General Orders, 21 November 1780
General Orders
Head Quarters Totowa Tuesday November 21st 1780
Parole Verona Countersigns T. U.
Watchword Valor.
[Officers] For the day Tomorrow[:] Brigadier General Wayne[,] Lieutenant Colonel commandant Smith[,] Lieutenant Colonel Peters[,] Major Maxwell[,] Brigade Major Moore
The General having received intelligence that the enemy mean to make a Forage in this State; The Army is to be held in readiness to move at a moments warning: They will keep two days provision cooked before hand—The officers are to remain in Camp and no passes granted to soldiers to go beyond the limits of Camp ’till further orders.1
The Quarter Master General will have orders respecting the horses of the army.
Varick transcript, DLC:GW.
1. For intelligence pointing to an enemy forage operation into northern New Jersey, see Lafayette to GW, 19 November. Preparations to confront such an incursion also subserved GW’s offensive plans (see The Aborted Attack on the Northern Approaches to New York City and the Feint on Staten Island, 9–24 Nov., editorial note).
Massachusetts soldier Nathaniel Cowdrey wrote in his diary entry for this date: “orders was Read today for every man to have two days Privisions Coocked, and every Man to Stand Ready at a minits warning to March” ( 415). In his diary entry for this date, Lt. William S. Pennington of the 2d Continental Artillery wrote that GW had “ordered the Army to be in readiness to march at the shortest notice, with two days’ provisions ready cooked. In consequence of the above order, the horses of the Army are ordered into camp” ( 324).