LOT #42012 |
Current Bid: $8,500
Nathanael Greene Autograph Letter Signed...
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Description
On the Eve of His Southern Command, Nathanael Greene Warns of a Renewed British Offensive
Nathanael Greene Autograph Letter Signed ("N
Greene"). Three pages of a bifolium with address panel on the
verso, 8 1/4 x 13 inches; Richmond; November 21, 1780. Docketed on
the address panel.An excellent Revolutionary War-date letter in which General Nathanael Greene writes to General George Weedon shortly after his appointment to command the Southern Department, outlining his immediate plans and warning of the serious challenges that lay ahead. Greene writes, in full:
"My Dear General,
I was in great hopes to have had the pleasure of seeing you before I went on to join the Southern army; my appointment to which I presume you have already heard of.
I lodged at your house in Fredericksburg, and was treated with great politness by Mrs Weadon; who I was very sorry to find exceeding unhappy at your going into service again. I left Mrs Greene equally unhappy at my going to the southward; and I am not certain whether she will not follow me as far as Virginia; but as her constitution is tender and the journey long and fatiguing, I hope she will not. If she should I have advised her to take lodging in your neighborhood.
I shall leave Baron Stuben at this place to take command in this state, until he learns further from me from the Southward; and it is my earnest desire that you and general Mulenburg, arrange your line of officers as soon as possible.
You may depend upon it, the enemies changing their ground for the present, will not induce them to drop their original design of conquering North Carolina, and partaking themselves of all the lower part of Virginia; and I wish you to impress this idea upon the people of this state, for you may rely upon it, that there will be a much greater effort this winter, to effect this business than there has been. Another detachment is making at New York for the Southward.
General Gates is pushing down north a few tattered troops into South Carolina. I wish he may not meet with a check; and a second misfortune; than which not long could be more fatal both to him and to us.
Major Claiborne has returned to Virginia with me, if it is possible, I could wish him to be introduced again into the Virginia line. His merit is great and his services have been long, and I cannot but think your officers will readily agree to it. I know your friendship for him; and I am persuaded you will do all in your power consistent with your duty to oblige him.
I am with esteem and affection your most obed humble serv,
N Greene."
On October 14, 1780, George Washington appointed Greene to command the Southern Department of the Continental Army. The assignment would not be an easy one; British forces under General Cornwallis and cavalry commander Banastre Tarleton held key positions in Georgia and South Carolina, and maintained a force of approximately 6,000 troops in addition to their Loyalist militias. The Southern states, meanwhile, were politically divided and economically strained, limiting what support they could provide to the Continental Army.
Greene's warning of a difficult winter campaign was therefore well founded. He anticipates renewed British efforts to advance into North Carolina and potentially into Virginia. He also expresses concern about General Horatio Gates, recently defeated at Camden, who remained a threat to the Continental troops.
This letter captures Greene at the outset of his Southern command, preparing for what could only be a grueling campaign. Over the following year, Greene employed a combination of maneuver warfare, attrition, and coordination with militia forces to weaken British control. Though often avoiding decisive engagement, his strategy gradually eroded Cornwallis's strength, a contribution that aided in the eventual British defeat at Yorktown in 1781.
A compelling wartime letter, offering insight into Greene's early expectations for the Southern campaign and the challenges facing the Continental Army at a pivotal moment in the war.
Condition: Very good overall. Evenly age-toned with flattened folds. A few stray spots of staining or foxing. Integral fold just holding with a few small areas of loss; loss at the center fold line on the second leaf, and at the edge where letter was opened; a few letters are affected, but the letter remains largely legible. Remnants of red sealing wax on the verso.
Provenance: Christie's, New York, The Charles E. Sigety Collection, June 12, 2015, lot 34.
Auction Info
2026 June 19 The John H. Freund Americana Collection Signature® Auction #6331 (go to Auction Home page)
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