KING GEORGE III-SIGNED COMMISSION FOR LIEUTENANT GERRET

King George III of Great Britain and Ireland (1738-1820). Commission of "Our Trusty and Wellbeloved Gerret Fisher, Gent[leman]" as lieutenant in the "Fifty Fifth Regiment of Foot, commanded by . . . Colonel William Gansell…Given at Our Court at St. James the Fifth Day of December 1764 in the Fifth Year of Our Reign." Partially-printed document signed, vellum sheet, 9 1/4 x 13 3/4 inches. Signed by the King "George R" on the upper left-hand corner, and countersigned by John Montagu, the 4th Earl Sandwich as Northern Secretary of State and Christopher D'Oyly, Deputy Secretary at War. Bearing remants of the original red wax royal seal and three blue one shilling tax stamps on the left margin. Docketed on recto. The original commission of Gerret or Garret (as it is spelled elsewhere in records) Fisher as an lieutenant in the 55th, in which capacity he would serve until 1773, when promoted to captain. The 55th Foot served in America during the French & Indian War and Pontiac's Rebellion, 1757-1764 before returning to Britain. It returned to America in in 1776, fighting at the battles of Long Island (1776), Brandywine, and Germantown (1777), where Captain Fisher was wounded. Following the battle of Monmouth in 1778, the 55th was transferred to the West Indies, where it served with great merit during the St. Lucia campaign of that year. CONDITION: folds, some loss to seal as noted above, and some minor ink smudges in lower left corner, otherwise very good, the inked text strong and readable. JLK