From George Washington to the U.S. Senate, 29 December 1794
To the United States Senate
United States December 29th 1794.
Gentlemen of the Senate.
I nominate the following persons for the promotions to which they are intitled in the legion of the United States. Nominations for new appointments may hereafter be made.
| Cavalry | |||
| Leonard Covington | Captain | vice Fleming deceased | |
| John Webb | ditto | 20 August 1794 | vice Ms Campbell killed |
| John Posey | Lieutenant | vice Covington promoted. | |
| William H. Blue1 | ditto | vice Dunn deceased | |
| Matthias Slough Junr | ditto | 20 August 1794 | vice Webb promoted |
| First Sub Legion2 | |||
| Bernard Gaines | Captain | 30 June 1794 | vice Kersey promoted |
| Bartholomew Shomberg | ditto | ditto | vice Hartshorne killed |
| John Wade | ditto | 1 July | vice Peters promoted. |
| Ross Bird | ditto | 6 July | vice Jeffers resigned |
| Third Sub Legion | |||
| William MacRea | Captain | vice Hannah deceased | |
| Fourth Sub Legion | |||
| Thomas Butler | Lieut. Col. | 1 July 1794 | vice Clark resigned |
| Commandt | |||
| William Kersey | Major | 30 June | vice McMahan killed |
| William Peters | ditto | 1 July | vice Butler promoted |
The following persons having been conditionally appointed by me during the recess of the Senate to perform the several Offices herein after mentioned I now therefore nominate them for the advice and consent of the Senate–
| William Aylet Lee | Virginia | Captain | vice Williamson declined to rank from 12 July 1794. | |||
| Michael Kalteisen | South Carolina | do | vice Pitkin | do | do | 18 July |
| Donald Grant Mitchell | Connecticut | do | vice Morris | do | do | 8 August |
| David Hale | Vermont | Lieutenant | vice Yates | do | do | 17 July |
| Theophilus Elmer | New Jersey | ditto | vice Dinsmoor | resigned | do | ditto |
| William Wilson | Maryland | ditto | vice Drinkwater | declined | do | ditto |
| Horatio Dayton | New Jersey | ditto | vice Ripley | ditto | do | ditto |
| William Morris | Georgia | ditto | vice Habersham | ditto | do | 29 July |
| George Hardy | Virginia | ditto | vice Barton | ditto | do | ditto |
| Jonathan Remington | Massachusetts | vice Sullivan declined to rank from 17 July 1794 | |||
| John W. Thompson | ditto | vice Jackson | ditto | ditto | ditto |
| Edward Voss | Virginia | vice Bradley | ditto | ditto | ditto |
| Edward Chatham | Maryland | vice Hoyt | ditto | ditto | 1 August |
| Yelverton Peyton | Virginia | vice Hoge | ditto | ditto | ditto |
Go: Washington
LS, DNA: RG 46, entry 38; copy, DLC:GW.
The Senate considered these nominations on 30 Dec. and approved them, “except those of the Artillerists, Engineers and Ensigns in the Sub-Legions, postponed for further information.” On 7 Jan. 1795, the Senate disapproved the nomination of William Aylett Lee and approved the remaining appointments (, 167, 169). War Department chief clerk John Stagg, Jr., wrote GW’s secretary Bartholomew Dandridge, Jr., on 13 Jan. 1795: “The Secretary of War requests that you will please to obtain the President’s signature to a few commissions for the officers of artillerists which were suspended until the Senate should confirm their appointments” (DLC:GW). GW signed those eight commissions on 14 Jan. (, 325).
1. GW was referring to William K. Blue.
2. Because the nominations for the First Sub Legion failed to account for the resignation of Capt. James Clay, the commissioning of the following four officers was suspended, and GW sent revised nominations to the Senate on 12 June 1795.