General Orders, 18 May 1780

General Orders

Head Quarters Morristown Thursday May 18th 1780

Parole Carolina Countersigns Don Dee

[Officers] Of the Day Tomorrow[:] Colonel Johnstone[,] Lieut. Colonel Commandant Hubly[,] Brigade Major 2d Pennsa Brigade

At a Division General Court martial May 10. 1780; whereof Lieutenant Colonel Commandant Weissenfells was president1 Matthew Bell soldier in the 2nd and James Hanly soldier in the 4th New York regiments were tried for attempting to desert to the Enemy with their Arms and Accoutrements; also Lancaster Lighthall soldier in the 3d New York regiment was tried at the same Court for attempting to desert to the Enemy with the Arms and accoutrements of another soldier.2

The Court are of opinion that the Charges against Bell and Hanly are fully supported and that they are guilty of a Breach of Article 1st Section 6th of the Articles of War.3

They are further of opinion that the charge against Lighthall is supported except his taking the Arms and Accoutrements of another Soldier and that he is Guilty of a Breach of the Article and Section aforesaid and do sentence them all Three to be shot to death, upwards of two thirds of the Court agreeing thereto.

His Excellency the Commander in Chief approves the sentence.

Varick transcript, DLC:GW.

1. Lt. Col. Frederick Weissenfels served as president of a division general courtmartial between 28 April and 24 May (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 , 330, 361).

2. GW pardoned all three soldiers on the day of their scheduled execution (see Proclamation of Pardon, 26 May, and n.2).

Matthew Bell enlisted in Orange County, N.Y., as a private in the 2d New York Regiment in December 1776. He deserted in July 1777, returned to the regiment in August 1778, and served through 1783.

James Handly enlisted for the duration of the war as a private in the 4th New York Regiment in January 1777, and served in that regiment through early 1782.

Lancaster Lighthall (b. 1761), of Schenectady, N.Y., enlisted as a private in the 3d New York Regiment in April 1777 and was promoted to corporal in July 1779.

3. Section 6, article 1, of the articles of war reads: “All officers and soldiers, who having received pay, or having been duly inlisted in the service of the United States, shall be convicted of having deserted the same, shall suffer death, or such other punishment as by a court-martial shall be inflicted” (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 , 5:792).

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Source Project: Washington Papers
Title: General Orders, 18 May 1780
Author: Washington, George
Date: 18 May 1780

Reference

Cite as: “General Orders, 18 May 1780,” Founders Online, National Archives, https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Washington/03-26-02-0051. [Original source: The Papers of George Washington, Revolutionary War Series, vol. 26, 13 May–4 July 1780, ed. Benjamin L. Huggins and Adrina Garbooshian-Huggins. Charlottesville: University of Virginia Press, 2018, pp. 72–73.]