Washington's ''aides-de-camp'' during the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...

were officers of the

Continental Army The Continental Army was the army of the United Colonies (the Thirteen Colonies) in the Revolutionary-era United States. It was formed by the Second Continental Congress after the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War, and was establis ...

appointed to serve on General

George Washington George Washington (February 22, 1732, 1799) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797. Appointed by the Continental Congress as commander of th ...

's headquarters staff, with the rank of lieutenant colonel. The headquarters staff also included one military secretary, a full

colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...

. Washington had a small number of ''aides-de-camp'' at any given time, with relatively frequent turnover. A total of 32 men were appointed to these positions, and served between July 4, 1775, and December 23, 1783. Other people worked as volunteer aides or assistants, and helped with office duties when needed.

Headquarters staff

The Second Continental Congress unanimously elected George Washington to the position of Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army on June 15, 1775. He traveled to

Cambridge, Massachusetts Cambridge ( ) is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. As part of the Boston metropolitan area, the cities population of the 2020 U.S. census was 118,403, making it the fourth most populous city in the state, behind Boston, ...

, and took command of the siege of Boston on July 3. His headquarters staff initially consisted of his military secretary, Joseph Reed, and one '' aide-de-camp'', Thomas Mifflin. The responsibilities of the headquarters staff included managing Washington's military correspondence, making copies of each day's General Orders (to be distributed to the commanding officer at each military post), and making copies of individual orders. The 19-year-old artist John Trumbull, who was skilled at drawing maps, was appointed an ''aide-de-camp'' on July 27, and served three weeks before being transferred. Congress had authorized one military secretary and three ''aides-de-camp'' for the commander-in-chief, but this number soon proved inadequate. Washington's pleas for Congress to authorize two additional aides were ignored, so he augmented his staff with volunteers. Six ''aides-de-camp'' –

George Baylor George Baylor (January 17, 1752 – November 9, 1784) was an officer in the Continental Army, serving throughout the American Revolutionary War. Military career Baylor was first aide-de-camp to George Washington, and brought the news of the ...

, Edmund Randolph,

Robert Hanson Harrison Robert Hanson Harrison (1745 – April 2, 1790) was an American Army officer, attorney, and judge. He was a Continental Army veteran of the American Revolution and is most notable for his service as George Washington's military secretary, the ...

, George Lewis,

Stephen Moylan Stephen Moylan (1737 – April 11, 1811) was an Irish-American patriot leader during the American Revolutionary War. He had several positions in the Continental Army including Muster-Master General, Secretary and Aide to General George Washingto ...

William Palfrey William Palfrey (1741–1780) was an American Patriot. Early life William Palfrey was born February 24, 1741 in Boston, Massachusetts. Freemasonry In 1769, Palfrey was Substitute Master of the Lodge of St Andrew, a masonic lodge warranted by ...

– were appointed between August 1775 and March 1776, some replacing predecessors who had been transferred. Finally, in January 1778, Congress granted the commander-in-chief the power to appoint headquarters staff as he saw fit. The military secretary held the rank of

in the

, with a monthly pay of $66 in 1775 (equivalent to about $2,050 in 2018). The ''aides-de-camp'' held the rank of lieutenant colonel, with a monthly pay of $33 in 1775 (equivalent to about $1,025 in 2018). The ''aides-de-camp'' wore a green

riband A ribbon or riband is a thin band of material, typically cloth but also plastic or sometimes metal, used primarily as decorative binding and tying. Cloth ribbons are made of natural materials such as silk, cotton, and jute and of synthetic mater ...

across their chests as a rank insignia. Washington referred to the headquarters staff as "my family." Some were the sons of his friends and relatives, but above all he valued talent:

The Secretaries and Aid De Camps to the Commander in chief ought not to be confined to the line for plain and obvious reasons. The number which the nature and extent of his business require, in addition to the many drawn from the line to fill the different offices of the staff, when it is considered, that they ought all to be men of abilities, may seem too large a draft upon the line. But a consideration still more forcible is, that in a service so complex as ours, it would be wrong and detrimental to restrict the choice; the vast diversity of objects, occurrences and correspondencies, unknown in one more regular and less diffusive; constantly calling for talents and abilities of the first rate, men who possess them, ought to be taken, wherever they can be found.

On the battlefield, the ''aides-de-camp'' were

courier A courier is a person or organisation that delivers a message, package or letter from one place or person to another place or person. Typically, a courier provides their courier service on a commercial contract basis; however, some couriers are ...

s—delivering Washington's orders on horseback and gathering or relaying intelligence on enemy troop movement. Samuel Blachley Webb was wounded at the October 28, 1776,

Battle of White Plains The Battle of White Plains was a battle in the New York and New Jersey campaign of the American Revolutionary War, fought on October 28, 1776 near White Plains, New York. Following the retreat of George Washington's Continental Army northward ...

and at the December 26, 1776,

Battle of Trenton The Battle of Trenton was a small but pivotal American Revolutionary War battle on the morning of December 26, 1776, in Trenton, New Jersey. After General George Washington's crossing of the Delaware River north of Trenton the previous night, ...

