Text of the retreat order, from the NHS collections.
On 28 August 1778 General Sullivan ordered the American forces on Aquidneck Island to retreat to the north and hold positions at Butt’s Hill, with flanks on the east road and west road. This document, signed by Adjutant General William Peck, forwards orders to Colonel John Laurens who followed the west road and engaged the British at Butt’s Hill the following day. Col. John Laurens (1754-1782) was a member of Washington’s staff and served at Brandywine, Monmouth, Germantown, Valley Forge and Yorktown. On the reverse, the document includes a notation written by William Ellery.