General Orders, 26 April 1780
General Orders
Head Quarters Morristown Wednesday April 26th 1780.
Parole Sunbury Countersigns Sussex Steuben
[Officers] Of the Day Tomorrow[:] Brigadier General Irvine[,] Lieutenant Colonel Robinson[,] Brigade Major 2d Pennsa. Brigade
His Excellency the Minister of France was pleas’d to express in the warmest Terms His Approbation of the Troops in the review of yesterday; Applause so honorable cannot but prove a new motive to the emulous exertions of the Army.1
The General has seen with peculiar satisfaction the Zeal of all ranks to manifest their respectful attachment to a Gentleman, who to the title of being the Representative of the illustrious Friend and Ally of these States adds that of having given distinguished proofs during his residence amongst us of the sincerest disposition to advance their Interest.
Varick transcript, DLC:GW, ser. 3, subseries G, letter book 5; Varick transcript, DLC:GW, ser. 3, subseries G, letter book 4.
Sgt. Ebenezer Parkman, Jr., who served with the artificers at Morristown, wrote in his diary entry for this date: “A Continental Fast” (MWA: Parkman Family Papers; see also General Orders, 6 April). For congressional designation of this date as a fast day, see Samuel Huntington to GW, 14 March, and GW to Huntington, 23 March; see also the entry for 25 April in , 3:313–14.
1. For French minister La Luzerne’s visit to Morristown, which included a second review of the Continental army on 25 April, see GW to Jedediah Huntington, 20 April, source note.