General Orders, 30 June 1781
General Orders
[Peekskill] Saturday June 30th 1781
Parole Gilford Countersigns Hallifax Ilford.
[Officers] For the Day Tomorrow[:] Major General Parsons[,] Lieutenant Colonel Sherman[,] Major Oliver[,] Inspector—2d Massachusetts brigade
The General expects the pleasure of forming a junction with the French Army in the course of two days1 and as it is his Wish to have the American Line as full and as respectable as it is in the power of our number to make it, he desires that no officer will be absent from Camp except those who are upon Detachment or other unavoidable public duty and directs moreover that the commanding officers of Corps will make a point of it to have all their men in the Line who are not absent in consequence of General orders or upon such other public duty as cannot be dispensed with.
The General flatters himself that it is unnecessary to exhort the officers to be careful in seeing that the men with their Arms Accoutrements and Ammunition are in good order—But when so happy an occasion presents itself to call forth the ambition of the officer and the pride of the soldier he hopes a bare hint will be sufficient.
Major Platt having resigned the office of Deputy Quarter master to the Main Army Lieutenant Colonel Dearborne is appointed in his room and is to be respected accordingly.2
The Detachment under Major Porter to be relieved3—As these Men will be employed on the Lines it is requested the Detachment may be composed of men who are the most capable of active service.
An orderly serjeant from each Division to be sent to the Adjutant General’s Quarters daily.
After Orders
The French Army does not come to this ground and as the General is desirous of showing all the Respect in his power to those Generous Allies who are hastening with the Zeal of Friends and the ardor of Soldiers to share with us the fatigues and dangers of the Campaign, He purposes to receive them at some other convenient place4 and for this purpose will march the whole Line of the American Army now at this encampment at three ô clock on Monday morning next.5
The Rout, the Disposition and Order of March will be given to Major General Lord Stirling6 and as it is possible the march of the French Troops may be impeded by unavoidable accidents the General Desires that Officers and Men will take with them their Blankets and a spare shirt and a sufficiency of Provisions ready cooked to last ’till thursday inclusive especially of Bread.7
The Picquets Camp Guards Officers Guards and every man that is able to march will appear in the line except a few of the most indifferent who may be left to take care of the baggage of each Brigade which ought to be drawn into as narrow a Compass as may be, that the least possible number may suffice to Guard it.
Varick transcript, DLC:GW.
1. The French army arrived on 6 July (see the entry for that date in , 3:390).
2. Lt. Col. Henry Dearborn wrote in his journal entry for 1 July: “Joind the department” (, 211; see also Timothy Pickering to GW, 29 June).
3. For Maj. John Porter’s detachment, see Robert Howe to GW, 20 June, n.1.
4. The American and French armies eventually encamped between Dobbs Ferry and White Plains, N.Y. (see GW to Rochambeau, 3 July, and n.4).
5. The army marched at the appointed time as part of GW’s plan to attack British posts on northern Manhattan Island (see GW to Benjamin Lincoln, 1 July, and the source note to that document; the entry for 2 July in , 3:388; and General Orders, 2 July, and n.1 to that document).
6. For the order of march, see General Orders, 1 July, n.4.
7. Dr. James Thacher wrote in his journal entry for 1 July: “We are ordered to have four days’ provisions cooked, and to march at three o’clock in the morning, leaving all our baggage behind, except a single blanket to each man. It is remarkable that we have so much as four days’ provisions on hand” (, 264).