June 21, 1782.

Resolved, That the Secretary at War institute an immediate enquiry into the reasons which have delayed the arrival of clothing and other necessaries which have already been provided and sent on to the south ern army; and that he take every step in his power to discover the causes of delay, embezzlement, and other circumstances which have so frequently arrested the supplies of the southern army, and report thereon to Congress.

Ordered, That the superintendent of finance report to Congress the causes which have prevented the southern army being supplied by contracts.

Resolved,

August 8, 1782.

That the Secretary at War and superintendent of finance take order that proper magazines be laid up in the said fort [Fort Pitt], which may enable the commanding officer, in case the said fort should be invested by the enemy, to render it tenable until relieved.

October 9, 1782.-"The honorable the superintendent of finance [has] by the fol lowing commission [omitted] appointed Ezekiel Cornell, esq., inspector for the main army for the purpose therein mentioned" [to take care that the contracts for supplying rations be truly executed]. (Orders, General Headquarters, Verplank's Point.) October 15, 1782.-"The Commander in Chief directs the Army to be informed that, in consequence of instructions from the superintendent of finance, the Honorable Mr. Cornell hath entered into a contract with Messrs. Wadsworth & Carter to supply the main army, the garrison at West Point, and its dependencies with rations of provisions from the 16th instant until the last day of December next, inclusive. All applications for provisions are therefore to be made to them or their agents; and no receipts or vouchers for the delivery of provisions are to be given except to them or persons issuing under their authority. The aforesaid contractors, Wadsworth & Carter, are to have the use of all commissary's storehouses, scales, and weights belonging to the public in the department, they taking care that the property of the former contractors be as little injured thereby as possible." (Orders, General Headquarters, Verplank's Point.)·

October 29, 1782.

Resolved, That the Quartermaster-General be allowed 15 rations per day; That the deputy quartermaster with the southern army be allowed 12 rations per day;

That all assistants in the Quartermaster's Department be allowed, each of them, two rations per day;

That the wagon master, commissary of forage for the main army, and commissary of forage for the southern army be each allowed five rations per day;

That the deputy wagon master with the southern army be allowed four rations per day;

That the wagon conductors be each of them allowed a ration and a half per day;

That the directors of the artificers be allowed, each of them, three rations per day, and the subdirectors, each of them, two rations per day;

And that the foregoing rations shall be inclusive of what the several officers aforesaid may be entitled to draw in the line of the Army.

November 12, 1782.

Resolved, That the geographer to the main army and the geographer to the southern department be each of them allowed

three

rations per day, per day, [and] a servant, for whom they shall be entitled to draw one ration per day and the clothing allowed for a private soldier;

That the assistant geographers ration per day,

November 26, 1782.-"The Commander in Chief has the pleasure of announcing that a delivery of two shirts per man will shortly be made to the whole Army.' (Orders, General Headquarters, Newburgh.)

December 2, 1782.-"The abstracts of the subsistence of the Army, up to the time the contractor settled with the officers (whose certificate is then to be taken), are to be sent to the deputy paymaster at the Forge, near Murderer's Creek, as soon as possible." (Orders, General Headquarters, Newburgh.)

December 23, 1782.-"The difficulty of transportation having delayed a considerable proportion of the shirts, which are ready-made in Philadelphia and which may now soon be expected, those which have arrived are to be drawn for by lot."-(Orders, General Headquarters, Newburgh.)

December 28, 1782.-" Allowance of subsistence money to be supplied the officers in lieu of rations for themselves and servants, without arms, according to an act of Congress of the 3d December, 1782."

January 3, 1783.-Duplicate accounts of the subsistence of departments and general officers' family, to be signed by the heads of the departments and general officers." (Orders, General Headquarters, Newburgh.)

February 25, 1783.—“The contractors for the Army having desired that, agreeably to contract, a person might be appointed to inspect the cattle destined for the Army,

Henry Wykoff, esq., of Fishkill, is appointed for that purpose until the pleasure of the superintendent of finance shall be known." (Orders, General Headquarters, Newburgh.)

March 19, 1783.-"The contractors are requested to have an ample supply of vinegar, that the issue of that article may be regular as soon as the warm weather commences. (Orders, General Headquarters, Newburgh.)

March 24, 1783.-"It is recommended to the troops to make regimental gardens for the purpose of raising greens and vegetables for their own use, and, in order to collect a sufficient quantity of seeds, commanding officers of regiments will give passes to as many trusty soldiers as they may judge necessary to go into the country and be absent not exceeding ten days. The General hopes he shall see a suitable attention bestowed on an article which will contribute so much to the comfort and health of the troops. He even flatters himself it will become a matter of amusement and of emulation. The Quartermaster-General is also desired to advertise in the newspapers, giving proper invitation and encouragement to those who may be disposed to send or bring in garden seeds of all kinds to his office, which will be equitably divided and faithfully applied to the soldiery." (Orders, General Headquarters, Newburgh.)

