General Orders, 29 September 1777
General Orders
Head Quarters, at Pennybecker’s mills [Pa.] Sept. 29th 1777
Parole: Whiteplains.Countersigns: North Castle. Stamford.
The troops are to be in readiness to march this morng at Ten o’clock.1
John White Esqr. is appointed a Volunteer Aid-de-Camp to Major General Sullivan, and is to be respected as such.2
Lieut. Col. Hendricks is promoted to the rank of Colonel of the 1st Virginia regt in the room of Col. Reed deceased.3
Major Simms of the 13th Virginia regt to be Lieut. Col. of the 6th in the room of Lieut: Col. Hendricks promoted.
Capt: Campbell of the 8th—to be Major of the 13th V—regiment in the room of Major Simms promoted.
The Brigadiers or Officers commanding brigades are to parade their respective brigades, at 8 O’clock to morrow morning and under their own eyes, have exact returns made, of the officers and men, present on the ground, which returns they are immediately afterwards, to transmit, to the Adjutant General. Such of their officers as are absent on duty, or sick, they are as speedily as possible, to order to join their corps. If any such officers get taken by the enemy, they will not be exchanged.
Varick transcript, DLC:GW.
Weedon’s orderly book includes the following order in the general orders for this date: “Three Parties of 150 Men each are to parade to morrow morning at Sunrise at the Park of Artillery with two Days Provisions cookd but to leave their Packs at their Quars., Major Joynes, Majr. Sneed & Major Howell is each to command one of the Parties” (, 62).
1. Adj. Gen. Timothy Pickering says in his journal entry for this date: “We marched from Pennybacker’s Mills down to Skippack [Creek], within about twenty-five miles of Philadelphia” (, 1:166). Lt. James McMichael’s diary entry for this date reads: “At 10 A.M. we marched from Pennybecker’s Mill to the Methodist meeting house, where we remained several days” ( 152).
2. John White, a native of Ireland who left his family and business in England to participate in the American Revolutionary War, died on 10 Oct. 1777 of wounds received at the Battle of Germantown.
3. Isaac Read (1740–1777) of Charlotte County, Va., who served in the Virginia House of Burgesses 1769–71 and the second, third, and fourth Virginia conventions in 1775–76, became lieutenant colonel of the 4th Virginia Regiment in February 1776, and he was promoted to colonel of the 1st Virginia Regiment the following August.