1. The committee consisted of Thomas FitzSimons, James Madison, and H.

2. The report from the Secretary at War, Benjamin Lincoln, is in the Papers of the Continental Congress, National Archives. On December 24, 1782, George Washington informed Lincoln that the two regiments of New Jersey and New Hampshire and the regiment of Rhode Island should remain “entire Corps untill the States to which they respectively belonged should … determine whether they would recruit these Corps to the number required by Congress or not.” Washington’s letter is printed in GW description begins John C. Fitzpatrick, The Writings of George Washington (Washington, 1931–1944). description ends , XXV, 460–61.

3. A different version of the first part of the report is published in the Journals of the Continental Congress. It reads: “On the report of a committee … to whom were referred letters of the 22 and 24 from the Secretary at War: Resolved, That …” (JCC description begins Journals of the Continental Congress, 1774–1789 (Washington, 1904–1937). description ends , XXIII, 837).

4. H left a blank space at this point in the MS. The date given in the published report is “7th of August last” (JCC description begins Journals of the Continental Congress, 1774–1789 (Washington, 1904–1937). description ends , XXIII, 837).

On August 7, 1782, Congress had requested Army officers to retire voluntarily in accordance with a program to go into effect on January 1, 1783 (JCC description begins Journals of the Continental Congress, 1774–1789 (Washington, 1904–1937). description ends , XXII, 451–55).

5. The words “be suspended” are not in the handwriting of H.

6. The remainder of the sentence is not in the handwriting of H.