April 12, 1783.—“Application is to be made to the assistant clothier-general for another distribution of shirts; also, returns to be giyen in to him of the men who have not received hats for the last year." (Orders, General Headquarters, Newburgh.)

April 17, 1783.

Resolved, That immediate measures be taken for the sale of

all such articles in the several military departments as may not be necessary for the use of the Army, previous to its reduction, or for the formation of magazines on a peace establishment.

January 24, 1784.

Resolved, That the principals in the several departments of

clothier, be, and they are hereby, ordered to transmit, as soon as may be, to the War Office, to be laid before Congress, exact returns of all the stores in their respective departments, specifying the quantity and quality of each article, where deposited, in whose care, and in what manner secured.

Resolved, That the

of issues,

February 23, 1785.

commissary of purchases, commissary be required, without delay, to forward to the board of treasury or to the Comptroller a list of their respective deputies who have been duly authorized to issue certificates.

September 6, 1785.

Ordered, That the Secretary at War, as soon as may be, cause to be made and transmitted to Congress an exact return of all wagons, tents and public stores, or property of every description, the custody of which is charged on the Department of War, distinguishing the quantity or number, quality, and kind of each, and the several places of their deposits; and that he transmit a like return on the first Monday in January and the first Monday in July annually.

October 2, 1788.

The committee, consisting of Mr. Howard, Mr. Few, Mr. Dayton, Mr. Gilman, and Mr. Carrington, appointed to make full inquiry into

the proceedings in the Department of War, beg leave to report and to present to the view of Congress a summary statement of the various branches of the Department of War.

The roops enlisted in 1785 have already received two complete suits, and most of them have one year's clothing, complete, due to them.

Provision was made for the 3d year's clothing, but the Secretary at War has been constrained to apply it for the recruits; otherwise they could not have been enlisted, good clothing being the greatest inducement for a recruit to enlist into the service.

The board of treasury have advertised for a contract for clothing, and hope to succeed, in which case the old soldiers who have reenlisted will receive their third suit in October next. Those of this description who will be discharged will probably prefer a compensation in money to the clothing.

The troops on the frontiers enlisted in 1786 have also received two suits of clothing, and will, if the board of treasury succeed in their contract, duly receive their third suit.

The two companies of artillery raised in Massachusetts have received only one year's clothing; they will probably receive their second suit in the ensuing October.

6TH. OF THE MODE IN WHICH THE TROOPS ARE FURNISHED WITH PROVISIONS.

In the year 1785 Mr. James O'Hara made a contract with the board of treasury for furnishing the several posts on the frontiers with rations, which were to consist of

One pound of beef or three-quarters of a pound of pork.

One pound of bread or flour.

One gill of common rum.

One quart of salt,

Two quarts of vinegar, for every 100 rations.

Two pounds of soap,

One pound of candles,

The prices of which at the several posts where the troops were actually stationed were as follows:

At Fort Pitt,

M'Intosh,134 ninetieths of a dollar.
Harmar,

The contract was performed tolerably well; some complaints were made respecting particular posts, but the defects were, perhaps, inseparably connected with the state of the frontiers and of public affairs.

In 1786 a contract was formed by the board of treasury for the same objects with Messrs. Turnbull, Marmie & Co., the articles of the ration to consist of the same as the preceding, and the prices thereof. 10 ninetieths of a dollar.

At Fort Pitt,

There were some stipulations for payment by warrants on the State

of Pennsylvania, which were paid in the paper currency by the said State when greatly depreciated. This contract was ill executed, and the mode of payment was assigned by the contractors as the reason. 1787, a contract was formed by the board of treasury with Mr. James O'Hara at the prices herein stated:

This contract was better executed than any of the former. The payments were generally made in warrants on New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Maryland.

A new contract has been formed, to take effect from the 1st of July of the present year to the end of the year 1789, by Messrs. Elliot and Williams, of Maryland, at the following prices:

The terms of payment, by warrants on Maryland.

Act of April 30, 1790 (1 Stats., 119).

AN ACT for regulating the military establishment of the United States.

SEC. 9. That every noncommissioned officer, private, and musician aforesaid shall receive annually the following articles of uniform clothing: One hat or helmet, one coat, one vest, two pair of woolen and two pair of linen overalls, four pair of shoes, four shirts, two pair of socks, one blanket, one stock and clasp, and one pair of buckles.

SEC. 10. That every noncommissioned officer, private, and musician aforesaid shall receive daily the following rations of provisions, or the value thereof: One pound of beef or three-quarters of a pound of pork, one pound of bread or flour, half a gill of rum, brandy, or whiskey, or the value thereof at the contract price when the same shall become due, and at the rate of one quart of salt, two quarts of vinegar, two pounds of soap, and one pound of candles to every hundred rations.

AN ACT making alterations in the Treasury and War Departments.

SEC. 5. That all purchases and contracts for supplying the Army with provisions, clothing, and all other supplies or articles for the use of the Department of War be made by or under the direction of the Treasury Department.

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