To George Washington from the Board of War, 12 November 1777
From the Board of War
War Office [York, Pa.] Novr 12th 1777
Colo. Flower having applied to the Board to fill up a Commission as Colonel as he alledges he is entitled to that Rank by the Arrangement of the Artillery the Matter is referred to Genl Washington as he is the best acquainted with the Circumstances.1
Richard Peters Secy
ADS, DLC:GW.
1. For GW’s earlier decision that Benjamin Flower should be granted the rank and pay of a lieutenant colonel, see GW to Richard Peters, 17 April 1777. Flower apparently had expected to be promoted to colonel during the fall of 1777, when he sent Congress an undated memorial enclosing a list of officers in his department who should receive commissions. Although Congress resolved on 18 Sept. to grant commissions to those officers, and actually did so on 11 Nov., Flower was not promoted ( , 8:753, 9:890–92), and GW apparently stood by his original recommendation regarding Flower’s rank.