General Orders, 23 March 1779
General Orders
Head-Quarters Middle-Brook Tuesday March 23rd 1779.
Parole Harkimer—C. Signs Gideon—Fontenoy—
The Commander in Chief directs that the following ration be delivered to the Army until further orders.
25 ounces1 of beef, or 18 ounces of Pork—
16 ounces of bread or flour.
1 gill of spirits occasionally—
The usual quantity of soap and candles.2
Varick transcript, DLC:GW.
Adj. Gen. Alexander Scammell’s orderly book entry for this date includes the following additional general orders: “A Capt. 2 Subs., 3 serjeants and 50 rank and file from the Maryland Line, to be sent as a fatigue party Tomorrow morning to repair the road from somers[e]t to Trenton—with out Arms, furnish’d with three days provision and to continue on that duty till further Orders.
“A Capt. Sub., 3 serjeants & forty Men to be Sent from the Virginia Line to repair the Road from bound Brook to Van Vaughton’s [Van Veghten’s] Bridge, and the same number from the Pennsylvania Line to repair the road from Van Vaughtons Bridge to Somerset—the two last mention’d parties to be daily employ’d from said Divisions, till they have Compleatly repair’d the roads in their respective Districts—They will receive directions from the Quarter Master General.
“A sub: serjt & 25 R[ank] & F[ile] from the 1st Pennsylvania Brigade to parade Tomorrow Morn’g 9 OClock with their dinners, on the Grand Parade.” (orderly book, 22 Dec. 1778–26 June 1779, DNA: RG 93, Orderly Books, 1775–1783, vol. 28; see General Orders, 28 March). Van Veghten’s bridge crossed the Raritan River about three miles west of Bound Brook and about four miles north of Somerset Court House (now Millstone, N.J.).
1. Scammell’s orderly book reads “21” ounces (orderly book, 22 Dec. 1778–26 June 1779, DNA: RG 93, Orderly Books, 1775–1783, vol. 28).
2. The shortage of flour made it necessary to reduce the daily flour ration from twenty-four to eighteen ounces. In compensation, the daily beef ration was increased (see Royal Flint to GW, 15 March).