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�different grades. An ensign for ensign, for instance, however ancient the date of his commission, must forever be junior to a lieutenant, let the date of the lieutenant's commission be never so recent. And a lieutenant be his present or former commission ever so old, is still but a lieutenant and can never arrive at equality with the youngest captain and so of the other [illegible] grades. And in the organization of a Courtmartial the only thing to settle is the relative rank of the officers in each respective grade; the distinction of grades being already [illegible] by law and the nature of things. The president being always the superior officer, the first inquiry will be respecting the grades of which the members of the Court [illegible] [illegible] the highest of these to be majors, their relative rank will first be settled by the rule prescribed in the sq. sect. of the law above mentioned, & their seats on the right & left of the president, occupied accordingly, then the relative rank of the captains, & so [illegible] through all the grades present, always remembering that no inferior grade, however old the date of commission, can ever come in competition with a superior grade.

                                     H: Sewall, M. Gen.

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                             Commonwealth of Massachusetts

General Orders, Headquarters, Feby. 7. 1803.

   The Commander in chief having had she advice of Council respecting several alterations proposed to be made in the eighth division & the forming a new regiment in the first brigade of said division, thereupon orders as follows vir.
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