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LOT #42029 |
Starting Bid: $20,000
George Washington Letter Signed...
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Description
General Washington Orders the Procurement of Livestock for the French Navy
George Washington Letter Signed ("Go: Washington").
One page, 7 3/4 x 9 3/8 inches; Haverstraw, [New York]; July 15,
1778. Written in the hand of Washington's aide-de-camp,
Tench Tilghman (1744-1786) to Jeremiah Wadsworth, Commissary
General of Purchases. Docketed on the verso.A wartime letter written just months after the formal alliance between the United States and France, in which General George Washington directs Jeremiah Wadsworth to procure livestock and provisions as a diplomatic offering to Admiral Charles Hector, Comte d'Estaing, commander of the French fleet then operating off the American coast. Washington writes, in full:
"Sir
I desire you immediately to select Fifty of your best Bullocks, and give orders to have two hundred Sheep if to be procured and a parcel of poultry purchased in the most convenient part of the Country. They are intended as a present to the Count D'Estaing Admiral of the French Fleet now laying off Sandy Hook. You are to send them to the Coast as expeditiously as possible, and upon giving notice to the Admiral he will contrive means of taking them off. A letter from me will be delivered to you for the Count which you are to forward with the provision. You are to write to him in your public Character and offer him any assistance that he may want in victualling the Fleet under his command.
I am Sir Yr most obt Servt
Go: Washington."
At the time of writing, the Revolutionary War had entered a critical new phase; following the British evacuation of Philadelphia in June 1778 and the Battle of Monmouth, Washington's army was maneuvering in the northeast while awaiting coordinated operations with their newly arrived French allies. D'Estaing's fleet had reached American waters earlier that month, presenting the first real opportunity for joint Franco-American action against British forces at New York. Thus, the French fleet, operating far from its home ports, required reliable supplies, and Washington sought to ensure that d'Estaing's forces were well provisioned. The gesture further served to reinforce goodwill and cooperation between the two allies at a delicate moment when coordination and mutual trust were essential to a successful campaign.
On the same date, Washington wrote to Vice Admiral d'Estaing: "I take the liberty, in behalf of the United States, to present you with a small quantity of live stock, which I flatter myself, after a long sea voyage, will not be unacceptable. I have directed the commissary, who will deliver them, to execute any orders you will be pleased to give him, for procuring such further supplies as the country may afford for the accommodation of the fleet under your command."
Condition: Very good. Very lightly toned with flattened folds. Light pencil annotation and a few remnants of adhesive on the verso.
References: The Papers of George Washington, Revolutionary War Series, vol. 16, 1 July-14 September 1778, ed. David R. Hoth. Charlottesville: University of Virginia Press, 2006, pp. 81-82.
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
Auction Dates
June
19th
Friday
Proxy Bidding Time Remaining
19 Days
14h 50m 34s
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(Lots 42001-42298) - 11:00 AM Central Time, Friday, June 19, 2026.
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