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LOT #42026 |
Current Bid: $12,500
George Washington Letter Signed...
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Description
In the Wake of His Brilliant 1776 Escape from Long Island - Considered One of His Greatest Military Feats - General Washington Issues Urgent Orders for the Evacuation of the Wounded
George Washington Letter Signed ("Go: Washington").
One page (silked on both sides), 8 1/2 x 10 inches. "Head
Quarters N York"; September 8, [1776]. Unaddressed, but written
to Abraham Yates, Jr., according to The Papers of George
Washington. Written in the hand of Washington's
aide-de-camp, Tench Tilghman (1744-1786); docketed on the
verso, with a partial manuscript in a clerical hand at the lower
edge.Washington writes in the aftermath of the Battle of Long Island, organizing the movement of the battle's wounded by boat to Orange Town (now Orangeburg), New York. He writes, in full:
"Sir,
I wrote you this Morning by your Express but omitted mentioning a Matter of Consequence. It being determined to remove our Sick to Orange Town, we shall want four large Albany Sloops for that purpose. The fatigue of travelling that Distance by land, would not only be more than the Patients could bear, but we have full Employ for our Waggons in transporting Baggage, Tents &c for the Troops from hence to our out posts. I must therefore beg the favor of your Honourable Body to procure the above Number of Vessels and send them down with as much Dispatch as possible to this City.
I am with Respect
Sir Your most obt Servt.
Go: Washington.
P.S. I shall be glad to know by Return of the Express when I may probably expect the Sloops down. There are several now on the lower parts of the River with Boards, perhaps you might engage them to come this way, which would save time."
Washington's letter resonates with his concern for the wounded Americans who fought in the Battle of Long Island, the largest of the Revolutionary War in terms of troop deployment and the first battle following the declaration of American independence on July 4, 1776.
While the exact number of combatants is unknown, it is estimated that some 10,000 Revolutionaries were engaged, resulting in more than 2,000 casualties. The British force was nearly twice that of the Continental Army, with 20,000 troops gathered in New York and Manhattan. The battle began on August 27, 1776 with a violent clash between the two armies, resulting in immediate, heavy casualties on the American side. The Continental Army retreated, and the following days found the two forces in a tense standoff with the British digging in for a prolonged siege. Recognizing the futility of taking on the overwhelmingly large British force, on the night of August 29, Washington evacuated the whole of the army, including all of its supplies, to Manhattan without alerting the British-a feat now recognized among his greatest military accomplishments.
The battle, while a devastating loss to the Americans, proved an important fact to the British: that there would be no easy victory over the Revolutionaries in the fight for their independence. This letter captures Washington at that pivotal moment of realization, showing the detail and care with which he conducted the organization of his army.
Together with a hand-colored engraving of Washington, measuring approximately 3 3/4 x 7 inches, printed by William A. Davis for Charles smith in 1796; backed with later paper.
Condition: Fine overall. The paper lightly toned and with standard flattened folds commensurate with age. Excellent ink retention and legible penmanship. The paper silked with a few light pencil annotations on recto and verso. The top right corner clipped but not affecting text and the edges trimmed close to text at the top edge; partial clerical manuscript cut off at the bottom edge. The letter "d" in the word "Head Quarters" minorly affected by a small tear but remaining legible.
References: The Papers of George Washington, Revolutionary War Series, vol. 6, 13 August 1776 - 20 October 1776, ed. Philander D. Chase and Frank E. Grizzard, Jr. Charlottesville: University Press of Virginia, 1994, p. 262.
Auction Info
2026 June 19 The John H. Freund Americana Collection Signature® Auction #6331 (go to Auction Home page)
Proxy Bidding Ends
June
19th
Friday
10:50 am CT
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June
19th
Friday
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Dallas, TX 75261
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