[General Orders]
Item
Type
Printed or published document
Title
[General Orders]
Description
Directs compliance with regulations designed to make practices uniform through hierarchy of necessity.
short description
Ordr, dir duty to regs digested therein
year created
1797
month created
05
day created
22
author
sent from location
Fort Washington
in collection
created note
Printed notes on the document indicate that this copy of the document was printed in 1799 or later.
author note
James Wilkinson
notable person/group
James Wilkinson
George Washington
Baron de Steuben
mistresses
kept women
notable location
Fort Washington
United States
notable item/thing
regulations
seniority
posts
reconnaissance
forage
trenches
vanguard
courts martial
parade
pickets
police
arms
clothes
shirts
shoes
vests
overalls
socks
pay
enlistment
mess
washing
furloughs
notable idea/issue
rules
regulation
compliance
rights
caprice
economy
duty
service
discipline
honor
notable phrase
To prevent the necessity of repetition
establish principle
permanent order
rights of individuals
exclude caprice
promote economy and precision
disseminate
uniformity of duty
service throughout the army
ideas of subordination and discipline
following regulations have been digested and must be duly respected by all ranks
precedence in command
seniority of corps
oldest commission
deviations
commander in chief may deem essential
national weal
point of honor
following gradation
guard of the President
the attack
reconnoitering
Corps of Observation
foraging
posts in enemy's country
national barriers
detachments and out posts
guard of the trenches
van guards to the front
rear guards in retreat
general courts martial
guard of the commander in chief
guards of camp or garrison
line
other guards
grand parade
guards of general officers
staff
pickets
general fatigues
regimental police
tour of service
subordinate duty
relieved
credit
grand parade
general court martial
picquet
fatigue
grand parade
not be relieved
stand for the next tour
services by detachment
corps are to furnish according to their strength
longest off
first on
in all cases
practicable
troops are to operate by companies
battalions
or regiments
marching off the grand parade on swearing in on general court martial is to pass for a tour of duty
return detachments not to be excused from duty more than two days
police in conformity to the regulations of the Baron de Steuben
fatigues
regulated by detail and duty of every kind to be appointed impartially
a soldier by voluntary compact becomes the servant of the state, but not the slave of an individual
extra men
never to be drawn
but by permission of the commanding officer of a district, department, or regiment
when employed in the service of officers
paid one third of a dollar per day
by the individual for whom they work
to abstract a soldier from his professional duties and to subject him to the orders of persons not attached to the army
or to impose upon him menial, laborious duties, is an abuse of authority, a breach of contract, and a deep injury to the service
because it authorizes negligence in the soldier
in effect destroys his arms and clothes
this practice in therefore positively prohibited
annual clothing
in the southern states
on the 1st December
woolen overalls and vests, two shirts, two pair of shoes
and two pair of socks
on the first day of April the residue
in the middle and eastern states
1st day of November
woolen overalls and vests, two shirts
two pair of shoes
two pair of socks
on the first day of May the residue
where circumstances will permit
drawn by the pay masters of the corps
returns certifies by the captains or officers commanding companies
receive it
held responsible for the distribution
extraordinary arrangements will be applied to extraordinary cases
company books and papers
belong to the company
never separated from it
whenever an officers is taken from his company
by promotion
transfer
leave
deposit all the books and papers
with the officer next o rank
duplicate receipts
lodged with the pay master
whenever a man is transferred or ordered on distant service the commanding officer
will be held responsible that the date of his enlistment and a state of his accounts as to pa clothing ammunition and accoutrements be transmitted to the commanding officers
which he is to join
certificates of provision are always to accompany individual soldiers and non-commissioned officers
from post to post
servants
taken by voluntary consent
from regiment
to which the officer served may belong
following provisions
lieut. Col. Commandant
three, one without arms
major
two, one without arms
captain commanding a post
two, one without arms
captain on ordinary duty, one with arms
subaltern on duty, one with arms
surgeon on duty, two, one with arms
qr. Master general with the army, two, one without arms
Pay master general, with the army, two, one without arms
subordinate staff, at the discretion of the commanding officer
servants of platoon officers are always to accompany them on duty, and will be included in the same detail
no officer on furlough can be allowed more than one servant, and him without arms
