107. Eff as of this Grant, and the Extenfion of it. The half pay refolve quieted the apprehenfions of the army, in a good degree, and the service was for a time, performed with zeal and alacrity. But the continual depreciation of the currency in which the troops received their wages, deprived them of a great part of their real dues, and neither officers nor foldiers could maintain a decent appearance, in point of drefs, while the families of many were fuffering at home. Thefe circumftances, with the derangement of a great number of officers, in 1780, occafioned by the neceffity of reducing the number of regiments, for want of their complement of men, gave rife to great difcontents in the army, and called for a further interpofition of congrefs. Upon the reprefentation of thefe facts, by the commander in chief, congrefs on the 21ft of October, 1780, refolved, that the officers fhould be ertitled to half pay for life.

108. State of the Army in 1783. Repofing confidence in the faith of the United States, the officers of the army. remained quiet, until the clofe of the war. A mutiny among the foldiers, in two or three inftances, occafioned fome alarm, but produced no ferious confequences. After the army returned from Yorktown, and encamped at Newburg, on the Hudfon, a ceffation of hoftilities gave them leifure to contemplate their fufferings, their loffes by paper currency, and their future profpects. At that time, a report was circulated that congrefs did not intend to fulfil their engagements refpecting half pay. They there-fore deputed a committee of officers to wait on congrefs, with an addrefs and petition, reprefenting their hardships, and embarraffments-that in 1777, they had been paid in dollars when worth four pence only-and that their fubfequent arrearages had not been liquidated. They therefore requested an adjustment, and payment or fecurity for the balances due. And as the half pay refolves had given uneafinefs, by establishing a precedent of penfions, they requested a fum in grofs in lieu of half pay for life.

109. Proceedings of Congress on this Memorial. In compliance with the wifhes of the army, congrefs on the

25th of January, refolved that the fuperintendant of finance, fhould of the arrears due to the arfuch part pay my, as the finances would permit-that the flates should be called on to complete a fettlement with their respective troops, to the first of August 1780-that the troops had an undoubted right, with all public creditors, to expect security for the payment of arrears, and that congrefs would make every effort in their power, to obtain from the states, fubftantial funds for the whole debt. The propofition for commuting half pay during life, for a specific fum, was referred to a committee to examin the value of annuities, and on their report a refolution was propofed granting five years full pay in lieu of half pay for life, but it did not pass. On the 8th of February the committee made a report of these proceedings to the army.

110. Reception of this Report by the Army. As congrefs had little money and no means of raising it, except the old expedient of iffuing bills, the army had little hope of any immediate relief adequate to their wants; and confcious of their fidelity and meritorious fervices, they could not patiently brook the delays attending the fet tlement of their accounts. On the 10th of March a notification was circulated, without a name, requefting ą meeting of the general and field officers, with one from each company, to confider the communications from congrefs, and what nieafures it would be proper to take. With this notice was circulated an anonymous address, couched in a file of great energy, and calculated to awaken in the army the keeneft fenfations of indignity for the wrongs done to the officers and foldiers. The impreffion on the army was correfpondent to the fpirit of the address, and threatened a violent commotion.

111. Conduct of General Washington in that Crifis. The commander in chief with that coolness which never forfook him, and with a moderation adapted to allay the irritations of the moment, iffued the next day, a notice reproving with mildnefs, the propofal for an irregular, unauthorised meeting, and requesting the officers to meet on a different day. On which a second address from the

fame unknown pen appeared, in which the author indirectly intimated that the defign of his first addrefs was not to excite to violence, but to roufe the army to affume a more bold and manly tone, in their folicitations for juftice. The addreffes were communicated to congrefs, and no doubt produced, in a degree, the effect intended; for on the 22d of March, a refolution paffed for a grant of five years pay, in lieu of half pay for life. At the meeting of the officers in pursuance of the general's request, the commander in chief addreffed them in a masterly manner, reprobating the anonymous address, recommend... ing peaceable measures, and pledging himself to exert his utmost ability to procure full juftice to be done to the army. The officers voted him an addrefs of thanks, and refolved that they continued to have unfhaken confidence in the juftice of congrefs and their country. Thus was diffipated one of the most menacing storms that ever hung over America.

