To George Washington from Lieutenant Colonel Jonathan Ward, 24 August 1775
From Lieutenant Colonel Jonathan Ward
Dorchester [Mass.] 24 August 1775
Requests that “Mr Willm Prentice a good Student & Young Practitioner,” who enlisted in Colonel Doolittle’s Regiment but has been assisting Dr. Flint, chief surgeon of General Ward’s regiment, be transferred to General Ward’s regiment, “as I can’t do well without him.”1
ALS, PHi: Gratz Collection; Sprague transcript, DLC:GW. Although this letter is signed “J. Ward Colonel,” the references to the regiment as “General Ward’s” indicate that Jonathan Ward was still a lieutenant colonel acting as colonel of Artemas Ward’s regiment. See General Orders, 7 July 1775, n.7.
1. William Prentice got the job. He served as surgeon’s mate of Ward’s regiment throughout 1776.