regulations, and entitled to the same pay, wages, privileges, and allowances, as the Continental Troops are, and shall also receive one month’s pay in advance before he marches out of this Colony.

An Act for raising seven Battalions to join the Continental Army in NEW-YORK.

Whereas this Assembly have received a requisition from the honourable Continental Congress for Troops to reinforce the Continental Army in different departments:

Be it therefore enacted by the Governour, Council, and Representatives, in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, That seven Battalions, inclusive of the Regiment or Battalion voted to be raised for the general service by this Assembly in May last, be forthwith raised by voluntary inlistment, to march directly to New-York, and there join the Continental Army in that place; each Battalion to consist of one Colonel, one Lieutenant-Colonel, one Major, and eight Companies, with one Captain, two Lieutenants, one Ensign, four Sergeants, four Corporals, one Drummer, one Filer, and seventy-nine Privates, to each Company, and a Staff, to consist of one Chaplain, one Adjutant, one Quartermaster, one Surgeon, and one Surgeon’s Mate, to each Battalion, and to be holden in said service until the 25th day of December next, unless sooner discharged. And each able-bodied effective man who shall so inlist into the service, and for the term aforesaid, and sufficiently clothe himself therefor, shall receive a premium of three Pounds, lawful money; and every such man so inlisted as aforesaid, who shall provide for himself a good blanket, knapsack, gun, bayonet, and cartouch-box, to the acceptance of his Captain, shall receive a further premium of one Pound two Shillings therefor, and at the same rate apd proportion for so many of the articles aforesaid as he shall furnish himself with as was allowed and given by this Assembly to the Troops raised for the defence of this Colony in April, 1775, and shall receive one month’s pay in advance before he marches out of this Colony. And all those who have inlisted as Minute-men, and will lay claim to the forty Shillings given to them as encouragement to furnish themselves, and stand ready as Minute-men, and shall also inlist into the Battalions established by this act, shall be entitled to a further sum of forty-two Shillings, they furnishing and equipping themselves in the same manner as above-said, that they may be on an equal footing with the other Troops to be raised for the same service; and that each Sergeant shall receive forty-eight Shillings, each Corporal forty-four Shillings, each Drummer and Fifer forty-four Shillings, and each Private forty Shillings, per calendar month, for wages during their continuance in said service. And in case any gun, bayonet, or cartouch-box, shall be lost by inevitable providence, the man so providing the same shall be paid the just value thereof; and a particular account shall be taken of all the arms that shall be used, and the same be appraised by indifferent men under oath; and each man so engaging as aforesaid, shall, upon inlistment, be entitled to six Pence per day for billeting money, until he shall march, and shall then be allowed one Penny per mile in lieu of rations for travelling expenses, and one day’s pay for every twenty miles between home and the general rendezvous, going and returning.

And be it further enacted by the authority aforesaid, That the sum of forty Shillings shall be given as a further premium and encouragement to each such man as aforesaid, who shall inlist into the Continental Regiment voted to be raised in the last session of this Assembly, and destined to Boston, over and above the sums already promised to them by this Assembly; and all the aforesaid Troops, while in service, shall be subject to the same general command, law, and regulations, and entitled to the same pay, wages, privileges, and allowances, as the Continental Troops are.

And be it further enacted by the authority aforesaid, That the act entitled “An Act for raising and equipping a body of Minute-men to be held in readiness for the better defence of this Colony, &c, Š made and passed by this Assembly at their session in May last, so far as it repeals the raising of such Minute-men pursuant to said act, be repealed, and the same is hereby repealed.

Whereas the Troops now raising in this Colony must be furnished with necessary Fire-Arms, Accoutrements, and Utensils for the service: It is therefore

Resolved by this Assembly, That Captain Jeremiah Wadsworth and Colonel Jonathan Fitch be, and they are hereby empowered and directed forthwith to purchase a sufficient number of Tin Kettles, if to be had in this Colony, for the use of the two Battalions now raising and destined to the Northern Department, and cause the same to be delivered to the care of the Commissary, to be forwarded with the Baggage of said Battalions to the northward, taking his receipt therefor. They are also hereby directed to purchase suitable Iron Hollow-ware, so far as Tin cannot be had sufficient for the use of the Battalions now raising and destined to New- York, and forward the same to the care of the Commissary-General at New-York, by the cheapest and most convenient carriage, taking his receipt therefor. That the Committee who have procured Fire-Arms to be made in the several Counties be, and they are hereby, directed to make a division of the whole number of those Arms already procured to and among the several Towns in this Colony, according to their respective lists, and certify to the Selectmen of each Town the number of Guns and Bayonets allotted to them, and where they may be found, and give proper orders to them to receive the same; and such Selectmen shall deliver such Arms as they shall so receive to the chief officers of the Troops now raising in such Towns, taking their receipts therefor, which receipts shall be lodged in the hands of the Treasurers of the respective Towns; and such Arms, when returned, shall be lodged with the Treasurers, to be by them kept in constant repair at the cost of such Towns, and fully to equip said Troops.

It is further Resolved, That the Fire-Arms taken from persons belonging to this Colony who are enemies to this Colony, and in the hands of the Committees of Inspection, or others, shall be marked with the initial letters of the owners’ names, and appraised by two indifferent men, under oath, and a particular account thereof taken by such Committee, and lodged with the Treasurers of the respective Towns where such owners live, and shall also be repaired, if need be, by order of such Committee, at the expanse of the Colony, and when repaired shall be delivered to the chief officers of the Companies raising in the Towns where the owners of such Arms belong, taking their receipts therefor, which receipts, together with the marks and prices of such Arms, and the names of the owners, shall be recorded by the Town Clerks of the Towns where such owners lived when said Arms were taken from them; and a particular account of the repairs of those Arms shall, by such Committee, be laid before the Committee of Pay-Table for adjustment, and they are directed to give order on the Treasurer for the payment; and when such Guns are returned, they shall be lodged with the Clerk of such Committee of Inspection, there to be kept until further orders from such Committee or this Assembly, and in case of loss of any such Arms of inimical persons, the same may be laid before this Assembly for their orders thereon.

And it is further Resolved, That the Selectmen of the several Towns be, and they are hereby, directed to purchase or hire Arms, to furnish such soldiers of any of the Battalions aforesaid as cannot furnish themselves, or be furnished in any of the ways aforesaid, and shall allow to the owner of each Gun so hired the sum of six Shillings, and to the owner of each Bayonet, Belt, and Cartouch-box, so hired, the sum of four Shillings; and if such Arms are lost by inevitable providence, the owners thereof shall be paid for the time according to appraisal to be made thereof by two indifferent men, under oath; and a particular account of all such Arms purchased, or hired as aforesaid, shall be taken by the Selectmen and laid before the Committee of Pay-Table, who shall give orders on the Treasurer for payment thereof, and the cost of purchasing or hiring such Arms. And in case a sufficient number of Arms cannot be obtained in the ways aforesaid, the number wanting shall be impressed from such householders, or others not in the Militia-Roll, by warrants for that purpose from the civil authority: and the owner or owners of such impressed Arms may demand a receipt of the officer who shall impress and receive the same, and be paid the same sums for the use thereof as those from whom Arms are hired as aforesaid, and in case of loss, shall be paid for such Arms according to appraisal, to be made as aforesaid.

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