General Orders, 17 February 1780
General Orders
Head-Quarters Morristown thursday Feby 17th 1780.
Parole Yeoman— C. Signs—Yellow. Youth.
A serjeant, corporal and ten men from General Hand’s brigade to be sent this day to Commissary Gambles to assist in securing the stores from the weather and to continue ’till that business is done.
An exact return of all guards furnished by divisions or brigades to be made with the ensuing weekly returns.
All brigade and camp guards (which are to be relieved once a day or in two days at farthest) are not to be included.
Varick transcript, DLC:GW.
Adj. Gen. Alexander Scammell’s orderly book entry for this date includes the following additional general orders: “The Pennsylvania Division furnishes the Morris Town Pickett and the Fatigue for the Orderly Room tomorrow and next Day.
“Capt. Jacquett of the 2nd Maryland Brigade will sit on General Co[ur]t Martial in place of Major Deane” (orderly book, 17 Oct. 1779–22 March 1780, DNA: RG 93, Orderly Books, 1775–1783, vol. 33).
On this date, Dr. Isaac Foster, deputy director general of the hospital for the eastern department, wrote from Boston to GW’s assistant secretary James McHenry: “Notwithstanding the resolves of Congress in November last that we should be furnished with Cloathing annually, in the same manner and upon the same Terms as Officers of the line, our Department have as yet been able to obtain nothing, altho Congress have made Provision for such of us as are attatched to Corps of, or residing in any State at a distance from the Cloathier General, the agents here plead their instructions not to deliver any except to the express order of his Excellency, the board of War, or the Cloathier General, as it is evident that Congress intended we should be benifited by the resolve I must in behalf of the Department beg your Interest with his Excellency to obtain the necessary order on th⟨e⟩ Agents here, I doubt not your readiness to oblige a Department of which you once made a Part. be so good as to write me by the first Post” (DLC:GW).
On 28 March, McHenry, at headquarters in Morristown, replied: “I wish I could give you a favorable answer to your letter of the 17th of February on the subject of clothing.
“I believe for some time to come, we must content ourselves with the acts of Congress and wait till they may have it in their power to give them a general operation. In this quarter you may be assured that no officers of the line within my knowlege or recollection have derived clothing from the public Stores, in consequence of these resolves. Two small parcels of clothing have been distributed to the staff of the army in which the hospital was included, but the apportionmen⟨t⟩ to each individual was so inconsiderable as scarcely to be an object of attention.
“When Congress may have it in their power to give their resolve⟨s⟩ effect, I make no doubt but they will empower their agents with proper authority to deliver clothing agreeably to their resolves. And you may be assured that his Excellency does not consider himself at liberty to take any order in the affair, or I would most willingly forward such as would answe⟨r⟩ the purpose of your department” (DLC:GW).