General Orders, 29 January 1780
General Orders
Head-Quarters Morristown saturday Jany 29th 1780.
Parole Bethlehem— C. Signs Boston. Bath.
The Court Martial whereof Major General Howe is President is adjourned ’till their proceedings receive the determination of Congress; but the Members in the mean time will return to their duty in the line.1
A General Court Martial of the line to sit tomorrow at Mr King’s in Morristown2 for the trial of all such persons as shall be brought before them: Colonel Richard Humpton is appointed President.3
Varick transcript, DLC:GW.
Adj. Gen. Alexander Scammell’s orderly book entry for this date includes the following additional general orders: “A Warrant No. 4910 for 24,95868/90 Dollars dated the 28th Instant payable to Lt Charles Fan[n]ing, Pay Master to the 4th Connecticut Regiment for the Pay of the same for November and December, was dropp’d by accident Yesterday with two Abstracts, on which it was granted, between Head Quarters and the Deputy Pay Master Genls Office. Any person finding these papers or any of them will lay Mr Fan[n]ing under acknowledgments by lodging them at the Pay Office” (orderly book, 17 Oct. 1779–22 March 1780, DNA: RG 93, Orderly Books, 1775–1783, vol. 33).
On this date, Maj. Caleb Gibbs wrote a receipt for $3,000 “for the use of defraying the expence of His Excellency General Washington’s family” (Revolutionary War Receipt Book, 1776–1780, DLC:GW, ser. 5).
1. Maj. Gen. Robert Howe’s court had been trying Maj. Gen. Benedict Arnold (see General Orders, 19 Dec. 1779; see also GW to John Morgan, 5 Jan., n.3).
2. The house of Frederick King (c.1738–1796) stood on Morris Street, west of GW’s headquarters at the Ford house. King was a quartermaster of the Morris County militia and in 1782 became the first postmaster of Morristown.
3. Scammell’s orderly book entry for this date continues this order with the following: “and Colonels Angell and Lieutenant Colonels Woolford, Hait & North and Majors Torrey, Byles and Anderson: And One Captain from the first Maryland—One from the Second Pennsylvania One from Clintons, One from the Second Connecticut and one from Starks Brigades are appointed members” (orderly book, 17 Oct. 1779–22 March 1780, DNA: RG 93, Orderly Books, 1775–1783, vol. 33).