General Orders, 30 January 1780
General Orders
Head-Quarters Morristown sunday Jany 30th 1780.
Parole Constantinople— C. Signs China. Chima.
A large number of cattle are to be immediately killed and prepared for the use of the Army; Each brigade will send two men capable of assisting in this business to the Deputy Commissary General’s quarters early tomorrow morning.1
Varick transcript, DLC:GW.
Adj. Gen. Alexander Scammell’s orderly book entry for this date includes the following additional general orders: “The Connecticut Division furnishes the Main Guard Tomorrow. Clintons and starks Brigades furnish the Fatigue for the Orderly Room Tomorrow & next Day—One Joiner or Carpenter from each Division in the Army to be sent to [deputy quartermaster general Lt.] Coll [James] Abiel’s [Abeel] Tomorrow Morning.
“Lieut. Coll Sherman is appointed a Member of the General Court Martial vice Lt Coll Hait, sick, The Court will sit on Tuesday 10 o’Clk when two Orderly Serjeants from Hands and two from Maxwells Brigades will attend ’till relieved” (orderly book, 17 Oct. 1779–22 March 1780, DNA: RG 93, Orderly Books, 1775–1783, vol. 33).
On this date, GW’s aide-de-camp Alexander Hamilton wrote from head-quarters to Brig. Gen. Henry Knox: “The General consents to ⟨mutilated⟩ officers to recover your deserters and to recompense their reasonable expences—He only makes two conditions, that you will send as few as possible & that they keep [an] exact and particular account of their expences.
“The sentence of The Court Marti⟨al⟩ will probably be determined tomorrow; it is too late for to day’s orders.
“I am ordered to return you the inclosed and to tell you, that if a couple of 10 or a couple of twelve pounders can be spared it will be well to send them, but that two of each will probably be more than we [can] afford & may not be essential—You are the best judge of the quantity of stores necessary and will take yr measures accordingly” (DLC: Alexander Hamilton Papers). The enclosure has not been identified.
1. Scammell’s orderly book entry for this date follows this order with the following additional general order: “And the first Pennsylvania Brigade will relieve the Commys store Guard at the same time” (orderly book, 17 Oct. 1779–22 March 1780, DNA: RG 93, Orderly Books, 1775–1783, vol. 33).