Description:

John Hancock
n.p., July 1, 1775
John Hancock 1775 Military Commission, Secretarially Signed as President of Continental Congress
Manuscript
[John Hancock]. Revolutionary War. Manuscript Document, 1p, on laid paper measuring 7" x 7.875", no place, July 1, 1775, signed secretarially as "John Hancock President". Blank verso. Flattened folds. A few tiny pinholes. Toning and scattered foxing. Minor soiling and discoloration along edges. In near fine condition.

In full:

"In Congress / The Delegates of the united Colonies of Newhampshire, Massachusetts-Bay, Rhode-Island, Connecticut, New-York, New-Jersey, Pennsylvania, the Counties of Newcastle; Kent, and Sussex on Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, North-Carolina & South-Carolina to Jeremiah Hill Esquire -

We reposing especial trust & confidence in your patriotism, valour, conduct and fidelity, do by these presents constitute & appoint you to be Captain of a Company in the 30th Regiment commanded by Colo. Scammon in the Army of the united Colonies raised for the defense of American Liberty, & for repelling every hostile invasion thereof. You are therefore carefully & diligently to discharge the duty of Captain by doing and performing all manner of things thereunto belonging. And we do strictly charge & require all Officers & Soldiers under your command, to be obedient to your orders, as Captain. And you are to observe and follow such orders and directions from time to time as you shall receive from this or future Congress of the United Colonies, or Committee of Congress, for that purpose appointed, or Commander in Chief for the time being of the Army of the United Colonies, or any other superior officer, according to the Rules of discipline of War, in pursuance of the trust reposed in you. This Commission to continue in force until revoked by this or a future Congress - July 1st 1775 / attest Charles Thompson Sec'y / By order of the Congress / John Hancock President".

This document is likely in the hand of David Sewall, who was a member of the Committees of Correspondence which were established as information gathering and disseminating bodies, and which became a key communications system during the early years of the American Revolution.

David Sewall (1735-1825) was born in York, in the Province of Massachusetts Bay that would eventually become Maine. He graduated from Harvard University in 1755 and began practicing law in 1760. Sewall was register of probate for York County, Maine starting in 1766; a Justice of the Peace in Maine starting in 1767; and a member of the York Committee of Correspondence. Sewall was nominated by President George Washington on September 24, 1789, to the United States District Court for the District of Maine. Following his resignation from the federal bench, Sewall resumed private practice in York.

Jeremiah Hill (1747-1820) was an officer in the Massachusetts Line of the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War. Born in Biddeford, York, Maine, he entered Harvard in 1767. Hill's military service began on April 24, 1775, when he joined Colonel James Scammon's regiment of the Grand Army of Massachusetts as a captain. That June, Scammon's regiment became part of the newly formed Continental Army, and in August it was numbered as the 30th Continental Regiment. Hill remained with the regiment through the end of the year as it served in the Boston area as part of the siege of Boston. On January 1, 1776, as the Continental Army reorganized, Hill and others from his company who chose to reenlist became part of Colonel Edmund Phinney's 18th Continental Regiment, assigned to Heath's Brigade during the Siege of Boston. In July, Phinney's regiment was ordered to the Northern Department to reinforce the remnants of the American force that had unsuccessfully invaded Canada. They left Boston in August and arrived at Fort Ticonderoga at the beginning of September, where they worked to reinforce the position and prepare for a potential attack from British forces. Hill served until 1779, when he returned to his hometown of Biddeford, where he remained for the rest of his life, practicing as a lawyer.

This item comes with a Certificate from John Reznikoff, a premier authenticator for both major 3rd party authentication services, PSA and JSA (James Spence Authentications), as well as numerous auction houses.

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  • Dimensions: 7" x 7.875"
  • Medium: Manuscript

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