The Connecticut courant, and the weekly intelligencer — Hartford [Conn.], 1783-09-02 00:00:00, page 1

At a Town-Meeting holden in Killingworth,
on the 2 ift day of August, 1783, Specially
called, at the request of the inhabitants,, and
by order of the Selectmen, on a prevailing
report, that the officers of the army were
possessed of their Notes for the payment of
the monies granted them by the commutation
aft so called, and to consider what prudent
and legal measures may be adopted onghe
present occafion.l
GEORGE ELLIOT, Esq; Moderator.'
THE town made choice of a committee to
take into consideration the last official cir
cular letter of his Excellency Gen. WASHING
TON, with the papers accompanying the fame,
published by authority, with the Bth and 9th
articles of the confederation of the United
States, pointing out, in what way and manner,
the charges of the war, and all other expences
incurred for the general defence, shall be defray
ed, and circumscribing and limitting the pow
ers deligated to the honorable Continental Con
gress by the States : Whereupon, the commit
tee reported as follows : That they had read his
Excellencies inimitable letter with care, plea
fare and fatisfaaion, and likewise the address
and petition of the officers of the army, to the
United States in Congress assembled; and that
from the best information are of the opinion—
there were many of the officers in our army,
who were gentlemen of character, family and
fortune, who entered the service more on the
principles of the antient patriots of Rome, than
from mercenary views, who by long and hard
service, to which they were not inured, may
have impaired their health, and in some measure
diminished their fortunes, from the inability of
the States, on so sudden and unexpected an e
mergency, to support them in character accord
to their rank and station in life, who might de
sire retirement for the recovery of their health,
and enjoyment of the pleasures, and fatisfadion
of domestic life ; but, at the fame time, are well
assured there were others within the narrow cir
cle of their acquaintance, who entered the ser
vice, for the want of more lucrative employ
ments at home, whose estates have been doubled
since they entered the service, exclusive of the
monies they hope to receive by the aft of com
mutation, a number of whom (for it would be
injurious to suppose all of them could be guilty
of so base ingratitude) by unjust representations
of the distressed Rate of their families at home,
and by the dint of perpetual and indefatigable
teazing to gain his Excellency's influence with
Congress, to obtain for them half-pay during
life, they at last succeeded, but it was at the ex
pence of the honor of the States, who raised
them to the rank and honor they fußained in
the army, and to the dishonor of the towns,
which gave them birth and subsistence —As it
is most notorious, the honorable legislature of
this State, by welkadapted laws, made provision
for the comfortable support of the families, both
of officers andfoldiers at home ; —and this town
conscious of the repeated fufferings ofour army,
and of their importance under God for our pro
tection, in obedience to the laws of the State,
from love and affection to our children, relati
ons and friends, of which our army are compof
cd, have supplied their families with provisions,
nearly at one half the price, at which our own
were fed ; —and conscious of the fufferings of
our army for the want of seasonable supplies, by
x^afon of an obßru&ed navigaiion, we have
hWW^^u^twqww^i
xwFtotWtv TXtarnOT T< ™rwn th ip
T¥JbJ%JR.Li I AJN JL.I% LLiA<JFm^/^^/^
HA R^FO RD: Printed by HUDSON AND G O ODWI N, near the Great Bridge.
TUESDAY,
fubmi'tted to have the wages of the officers
doubled, since the firft campaign in 1775, while
the wages of the privates remained fixed, at the
rate at which they were firft Rated, although
m Wtffcthem in point of birth and fortune,
equal footing with some who held
acoffliarffi—and that honor, justice and equi
ty, which has ever been the distinguishing cha
racteriftieft)! our honorable legillature, have
made good to them the deprivation of the cur
rency, both to officers anc&ldiers, and pledg
ed the faith of the State £±se payment both
rofy^rincipal and intereß ^ffftcie : Wherefore,
xlhre of opinion, the rfffentations by them
to his Excellency <%n^ral WASHING
TON, and the honorable %minental Congress,
of their being reduced to poverty by the service,
and their families to want bread, is most injuri
ous, and which they themselves have taken care
to contradia by their actions, which are more
fignificant than 'words, viz. By forming a so
ciety, composed of the officers of the army, and
establishing a permanent fund in which the of
ficers of the army have deposited one month's
pay, amounting by their own account, to no
less a sum than two hundred thousand pounds,
which is to remain on interest a perpetual fund,
which it is to be hoped, they will loan to their
distressed country, impoverished by a long and
expensive war :—But to what purpose the fame
is to be applied, remains at present a secret with
that society which from a specimen given us of
their skill in the arts of intreague, in firft ob
taining a resolution of Congress for half-pay
during life, and afterwards five years full
pay by commutation, ought to excite the atten
tion of the States, which society they have nam
ed, the Cicinatian Society, in honor of Cincinatus,
a Roman General, who, when following his
plough on his small farm received a meflage from
the foa/e, that their State was invaded and that
he must take the commandos the army,which he
instantly obeyed, left his plough, fought, and
conquered the enemy, and again returned to
his plough, in the compass of a few days, but
without either half-pay for life, or a penjion of
five years full pay, whose example we have ne
never learnt, any of the American army have
followed, but his Excellency their patriotic Ge
neral, who may justly be reputed under God,
thefaviour and deliverer of his country.
