General Orders, 10 June 1779
General Orders
Head-Quarters Smith’s Tavern [N.Y.] Thursday June 10th 1779.
Parole Needham—C. Signs Newton. Natick.
The rum and whisky in the Magazine to be divided among the brigade commissaries and a gill pr man issued to the whole Army this day.
Four days flour to be issued to the troops so that the whole army may be served with flour up to sunday next inclusive—Two days fresh beef to be issued to day, and cattle equal to two days supply to be with each brigade commissary, ready to be slaughtered when wanted.
All deficiencies of meat on the march are to be made good to the troops.
The General directs that returns for the present deficiencies of shoes, in the several regiments be immediately made out (so as to be ready to draw them as soon as they arrive) agreeable to the mode pointed out in the order of the 30th of May last, which is to be strictly and inviolably observed in drawing every future supply of clothing and necessaries.1
The Quarter Master General is desired to have the roads leading from the several divisions to Chester2 examined and apply for the necessary parties to repair them.
Varick transcript, DLC:GW.
Adj. Gen. Alexander Scammell’s orderly book entry for this date includes the following additional general order: “A Sub. Serjt Corpl Drum and Fife and twenty privates from the pennsylvania Line to mount this afternoon at Baron steuben’s quarters” (orderly book, 22 Dec. 1778–26 June 1779, DNA: RG 93, Orderly Books, 1775–1783, vol. 28).
1. GW’s secretary Robert Hanson Harrison wrote Daniel Kemper, assistant clothier general, on 14 June: “His Excellency the Commander in Chief desires that you will remove all the Shirts—Shoes—& Overalls and any Other Light Cloathing there may be at New German Town, which the Troops may probably want, to the Neighbour[hood] of this Camp. Chester the General thinks, will be a proper place. You will also have Two hundred suits of complete Uniform, that is to say, a Hundred of Brown & a Hundred of blue—and a small numbr of Blankets brought with the above Articles to supply contingent demands. All the rest of the Cloathing in your Hands at German Town, is to be carried to Easton and there to be safely stored till further Orders.
“That there never may be a deficiency of Supplies to answer occasional purposes—The General directs, that you take especial care after every issue of Light Cloathing Viz. of Shirts—Shoes—Overalls and Hunting Shirts, to have a Small proportion of each brought to the Store near the Army. This to be a constant rule. And it having been found that a great part of the shoes lately brought to Camp were entirely unfit for service—His Excellency also directs, that when ever any future supplies of this Article arrive, you will have the Shoes inspected—and report any defects that there may be; particularly specifying where & from whom they were procured, in order that they may be returned and the public saved a heavy expence.
“After you have made a disposition for moving the Cloathing, you will return to the Army—sending a proper person with those going to Easton to have them securely & properly stored” (DLC:GW).
2. Chester was a village in Orange County, N.Y., about eight miles due west of the army encampments. Roads toward Chester met the principal route running north and south through Smiths Clove at Smith’s tavern and a short distance north of June’s tavern.