George Washington Papers

General Orders, 26 May 1780

General Orders

Head Quarters Morristown Friday May 26th 1780

Parole Albany Countersigns Parker; Byles.

[Officers] Of the Day Tomorrow[:] Brigadier General Irvine[,] Major Reid[,] Brigade Major Church

For manœuvring tomorrow Colonels Livingston and Johnston, Lieutenant Colonels Sumner1 and Hay; Adjutants from the 2nd Pennsylvania and Hand’s Brigades; Colours as usual Brigade Major Bradford to attend the Formation &ca The Battalions to be formed on the Grand Parade at Six o clock in the Morng.

Four Battalions are to manœuvre next Monday on the Common near Colonel Abeel’s: manœuvring Officers, Colonels Courtlandt, Ganzevoort Jackson and Angell; Lieutenant Colonels Willet, Robinson Mentgez and Huntington: They are to be formed on the Ground at 7 o clock precisely; Eight pieces of Artillery are to be annexed to these Battalions.

The manœuvring officers of the four battalions and the one to command the artillery are to attend the Exercise tomorrow morng.

Clinton’s Stark’s and the Connecticut brigades each give an Adjutant for these Battalions. Colours from the 1st pennsylvania, Clinton’s, stark’s, and the 2nd Connecticutt Brigades.

A Trusty Corporal from Stark’s Brigade and a trusty soldier from each of the other Brigades to parade tomorrow on the Grand Parade with their Packs and Blankets and from thence to be sent to Commissary Gamble’s; They will remain on duty ’till their regiments move from this Ground.

The Courts martial are to adjourn over to next Tuesday and the Officers composing them to have the privelege of joining their Battalions if next for manœuvring duty.

Guards the same as this day.2

After Orders.

Colonel Meigs is appointed to Command one of the manœuvring Battalions vice Colonel Johnston indisposed.

Varick transcript, DLC:GW.

1John Sumner (1735–1787), a native of Middletown, Conn., served as an ensign in the 8th Connecticut Regiment in 1775 and as a major in a state regiment in 1776. He became lieutenant colonel in the 4th Connecticut Regiment in April 1777, after having received a commission as major in the same regiment that January. Sumner served until 1781.

2Another orderly book gives an additional general order: “Details for Manuvering the Same as Before” (Lauber, Orderly Books of the Fourth and Second New York Regiments description begins Almon W. Lauber, ed. Orderly Books of the Fourth New York Regiment, 1778-1780, the Second New York Regiment, 1780-1783, by Samuel Tallmadge and Others, with Diaries of Samuel Tallmadge, 1780-1782, and John Barr, 1779-1782. Albany, 1932. description ends , 362).

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