We have likewise paid attention to General
NT'DOUGAL's letter to General KNOX, giv
ing an account of his agency at Congress, in be
halfof the officers of the army, dated at Phila
delphia, Bth February, 1783, the authenticity
of which may not be doubted, as it is conveyed
to the public by his Excellency General Wash
ington, which with the greatest concern we
find, contains these unguarded expressions, viz.
" The zeal of a great number of the members
of Congress to get Continental funds, while a
few wished to have us referred to the States, in
duced us to conceal what funds we wished, or
expected, least our expectation for one or the
other, might retard a fettlemen: of our accounts,
or a determination on the equivolent for the
half-pay. Indeed some of oar best friends in Con
orefs declared, however desirous they were to
have our accounts fettled, and the commutation
fixed, as well as to get funds, yet they would
obpofe rejerring us to the States, for a settlement
and fecuiity, till all profped of obtaining Conti
nental funds, was at an end." —Then adds, " If
Congress get funds, we frail be secured."
September 2, 1783.
From these paragraphs, every one muR natu
rally infer that Congress were greatly engaged
to get funds (as he terms it) in some way
and manner, not fixed and established by the
articles of confederation—and for that reason,
were disposed to secure the interest and influ
ence of the army to effe& it, and were desirous
to prevent their applying to the States for a set
tlement and security, which might deprive Con
gress of their influence in obtaining Continental
funds, which to prevent, they gave them the:
strongest assurance, if they obtained Continental
funds, the officers of the army Jhould be secured.
To suppose the honorable Continental Congress
could fully the honor and dignity of their high
Ration, by such collusive praftices, as those
words, seem at firft view to convey to the mind
of every sensible, intelligent reader, or to think.
General M'Dougal ofdtyign, misrepresented the
best friends of the army in Congress, would be
indelicate to suggest :---We mult therefore con
clude, the General might not rightly under
hand the expressions used by their beflfriends
in Congress, or that when he wrote in confi
dence to his friend, he little thought ofits be
ing exposed to public view, and did not pay that
attention to the ideas those words naturally ex
cite, in the minds of every intelligent reader,
and did not pay that attention to those phrases,
he otherwise would have done.—This letter we
find was soon succeeded by an anonymous let
ter, dated loth March, 1783, and dispersed
through the camp, replete with seditious and
mutinous inve&ives, tending to excite the
whole line of the officers of the army to desert
their most amiable and accomplished command
er, and the cause of their country, which they
had sworn to defend—the copy of which was
by his Excellency General WASHINGTON,
transmitted to Congress, by his letter dated the
12th of the fame month, in which his Excellen
cy expresses his distressed situation, and the anx
iety of his mind in these words, " It is with in
expreffbie concern I make the following report.
This anonymous seditious letter, not only excit
ed them to (heath their swords, in the bowels of
their fellow-citizens, but to utter the most inso
lent threatnings against Congress itfelf, the su
preme authority of these States, but that we
may not be thought to exaggerate, we will only
repeat their own words, which need no com
ment, "if this then be yous treatment, while
the swords you wear, are necessary for the de
fence of America, what have you to expect from
peace, when your voice shall fink, and your
Rrength shall diflipate by divifcn ?---lf you have
sense enough to difeover, and spirit enough to
oppose tyranny, under whatever garb it may as
sume, whether it be the plain coat of republican
ism, or the splendid robe of royalty: If you have
learned to diferiminate between a people and a
cause, awfr^-attend to your situation, and re
dress yourselves—ls the present moment be loft,
every future effort is in vain.—l would advise,
If your determination be in any proportion to
your wrongs, carry your appeals from the juflice
to thefears of government." We would not sug
gest this had any influence with Congress at
ninety miles distance, —although it produced
" inexprefible concern" in the mind of their most
excellent commander, but the fa& is, General
M'Dougal succeeded, and the commutation was
fettled on the 22d of the fame month, just two
days before the arrival of the news, of the pro
visional treaty being signed, between England
and these States. (See the last Page.)
(No. 971.1