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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.

Hancock, John (1737-1793) [Commission of Henry Knox to Brigadier General of Artillery]

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Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC02437.00500 Author/Creator: Hancock, John (1737-1793) Place Written: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Type: Printed document signed Date: 27 December 1776 Pagination: 1 p. : docket ; 21.6 x 34.1 cm. Order a Copy

Congressional appointment for Knox to the newly created rank of Brigadier General of Artillery. "We, resposing especial Trust and Confidence in your Patriotism, Valour, Conduct and Fidelity, DO, by these Presents, constitute and appoint you to be a Brigadier General of Artillery." Signed by Hancock as President and attested by Charles Thomson as Secretary, both of the Continental Congress.

Charles Thomson was the Secretary of the Continental Congress for its entire history, from 1774-1789.

Knox, Henry, 1750-1806
Hancock, John, 1737-1797
Thomson, Charles, 1729-1824

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