Mr. Davis was appointed, in the room of Capt. Stone, on the committee who were appointed to consider the petition from Edward Parry. Adjourned to Monday morning, eight o'clock. MONDAY, June 26, 1775. Ordered, That the committee appointed to consider the petition of Mr. Edward Parry, and the report of Col. Thompson relative to his conduct at Kennebec, be directed to consider his the said Thompson's conduct at Falmouth, with respect to Capt. Mowat and Capt. Coulson, and his laying Mr. Bernard under bonds. Ordered, That the committee appointed to deliver out commissions, be directed to draw a fair list of all those officers in the army, who have been commissioned, which list shall be attested by the secretary, and transmitted to General Ward. A letter from the committee of safety, proposing that the Congress should appoint two persons to superintend the supply of the army, was read, and committed to the committee who have under consideration the regulation of the army. Ordered, That Mr. Pickering, Mr. Nye and Mr. Fisher, be a committee to inquire into the state of the towns' stocks of ammunition, in the counties of Worcester and Hampshire, and that said committee sit forthwith. Ordered, That all the commissions for the officers of the train, be forthwith signed by the secretary, except John Wiley's, Samuel Gridley's and John Callender's, and sent to the committee of safety. Ordered, That no handles be made to spears, or other weapons of war, or any tools for the use of the army, of chesnut, or any other brittle wood. Ordered, That the committee appointed to inquire into the grounds of a report which has prevailed, that there has been treachery in some of the officers of the army, be directed to proceed in their inquiries. Ordered, That Col. Porter, Col. Gerrish and Capt. Thatcher, be a committee to consider and report, to whom the arms obtained by a committee of Congress, shall be delivered, and, when distributed, how the persons receiving them shall be made accountable. Resolved, That every person who has in possession any of the precepts lately issued by this Congress for calling a general assembly, be desired to dele the word "warn," and in its stead insert the word "cause," and that Mr. Edes be desired, in his next paper, to give notice of the mistake made by printing the said word "warn" instead of the word "cause." Resolved, That Major Fuller be desired, immediately, to go home, to get the returns of the towns' stocks of ammunition. The report of the committee appointed to consider what steps are proper to be taken for the reception of General Washington, was again considered, amended, and accepted, and is as follows, viz.: Resolved, That Doct. Benjamin Church and Mr. Moses Gill,1 be a committee to repair to Springfield, there to receive Generals Washington and Lee, with every mark of respect due to their exalted characters and stations; to provide proper escorts for them, from thence, to the army before Boston, and the house provided for their reception at Cambridge; and to make suitable provision for them, in manner following, viz. by a number of gentlemen of this colony from Springfield to Brookfield; and by another company raised in that neighborhood, from there to Worcester; and by another company, there provided, from thence to Marlborough; and from thence, by the troop of horse in that place, to the army aforesaid: And [to make suitable provision for] their company at the several stages on the road, and to receive the bills of expenses at the several inns, where it may be convenient for them to stop for refreshment, to examine them, and make report of the several sums expended at each of them, for that purpose, that orders may be taken by the Congress for the payment of them: and all innkeepers are hereby directed to make provision agreeably to the requests made by the said committee: and that General Ward be notified of the appointment of General Washington, as commander in chief of the American forces, and of the expectation we have, of his speedy arrival with Major General Lee, that he, with the generals of the forces of the other colonies, may give such orders for their honorable reception, as may accord with the rules and circumstances of the army, and the respect due to their rank, without, however, any expense of powder, and without taking the troops off from the necessary attention to their duty, at this crisis of our affairs. Resolved, That three o'clock in the afternoon, be assigned for the purpose of choosing three persons as a committee to repair to Springfield, to receive Generals Washington and Lee, agreeably to the foregoing resolution. Resolved, That the president's house in Cambridge, excepting one room reserved by the president for his own use, be taken, cleared, prepared, and furnished, for the reception of General Washington and (1) In making up the journal of the proceedings of the day, the names of the gentlemen elected to receive the generals of the army at Springfield were inserted in the report of the committee, although they were not elected to discharge that duty until after the report had been accepted. General Lee, and that a committee be chosen immediately to carry the same into execution. The committee appointed to consider what preparations are proper to be made for the reception of General Washington, reported the ["foregoing] resolve, which was accepted, and Capt. Partridge, Capt. Thatcher, and Mr. Philips, Major Goodwin, and Mr. Caldwell, appointed a committee for the purpose therein mentioned. Mr. Crane was appointed, in the room of Mr. Hall, on the committee chosen to consider Mr. Revere's account. Resolved, That the committee appointed to prepare letters to the several governments in New England for a reenforcement of men, omit preparing one for the colony of New Hampshire. Ordered, That Doct. Taylor, Capt. Goodman, and Mr. Philips, be a committee, to bring in a resolve for the purpose of preventing all imposition on the committee who have been heretofore directed to examine those persons who may be suspected as inimical to their country, by any person whatever. The committee to consider the letter from Machias reported: the report was accepted, and is as follows, viz: Resolved, That the thanks of this Congress be, and they are hereby given to Capt. Jeremiah Obrian, and Capt. Benjamin Foster, and the other brave men under their command, for their courage and good conduct in taking one of the tenders belonging to our enemies, and two sloops belonging to Ichabod Jones, and for preventing the ministerial troops being supplied with lumber; and that the said tender, sloops, their appurtenances and cargoes, remain in the hands of the said Captains Obrian and Foster, and the