General Orders, 29 August 1780
General Orders
Head Quarters Tean Neck [N.J.] Tuesday August 29th 1780
Parole Kingston Countersigns Kent; Keep.
Watchword, Always ready.
[Officers] For the Day Tomorrow[:] Brigadier General Clinton[,] Lieutenant Colonels Peters and Hull[,] Brigade Major Ashley. For Guard[:] Major Grier
From the Deficiency of Field officers in the Jersey brigade and more particularly in the regiment to which Lieutenant Colonel Barber belongs; He is permitted for the present to decline the duties of Inspector and confine himself to those of his regiment. Major Fish will in the mean time perform the duties of Division Inspector.
As black and red feathers have been furnished the Division of Light Infantry to distinguish it from the rest of the Army they are not to be worn by any officers or soldiers but those who belong to it.1
At a General Court martial of the Line held 27th of July last whereof Colonel Richard Butler was President,2 Philip Lankfitt and Richard Peters of the 4th regiment of Light dragoons were tried for “Robbing Joseph Wessells of sundry Articles in presence of the said Wessell’s Wife” found Guilty of the charge exhibited against them being a breach of article 21st Section 13th of the Articles of war and sentenced each of them to receive one hundred lashes—The Commander in Chief approves the sentence.3
At a General court martial of the line whereof Colonel Greaton is President4 Captain Hopkins of the 4th regiment of light dragoons was tried for “Having repeatedly sold public horses and applied the money to his own use.”
At the same court Lieutenant Trent of the same regiment was tried for “disobedience of orders the 23d of July last.”
The Court are of opinion that Captain Hopkins is not Guilty of the charge and do acquit him. The General approves the Acquittal—Captain Hopkins is released from his Arrest.
At the same court Lieutenant Trent of the same regiment was tried for “disobedience of orders the 23d of July last.”
The Court are of opinion Lieutenant Trent is Guilty of the Charge against him and do sentence that he be reprimanded by the commanding officer of the regiment to which he belongs.
The Commander in Chief approves the sentence and orders it to be carried into execution tomorrow and that then he be releas’d from his Arrest.5
At the same court Asa Snow soldier in the 12th Massachusett’s regiment was tried for “Disobedience of orders and attempting the life of Captain Allen in the execution of his duty by stabbing him with a fixed Bayonet on the evening of the 7th Instant” found Guilty of disobedience of orders, and attempting the life of Captain Allen by stabbing him with a fixed bayonet in breach of Article 5 Section 18th of the Articles of war and sentenced to receive one hundred lashes on his bare back.6
The Commander in Chief approves the sentence and orders it to be executed tomorrow morning at the Head of the regiment to which he belongs.7
Mr Israel Weed Assistant Commissary of Issues was likewise tried for “selling Flour Meat spirits and salt out of the public Stores without proper authority—Secondly for not delivering Coffee and Butter drawn for the brigade” The Court are of opinion that Mr Weed is not Guilty of either of the Charges and do acquit him with Honor.
The Commander in Chief confirms the opinion of the Court—Mr Weed is released from Arrest.8
Varick transcript, DLC:GW.
Lt. Col. William Butler, who commanded the 4th Pennsylvania Regiment, wrote GW’s secretary Robert Hanson Harrison on this date: “I receiv’d your Letter, and the inclos’d papers respecting Mr James Hunter, late Pay Master of my Regt. you desire to know, to what period, in my Opinion, Mr Hunter ought to be paid to, Mr Hunter was Muster’d in the Regimt up to the first of June 1779, which was the last time, we was Muster’d, on the Western Expedition. I think Mr Hunter is entitled to pay, up to the first of Septr 1779, at, or about, that time, he left Tyoga, contrary to my Orders. Immediately after, we march’d for the Genese country—Mr Hunter has been the chief of this Summer, settling his Accounts, with the Auditors.
“His Excellency, will be the Judge, of what Mr Hunter is entitled to, for this service” (DNA: RG 93, manuscript file no. 15478). Harrison then wrote the Board of War on this date enclosing “a Memorial” from Hunter to GW and a letter from Butler to Hunter. Harrison also relayed GW’s decision to allow Hunter “pay to the last of August 1779 in settling his Accounts. He desires the inclosed papers to be filed with the Accts” (DNA: RG 93, manuscript file no. 15499). Hunter’s undated petition to GW indicated that he “is now near the Close of his Accounts with the Auditors of the main Army, in the Year 1778, the Regiment was Ordered to the Northward at which time your Memorialist had Reason to believe he was not Intended for the New Ar[r]angement, when he applied to the Col: for Leave to settle his Accounts and Return Home, but the Col. insisted on his going with the Regiment with which he Complied—that again in June 1779 at Cannjoharry your Memorialist made the same Request, but the Col. insisted on his going the Expedition, as will appear by a Written order from the Col: with which he also Complied, when som[e]time in the Winter a Paymaster was appointed out of the Line; your Memorialist has Recd no Pay since the 1st April 1779, That in Justice to your Memorialist Pay to the End of the Year 1779 together with the supernumerary Pay (as he has Recd no Benefits of Cloathing from the State or the Public in General Except one pair of Overalls and three pair of Shoes) will be a Small Compensation for his Past services” (DS, DNA: RG 93, manuscript file no. 31431). For the army arrangement, see General Orders, 7 June 1778; for the expedition against the Six Nations, see John Sullivan to GW, 28 Sept. 1779.
James Hunter, a lieutenant in the 3d Pennsylvania Regiment in 1776, became the 4th Pennsylvania Regiment’s paymaster in January 1777 and was promoted to captain in 1778.
1. See Lafayette to GW, 28 Aug., and n.6 to that document.
2. For the organization of this court-martial, see General Orders, 9 July.
3. Philip Langfit (Langford; born c.1757) became a private in the 3d Virginia Regiment in 1776 and rose to corporal in 1777. He joined the 4th Continental Dragoons that December as a private and likely left the army in late 1780. He swore an affidavit in Prince William County, Va., on 8 June 1820 that he worked as “a Cooper,” but being “lame and infirm,” could not “pursue his trade” (DNA: RG 15, Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty-Land Warrant Application Files).
The general orders likely refer to Richard Pitt (d. 1820), who enlisted as a private in the 4th Continental Dragoons in December 1777 and probably left the army in late 1780.
The twenty-first article of the thirteenth section of the articles of war reads: “If any officer or soldier shall leave his post or colors to go in search of plunder, he shall upon being convicted thereof before a general court-martial, suffer death, or such punishment as by a court-martial shall be inflicted” (, 5:799).
4. For the organization of this court-martial, see General Orders, 10 and 11 August.
5. Lawrence Trant (Trent)joined the 4th Continental Dragoons as a lieutenant and regimental quartermaster in October 1779 and eventually became captain.
6. The victim possibly was Noah Allen (1735–1822), a captain in the 13th Massachusetts Regiment. He joined the 1st Massachusetts Regiment in January 1781 and retired as major in August 1782.
The fifth article of the eighteenth section of the articles of war reads: “All crimes not capital, and all disorders and neglects which officers and soldiers may be guilty of, to the prejudice of good order and military discipline, though not mentioned in the above articles of war, are to be taken cognizance of by a general or regimental court-martial, according to the nature and degree of the offence, and be punished at their discretion” (, 5:807).
7. Asa Snow (Sole; d. 1837) enlisted as a private in the 12th Massachusetts Regiment for a six-month term in July 1780.
8. Israel Weed (1725–1795) served on the Committee of Safety for Stamford, Conn., in 1775. For his appointment as “Brigade Commissary” because of a furlough, see , 306.