George Washington Papers

General Orders, 3 April 1780

General Orders

Head-Quarters Morristown Monday April 3rd 1780

Parole Paradox— C. Signs Quaff Quake—

At a division General Court Martial of the Maryland line, held by order of Brigadier General Gist, March 28th 80—Major Deane President1—Mr Edmiston Waggon Master of the Maryland Division appeared, charged with, “Defrauding the waggoners of said division by neglecting to pay them for the month of August when he had drawn money for that purpose”—and plead “Not guilty”—The Court after considering the charge against Mr Edmiston the evidence and his defence are of opinion he is not guilty and therefore do acquit him.2

The Commander in Chief approves the sentence.

Varick transcript, DLC:GW.

1. For Maj. John Dean, see General Orders, 2 April, n.1.

2. Samuel Edmiston (Edminson) served as deputy wagonmaster general for the Maryland line before becoming wagonmaster general for the southern department in later 1780. For his signature on a certification dated 24 July 1779, see DNA:PCC, item 78. In a letter to Edmiston dated 27 Dec. 1780, Maj. Gen. Nathanael Greene complimented the wagonmaster on his “activity and zeal” (Greene Papers description begins Richard K. Showman et al., eds. The Papers of General Nathanael Greene. 13 vols. Chapel Hill, N.C., 1976–2005. description ends , 7:5; see also Greene to Edmiston, 16 June 1779 and 20 Dec. 1780, in Greene Papers description begins Richard K. Showman et al., eds. The Papers of General Nathanael Greene. 13 vols. Chapel Hill, N.C., 1976–2005. description ends , 4:164, 6:602). Edmiston became a lieutenant in the 1st Maryland Regiment in March 1781 and remained in the army until the end of the war.

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    Washington Papers
    Title
    General Orders, 3 April 1780
    Author
    Washington, George
    Date
    3 April 1780

    Reference

    Cite as
    “General Orders, 3 April 1780,” Founders Online, National Archives, https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Washington/03-25-02-0189. [Original source: The Papers of George Washington, Revolutionary War Series, vol. 25, 10 March–12 May 1780, ed. William M. Ferraro. Charlottesville: University of Virginia Press, 2017, p. 290.]