General Orders, 30 April 1776
General Orders
Head Quarters, New York, April 30th 1776.
Parole Sawbridge.Countersign Oliver.
All Officers, non-Commission’d Officers, and Soldiers, belonging to any of the Regiments, now in, or going to Canada, to parade to morrow Morning at nine o’Clock in the Street opposite to Genl Sullivan’s quarters, near the Bowling-Green, to receive his orders.1
All Officers, non-commissioned Officers, and Soldiers, are strictly commanded, upon no pretence whatever, to carry any thing out of their Barracks, or the Houses they at present occupy, that belongs to such Barracks, or Houses; neither are they to injure the Buildings within, or without—All Damages wantonly done to the Houses, where the Troops are quartered, to be paid for by the Troops, quarter’d in them. The Commanding Officers of Companies, to deliver to Col. Brewer, Barrack Master, a List of the Names of those quartered in each house; His own Name at the head of the List, and the Regiment to which he belongs—Immediately upon the Troops encamping, the Qr Mr General, and Barrack Master, to examine the Condition the Houses are left in, and secure them in the best manner; and make their report to the General.2
Genl Green’s Brigade to encamp to morrow Morning at Ten O’Clock upon the Ground mark’d out upon Long-Island.3
Varick transcript, DLC:GW.
The following orders appear in Col. William Henshaw’s orderly book at the end of the other orders for this date: “One Captain, 4 Subbs, 4 Serjeants, 4 Corporals, 2 Drums & 84 Privates to parade this Afternoon at 3 oClock at Mr. Van Zand[t]s Wharf to go upon Command under Col [Benjamin] Tupper, The Officers & Men of this Command to be taken equally from the four Brigades mention’d in Yesterdays Orders, they are if possible to be all Seamen or Men who are used to the Water” ( 116–17; see also 46–47, and 210). Lt. Col. Benjamin Tupper, whose little fleet of whaleboats had effectively harassed British ships and outposts in Boston Harbor during the past several months, was now in New York organizing a similar force of whaleboats for the defense of the harbor and adjacent waters.
1. The Bowling Green at the southern end of Broadway fronted Fort George.
2. Jonathan Brewer served as barrack master from 5 Jan. to 29 June 1776.
3. See Nathanael Greene’s orders, 29 April, 2 May 1776, in , 1:210–11.