1. See Randolph to JM, 5 July 1782, and n. 7. By letter on 24 June to Governor Harrison, Count Rochambeau expressed his intention of immediately moving all his troops, except for a small contingent which would remain for a short while, primarily to guard the fortifications and surplus matériel. The next day Harrison and the Council of State decided to transfer almost all of Colonel Charles Dabney’s “Legion” of state troops from Portsmouth to Yorktown, except for a few to be stationed at Hampton. At the same time the governor took steps to have four hundred militia from nearby counties attached to Dabney’s command at Yorktown and to alert six hundred more militiamen from five other neighboring counties for service in that town or in Gloucester in case of an emergency. Harrison appointed General Edward Stevens to command this entire force and asked the General Assembly to furnish the means for supplying these troops “with provisions & other necessaries” (McIlwaine, Official Letters description begins H. R. McIlwaine, ed., Official Letters of the Governors of the State of Virginia (3 vols.; Richmond, 1926–29). description ends , III, 254–55, 257–58, 265–66; Journals of the Council of State description begins H. R. McIlwaine et al., eds., Journals of the Council of the State of Virginia (3 vols. to date; Richmond, 1931——). description ends , III, 113–14; Calendar of Virginia State Papers description begins William P. Palmer et al., eds., Calendar of Virginia State Papers and Other Manuscripts (11 vols.; Richmond, 1875–93). description ends , III, 206–7).

2. In a letter to Harrison on 5 May, received by him on 25 June 1782, Washington informed Harrison that “the Count de Rochambeau will soon put the french Troops in motion” and asked for sufficient militia to guard the equipment, stores, and artillery which necessarily would be left at York and Gloucester (Fitzpatrick, Writings of Washington description begins John C. Fitzpatrick, ed., The Writings of George Washington, from the Original Sources, 1745–1799 (39 vols.; Washington, 1931–44). description ends , XXIV, 222–23, 226; Journals of the Council of State description begins H. R. McIlwaine et al., eds., Journals of the Council of the State of Virginia (3 vols. to date; Richmond, 1931——). description ends , III, 113).

3. See Virginia Delegates to Harrison, 23 July 1782, and n. 3.

4. See Virginia Delegates to Harrison, 23 July 1782. The decision to provide food for the state troops of Virginia by contracts with private suppliers, insofar as possible, rather than by impressments or by taxes paid in kind was reached on 18 January 1782 (McIlwaine, Official Letters description begins H. R. McIlwaine, ed., Official Letters of the Governors of the State of Virginia (3 vols.; Richmond, 1926–29). description ends , III, 133; Journals of the Council of State description begins H. R. McIlwaine et al., eds., Journals of the Council of the State of Virginia (3 vols. to date; Richmond, 1931——). description ends , III, 29). Having defined the basic ration on 4 November 1775, Congress about ten months later made it commutable for approximately nine cents (JCC description begins Worthington Chauncey Ford et al., eds., Journals of the Continental Congress, 1774–1789 (34 vols.; Washington, 1904–37). description ends , III, 322; V, 780). On 25 December 1781 Congress abandoned its efforts to maintain a fixed ration in an inflationary economy and ordained “That the superintendant of finance be authorised and directed to ascertain the value of a ration, from time to time” (JCC description begins Worthington Chauncey Ford et al., eds., Journals of the Continental Congress, 1774–1789 (34 vols.; Washington, 1904–37). description ends , XXI, 1013). Several laws enacted by the Virginia General Assembly during the Revolution implicitly or explicitly authorized the executive of the Commonwealth to provide troops of the state line and militiamen with the continental ration whenever they were called to active duty and assigned to continental service (Hening, Statutes description begins William Waller Hening, ed., The Statutes at Large; Being a Collection of All the Laws of Virginia, from the First Session of the Legislature, in the Year 1619 (13 vols.; Richmond and Philadelphia, 1819–23). description ends , IX, 34, 295; X, 296–97, 419, 467). In these instances the cost of the ration was charged to Congress.

5. Robert Morris.

6. See JM to Pendleton, 7 February 1782, and n. 6.

7. John Beckley. On the manuscript of the resolution is a notation, apparently in Harrison’s hand, that the copy did not reach him until 8 July (NA: PCC, No. 75, fols. 363–65). The Virginia delegates presented the resolution to Congress on 24 July 1782 (JCC description begins Worthington Chauncey Ford et al., eds., Journals of the Continental Congress, 1774–1789 (34 vols.; Washington, 1904–37). description ends , XXII, 413). See Virginia Delegates to Harrison, 23 July 1782, n. 1.