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JOHN ADAMS TO GENERAL GATES.
Philadelphia, June 18, 1776.
MY DEAR GENERAL: We have ordered you to the post of honour, and made you Dictator in Canada for six months, or at least until the 1st of October. We do not choose to trust you Generals with too much power for too long time.
I took my pen at this time to mention to you the name, of a young gentleman, and to recommend him to your notice and favour. His name is Rice. This gentleman is the son of a worthy clergyman. He was educated at Harvard College, where he was an officer of the military company, and distinguished himself as a soldier in the manual exercises and manœuvres. After he came out of college he put himself under my care as a student of law. While he was in my office he was very useful in the neighbourhood in training the companies and Militia there. He is a modest, sensible, and well-read young man, and a very virtuous and worthy one. In my absence from home after the battle of Lexington, he applied for a commission in the Army, and obtained a place, in my opinion, vastly below his real merit—I mean that of Adjutant in General Heath's, now Colonel Greaton's Regiment. In this capacity he has continued from his first engagement, which was immediately after the battle of Lexington, until this time, and is now in Canada with his regiment, and I have been informed by a variety of officers that he has behaved remarkably well.
As you are going to Canada with full powers, I must beg the favour of you to think of this young gentleman, inquire into his character and conduct, and if you can, consistently with the publick service, advance him to some place more adequate to his abilities and merits and services, I should take it as a favour.
I pray God to prosper you in Canada, and grant you a plentiful crop of laurels; and am your affectionate, humble servant,
JOHN ADAMS.
To General Gates.
ELBRIDGE GERRY TO GENERAL GATES.
Philadelphia, June 25, 1776.
DEAR GENERAL: Since I had the pleasure of seeing you in this place, the affairs of Canada having been evidently suffering from want of an experienced officer to take the command, your appointment to that department is considered as a happy circumstance, notwithstanding the Eastern Colonies greatly need your assistance. I hope the campaign will terminate with honour and happiness to yourself and country; and if any services can be rendered from this quarter, by giving you information of the measures here adopted, the causes and moving principles thereof, or by promoting in Congress such other measures as you shall find necessary for the service, it will give me pleasure to have a share therein.
The Conference Committee, among other things, reported the expediency of appointing to each regiment a Paymaster, whose duty, they said, you would take an opportunity of describing and communicating to Congress. The matter has since lain on the table, and only waits your sentiments thereon, to be carried into execution. I am very fond of the measure, and it will save an infinitude of trouble, by opening a channel through which all payments to the soldiers will regularly pass, whether consisting of money paid out of the chest, clothing, arms, accoutrements, or sutling accounts; and when anything is wanted for the comfort of the Army, an order from the General, or the Paymaster-General, for a suitable sum, in favour of the Regimental Paymaster, will enable the latter to communicate immediate assistance to each soldier, without the possibility of any loss to the Continent. Further, when the Paymaster-General discharges himself, it will appear what sums the Regimental Paymasters have received, and these, together with the amount of clothing beforementioned, must be deducted from the pay rolls, whether paid immediately to the men or other persons in their behalf; and the commanding officer, without any further trouble than an occasional warrant, can always be sure of having his men punctually paid and well supplied with necessaries, which is the life of an army.
I think we are in a fair way to a speedy Declaration of Independency, confederations, and other measures that depend on secrecy for success; and Congress having yesterday passed resolves for capitally punishing spies that shall be found in or about any of the camps or fortifications of the United Colonies, and recommended to the Assemblies to make provision for punishing all inhabitants and other persons receiving protection in any of the Colonies, who shall be found affording aid or comfort to the King of Great Britain, or other enemies of the United States of America, it appears to me that little will remain to be done, but an attention to the supplies, appointments, and discipline of the Army,—all of which are of the utmost importance. With respect to the first, the soldiers must be well paid, clothed, armed, and fed, or they can never be made to do their duty. And the plans on foot for securing the currency and obtaining large sums by loan, also for manufacturing and otherwise obtaining cannon, arms, ammunition, and clothing, together with the great ease in obtaining provisions, will, I hope, be timely and effectually carried into execution, and have a happy effect. The appointments of the Army are matters of interesting consequences; and notwithstanding every precaution of Congress and the Assemblies to choose good officers, yet time and experience will alone enable them to distinguish those that are qualified with conduct, virtue, and prowess, suitable for their respective places.
Discipline is the last, but not the least, important object of attention, and I shall be glad of your explicit sentiments on the same. I cannot conceive why we may not, by setting out right, soon make soldiers equal to any that the world affords. For surely men inspired with the principles of liberty, and enthusiastically engaged in its defence, afford as good materials as can anywhere be found for this purpose. And in the first place, I put it down as a settled, fixed principle, that they must be inlisted for the war, let the necessary encouragement be what it may, which I am happy to find the Generals agreed in, and I think most of the members of Congress. We can easily look over the statutes of Britain and other regulations relative to the Army, and find how far the same are applicable to our own forces; and to promote the measure, the sentiments of military gentlemen must be collected, and, amongst others, I know of none that I shall more depend on than those which you shall have an opportunity to express.
I intended to have troubled you with only a line or two, but being now on the second sheet, find it high time to inform you that your friends here are well, and join in due regards to Generals Mifflin, Trumbull, and others; with, sir, your assured friend and humble servant,
ELBRIDGE GERRY.
To Major General Gates.
GENERAL SCOTT TO THE NEW-YORK CONGRESS.
New-York, July 5, 1776.
SIR: The Continental Congress having, by their resolve, committed the disposal of the prisoners of war, taken and brought into this Colony, to our Congress, I send you, by a Lieutenant of my brigade and a guard of twenty men, the following prisoners of war, to wit:
*James Auchmuty, store-keeper in the engineer department of the enemy, and brother to Doctor Auchmuty, with his wife and child. William Patterson, and his wife and child, servant to the store-keeper; *Richard Brueré, son of the Governour of Burmuda, Midshipman in the British Navy; Samuel Cox, sloop-captain. These were taken in a Bermuda sloop (one of the enemy's fleet loaded with intrenching tools) by Captain Rogers, in our privateer, on the back of Long-Island.
*William Elder, volunteer in the Royal Highland Emigrants; *William McDermott; *Thomas Remington Harris, master's mate; * William Metcalf, Midshipman; *Joseph Woolcombe, Midshipman; * John Simpson, Master; James Wilson, seaman; John Murray, seaman; Samuel Coppin, seaman; Jeremiah Rierdon, John Gibbins, Henry Killigrove, Francis Clemens, Michael Cowney, Cœsar Freeman. These have been taken, as I understand, in the enemy's boats.
His Excellency General Washington is very uneasy at the detention of prisoners of war in this city, at this critical juncture. The jail is crowded with a variety of prisoners, and they seek every opportunity of communicating with our internal and unconfined enemies. An instance of this was discovered the day before yesterday, consisting in an attempt
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