General Washington to the President of Congress (excerpt on lack of pay for the troops) New York, September 6, 1776 "Before I conclude, I must take the liberty of mentioning to Congress the great distress we are in for want of money. Two months' pay, and more to some battalions, is now due the troops here, without anything in the military chest to satisfy it. This occasions much dissatisfaction and almost a general uneasiness. Not a day passes without complaints and the most importunate and urgent demands on this head." American Archives 5, Vol. 2, Column 194