V. To a Board of General Officers, 12 June 1781
V
To a Board of General Officers
[12 June 1781]
At a Board of General Officers convened at New Windsor the 12th day of June 1781.
Present
His Excellency The Commander in Chief
| Majors General | Brigadiers General | |
| Lord Stirling | Knox | |
| Genl How | Patterson | |
| Genl Parsons | Hand | |
| Genl McDougall | Huntington | |
| Du Portail1 |
The Commander in Chief informed the Board, that the principal reason of his calling them together was to make them acquainted with the plan of operations concerted between His Excellency The Count de Rochambeau and himself, at their late meeting at Wethersfeild—He requested that they would, at all times in the course of those operations, give him their advice and opinions, individually, without hesitation or reserve—assuring them, that he should ever receive them with thankfulness, and that, although circumstances or other considerations might sometimes lay him under the necessity of taking measures different from what might be proposed, he hoped that would be no impediment to their still continuing to communicate to him their Ideas.2
The Commander in Chief urged to the Board the necessity of œconomising provisions, and recommended to the Generals, particularly the Brigadiers, the necessity of inspecting the Returns made by their Commissaries upon every drawing day, in order to see that the quantity of Rations drawn did not exceed the number to which the Brigade was strictly intitled, assuring them that he should, in future, look upon them as answerable for any irregularities upon this head—He here took occasion to state to the Board, generally, the present System of the departments of Commissaries General of Purchases and Issues, and shewed the impossibility of their being, upon their present plan, a check, as was intended, upon each other, and wished the Board to take the matter into consideration and report any method which appeared to them more likely to answer the end proposed3—He also desired them to take the following matters into consideration and report upon them accordingly.
1st: A plan for the regular inspection of the Magazines of provision—that the state of the provision may not only be constantly known but that the Commissaries may be called to account for any damage which may appear owing to their negligence.4
2d: Whether the number of Issuing posts to the Northward of Virginia (agreeable to a return which will be laid before them by the Commy Genl) appear to them necessary. If they do not, pointing out which, in their opinions, ought to be abolished.5
3d. A plan for baking for the Army drawn up by General Knox.6
4th: The proportion of Women which ought to be allowed to any given number of Men, and to whom Rations shall be allowed.
5th: What Officers of the Staff shall be allowed to draw Waiters from the line of the Army.
6th. Whether it will be safe, during our advance towards New York and while we are operating against that place, to trust the posts at King’s Ferry and West point to the following Garrisons—composed of the weakliest and worst Men, but who are always to remain in the Works assigned them.7
7th: How soon will it be advisable to encamp the Army—and what place will be best to draw them together in the first instance.8
Go: Washington
DS, in Tench Tilghman’s writing, NHi; copy, DLC:GW; Varick transcript, DLC:GW. For the distribution of invitations to attend this board, see GW to Robert Howe, 11 June.
Writing at “Tuesday Noon,” presumably this date, GW’s aide-de-camp Tench Tilghman wrote Charles Stewart, commissary general of issues: “The General Officers who are assembled here will be glad to see you” (MH: Stewart Papers).
1. A different hand wrote the names on the LS.
3. A plan to restructure the supply departments under the quartermaster general had been rejected (see Board of War to GW, 22 March, and GW to the Board of War, 30 March).
4. For orders to inspect magazines at West Point, see GW to Howe, 2 June; see also GW to Alexander McDougall, 22 June.
5. Tilghman had written Stewart from headquarters on 11 June: “Will it be possible for you by tomorrow at ten or eleven oClock to make an accurate return or one tolerably so of the issuing posts to the Northward of Virginia” (MH: Stewart Papers). Stewart replied, presumably to Tilghman, on the same date: “I have sent you the last return I have been enabled to Make of the posts and Issuing Stores, which was done in February since that I have Ordered the post at Pitts Town, Rariton Landing, Burlington & Ha[ck]ets Town, broke up, and the stores on hand removed to the most convenient posts that are yet continued. I have wrote Mr Gray and Mr Gamble to reduce any that can possibly be abolished in their Districts, But do not know how many or which can be broke up, it will not therefore be in my power to make a return more Accurate than this, before I receive the returns from the respective Deputys. this will be soon and I daily expect it, I have no Copy of this return in Camp if it be needfull But will have One taken if You want this” (MH: Stewart Papers). The February return has not been identified.
6. This plan has not been identified, but see Document VI.
7. A table then appears that lists the fortifications at West Point and troops proposed for each installation: “North Redoubt”: 1 subaltern, 2 sergeants, and 25 rank and file; and “Middle Redoubt”: 1 subaltern, 2 sergeants, and 25 rank and file. One captain oversaw the garrisons in these two redoubts. Constitution Island held 1 captain, 2 subalterns, 3 sergeants, and 40 rank and file. Redoubts Number 1–4 each contained 1 subaltern, 2 sergeants and 25 rank and file. One captain oversaw the garrison in Numbers 1–2, and another captain oversaw the garrisons in Numbers 3–4. One lieutenant colonel oversaw the garrisons in Numbers 1–4. Forts follow: Fort Putnam: 1 captain, 2 subalterns, 3 sergeants, and 75 rank and file; Fort Webb: 1 sergeant, and 10 rank and file; Fort Wyllis: 1 subaltern, 2 sergeants, and 25 rank and file; and Fort Clinton: 1 colonel, 4 captains, 8 subalterns, 12 sergeants, and 140 rank and file. One major oversaw the garrisons at forts Putnam, Webb, and Wyllis. Totals for garrisons at West Point were 1 colonel, 1 lieutenant colonel, 1 major, 9 captains, 19 subalterns, 33 sergeants, and 440 rank and file. For the fortifications at West Point, see GW to Henry Knox, 20 Aug. 1779.
The table continues with garrisons for the termini at King’s Ferry, N.Y.: Stony Point: 1 captain, 1 subaltern, 2 sergeants, and 30 rank and file; and Verplanck Point: 1 major, 1 subaltern, 2 sergeants, and 30 rank and file. Totals were 1 major, 1 captain, 2 subalterns, 4 sergeants, and 60 rank and file. The combined total for the garrisons at West Point and King’s Ferry were 1 colonel, 1 lieutenant colonel, 2 majors, 10 captains, 21 subalterns, 37 sergeants, and 500 rank and file.
8. For the reply, see Document VI.