Central treasury records of the Continental and Confederation governments relating to military affairs, 1775-1789

Note

This microfilm publication reproduces "fiscal records of the central treasury of the Continental and Confederation Governments, 1775-1789, relating to military activities. The records consist of journals of expenditures relating to the armies from June 25, 1776, through May 24, 1786; a journal and a ledger of sundry accounts kept by the commissioners of accounts resident at Albany, N.Y., from December 2, 1776, through May 16, 1780; a journal, a ledger, and a cashbook, each relating to purchases of military supplies and stores, July 1, 1779- October 27, 1783; several volumes relating to officers' accounts, including George Washington's account books of 1775-1783, and accounting books kept by the Paymaster General and by regimental and company paymasters; certificates of indebtedness issued in 1784 to foreign officers, with related papers; registers of certificates of indebtedness issued to soldiers by Paymaster General John Pierce, July 11, 1783-March 2, 1786; and ledgers of pension payments made to Revolutionary War invalids, widows, and orphans of Pennsylvania, 1785-1804"--Introd.

"Reproduced in this microfilm publication are records created during the periods when the Board of Treasury, the Superintendent of Finance, and the Board of War were in operation, or they are records of officer's accounts created during the Revolution. Some of the records were used by the Federal Government in the settlement of Revolutionary War accounts or claims. Because of their fragmentary character, it was not feasible to arrange the records by military unit. Wherever possible, however, the records were arranged by the functions they represent. Numbered blank pages have not been filmed"--Introd.

"The journals of expenditures (roll 1 and part of roll 2) are records of the Pay Office and of payments made by various paymasters at Philadelphia, New York, and in the field. The journal and the ledger of sundry accounts, maintained by the Commissioners of Accounts at Albany from December 2, 1776, to May 16, 1780 (roll 2), contain entries for military expenditures in New York State and Canada, including pay of troops, purchases of arms, provisions, and clothing; recruiting expenses; prize money paid for vessels seized on the St. Lawrence River; and expenditures for prisoners of war. The ledger contains accounts in the names of Deputy Adjutant General John Trumbull, Deputy Paymaster General Jonathon Trumball, Jr., Quartermaster General Morgan Lewis, and many other officers in the Northern Army"--Introd.

"The journal and ledger of military accounts (roll 3) show amounts credited to military officers and civilians responsible for the functions of the Commissary General of Purchases in the States. The cashbook and clothing account ledger (also on roll 3) and the account books of the various officers (roll 4) appear to have been used after the war in the settlement of officers' accounts, including those of George Washington"--Introd.

"The contents of the registers of certificates of indebtedness (in five vols., with a gap between the 4th and 5th) issued to soldiers for deferred payment purposes by Paymaster General John Pierce (roll 6) are arranged numerically by certificate number. An index to Pierce's register was prepared by the National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) and was published as appendix A of that organization's 17th Annual Report, p. 149-712 (roll 5). The certificates of indebtedness issued to foreign officers (also on roll 5) were issued in 1784 to replace earlier certificates that had depreciated in value. No time of redemption was indicated. Their redemption began when the Secretary of the Treasury directed in 1792 that a portion of the Holland Loan of 1792 be used to pay holders of the 1784 certificates in gold or its equivalent. By 1803 most of the certificates had been retired, but it was not until 1828 that all of them had been redeemed"--Introd.

"The ledgers of pension payments (roll 7 bear certifications by the Auditor General of Pennsylvania, February 3, 1836, that they are true copies of originals remaining in his office. The copies may have been submitted as evidence in a claim of the State of Pennsylvania for payment when the Pension Act of July 4, 1836, was being debated in the Congress"--Introd.

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