Excellency’s most humble servt
Saml Huntington President
LS, DLC:GW; LB, DNA:PCC, item 14.
1. The clerk inadvertently wrote “Quarter-masasters” on the LS.
2. Huntington enclosed copies of resolutions that Congress adopted on 12 Nov.: “That regimental paymasters not being of the rank of Captains, quarter masters and Adjutants be entitled to receive the same subsistance money as is Allowed to Captains by the Act of Congress of the eighteenth of August last, this subsistance to Commence on that day. …
“That the eleven Companies of Artificers raised by the quarter Master General be reformed, and incorporated and arranged in such manner as the Commander in Cheif shall deem proper.
“That when such arrangement shall have been made, the same be transmitted to the Board of War to the intent the Officers may receive their Commissions, which shall intitle them to rank only in their own Corps And enable them to hold regimental Courts martial in cases that Concern their own Corps only and are Usually Cognizable by regimental Courts Martial of the line.
“That the Officers and men of the said Corps be Considered as part of the quotas of the Eighty battallions as apportioned on the several States to which they respectively belong” (DLC:GW; see also
15:1261–62, and Huntington to Nathanael Greene, 13 Nov., in 5:57–58). For the subsistence resolution adopted on 18 Aug., see 14:978. Congress had adopted a resolution on 9 March that established and apportioned an army of eighty battalions (see 13:298).GW publicized the resolution regarding regimental paymasters in the general orders for 22 November. For implementation of the artificer resolution, see Greene to GW, 8 Feb. 1780, and GW to the Board of War, 10 Feb., both DLC:GW; see also Huntington to GW, 19 Nov. 1779.