. John Fitzgerald and

John Laurens John Laurens (October 28, 1754 – August 27, 1782) was an American soldier and statesman from South Carolina during the American Revolutionary War, best known for his criticism of slavery and his efforts to help recruit slaves to fight for thei ...

were both wounded at the June 28, 1778,

Battle of Monmouth The Battle of Monmouth, also known as the Battle of Monmouth Court House, was fought near Monmouth Court House in modern-day Freehold Borough, New Jersey on June 28, 1778, during the American Revolutionary War. It pitted the Continental Army, com ...

, where

Alexander Hamilton Alexander Hamilton (January 11, 1755 or 1757July 12, 1804) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first United States secretary of the treasury from 1789 to 1795. Born out of wedlock in Charlest ...

's horse was shot from under him. George Johnston served barely four months, before dying of disease at the Morristown headquarters.

Tench Tilghman Tench Tilghman (, December 25, 1744April 18, 1786) was an officer in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. He served as an aide-de-camp to General George Washington, achieving the rank of lieutenant colonel. Tilghman rose ...

served longer than any other ''aide-de-camp'': more than seven years, about half of it as a volunteer. The commander-in-chief's headquarters staff was disbanded on December 23, 1783, when General Washington resigned his commission to Congress, then meeting at

Annapolis, Maryland Annapolis ( ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Maryland and the county seat of, and only incorporated city in, Anne Arundel County. Situated on the Chesapeake Bay at the mouth of the Severn River, south of Baltimore and about east ...

. Aides David Humphreys, David Cobb, and Benjamin Walker escorted him to and from the ceremony. Many members of Washington's headquarters staff earned his trust and friendship. Some later served in his presidential administration.

Additional aides

In 1906, Worthington Chauncey Ford, chief of the Manuscripts Division at the Library of Congress, published a list of Washington's 32 military secretaries and ''aides-de-camp''. He added Martha Washington as number 33, acknowledging her unofficial clerical help at Washington's headquarters. Frank E. Grizzard, Jr., former editor of ''

The Papers of George Washington The Washington Papers, also known as The Papers of George Washington'','' is a project dedicated to the publication of comprehensive letterpress and digital editions of George and Martha Washington’s papers. Founded at the University of Virginia ...

: Revolutionary War Series'', adds to the list Washington's nephew, George Augustine Washington—a volunteer aide from September 1779 to May 1781, and from December 1781 to May 1782.

Military secretaries

* Joseph Reed (1741–1785) – Served as Gen. Washington's military secretary from June 19 to October 30, 1775. He took leave to prepare a case before the Pennsylvania Supreme Court. Reed rejoined the Continental Army on June 16, 1776, as

Adjutant General An adjutant general is a military chief administrative officer. France In Revolutionary France, the was a senior staff officer, effectively an assistant to a general officer. It was a special position for lieutenant-colonels and colonels in sta ...

. *

(1737–1811) – Served as Muster Master General from August 14 to November 1775; and as Gen. Washington's acting-military secretary (in Joseph Reed's absence) from November 1775 to May 1776. He served as a Washington ''aide-de-camp'' from March 6 to June 5, 1776, and as a volunteer aide from September 28, 1776 to January 1777. *

(1745–1790) – Served as Gen. Washington's military secretary from May 16, 1776 to March 25, 1781. He had served as a Washington ''aide-de-camp'' from November 1775 to May 1776. * Jonathan Trumbull, Jr. (1740–1809) – Served as Gen. Washington's military secretary from June 8, 1781 to December 23, 1783.

Appointed ''aides-de-camp''

* Hodijah Baylies (1756–1842) – Served as an ''aide-de-camp'' to Gen. Washington from May 14, 1782 to December 23, 1783. He had graduated Harvard in 1777, was commissioned a lieutenant in Jackson's Additional Continental Regiment, appointed as ''aide-de-camp'' to General Benjamin Lincoln, and was promoted to major. He was captured by the British at the siege of Charleston. Exchanged in November 1780, he returned to Harvard for a master of arts degree. *

(1752–1784) – Served as an ''aide-de-camp'' to Gen. Washington from August 15, 1775 to January 1, 1777. * Richard Cary (1746–1806) – Served as an ''aide-de-camp'' to Gen. Washington from June 21 to December 1776. He was written about kindly by Congressman John Adams to another Massachusetts delegate, William Tudor, judge advocate to the Continental Army, and was appointed a brigade major. Cary resigned to get married. * Dr. David Cobb (1748–1830)– Served as an ''aide-de-camp'' to Gen. Washington from June 15, 1781 to January 1783, and from June to December 23, 1783. * Col. John Fitzgerald (d. 1799) – Served as an ''aide-de-camp'' to Gen. Washington from November 1776 to July 1778. Wounded at the June 28, 1778

, he retired from the Continental Army. * Peregrine Fitzhugh (1759–1811) – Served as an ''aide-de-camp'' to Gen. Washington from July 2 to October 1781. * Capt.

