General Orders, 20 August 1780
General Orders
Head Quarters Orangetown Sunday August 20. 1780
Parole New London. Countersigns I; A.
Watchword Be cautious
[Officers] For the day Tomorrow[:] Brigadier General Nixon[,] Lieutenant Colonels De Hart[,] Basset[,] Brigade Major Woodbridge For Guard[:] Major Wallbridge
To lessen the duty of the Grand Parade the particular Inspection of the men’s arms by the Brigade Major of the day is dispensed with for the present; This is not meant to prevent a critical inspection on the Brigade and regimental Parades.
At the General Court martial whereof Colonel Butler was President the 25th ulto Jesse Hensley and Michael Bourk of the 4th regiment of Light dragoons1 were tried for “Robbing the house of the widow Sarah Sanford of sundry valuable articles” and found Guilty of a breach of Article 21st section 13th of the Articles of War2 and sentenced each of them to receive one Hundred Lashes on his bare back.
At the same court July 26th John Quaile of the same regiment3 was tried for “Desertion and taking with him a dragoon horse and accoutrements also a remarkable fine horse belonging to Captain John Heard of the said regiment” found guilty of Desertion and taking with him Captain Heard’s Horse being a breach of Article 1st Section 6th4 and Article 5th section 18th5 of the Articles of war: acquitted of the charge of taking with him a dragoon horse and Accoutrements.
He is sentenced to be picketted fifteen minutes and to receive one hundred Lashes on his bare back.6
The Commander in Chief confirms the sentences—and orders them to be carried into execution tomorrow morning at the head of the regiment to which they belong.
After Orders.
Brigade returns (regimentally digested) to be made tomorrow at orderly time of the number of regulations for the order and Discipline of the Troops, wanting to complete each officer with one.
Varick transcript, DLC:GW.
On this date, Maj. Caleb Gibbs wrote a receipt for $5,000 “for the use of defraying the expence of His Excellency General Washington’s family” (Revolutionary War Receipt Book, 1776–1780, DLC:GW, ser. 5; see also General Orders, 19 Aug., source note).
1. Jesse (Jessey) Housley of Virginia enlisted in the 4th Continental Dragoons for three years in December 1777.
“Michael Bourk” might have been Mitchell (Mitchill) Burk of Virginia, who enlisted in the 4th Continental Dragoons for three years in December 1777, or Michael Black of Maryland, who enlisted in the same regiment for the duration of the war in April 1778.
2. Section 13, article 21, of the articles of war reads: “If any officer or soldier shall leave his post or colors to go in search of plunder, he shall upon being convicted thereof before a general court-martial, suffer death, or such other punishment as by a court-martial shall be inflicted” (, 5:799).
3. John Quaile (Quail, Quails, Quale) of Virginia enlisted in the 4th Continental Dragoons in December 1777. He deserted in November 1779.
4. For this article, see General Orders, 13 Aug., n.2.
5. For this article, see General Orders, 7 July, n.4.
6. To picket, as used in the orders, is “To punish or torture with the picket” (). A picket, in this usage, is “A stake with pointed top, used in a military punishment in vogue in the 17th and 18th c.: see quot. 1706 … 1706 PHILLIPS, To Stand upon the Picket, is when a Horseman for some Offence, is sentenc’d to have one Hand ty’d up as high as it can reach, and then to stand on the Point of a Stake with the Toe of his opposite Foot; so that he can neither stand, nor hang well, nor ease himself by changing Feet” ().