George Washington Papers

General Orders, 11 July 1780

General Orders

Head Quarters Pracaness Tuesday July 11th 1780

Parole Hanover. Countersigns Haerlem. Hull
Watchword Be Alert

[Officers] Of the Day Tomorrow[:] Brigadier General Maxwell[,] Major Trescott[,] Brigade Major Bradford

The General Court martial whereof Colonel Butler is president to sit tomorrow morning 8 o clock at the Place mention’d in yesterday’s after orders: The members are desired to be punctual in their Attendance.

Mr Pomeroy Quarters at Mr Peter Doreamus’s on the Pumpton road.1

Major Reid is appointed Field officer of the Day for this day vice Major Torrey absent.

After Orders

The Order of the 12th of May last relative to exercising and Disciplining the Troops is to be strictly observed till further orders except the morning exercise to begin at 4 o clock and the Troops to exercise in the morning by regiments instead of Companies.

The greatest Attention to be paid to the instruction of Recruits and drafts agreeable to Chapter 5th of the regulations2 also the manœuvring Battalions instead of being detach’d from the Line to be furnish’d by Brigades in Battalions3 The 2d Pennsylvania and Hand’s brigades each give a Battalion of 96 files4 to be paraded half past 4 tomorrow morning at the usual place.

Two Field officers from each of those brigades for this Duty. General Maxwell will command.

Lieutenant Colonel Harmar is requested to attend the Discipline.

Varick transcript, DLC:GW.

1The house of Peter (Pieter) Doremus (1744–1790) stood about five miles west of the Preakness area along the road leading northeast from Whippany and Rockaway Bridge to Pompton, New Jersey.

2The entirety of the fifth chapter of the army’s regulations was dedicated to the instruction of recruits (see Steuben, Regulations description begins [Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben]. Regulations for the Order and Discipline of the Troops of the United States. Philadelphia, 1779. description ends , 10–30).

3Another orderly book from GW’s headquarters has “Rotation” instead of “Battalions” (NjMoHP: Park Collection).

4As used in these orders, “files” means two soldiers, consisting of the front and rear rank men. The total strength of the battalion would therefore be 192 men.

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