The Campaign of 1776 around New York and Brooklyn Part 25

HEAD QUARTERS June 19, 1776.

(Parole, LONDON.) (Countersign, MONTGOMERY.)

A working party of 900 men properly officered to parade tomorrow morning near the artillery park.... Brig. Gen. Greene & Col. Prescott will furnish 150 men each as a working party on Governor's Island. On the present emergency all working parties to work till 6 o'clock P.M.

Those who go by water will leave work sooner if wind & tide make it necessary.

GEN. GREENE'S ORDERS.

June 20, 1776.

Field officer, Lt. Col. Cornell, Adjt. from Col. Little's Regt.

Col. Hitchc.o.c.k's & Col. Little's regts. to furnish the fatigue party to Governor's Island tomorrow. The remainder furnished by those regts. to be upon the "Abatee" between fort Putnam & the redoubt on the left of it, & the Cap. from fort Putnam to the half moon. Lt.

Col. Johnson's 5 Cos. of the 4th battalion of Pennsylvania Regt. (Wayne's) to furnish the fatigue party for Cobble Hill. Col.

Varnum's Regt. to be employed on his alarm post. The Gen.

disapproves of the report for the establishment of the rank of the 12th regt. & directs the same court to sit again day after tomorrow to examine the rank of the Caps. & to report how the court conceives they ought to rank, & how it may be most equitably established.

REGIMENTAL ORDERS.

June 21, 1776.

For guard Lt. Burnham, for Red Hook tomorrow night Lt. Collins.

GEN. GREENE'S ORDERS.

June 21, 1776.

Lt. Huse is requested to oversee the well-digging in fort Greene.

110 men for Governor's Island & 40 for Red Hook. Those that are to go on the Island to be at St. George's Ferry by 8 o'clock. The others to march to Red Hook as soon as they have had their breakfasts.

June 28, 1776.

Picket guard to mount from the 9, 11, 12, Regts. The 9 & 11 Regts to lie in their alarm posts--the 12th to lie in the oblong redoubt.

GENERAL ORDERS.

HEAD QUARTERS, June 29.

... The Commissary Gen. to lodge a fortnights provision on Governor's Island, Powles Hook & in all ye detached posts, Gen. Putnam furnis.h.i.+ng him a list of the men.

All soldiers intrusted with the defence of any work will behave with coolness & bravery, & will be careful not to throw away their fire.

The Gen. recommends them to load for their first fire with one musket ball & 4 or 8 buckshot according to the size and strength of their pieces. If the enemy are received with such a fire at not more than 20 or 30 yards distance, he has no doubt of their being repulsed.

Brig. Genls. to order Chevaux de Freze & Fascines to close the sally ports of their respective works. 26000 musket cartridges to be sent Col. Prescott on Govr. Isld.

HEAD QUARTERS, June 30.

... Upon the signal of the enemy's approach or on any alarm all fatigue parties are to repair to their respective corps ready for instant action. Working parties are not otherwise to be interrupted in finis.h.i.+ng the defences....

GEN. GREENE'S ORDERS.

IN CAMP LONG ISLAND, July 1, 1776.

Cols. or commd. officers of 9th, 11th, 12th, Regts.

are desired to make a line round each of the forts & fortifications for the troops to begin a fire on the enemy if they attempt to storm the works & the troops are to be told not to fire sooner than the enemy's arrival at these lines, unless commanded. The line should be about 80 yards from the parapet.

Comg. officers of the guards at Forts Green & Putnam to send a patrolling party to patrol about the 1/4 of a mile to prevent a surprise by a partisan party.

The general thanks both officers & soldiers who turned out voluntarily to work upon the Little Cobble hill; such public spirit is laudable & shall not go unrewarded, if the genl. ever has it in his power to make a more suitable acknowledgement.

No officer below the rank of a field officer to lodge out of camp from their Cos. on any pretence, sickness excepted. The General recommends the strictest discipline & daily attention to arms & ammunition. Brigade being sickly the Gen. recommends the strictest attention to the cookery & that broiling & frying meat so destructive to health be prohibited.

A picket of one hundred to go to Red Hook to night by order of a private message from his Excellency.

TUESDAY July 2d, 1776.

A picket of 50 men in fort Putnam, 25 in fort Box, a sergt. & 12 men at the milldam from the 9th, 11th, 12th Regts. A picket of 20 men at fort Sterling & 25 at Smith's redoubt on Cobble Hill. Upon an alarm Col. Ward's regt. of Jersey militia to form in the rear of Fort Green, the sentries to be placed at the front of the redoubts. Major of Brigade to see to them. Patrols to be kept up from fort Putnam every hour.

July 4, 1776.

Officers of the guards at ye different posts to be accountable for everything in the forts but particularly for the rum lodged there for the people in time of action. Any one destroying the tools or taking the liquor without leave will be punished.

Every Regt. to furnish pickets for their alarm posts & to be credited therefor in the detail for duty. The 9th, 11th, 12th, Regts. & the N.J. battalions under Col. Cadmus & Col. Ward to furnish a fatigue party of 250 men tomorrow morning. Garrison Court martial to sit tomorrow, Col. Little president. Caps. earnestly requested to examine the arms and ammunition of their Cos. & have them ready for action at all times.

CAMP AT BROOKLIN, July 6, 1776.

The Ferry guard upon a night alarm are to repair to fort Sterling. The ground to be levelled from which Col. Hitchc.o.c.k's Regt. moved. 233 men for picket from Col. Varnum's, Hitchc.o.c.k's & Little's Regts. 66 men from the same for guard.

July 8, 1776.

Col. Varnum's Regt. to remove their encampment to Red Hook, & do the duty of that post. Col. Forman's N.J. regt. to camp on the ground lately occupied by Col. Hitchc.o.c.k's regt.

July 8, 1776.

Col. Forman's Regt. to occupy Col. Varnum's old alarm posts, namely, Fort Box and the Oblong redoubt. Brigade Major to lead the troops to the alarm Post at 7 A.M. The guard for the several works to be continued the same as before from the 11th & 12th of the old establishment & the Jersey new levies, that the new levies may have the benefit of the knowledge of the standing troops.

GENERAL ORDERS.

HEAD QUARTERS, July 9, 1776.

... The Continental Congress impelled by the dictates of duty, policy and necessity have been pleased to dissolve the connection which subsisted between this country & Gt. Britain, & to declare the colonies of North America, Free & Independent States--the several Brigades are to be drawn up this evening on their respective parades at 6 o'clock when the declaration of Congress, showing the grounds and reasons of the measure is to be read with an audible voice. The Gen.

hopes that this important _Point_ will serve as a fresh incitement to every officer & soldier to act with courage & fidelity, as knowing that now the Peace & safety of this country depend (under G.o.d) solely on the success of our arms, & that he is now in the service of a state possessed of sufficient power to reward his merit & advance him to the highest honor of a free country.

The Brigade Majors are to receive copies of the declaration to be delivered to the Brigrs. & Cols.

GEN. GREENE'S ORDERS.

July 9, 1776.