of the Council of Maryland. 3

passing. It is much our Desire to remove every good Ground for
Complaint amongst our Officers and perhaps, as to the Artillery

Officers from Maryland, it might be done by making, of the three

Maryland Companies, a fourth, the whole to be considered as one
Corps under the Command of a Major; this would leave Room to
place every Officer in the Situation he thinks himself entitled to, each
Company would still have more Men than the Establishment and we
apprehend, it would be more convenient for every Purpose. If your
Excellency should entertain the same Sentiments, we shall be obliged
to you to regulate this Matter in the proposed Way, or to recommend
it so that it may be done. We have the Honor to be with the most
perfect Esteem & Respect &^ca

Liber C C

No. 22

[Council to Board of War]

Gent. Col^o Hall of the 4^th Maryland Regiment, some Time since,
wrote us, " M^r James Smith's Resignation dated 20^th June 1779 and
" M^r Nathaniel Twining's dated 1^st June 1779 leaves a Cap^t Lieu-
" tenancy and a first Lieutenancy vacant. Lieutenant Cromwell is
" entitled to the Cap^t Lieutenancy and M^r John Hamilton, who has
" acted as Paymaster to my Regim^t these two years and by the Ar-
" rangement appointed to an Ensigncy is by Promotion, entitled to
" the first vacant Lieutenancy." In another Letter Col^o Hall recom-
mends M^r John Randall for a Commission in the same Regiment;
we approve the Promotions and appoint M^r Randall to an Ensigncy
in the fourth Maryland Regiment and request Commissions may
issue accordingly. Col^o Williams of the sixth Maryland Regiment
writes the 14^th Inst. " Some Time in August, I furnished Major
" General the Baron D'Kalb with a List of Vacancies in the Mary-
" land Line, to be transmitted to your Excellency; the Officers who
" are entitled to Promotion are impatient for their new Commis-
" sions and I am sorry to inform you there are Losses, where, for
" want of them, Officers do not that Duty which otherwise might be
" expected and would be done with Satisfaction. M^r Samuel Hamil-
" ton, whom I took the Liberty to recommend for the Commission
" of Ensign about the first of June last and whose Name was after-
" wards inserted in a List of those to be recommended to the Board
" of War, has been doing Duty in my Regim^t since the first of
" August; if my Recommendation is not rejected, M^r Hamilton will

p. 34

"bear Rank in the Regiment next after M^r Lynn." We have not
received the List mentioned to have been furnished to Major Gen^l
the Baron D^eKalb; we could wish, if the List has been transmitted
to your Board that the Officers entitled to Promotion may have their
Commissions. We approve M^r Samuel Hamilton and appoint him
an Ensign in the sixth Maryland Regiment and desire his Commis-
sion may issue. Lieu^t Col^o Thomas Woolford of the 2^d Maryland

p. 35