Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2010 with funding from The Library of Congress http://www.archive.org/details/valleyforgeorderOOweed Valley Forge Orderly Book HIS BOOK IS LIMITED TO AN EDITION OF TWO HUNDRED T AND FIFTY-FIVE COPIES VIS- i+vr VALLEY FORGE ORDERLY BOOK of General GEORGE WEEDON of 1 the Continental Army under Command of Gen . George Washington, in the Campaign of 1777-8 Defcribing the Events of the Battles of Brandywine, Warren Tavern, Germantown, and Whitemarjh, and of the Camps at Nejhaminy, Wilmington, Penny- packer s Mills, Skippack, Whitemarfh, £s? Valley Forge NEW YORK: DODD, MEAD AND COMPANY • MDCCCCII £1233 Copy £ THE U8H ,RY CF COimORESS, Two'OoP.ea RtCEIVED DEC. ill 1902 Oop^-hiqhT ENTRV Avut-. t£~- ?ft7~ CLASS ^XXo. No. COPY A. ' Copyright, 1902, By DODD, MEAD & COMPANY First Edition Published December, 1 90a UNIVERSITY PRESS • JOHN WILSON AND SON • CAMBRIDGE, U. S. A. ORDERLY BOOK Illustrations Disposition of the American Army for battle, at Germantown, Oct. 4th, 1777 Frontispiece Disposition of the troops at Mount Holly Facing 142 Order of battle, Dec. 3rd, 1777 . " 146 ORDERLY BOOK VALLEY FORGE ORDERLY BOOK Prefatory Note EN. GEORGE WEEDON, whose orderly book during the campaign of 1777-78 is herewith for the first time published, at the beginning of the war of the Revolution was an innkeeper, living in Fredericksburg, Virginia, where he was born in 1730, and where he died in 1790. He entered the service early, and was commis- sioned Lieutenant Colonel of the Third Virginia regiment in February, 1776, and later held the same rank in the First Virginia Regiment. He was promoted to the rank of Brigadier General February 23, 1777. He served in Greene's division at Brandywine and Germantown, and he was at the surrender of Cornwallis at York- town in 1781. This book, though described by James Mease as an " Orderly Book at Valley Forge," is much more extended in its scope. Opening at the camp at Neshaminy in Bucks County, Penna., August 20, 1777, it shows the move- ments of the army through Philadelphia to Brandywine, and the incidents at the various camps at Wilmington, Falls of Schuylkill, Pennypacker's Mills on the Perkiomen, where [1] PREFATORY NOTE a council of war determined to risk another battle, Skippack, and Valley Forge, where it closes May 7, 1778. It details the events of the battles of Brandy- wine, Warren Tavern, Germantown, and White- marsh, in which last engagement, so entirely overlooked by our historians, the skill and courage of Washington were more conspicu- ously displayed than perhaps in any other con- flict of the campaign, and were successful in driving Howe with considerable loss from the field. It contains the plans of no less than three battles, with some diagrams illustrating them, and the orders relating to Germantown issued at Skippack, heretofore unknown, of the most serious importance in the study of that engagement. Most of the records of this character are very meagre in their details, but this book throws a flood of light upon the life of the army, the kind of bread and other food used, the markets, the manner of drumming a delinquent out of camp, the method of dealing with the itch, the prevention of diseases caused by filth, and the celebration of victories. We are told that each man must come to parade " having his Beard shaved, Hair combd, face washed, and Cloathes put on in the best manner in his power," and that after the battle of Brandywine, in anticipation of another engage- ment, the General divested himself of all bag- gage, retaining nothing but his blankets. When it is remembered that the possession of Philadelphia, the leading city of the colonies CO and the Seat of Congress, was regarded as of supreme consequence both by the heads of government and the leaders of the armies, that all the efforts of Howe were directed to its capture, and those of Washington to its defence, and that this volume covers almost the entire period of this vital campaign, as well as the later winter encampment at Valley Forge, the value of the contribution to American his- tory may be understood. Col. Hugh Mercer, the nephew of Gen. Weedon, directed the deposit of the volume with the American Philosophical Society, and it is now published under the auspices of that venerable and influential institution of learning. Saml. W. Pennypacker. Sept. i, igoi. [3] ORDERLY BOOK Later Memoranda Written in the Volume orderly book of the American THISArmy under the immediate Com- mand of General Washington be- longed to Major General Weedon of Virginia, and at my request was presented to me by his Nephew, Col. Hugh Mercer of Fredericksburg, promising him, but of my own accord, to present it to the American Philo- sophical Society, as by this writing I now do. In consideration however of its value, and that another Copy in all probability is not to be found, or certainly not to be obtained, M r Mercer and myself stipulate that it must never be permitted to be taken from the hall. James Mease. Philadelphia Nov. J, 1839. Begins 20 August, 1777 and ends 7 May, 1778. Philad. 