Caleb Gibbs Caleb Gibbs (1748–1818) was the first commander of the Commander-in-Chief's Guard, the unit that protected General George Washington during the American Revolutionary War. Biography Gibbs was born on February 28, 1748, in Newport, Rhode Island. H ...

(1748–1818) – Commander of Washington's life-guard, he managed the headquarters household accounts from May 16, 1776 to the end of 1780, and served as a supplemental ''aide-de-camp''. * Col. William Grayson (1740–1790) – Served as Gen. Washington's assistant secretary from July to August 1776, and served as an ''aide-de-camp'' to Gen. Washington from August 24, 1776 to January 11, 1777. *

(1757–1804) – Served as an ''aide-de-camp'' to Gen. Washington from March 1, 1777 to April 1781. *

Alexander Contee Hanson Alexander Contee Hanson (February 27, 1786April 23, 1819) was an American lawyer, publisher, and statesman. He represented the third district of Maryland in the U.S. House, and the state of Maryland in the U.S. Senate. Early life Alexander Co ...

(1749–1806) – Served as Gen. Washington's assistant secretary from June 21 to September 1776. *

(1745–1790) – Served as an ''aide-de-camp'' to Gen. Washington from November 6, 1775 to May 16, 1776, and as Gen. Washington's military secretary from May 16, 1776 to March 25, 1781. * David Humphreys (1752–1818) – Served as an ''aide-de-camp'' to Gen. Washington from June 23, 1780 to December 23, 1783. After the war, he was private secretary to Washington at Mount Vernon, and secretary to President Washington in New York City, 1789-90. *George Johnston, Jr. (1750–1777) – Major in the 5th Virginia Regiment; appointed an ''aide-de-camp'' to Gen. Washington on January 20, 1777; died of disease at Morristown, New Jersey, May 29, 1777. *

(1754–1782) – Served as volunteer aide from August 9 to September 6, 1777, when he was appointed an extra ''aide-de-camp''. He was officially appointed ''aide-de-camp'' to Gen. Washington on October 6, 1777, and held that position until March 29, 1779, when Congress commissioned him to travel home to South Carolina and attempt to recruit a regiment of slaves. On behalf of the United States, Laurens traveled to Europe and negotiated a 10 million-livre loan from the Netherlands, to be guaranteed by France. He returned to the United States in September 1781, rejoined General Washington at the siege of Yorktown, and helped to negotiate the surrender of British General Cornwallis. He returned to South Carolina in November 1781, and died nine months later in the

Battle of the Combahee River The Battle of the Combahee River was a battle of the American Revolutionary War fought on August 27, 1782, near Beaufort, South Carolina, one of many such confrontations after the Siege of Yorktown to occur before the British evacuated Charl ...

. * George Lewis (1757–1821) – Gen. Washington's nephew. A volunteer aide from November 1775 to December 1776. Appointed a lieutenant in the commander-in-chief's life guards in May 1776, he transferred to the 2nd Continental Dragoons in December 1776. * Dr.

James McHenry James McHenry (November 16, 1753 – May 3, 1816) was a Scotch-Irish American military surgeon, statesman, and a Founding Father of the United States. McHenry was a signer of the United States Constitution from Maryland, initiated the recommen ...

(1753–1816) – Served as an ''aide-de-camp'' to Gen. Washington from May 15, 1778, to August 1780. An Irish-born Philadelphia medical student, he served as a surgeon early in the war. Left to join the staff of the Marquis de Lafayette. * Richard Kidder Meade (1746–1805) – Served as an ''aide-de-camp'' to Gen. Washington from March 12, 1777, to November 1780; supervised the October 2, 1780 execution of British Major John André. * Thomas Mifflin (1744–1800) – Served as an ''aide-de-camp'' to Gen. Washington from June 19 to August 14, 1775, when he was promoted to Quartermaster General. *

(1737–1811) – Served as an ''aide-de-camp'' to Gen. Washington from March 6, 1776, to June 5, 1776, and as a volunteer aide from September 28, 1776 to January 1777. *

(1741–1780) – Served as an ''aide-de-camp'' to Gen. Washington from March 6 to April 1776. * Pierre Penet (d. 1812) – A French merchant who had supplied arms and materiel, 1775-76. On Washington's recommendation, Congress confirmed him as a

brevet Brevet may refer to: Military * Brevet (military), higher rank that rewards merit or gallantry, but without higher pay * Brevet d'état-major, a military distinction in France and Belgium awarded to officers passing military staff college * Aircre ...

