<center><font face="Trebuchet MS">
By His Excellency, The Marquess of Kingston, K.C.B., Field Marshal & Commander-in-Chief, British Armies in America
To <font color="yellow"><b>Paul Smith</b></font id="yellow">, Lieutenant Colonel & Officer Commanding of the Centre Column, British Armies in America
Reposing full confidence in your loyalty, courage and good conduct, I do hereby constitute and appoint you, during pleasure, to be <b><font color="yellow">Colonel</font id="yellow"></b> & Officer Commanding of the Centre Column, British Armies in America, taking rank and precedence from the present day. You are, therefore, carefully and diligently to discharge the duty of colonel by exercising and well disciplining the inferior officers and men of the said column, and I do hereby command them to obey you as their colonel, and you are to observe and follow all such orders and directions as you shall from time to time receive from me or your superior officers, according to law.
Given under My Hand and Seal at New York this Twenty-third day of September 1776 and the Sixteenth year of His Majesty's Reign,
<i>KINGSTON</font id="Trebuchet MS"></i></center>