General Orders, 18 February 1780
General Orders
Head-Quarters Morristown friday Feby 18th 1780.
Parole Arms— C. Signs—Ammunition Accoutrements—
By a division General Court Martial held in the Pennsylvania line by order of Colonel Johnston, Commandant of the division, Colonel Walter Steward President—James Hammell and Samuel Crawford, soldiers of the 5th Pennsylvania regiment were tried, “On suspicion of robbery” and found guilty of the charge being a breach of the 21st article, 13th section of the articles of War and sentenced to be hanged (more than two thirds of the Court agreeing[)].1
The Commander in Chief confirms the sentence & orders the execution thereof tomorrow between the hours of three & four ôclock in the afternoon: The officers of the day and all others whose duty it is will attend at that hour.2
The corps of Artillery will send a band of Music to attend the Criminals to the place of execution.
The Pennsylvania division will furnish an escort of a Captain, one subaltern, four serjeants, four corporals two drums & fifes and fifty privates, and each division will send two hundred men and the corps of Artillery one hundred men properly officered to the place of execution.
Varick transcript, DLC:GW.
On this date, Maj. Caleb Gibbs wrote to assistant commissary of purchases John Chaloner from headquarters at Morristown: “According to your requisition I send you a memorandum of what Articles were missing of the things that were forwarded for His Exclly some time since Viz.—1 box Spermacitic Candles one barrel Containing 2 loaves sugar. I doubt not you will endeavour to make a discovery of the Villiany—We are out of Beer you will please send on a large Quantity as soon as possible—A barrell of Cranberries are much wanted please forward one soon ½ lb. nutmegs Also—Altho it is much out of your line yet I know not who to ask for a Coffee mill, will you please send one. nothing new with us. We are all well. in haste” (PHi: Chaloner and White Collection).
The firm of Chaloner and White at Philadelphia replied to Gibbs on 4 March. The draft of their letter reads: “You⟨r⟩ favor of the 18th Ulto we rece[ive]d & agreeable to your request forwarded the beer.
“The bearer will deliver you [ ] ⟨bbls.⟩ of Beef (part of a famous Cow the largest & best perhaps that America ever produced fatten’d by Mr Helzhimer)—a half pound of nutmegs & Coffee mill—all which you will please to receive for His Excellencys use & transmit to us a recet for the same.
“We doubt not ere this you have found the 2 loaves of Sugar as they were put in the cask with the Coffee & not by themselves as you seem to have apprehended. The box of Spermacitic candles must have been mislaid by Mr [Alexander] Blair [Blaine] A[ssistant] C[ommissary] of I[ssues] as he gave recet for them” (PHi: Chaloner and White Collection).
1. The twenty-first article of the thirteenth section of the articles of war reads: “If any officer or soldier shall leave his post or colors to go in search of plunder, he shall upon being convicted thereof before a general courtmartial, suffer death, or such other punishment as by a court-martial shall be inflicted” ( 5:799).
2. Pvt. James Hammel apparently was executed on 19 February. GW granted a reprieve to Pvt. Samuel Crawford and later pardoned him. James Thacher’s journal provides an account of what happened at the hour of execution on 20 Feb., evidently a mistaken reference to events that occurred the day before: “Two soldiers were brought to the gallows for the crime of robbery. One of them was pardoned under the gallows, and the other executed. The poor criminal was so dreadfully tortured by the horror of an untimely death, that he was scarcely able to sustain himself, and the scene excited the compassion of every spectator. It is hoped that this example will make such an impression as to deter others from committing similar crimes” ( 190). For the reprieve of Crawford, see the after orders to the general orders of 19 February. For his pardon, see the general orders of 24 February.