''aide-de-camp'' (October 14, 1776). Penet served from October 1776 to January 1783. * Edmund Randolph (1753–1813) – Served as an ''aide-de-camp'' to Gen. Washington from August 15 to November 2, 1775. * Col.

William Stephens Smith William Stephens Smith (November 8, 1755 – June 10, 1816) was a United States representative from New York. He married Abigail "Nabby" Adams, the daughter of President John Adams, and so was a brother-in-law of President John Quincy ...

(1755–1816) – Served as an ''aide-de-camp'' to Gen. Washington from July 6, 1781, to June 1782. * Peter Presley Thornton (1750–1780) – A volunteer aide, August–September 1777; served as an extra ''aide-de-camp'' to Gen. Washington from September 6, 1777 to nknown *

(1744–1786) – A Maryland militiaman who spoke fluent French, he served as an ''aide-de-camp'' to Gen. Washington for more than 7 years (longer than anyone else). A volunteer aide from August 8, 1776, to June 21, 1780, Washington confirmed his special status in General Orders. He was appointed an ''aide-de-camp'' to Gen. Washington on June 21, 1780 and served until November 1783. On June 5, 1781, at Washington's request, Congress awarded Tilghman the rank of Lieutenant Colonel, dating his military commission retroactively to April 1, 1777. * John Trumbull (1756–1843) – Served as an ''aide-de-camp'' to Gen. Washington from July 27 to August 15, 1775. *

Richard Varick Richard Varick (March 15, 1753 – July 30, 1831) was an American lawyer, military officer, and politician who has been referred to as "The Forgotten Founding Father." A major figure in the development of post-Independence New York City and Stat ...

(1753–1831) – Served as Gen. Washington's aide-de-camp and private secretary from May 25, 1781, to mid-December 1783. Hired after Congress approved Washington's request to have a team specifically designed to organize and catalogue and compose all of his correspondence, Varick was personally hired by Washington to lead that team. He would go on to serve at Mayor of New York City for eleven years. * Benjamin Walker (1753–1818) – Served as an ''aide-de-camp'' to Gen. Washington from January 25, 1782, to December 23, 1783. * John Walker (1744–1809) – Served as a Washington ''aide-de-camp'', February 19 to March 1777. * Samuel Blachley Webb (1753–1807) – Served as an ''aide-de-camp'' to Gen. Israel Putnam, and was wounded at Bunker Hill. Served as an ''aide-de-camp'' to Gen. Washington from June 21, 1776 to January 11, 1777, during which he was wounded at White Plains, and Trenton. On January 11, 1777, Washington appointed him commander of a new Connecticut regiment,

Webb's Additional Continental Regiment The 9th Connecticut Regiment was a regiment of the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. It was first called Webb's Additional Continental Regiment (after its colonel, Samuel Blachley Webb) before being added to the Connecticu ...

. In December 1777, Webb was captured by the British and held prisoner for three years.

Volunteer aides

* George Augustine Washington (1759–1793) – Gen. Washington's nephew. A volunteer aide from September 1779 to May 1781, and from December 1781 to May 1782. Estate manager at Mount Vernon, 1780s-1793. *

John Parke Custis John Parke Custis (November 27, 1754 – November 5, 1781) was an American planter. He was a son of Martha Washington and stepson of George Washington. Childhood A son of Daniel Parke Custis, a wealthy planter with nearly three hundred enslaved ...

(1754–1781) – Gen. Washington's step-son. A volunteer aide from October to November 1781, including during the siege of Yorktown. Died of

camp fever Camp may refer to: Outdoor accommodation and recreation * Campsite or campground, a recreational outdoor sleeping and eating site * a temporary settlement for nomads * Camp, a term used in New England, Northern Ontario and New Brunswick to descri ...

, November 5, 1781.

Possible aides

* Peter Bowman (1761–1835) – "Among the graves of distinguished Revolutionary War soldiers in Onondaga County ew Yorkis that of Peter Bowman, an aide of Gen. George Washington, who is buried in Belle Isle Cemetery." * John Hopwood (1745–1802) – Family tradition holds that Hopwood was an aide to Gen. Washington. * Ebenezer Mann – "Dr. Ebenezer Mann was a Brigade Surgeon at the Battle of Monmouth and Yorktown." * Albert Pawling (1750–1837) – A family history claims he was an ''aide-de-camp'' to Gen. Washington. Major Albert Pawling was an officer in Malcolm's Additional Continental Regiment, and tendered his resignation on February 25, 1779. Washington tried to persuade him to reconsider, but was unsuccessful. *Mathias Swartzel (1739 - 1820) identified as "Adj. to General Washington" on his grave marker.

Notes

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