Joanne wrote, >>Before the Revolution and after, the majority of officers in both the militia and the "Continentals" were able to read and write, as is evidenced by the records they kept.<< Literacy was probably a factor in the officers' having been chosen. In the original muster and payrolls I've seen, as many Lieutenants and Ensigns signed the documents (where signed at all) as Captains. The upper ranks were generally from wealthier families and had access to education, which during the Revolutionary War and before was not paid for by tax dollars and not available to all except to the extent a relative or generous neighbor was able and willing to supply it. I haven't seen indenture agreements until after the Rev. War period that include that the child was to be taught to read, write and to do arithmetic "to the rule of three." While commissioned officers were of course in the minority, nonetheless I've found relatives whose ability to write surprised me. Yet these, too, are in the minority in the 18th century and earlier. Good hunting, Judy