General Orders, 28 June 1781
General Orders
Head Quarters Peekskill Thursday June 28th 1781
Parole Army. Countersigns Bakewell Cookwell
[Officers] For the day tomorrow. Major General Lincoln[,] Lieutenant Colonel C. Smith[,] Major Rice. Inspector—2d Connecticut brigade
The Commanding officers of the Picquets and other guards will be particularly attentive in examining the passes of soldiers and in detaining those respecting whose permissions there is any suspicion of deception untill they can be reported to an officer of the Day.
Country people or transient persons coming to or going from the Army if they cannot give a good account of themselves are to be treated in the same manner without having any insult or outrage offered them.
The Rolls are to be called at least three times a day, the men to be all present or satisfactorily accounted for.
The General presents his Compliments to the General and Field officers of the day and expects the pleasure of their company at dinner the day succeeding that on which they are on duty.
In order to save the consumption of forage and to prevent the destruction of the property of Individuals without a compensation—the Forage masters are to point out the meadows and pastures which are to be appropriated to the use of the army—none are to be taken up for the public or occupied but in this mode.
The Forage Master General will also take measures to have as great a quantity of Grass cut as is practicable for the purpose of preventing waste and extending the use of forage as far as possible.
The Commissary General of Issues will take effectual measures to procure a supply of Hard bread for the Army.1
Untill further orders Picquets will mount daily at the places pointed out by Major General Lord Stirling for the purpose of securing the Avenues to Camp.
For the present the Vacancy left in the Centre of the second line for the Park of Artillery &ca will be the Grand Parade where the Guards are to Assemble every morning at Eight ô clock.2
A Baker from each Brigade will be immediately sent to Colonel Stewart Commissary General at Peekskill Landing.
Varick transcript, DLC:GW.
On this date, GW’s aide-de-camp David Humphreys wrote Col. Alexander Scammell from Peekskill: “His Excellency requests the favor of your Company at dinner tomorrow if you are not engaged. At any rate he wishes to see you some time tomorrow without fail, & that you will bring with you, an accurate state of the Troops under your command, and also of Major [John] Porter’s Detachment—Noting the present strength, and the number of Men who from weakness or any kind of inability are not very capable of active service” (DLC:GW). For Scammell’s command, see General Orders, 17 May.
French war commissary Claude Blanchard wrote in his journal that he spent time on this date in the Continental army “camp and saw two regiments go through their exercise. The soldiers marched pretty well, but they handled their arms badly. There were some fine-looking men; also many who were small and thin, and even some children twelve or thirteen years old. They have no uniforms and in general are badly clad” (, 115).
1. See GW to Charles Stewart, 1 July, and n.3 to that document; see also GW to Alexander McDougall, this date, and Stewart to GW, 3 July.
2. For the orders given in the previous two paragraphs, see Stirling to GW, 27 June. John Singer Dexter, assistant to the adjutant general, kept an orderly book that also included an order drawn from the postscript of Stirling’s letter, adding that the position was “on the road leading to Fishkill” (DLC: Peter Force Collection).