1 page, on vellum, folio (457 x 368 mm), accomplished in manuscript, with cream-colored seal intact at upper left, engraved by I. Draper, paper transfer from old adhesive board (since removed) on verso, old creases, a few spots of dampstaining slightly affecting Jefferson's signature, overall toning and soiling.

SIGNED BY THOMAS JEFFERSON WITH COUNTERSIGNATURE OF SECRETARY OF WAR HENRY DEARBORN, appointing Reuben Chamberlin (1780-1851) of New Hampshire to the rank of Second Lieutenant in the 2nd Infantry.

Among the first appointments of Thomas Jefferson upon his ascension to the presidency was Revolutionary War hero Henry Dearborn, who would serve as Jefferson's Secretary of War until 7 March 1809. Some of the most lasting legacies of this partnership were the establishment of boundaries between the United States and adjacent British territories, the founding of West Point, and the purchase of lands along the Mississippi River to establish a firm western boundary of the expanding nation, displacing Native American tribes as he did so. The present document was signed on 27 March 1804, the same day that the boundary for the newly purchased Louisiana Territory was established.