<center><font face="Trebuchet MS">
By His Excellency, Major General Viscount Walter of Bladensburg, Commander-in-Chief, British Armies in America
To <font color="yellow"><b>Sir Ernie Sands, KCB</b></font id="yellow">, Brigadier General of the Left Wing, 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">Major General</font id="yellow"></b> of the Left Wing, British Armies in America, taking rank and precedence from the present day. You are, therefore, carefully and diligently to discharge the duty of major general by exercising and well disciplining the inferior officers and men of the said wing, and I do hereby command them to obey you as their major general, 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-fifth day of November 1776 and the Sixteenth year of His Majesty's Reign,
D.S. WALTER</font id="Trebuchet MS"></center>