General Orders, 16 October 1778
General Orders
Head-Quarters Frederick’sburgh Octr 16th 1778
Parole Woolwich—C. Signs Wooburn. Witney.
Tomorrow being the glorious Anniversary of the surrender of General Burgoyne and his troops to the Arms of America, under the Command of Major General Gates, it will be commemorated by the discharge of thirteen Cannon from the Park of Artillery at twelve ôClock.1
No more sick to be sent to the hospital at Quaker Hill without first enquiring of the Chief Surgeon there whether they can be received, as the house is already full.
At a General Court Martial whereof Coll Hogan was President held at West-Point October 11th 1778, Lieutt Chandenit A.D.Q.M.G. was tried for refusing to sign an order for Forage sent him by Captain Carter and acquitted. The Commander in Chief approves the sentence.2 Lieutt William Henshaw of the 5th Connecticutt Regiment is appointed Pay Master to the same from the 1st of September last.3
Varick transcript, DLC:GW.
1. Pvt. Elijah Fisher of GW’s guard wrote in his diary entry for 17 Oct.: “In Rememberance of Gen. Burgoin’s Defeet the Day was selebrated with the firing of Canon and in throing of skilokets in the are [air] thirteen Canon was fired then they begun to through [throw] the skilokets and a merry Day they had too at the Park of artilery” (, 283).
2. Col. William Malcom had referred this case to GW in his letter to GW of 11 October.
3. William Henshaw (born c.1736, died c.1798–1800) of Middletown, Conn., had been commissioned an ensign in the 5th Connecticut Regiment in April 1777 and had been promoted to second lieutenant effective 4 Jan. 1778. Promoted to first lieutenant in July 1780, Henshaw transferred to the 2d Connecticut Regiment in January 1781 and apparently continued serving as a regiment paymaster until he resigned his commission in January 1783.