men under their command, for them to use and improve, as they shall think most for their and the public advantage, until the further order of this, or some future Congress, or house of representatives: and that the committee of safety for the western parish in Pownalborough, be ordered to convey the prisoners taken by the said Obrian and Foster, from Pownalborough jail to the committee of safety or correspondence, for the town of Brunswick; and the committee for Brunswick, to convey them to some committee in the county of York, and so to be conveyed from county to county, till they arrive at this Congress. Afternoon. Ordered, That commissions be delivered to Ezra Badlam, captain of the train of artillery, in the room of John Wiley; John Sibley, lieutenant; Samuel Dagget, second lieutenant; and John Blanchard, a [following.] second lieutenant; agreeably to the recommendation of the committee of safety. Ordered, That Col. Porter, Mr. Fisher, and Capt. Goodridge, be a committee to consider a letter from General Ward, this day received. Ordered, That Mr. Fisher, Doct. Whiting, and Major Brooks, be a committee to receive, sort and count the votes for three gentlemen to go to Springfield to meet Generals Washington and Lee. The committee having attended that service, reported, that Doct. Church, Mr. Gill, and the Hon. Major Hawley, were chosen. The Hon. Major Hawley moved, that he might be excused from that service, and, having offered his reasons, the question was put, and he was excused accordingly. Resolved, That the vote for choosing three persons to go to Springfield to meet Generals Washington and Lee, be reconsidered, so far as that only two persons should be appointed to repair thither on that service. Resolved, That Capt. Mc Kinster, and Capt. Porter, who have each of them raised a company at New York and Connecticut, be permitted to join Col. Patterson's regiment, provided their companies are complete and equipt: and that Major Goodwin bring in a resolve for this purpose. Resolved, That General Whitcomb's commission be dated the 21st day of June. Resolved, That the president be desired to administer to General Whitcomb the oath appointed to be administered to the general officers of the army. The president delivered to General Whitcomb a commission, as a major general of the Massachusetts army. A petition from the committee of correspondence for the town of Plymouth was read, whereupon, Resolved, that the prayer thereof (1) The committee of Plymouth earnestly remonstrated against the removal of the detachments of troops stationed along the coast to afford protection to the inhabitants. The petition follows: To the Honorable the Provincial Congress, now sitting at Watertown : The petition of the committee of correspondence for the town of Plymouth humbly sheweth, that your petitioners have this day received intelligence that a vote passed your house the instant, determining to remove to head quarters, that part of Col. Cotton's regiment, which has been, by order of your most respectable body, stationed in this place, for the security and protection of the lives and property of this greatly exposed and much threatened town; we, your petitioners, have lately received undoubted intelligence by one of our townsmen, who has been taken by a tender, and carried into Boston, that Admiral Graves made particular inquiry into the circumstances of this town, and said that we were a rebellious people, and that, in consequence of our building a fort in opposition to the king's troops, it should not be long before he would blow the town about our cars. Your petitioners are very sensible, that, should the troops be called away from be granted, and that General Ward be directed to countermand his orders for drawing off the forces stationed at Plymouth. On a motion made, Voted, that this last resolve be reconsidered, and Ordered that the petition from Plymouth be committed to Capt. Parker, Col. Lincoln, Col. Davis, Mr. Phillips, and Mr. Webster. Ordered, That commissions be delivered to the officers of Col. Little's regiment, agreeably to a list recommended by the committee of safety. A list of the officers and soldiers of Capt. Samuel Sprague's company, was presented to the Congress: whereupon, Ordered, that commissions be delivered to the said officers, viz: Samuel Sprague, captain; Joseph Cheever, lieutenant; William Oliver, [ensign]; and that the company be joined to Col. Gerrish's regiment. Mr. Goodwin, agreeably to order, reported the following resolve, which was accepted, viz: Whereas, Capt. Mack inster of Spencer, and Capt. Porter of Becket, have enlisted, each, a company of men, on the establishment of this colony, and not joined as yet to any regiment, Resolved, that the said companies be joined to Col. John Patterson's regiment, now stationed at Cambridge, immediately; provided said companies are full, or near full, and that each man is equipt with a good and sufficient firelock, and [that they] join their regiment as soon as may be. Ordered, That commissions be delivered to Capt. Reuben Dow, and Lieut. John Goss, as officers, agreeably to the respective titles affixed to their names in Col. Prescott's regiment. The committee appointed to consider and report to whom the arms procured by a committee of this Congress should be delivered, &c., reported the following resolve, which was read and accepted, viz: this station, the town of Plymouth, as well as the adjacent villages, will lie open to the ravages of our enemies, and that it will be no difficult matter for them to plunder and destroy us. The poor of this town are already much distressed, by reason of the stop put to the fishery, and can scarcely subsist upon what they get out of the clam banks, and by fishing in boats, and should they be driven from their huts into the barren country that surrounds us, they must, (for aught we see,) perish with hunger, and for want of habitations, there not being houses within twenty miles sufficient to receive them. These poor people consist principally of women and children, their husbands and parents having enlisted themselves into the service of the colony. Your petitioners are very far from desiring to create any unnecessary expense to the colony, but, at the same time, think it necessary that said troops remain with us, and are of opinion, that, should they be withdrawn, the town will be immediately evacuated, and, for the above reasons, your petitioners as in duty bound, &c. For and by order of the committee of correspondence for the town of Plymouth. ANDREW CROSWELL, Clerk, "The committee of correspondence for the town of Duxbury and Kingston which lie on Plymouth Bay, join in the general prayer of the above petition." |