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At the Institute’s core is the Gilder Lehrman Collection, one of the great archives in American history. More than 85,000 items cover five hundred years of American history, from Columbus’s 1493 letter describing the New World through the end of the twentieth century.

Hanson, John (1715-1783) [Certificate of appointment to rank of major general]

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Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC01412.08 Author/Creator: Hanson, John (1715-1783) Place Written: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Type: Document signed Date: 24 June 1782 Pagination: 1 p. ; 18.5 x 29 cm. Order a Copy

Partially printed document appointing William Heath to Major General in the Continental Army (Heath was previously a Major General of only Massachusetts troops and Brigadier General in the Continental Army). Signed by John Hanson as President of the Continental Congress and countersigned by Benjamin Lincoln as Secretary of War. Marked "No. 1" at the top above an embossed paper seal of the Department of War.

Hanson, John, 1715-1783
Lincoln, Benjamin, 1733-1810
Heath, William, 1737-1814

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