1 Dec. 1839. Received from D r James Mease by direction of Col. Hugh Mercer. Period 20 Aug 1777 J* Vaughan, Lib" of to 7 May 1778 Am Philo Socy presented 6 Dec & referred to a Committee reported 1 May 1840. A. P. S. Dec* 6. l8jp __ LATER MEMORANDA r Frederichbg Nov_ 2jf* iSjg- My dear Sir, SHALL ever have a lively & grateful recollection of your polite & kind atten- tions to me, during my late Sojourn in I your charming City- & I should be much gratified by an opportunity of reciprocat- ing your Friendship, under my own roof here- I hope you have received from Dr James Mease, the "Journal of the Camp at Valley Forge," when the army was in Winter Quarters, — as that Gentleman promised you verbally & in writing, when I was lately in Philad* If Dr M — has not yet left it with you, as I sent it to him 7 or 8 years ago, with the letters to & from my uncle Gen1 Geo Weedon of the army, on those conditions, (which letters I was happy to find in your Care, as Librarian of the American Philosophical Society) I will thank you to shew this letter to him with my earnest request, that the " Journal " be handed you immediately, to be deposited in my name with the letters, among the archives of the Society, of which you are the Zealous & attentive manager & Librarian- Those were the terms, which Dr Mease will recollect well, upon which I confided to him these precious revolutionary Relicks, some years ago, — & I will not doubt but that he will without longer delay comply with my wishes as well as your own- I shall be happy to hear from you, after the Journal has been [6] ORDERLY BOOK committed to your care by Dr Mease- & remain, my dear Sir, with high respect, yr friend &&c, — Hugh Mercer I believe you made a record in one of your books, or I did it at your request the morning I had the pleasure to breakfast with you, of the interesting fact, that my honored & la- mented father & Gen 1 Geo. Weedon who was my second father, (I being but 5 months old when my father fell at Princeton) married Sisters- To John Vaughan esqr Philad* [7] : ORDERLY BOOK Orderly Book of the American Army at Valley Forge under command of George Washington r Gn O — Hi Qu \ 20 Aug\ 1777 Parole . Norway . C Signs Norfolk-Norwich — Maj\ Gen\ tomorrow Stirling — Brigr Muhlenburg — T Field L Col! Febigger iff Bayard Brigade Major Day order by which Col. Armands THECorps was annex'd to Gen! Conways Brigade is Countermanded — The Commander in Chief is pleas'd to 1 approve the following Sentences of a Gen. C*. Martial held the i8!" Ins! whereof Col- MfClenaghan was Pres?! Viz. Lieu! Ambrose Crane of Col. Stewarts Reg! charg'd with break- ing his former Arrest & going to Philf in Com- pany with two Offi? of same Reg! likewise under Arrest without Col Stewarts knowledge or Per- mission — Pleaded Guilty — Sentenc'd to be Cashier'd — d L! Benjamin Hoomes of 2 . V Reg! charg'd with behaving in a manner unbecoming an Officer & a Gentleman — The Court Unani- mously acquitted the Prisoner of the Charge exhibited against him — Jacob Moon Pay Mas! to 14* V Reg! charg'd with ungentlemanlike behaviour & ~ [9] — VALLEY FORGE Defrauding the Sold" out of their Pay, found guilty of Ungentlemanlike behaviour in giving the Lie to Ensigns Washnam & Moore & not guilty of Defrauding the Sold" out of their Pay — Sentenc'd to be Reprimanded by the Col. in presence of the Officers of the Reg!? he belongs to — Such Off" as have not yet settled their Ration Ace!? are Notified — that M? Bates is oblig'd to leave Camp the i?! of Sept! and that those Ace!? which are not brought in by that time cannot be settled on this side Hartford — Qu r Mas?? who are not acquainted with the form of a Ration Abstract may have one from Mf Bates — B. O- Field Off* for the Brigade to morrow Lj Col. Willis Adj\ Overton — T s G. — O- Head Ou .\ 2l .\ Aug\ 1777 Parole C Signs Major Gen[ to morrow — Greene — Brig* Woodford r T Field Off \ Col. Broadhead fisf L Col. Taliaferro B Major Day whole Army is to march to- THEmorrow morning, The Gen! is to beat at half after three, the troop at half past four & at 5 oClock the Army is to begin their march, The Maj? Genl? QM G[ & Comm? G! will receive their orders at Head Qu!? at 5 oClock this Afternoon, An Orderly Man from each Reg! of Horse to attend at the [ »'o ] ORDERLY O O K 1 same time for orders, Gen .