1. “The Gentlemen of the Town,” Benjamin Hichborn wrote to John Adams from Boston on 20 May, “are about forming themselves into an independent Corps, and as the Inhabitants encrease, I dare say we shall put ourselves under the best military Regulations” (Taylor, Papers of John Adams description begins Robert J. Taylor et al., eds. Papers of John Adams. 17 vols. to date. Cambridge, Mass., and London, 1977–. description ends , 4:202–4). The petition from this corps, which was sent to Adams either with Hichborn’s letter or separately about the same date, has not been found, but it apparently asked that some of the 1,000 carbines that had been captured on the British transport Hope be appropriated for the use of the corps. Adams replied to Hichborn on 29 May that “the Petition from the independent Corps, in Boston gave me, great Pleasure and is much to their Honour. I did my Endeavour to get the Prayer granted, but it is at last left to the General” (ibid., 216–19). Congress did not alter its resolution of 25 May that put at GW’s disposal the arms, ammunition, and military stores captured by armed vessels in Continental service, and GW eventually ordered all of the carbines from the Hope sent to New York (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 , 4:393; see GW to Ward, 28 May, 26 June, and Ward to GW, 9 June, 4 July 1776).