280 Journal and Correspondence

Original

The Construction and Resolution of the present Assembly,
on the former resolution of the late Assembly respecting the
powers intended to be vested in Gen^l Washington to settle the
Rank of our Line, will I fear occasion many resignations in
the Regular and flying Camp Corps, many Officers in both
now Complain and say they fully understood from the engage-
ment and promisses of the late Assembly, that it was their
intention and desire that justice should be done, and for that
purpose engaged to convey full powers to the General, under
that impression they agreed to remain in Service 'till their
Rank was established, expecting as an Introduction to that,
that the Regular or flying Camp Rank should be established,
as a General, ruling Principle, to settle the relative Rank of
Officers in the different Corps, and after that was Adjusted,
each to rise regularly by an established and invariable Rule,
from the Antecedent Rank respectively held, adding if that
was not the Case, why had not the Assembly been more ex-
plicit, to what purpose was it to create a Confidence in them,
that full powers were to be conveyed to the General to do
Iustice in such Instances, where undue promotions had been
made, Particularly when Iun^r Officers of the same degrees
with Sen^r were promoted above them a Grade higher than the
Rank they respectively held in 1776 and their Seniours still
remaining under the present establishment to this day in the
Rank they held in 1776 tho' their Iun^rs at that Time, have ever
since stood and by the present Resolution must remain a
degree higher, of which there are many Instances in the Rela-
tive Rank between Officers in the flying Camp Viz. Iun^r Cap^t
in 1776 Promoted over Senior to Majorities, the Sen^r standing
now in the same degree they then held, and Iun^r Lieu^ts over
Sen^rs to Captaincies, in like manner Iun^r Ensigns over Sen^r
to Lieutenancies and in one or more Instances to Captaincies
over all the first & Second Lieut^s
There are Similar cases in the regular Line, but the Instan-
ces there, are much less frequent than in the flying Camp. The
injured Officers justly urge on each side of the Question, that
the Establishment of the Regular or flying Camp Rank was
not so much an Object of their apprehension and disgust, as
the Partial and undue Promotions, which if the Assembly
determined not to convey powers to alter, why did they not
declare it as this was the principal objection, and the only
one which the Officers would not wave as will appear from
their Letter to the Assembly, and the Letter from the Senate
to the Gen^l clearly indicates that such powers were meant to
be conveyed, if the late Assembly had explicitly declared other-
ways, as they probably would and ought to have done if they
meant it, they could not have expected to have retained one