this allowance is a liberal one
to sensibly impairs the strength of the line
if gentlemen will mess, as in all other armies, it will be found abundant
otherwise they must employ domestics to be fed, paid, and clothed from their privy purses, as no further indulgence on the part of the public can be admitted
commanding officers
will be held responsible for the strict observance of this order
violation by whomsoever permitted or committed will be followed by an arrest and the sentence of a general court martial
four women per company complete, and in that ratio, are permitted to draw provisions and no more
washing the clothes of the company is to be performed by these women, as such price as the commanding officer of the regiment may establish
commanding officer
responsible that it is fairly and impartially distributed
rating an officer as five men
mistresses or kept women are prohibited to the officers
the habit is a vicious one
it is repugnant to the rules of society
it is bothersome to the service
every pregnant with discord
often afflictive to the meritorious soldier
always disgraceful and frequently destructive of men of merit
ceremony of marriage heretofore performed by the officers of the army, is also strictly forbid
discharges for services fully performed
by commandants of regiments
upon certificate of
captain
of the company
soldier served
commander in chief
superior authority
retiring officers are not to take off soldiers with them as waiters or in any other capacity
a contrary practice has lost many valuable men to the service
and has perplexed he company accounts
power of discharging is extended to commanding officers of departments
granting furloughs
commander in chief, on the recommendation of the colonel or officer immediately commanding the applicant
authority of the president
interposed
power of furloughing non-commissioned officers and privates
extended to commanding officers
corps
companies
suttling
restricted to commander in chief
officer commanding a separate department
no permission
granted except to citizens of the United States, of known probity and attachment to the government
have no chaplain
troops to be inspected by companies every Sunday
by regiments, battalions, or detachments, monthly
returns of inspection
made out agreeably to the established form
returns
transmitted to the commander in chief
certificate
appointment of adjutants
quarter masters
corps
commander in chief
lieutenant colonels commandant
power of removal
regimental pay master is elective by the officers of the regiment
under the orders of the colonel
appointment of non commissioned officers
root of subordination and discipline
much neglected in ours
more circumspection on this
point
strictly enjoined
captains
recommend
appointment is in the colonel or commanding officer of the corps only
reformation being the end of all punishments
never
chastised when drunk
disgraceful situation
confined until he recovers his senses
then punished
residence of the regimental staff
headquarters of the regiment
except the surgeons' mates who are subject to be detached
stoppages of pay
rigorously enforced for lost arms, ammunition, accoutrements, and clothing which cannot be satisfactorily accounted for
indispensable
company and regimental books, as well
paymaster and quarter master
kept with great exactness
councils of administration
sit quarterly
to scrutinize the regimental accounts
garrisons of posts
not
varied except by the officer who establishes the, or his superior
subordinate officers commanding posts
report monthly
to
regiment
commanding officers of posts under the grade of a filed officer, are to be relieved annually, and majors biennially
rotation founded in the principles of justice and sound policy
use of cards and dice
strictly prohibited in camp or quarters, except for the game of backgammon
in military institutions the force of example is incalculable
on officer
off duty
can be excused from parades
regimental or general
except in case of actual sickness or confinement
officer who feigns sickness, to elude duty, is a dishonor to his cloth
held in infamy
any officer or non-commissioned
his command ever so diminutive
betray such indolence and insensibility of professional obligation, as to omit one regular roll call, he shall be made an example of the army
these orders are to be read to the troops on the first day of the months of January, April, July, and October
document number
1797052290101
page start
1
Item sets
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Document instances
| In image | In source | Location in source | |
|---|---|---|---|
| [view document] (5 pages) | XFA16 (5 pages) | Collection: General Information Index, 1794-1918. (RG94) | B: 2, J: Army |
| [view document] (5 pages) | XFA16a (5 pages) | Collection: General Information Index, 1794-1918. (RG94) | B: 2, J: Army |
| [view document] (5 pages) | XFD06a (5 pages) | Collection: General Information Index, 1794-1918. (RG94) | [unknown] |
Document names
| Type | Name | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Author | James Wilkinson | Fort Washington | [n/a] |