To George Washington from Samuel Huntington, 6 September 1780
From Samuel Huntington
Philadelphia September 6. 1780.
Sir,
Your Excellency will herewith receive an Act of Congress of the 25. Ulto, ascertaining the rank of Governors or Presidents of the several States when acting in the Field together or in Conjunction with the Continental Army.1 I have the Honor to be with the highest respect your Excellencys most obedient Servant
Sam. Huntington President
LS, DLC:GW; LB, DNA:PCC, item 15. GW acknowledged this letter when he wrote Huntington on 15–16 September.
1. The enclosed act, adopted on 25 Aug., gave precedence to the state executive “who has been longest in Office,” with an exception that the state executive where operations were occurring “always takes rank.” A second clause gave state executives “the rank of major general in the line” when acting with Continental troops, with a provision “that nothing in the above resolutions shall exclude the governor of any state from a separate command over the Militia of the state in which he presides, where not inconsistent with the particular views of the Commander in chief” (DLC:GW; see also , 17:777).