This is a letter from the War Department to Milton Mills, then resigned from the military, advising he has been appointed as a Captain in the U. S. Army's First Corps, apparently for recruiting purposes. Maj. Gen. Winfield Scott Hancock was a colorful and successful leader during the war, including heroic leadership at the Battle of Gettysburg, where he was wounded. He also participated in the battles of the Wilderness and Spotsylvania Court House, among others. Apparently Hancock was in the process of re-forming his First Corps toward the end of the war, looking for seasoned war veterans. Milton Mills, having resigned from the 16th OVI in February, 1864, due to ill health, had been solicited or volunteered to assist Hancock. History tells us the re-organized First Corps was never completed due to war's end a few months later in April, 1865. It is not known if Mills actually reported for duty or if he became active in recruiting veteran soldiers for the First Corps.

This document was among the papers of Maj. Milton Mills and was handed down through his family.