[William Howe]. George III and William Pitt Military Appointment Signed for William Howe. One page of vellum, 16.25" x 12.25", "Our Court at Saville House;" October 27, 1760. A document appointing William Howe "to be Colonel of Foot in America…" It is signed in the upper left corner, "George R." Countersigned by William Pitt. With an embossed paper seal affixed at the left margin. Docketed on verso. William Howe (1729-1814), 5th Viscount Howe, was serving in the French and Indian War at the time of this document’s signing, where he participated in numerous significant engagements such as the battles of Beauport, the Plains of Abraham, and Sainte-Foy, the siege of Quebec and the Montreal campaign. During the American Revolution, he led the British forces to victory at the Battle of Bunker Hill. The somewhat Pyrrhic success led to the recall of Thomas Gage and a promotion for Howe to Commander-in-Chief of the British land forces. Howe went on to lead the successful capture of both New York City and Philadelphia but suffered as the war raged on from a lack of support and miscommunications. He resigned his commission in 1777 and returned to England in the spring of 1778. Condition: Threaded along left and right margins, presumably from binding. Offsetting from seal. Scattered soiling and pencil notations to verso. HID03101062020 © 2022 Heritage Auctions | All Rights Reserved

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