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General Orders, 26 March 1780

General Orders

Head-Quarters Morristown sunday March 26th [1780]

Parole Hymen— C. Signs Jupiter. Juno.

The regimental surgeons are to send as usual to the Flying Hospital for stores for the sick and are to be punctual in making their weekly returns on mondays agreeable to general orders.1

By a General Court Martial held in the City of Philadelphia by order of the Honorable Board of War Jany 24th 80—Colonel White President, Captain Lieutenant Theophilus Parke was tried for, “Defrauding his men of their pay and bounty”—and plead not guilty.

The Court were of opinion that Captn Lieut. Theophilus Parke has not only been guilty of defrauding his men of their pay and bounty, but of repeated forgeries in signing several of the names of the evidences soldiers in his company for their pay and bounty, without their knowledge or consent.

The Court unanimously found Captain Lieutenant Parke guilty not only of fraud but of repeated Forgeries and sentenced him to be cashiered with infamy, by having his sword broke over his head on the public parade in the front of the regiment to which he belongs by the Adjutant of the said regiment, and it is the opinion of the court from the scandalous, infamous and villainous conduct of Captn Lieutt Parke that he is unworthy of ever holding any post civil or military in the United States—Agreeable to the 22nd article, section 14th of the Articles of War,2 the charge and sentence be published in the News-Papers of the State of Pennsylvania—The charge of fraud being fully proved against Captn Lieutt Parke, the General confirms the sentence & directs its execution.3

By a General Court Martial held by order of the honorable the Board of War at Philadelphia the ninth day of March instant, Lieutt Colonel Williams President4—Lieutenant Anthony Wright of Colonel Flowers regiment of Artillery Artificers was tried on the following charges (viz.).

1st “For runing in debt to private matrosses,[”] and—2nd “For ungentlemanlike behavior in drinking at public houses with soldiers at their expence[”]—3rd “For going to a dance at night at the soldiers houses without their invitation and playing cards the same night with private soldiers[”]—4th “For beating and abusing two Matrosses in a barbarous and inhuman manner when under arms on the fifth instant[”]—5th “For borrowing a pair of shoes from a Matross & not returning them or giving him any satisfaction”—and plead “Not guilty.”

The Court after duly considering the evidence for and against the Prisoner with his defence do acquit him of the 1st and 4th charges—but find him guilty of the 2nd, 3rd & 5th charges being a breach of the 21st article of the 14th section of the Articles of War and do sentence him to be dismissed the service5—The Commander in Chief approves the sentence.

[ ] Crudick6 and Thomas Sheehan7 of Col. Lamb’s regimt Roger Taylor,8 [⟨] Burt,9 Francis Pritchard,10 John Parcels,11 Alexr Ross12 of Col. Crane’s regiment and Samuel Gaylie13 of Lieutt Col. Willet’s regiment are to be sent immediately to the Quarter Master General’s to assist in making tents.14

Varick transcript, DLC:GW.

1The general orders for 6 May reiterated this directive to regimental surgeons regarding returns.

2The twenty-second article of the fourteenth section of the articles of war reads: “In all cases where a commissioned officer is cashiered for cowardice, or fraud, it shall be added in the punishment, that the crime, name, place of abode, and punishment of the delinquent, be published in the newspapers, in and about the camp, and of that particular state from which the offender came, or usually resides: After which, it shall be deemed scandalous in any officer to associate with him” (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 , 5:804).

The Pennsylvania Packet or the General Advertiser (Philadelphia) for 18 and 25 April printed Capt. Lt. Theophilus Parke’s court-martial proceedings and sentence. The later issue also included an undated letter from Col. Benjamin Flower to John Dunlap, publisher of the newspaper, that reads: “IN compliance with my duty, I send you the trial and sentence of Capt. Lieutenant Theophilus Parke, of my regiment of artillery and artificers; which sentence has been executed in full, except publication, which you will please to give a place in your next.”

3GW initially questioned Parke’s court-martial proceedings (see his letter to the Board of War, 26 Feb.; see also GW to the Board of War, 25 March, and n.3).

4Lt. Col. William Williams presumably was president of this court-martial. For an orderly book that identifies this officer as Lt. Col. Marinus Willett, see Lauber, Orderly Books of the Fourth and Second New York Regiments description begins Almon W. Lauber, ed. Orderly Books of the Fourth New York Regiment, 1778-1780, the Second New York Regiment, 1780-1783, by Samuel Tallmadge and Others, with Diaries of Samuel Tallmadge, 1780-1782, and John Barr, 1779-1782. Albany, 1932. description ends , 297.

5The twenty-first article of the fourteenth section of the articles of war reads: “Whatsoever commissioned officer shall be convicted, before a general court-martial, of behaving in a scandalous, infamous manner, such as is unbecoming the character of an officer and a gentleman, shall be discharged from the service” (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 , 5:804).

6William Crudick enlisted as a matross in February 1778 for the duration of the war and served in the 2d Continental Artillery Regiment.

7The transcriber crossed the “h” to render what looks like “Streehan”—probably inadvertently.

Thomas Sheehan (Shahane) enlisted as a matross in January 1777 for the duration of the war and served in the 2d Continental Artillery Regiment.

8Roger Taylor (born c.1748) worked as a mariner before joining the 3d Continental Artillery Regiment for the duration of the war. He was reduced on 1 July 1779 from sergeant to matross and deserted on 10 Sept. 1780.

9William Burt enlisted as a matross in April 1777 and served in the 3d Continental Artillery Regiment. He became a gunner in November 1778.

10No soldier named “Francis Pritchard” has been identified in the 3d Continental Artillery Regiment.

11John Parsells (Parcells) enlisted as a matross in April 1777 and served in the 3d Continental Artillery Regiment. He reinlisted for the war in December 1779 and became a gunner in March 1780.

12Alexander Ross enlisted as a matross for the duration of the war and served in the 3d Continental Artillery Regiment.

13No soldier named “Samuel Gaylie” has been identified in the 5th New York Regiment.

14For concerns over tent production, see Udny Hay to Nathanael Greene, 20 Feb. 1780, and James Abeel to Greene, 22 Feb. 1780, in Greene Papers description begins Richard K. Showman et al., eds. The Papers of General Nathanael Greene. 13 vols. Chapel Hill, N.C., 1976–2005. description ends , 5:403–5.

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