General Orders, 9 March 1776
General Orders
Head Quarters, Cambridge, March 9th 1776
Parole Morris.Countersign Allen.
The General earnestly expects every Officer and Soldier of this Army will shew the utmost alertness, as well upon duty, as off duty; as by that means, not only the utmost power, but the utmost Artifice of the enemy will be defeated.
The Regiments who have not drawn their cloathing from the Qr Mr General, are commanded to do it immediately.
The Regiment and Companies of Riffle-men, are to hold themselves in readiness, to march at an hours warning.1
The whole Army to prepare to be ready to march when commanded.
Varick transcript, DLC:GW.
1. The riflemen were to be the first Continental detachment to march from Cambridge to New York. See General Orders, 13 Mar., and Council of War, 13 Mar. 1776. On this date Commissary General Joseph Trumbull wrote from Cambridge to Christopher Leffingwell in Connecticut: “I am ordered by His Excellency Genll Washington to make provision for Marching this Army, thro’ the Country Westward—You & Mr [Thomas] Mumford will therefore have 80,000 lb. hard Bread Baked Imediately, & have it forwarded, on the Road to Woodstock, & then to wait my Orders. You’ll Stop sending any more Flower &c. to Camp ’till further Orders—I expect we shall begin our March by Detachments by next Wensday [13 Mar.]; in three days from that, the foremost division will be at Woodstock so that, part of the above Quantity of Bread must be there by that Time without fail, & the remainder as fast as possible in Course[.] the Consequence of a failure, may be fatal—You shall hear from me again very soon.” Trumbull added in a footnote: “keep the Contents of this Letter as much to yourself as may be, & do the Business properly” (ViMtvL).