Thompson, William (1736-1781) to The Council of Safety of Pennsylvania
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Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC02498.16 Author/Creator: Thompson, William (1736-1781) Place Written: s.l. Type: Autograph document signed Date: [circa December 1776] Pagination: 1 p. : docket ; 16.3 x 20.2 cm. Order a Copy
Signed by Brigadier General Thompson and co-signed by Samuel McKinley, Barnard Daugherty, and Thomas Smith. Certifies that Benjamin Burd [spelled "Bird" here] acted as a Lieutenant in the Pennsylvania Battalion of Riflemen he formerly commanded (it was then commanded by Colonel Hand). Says he is still in the battalion and is deserving of a captain's commission. The co-signers all concure with the recommendation. Dated from Thompson's promotion to brigadier general 1 March 1776. He was captured at Trois Rivieres on 8 June 1776 and paroled two months later. He waited out most of the war in Philadelphia until he was exchanged in September 1781. The recommendations appear to have been accepted because note on verso says "appointed to 4th Regiment." [Document date range inferred from information in Burd's pension application.]
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