General Orders, 9 October 1780
General Orders
Head Quarters Totowa Monday October 9th 1780.
Parole Paramus Countersigns Perth, Pell.
Watchword Pracaness.
[Officers] For the day Tomorrow[:] Brigadier General Glover[,] Colonel Wyllys[,] Lieutenant Colonel Mellen[,] Major Wallbridge[,] Brigade Major Pettingell
Colonel Moylan with his regiment of Cavalry will take post near the little falls and Major Parr with his Corps at the Notch;1 and both will patrole on the roads towards Newark and Aququakanung.
The Marquis de la Fayette will post Major Lee’s corps on his left and take care of the Approaches to his incampment.2
As the Army is incamped very conveniently for wood the destruction of fences will be without excuse and must be prevented at all events—The officers commanding divisions and brigades are particularly requested to examine the present state of them that they may be the better able to detect and punish the offenders against this order—The General wishes also that all possible care may be taken to prevent injury to the Fruit trees in which he includes the Chesnut, many of which he has seen cut down in order to come at the nuts.
The Marechausie will perform the duties of the Camp and Captain Bedkin’s Corps will furnish orderlies to Head Quarters.
The Grand Parade is assigned for the present near the great falls where the guards and Picquets are to parade at five ô clock this afternoon.
The Troop to beat at eight ô clock ’till further orders and the Guards to be on the Grand Parade at nine precisely.
Varick transcript, DLC:GW.
Pvt. Elijah Fisher of the 11th Massachusetts Regiment wrote in his journal entry for this date: “We left Puramas and Come to Quackit [Aquakinunk] and Encampt” (, 16). Lt. William S. Pennington of the 2d Continental Artillery Regiment wrote in his diary entry for this date: “Agreeably to the orders of yesterday, the Army resumed their march, and arrived at their ground, 4 o’clock p.m., near the little village of Totaway, near which are the remarkable Passaic Falls. The whole river falls near 100 feet perpendicular. The corps of light infantry arrived in the vicinity of this place to-day” ( 323).
1. The general orders refer to the Little Falls of the Passaic River and Great Notch in the Watchung Mountains.
2. GW wrote an undated document titled “Opposition” that detailed defensive measures in case of an enemy movement into New Jersey “by the way of New-Ark—or Elizabeth Town” or “by the way of the No. River” (AD, DLC:GW; see also General Orders, 15 Oct.).