Manuscript pay order signed by Hatevil Colson (1714-1808), a solider in the 6th Massachusetts Regiment. Camp Continental Village, Peekskill, New York, 26 September, 1782. Witnessed by Moses Smith and Samuel Holden, with endorsements on verso.

The document is addressed to Henry Gardner (1731–1782), Treasurer for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, authorizing payment to Calvin Smith (1741–1812), a prominent officer in the Massachusetts Line. The text reads, in part: "Sir, please to pay to Mr. Calvin Smith such sum, or sums of money, or otherwise Notes, as shall appear to be owe[d] to me for my service in the 6th Regt. for the Years 1777, 1778 & 1779 and this order shall Be your sufficient Dischage from me for the same."

Hatevil Colson enlisted in 1777 in the 6th Massachusetts Regiment, then under the command of Colonel John Nixon. Records indicate Colson was later granted a pension for his service, which extended through 1783. This pay order, dated September 1782, seeks to settle arrears for his initial three years of service during the height of the conflict.

The recipient of the funds, Lieutenant Colonel Calvin Smith, was a veteran of the Siege of Boston and the Battle of Bunker Hill. Originally an officer in the 1st Massachusetts Regiment, Smith served as the Executive Officer of the 16th Massachusetts under Nixon before assuming command of the 6th Massachusetts Regiment following Nixon's retirement.

Henry Gardner served as the first Treasurer and Receiver General of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, having been appointed by the Provincial Congress in 1774. He remained a pivotal figure in financing the Massachusetts war effort until his death in 1782. His grandson, Henry Joseph Gardner, would later serve as the 23rd Governor of Massachusetts (1855–1858).

The document was composed at Continental Village, a strategic military supply depot and barracks located near Peekskill, New York. Situated at the mouth of the Hudson Highlands, the village served as a vital arsenal and victualing center for the Continental Army. Though largely destroyed by British forces in October 1777 following the fall of Forts Clinton and Montgomery, it was subsequently rebuilt and remained a key encampment for the duration of the war.

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