112. Difmiffion of the Army. At the moment this ftorm had fubfided, news was received that the prelimina ries of peace were figned, and on the 26th of May 1789, congrefs refolved that the commander in chief be inftruct ed to grant furlows to the non-commiffioned officers and foldiers, who were engaged in fervice during the war, who fhould be discharged as foon as the definitive treaty fhould be concluded, with a due proportion of commif fioned officers. Upon the publication of that refolve, the officers prefented a fpirited addrefs to the commander in chief, expreffing their fufferings and wants, and their fevere difappointment, as well as aftonishment, at being disbanded without a fettlement of their accounts, and a provifion for payment of the balances. They intreated him to use his influence with congrefs to obtain a fufpenfion of their order, and that no officer or foldier fhould be obliged to receive a furlow, until congrefs could be made acquainted with the wretched condition into which they fhould be plunged, if compelled to retire from the army, without a fettlement of their accounts, a payment of the balances, or any evidence of what was due to

them. The request could not be granted, but the general in his reply, stated that a partial payment was foon to be made, and that every thing practicable fhould be done, to bring their accounts to a final adjustment.

113. Mutiny in Pennfylvania. As it was not poffible for congrefs to make full payment to the army, nor to liquidate their accounts in a fhort time, and as it was im portant to reduce the current expenditures, the officers and foldiers inlifted for the war, were difmiffed with three months pay, in notes given by the financier, payable in fix months. This measure excited great difcontents, and in Pennfylvania occafioned a mutiny. In June 1783, about eighty foldiers, belonging to a body then ftationed at Lancaster, deserted their officers, and under the conduct of their fergeants, marched to Philadelphia, where they were joined by two or three hundred foldiers from the barracks in that city. On the 21ft of the month, they proceeded in a body and furrounding the state-house, where congrefs and the executive council of Pennfylvania were fitting, placed guards at the doors, fent a meffage to the council complaining of the non-fettlement of their accounts, and the want of pay, and behaved in a menacing and diforderly manner.

114. Proceedings of Congress on this occafion. Congreft, not chufing to deliberate when surrounded by armed men, adjourned and retired. After the mutineers had withdrawn, congrefs appointed a committee to wait on the executive council of Pennfylvania, requefting their efficacious aid in fecuring the fafety of their perfons, and preventing fuch indignities to the authority of the United States. The committee reported, that they had not received fatisfactory affurances of the prompt and adequate exertions of that ftate, for fupporting the dignity of the federal government. Congrefs therefore adjourned their fittings to Trenton, where they continued for fome time and to put a stop to fuch outrages, General Washington was requested to fend a body of troops to Philadelphia. Accordingly a detachment of fifteen hundred men was fent from headquarters-which with other measures,

quelled the mutiny. The accounts of the army had been put in a train for fettlement, perfons were appointed to adjust and afcertain the demands on the United States, whether for fervices or fupplies; and certificates, which acquired the name of final fettlements, were given as evidences of the balances due from the public. In thefe was included five years pay to the officers, in lieu of half pay for life, and eighty dollars allowance to the foldiers beyond their wages,

115. Popular Difcontents on account of the Grant to the Officers. Scarcely was the army difmiffed, when attempts were made in fome parts of the country, to excite uneafinefs among the people, on account of the five years extra pay to the officers, called commutation.

The unea

finefs was firft manifefted and most violent in the NewEngland ftates, and efpecially in Connecticut, where the fymptoms of it became public in July 1783. Town meetings were held and refolutions paffed, expreffive of the people's difapprobation of the act of congrefs. It was faid that the half pay, and the five years pay in lieu of it, were in the nature of penfions, which are always odious among a free people-that the officers of the army had taken advantage of the neceffities of the country, to extort the promife of this gratuity from Congrefs-that the army had not fuffered more than the people that many of the officers had raised large éftates-and all of them been amply rewarded by extra grants and bounties.

116. Progrefs of thefe difcontents. The publication of the town meeting refolves ferved to augment and spread with rapidity the popular difcontents; and in autuma the crifis became alarming. A propofal for a convention of deputies from the several towns in Connecticut, to be held at Middletown, was circulated with great fuccefs, and on the 3d day of September delegates from twentyeight towns, affeinbled at that place. For want of a full reprefentation of the ftate, which was afcribed to the fhort notice given, they adjourned to the thirtieth of the fame month. On that day the convention met and about fifty towas were reprefented. This illegal body, having