General Orders, 26 December 1779
General Orders
Head-Quarters Morristown sunday Decr 26th 1779.
Parole New-Hampshire. C. Signs Scammell. Exeter.
General Irvine will take the command of a detachment to relieve General Parsons1—for detachment Colonels Humpton2 and Ogden—Lieutt Colonels Olney and Ford—Majors Christopher Steward3 and Byles—The detachment to parade at 11 ôclock with two days provisions ready cooked.
Varick transcript, DLC:GW.
1. For the detachment under Brig. Gen. Samuel Holden Parsons, see GW to Parsons, 13 Dec.; see also General Orders, 12 and 13 Dec., and the source note to the latter document. Brig. Gen. William Irvine posted his detachment by 1 Jan. 1780 (see Irvine to GW, that date, DLC:GW).
2. Col. Richard Humpton’s detached command prevented his service on Maj. Gen. Benedict Arnold’s court-martial (see General Orders, 22 Dec.)
3. Maj. Christopher Stuart’s being on furlough prevented him from serving with this detachment (see General Orders, 27 Dec.).
Christopher Stuart (1748–1799) served as a captain in the 5th Pennsylvania Battalion before being taken prisoner at Fort Washington, N.Y., on 16 Nov. 1776. Exchanged in January 1777, he became a major that June with his rank dated from 28 February. Stuart rose to lieutenant colonel of the 3d Pennsylvania Regiment in April 1780 and retired from the army in January 1781.