General Orders, from January 2nd

v4:569

Head-Quarters, Cambridge, January 3, 1776.

(Parole, Holland.) (Countersign, William.)

That every officer may be perfectly well acquainted with the establishment of the present Army, in order that they may be governed by it, and make the returns agreeable thereto, the General informs them, that each regiment is to consist of a Colonel, a Lieutenant-Colonel, a Major, eight companies, an Adjutant, a Quartermaster, a Surgeon, and a Surgeon' s Mate; whether a Chaplain will be allowed to each regiment, or one to two regiments, is yet to be determined. Each company is to consist of a Captain, a First and Second Lieutenant, an Ensign, four Sergeants, four Corporals, a Drummer and Fifer, and seventy-six Privates, and no more, under any pretence or plea whatsoever.

As the weekly returns winch are ordered to be given in every Saturday, are very irregularly made, oftentimes not before Monday, the General desires, that the commanding officer of every corps will be exact in delivering them to the respective Brigade Major, every Saturday, at orderly time, who is to be answerable to the Adjutant-General for any neglect, or breach of this order. For the last time, it is strongly recommended to those officers, to examine the returns thoroughly before they sign and deliver them to the Major of Brigade, whether pay-rolls, muster-rolls, weekly returns, or returns of any other kind, that are demanded, as negligences will not be overlooked, and false returns punished with the utmost severity.

The General is apprehensive, that more men are absent upon furlough than are allowed by the General Orders; if so, he desires the Colonels and commanding officers of such regiments to rectify the mistake without loss of time; and, for a due regulation of this matter, in future, no soldier is to be absent without leave in writing, signed by the commanding officer of the regiment he belongs to, and a register thereof made in the Regimental Book; which furlough is to be delivered to the said commanding officer, so soon as he returns, and, if it should appear that any soldier has overstayed his time, without just reason, a note thereof is to be made in said book, and a furlough denied him, upon a future application, besides suffering such punishment as may, by a Regimental Court-Martial, be inflicted.