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Lot 379
Description:
George Washington Autograph Letter, to Robert Morris and Blair McClenachan, 20 June 1780 from Springfield, NJ, thanking them for their letter and a gift of spirits, 1 folio page, ink on paper, formerly folded in half and then in quarters, now spread flat and matted, 13 1/8 in. x 16 5/16 in. (33. 4 cm. x 41. 4 cm.), in a fine clear hand with bold signature and full address, indexed in a later hand with details of protagonists, date, and place.
- Provenance: Provenance: David Gage Joyce; his sale, Hanzel Galleries, Inc., Chicago, 23-24 September 1973; purchased there by Marshall Field & Co., Antiquarian Books, Prints, and Maps; sold by them to Mrs. Hans Schneider, Hammond, LA. Note: This very handsome, large letter is entirely holograph (exclusively in the hand of the writer), with a signature on both sections, that is at the foot of the letter proper, as well as at the end of the address. Its text has been slightly misinterpreted in the standard Writings of George Washington from the Original Manuscript Sources, 1745-1799, John C. Fitzpatrick, editor, Washington, 1931-1940, so a complete transcription is given here: Head Qrs. at Spring-field n 20th. June 1780 Gent. I am honored with your / favor of the 3d. and have received-in / good order-the pipe of spirits you were / pleased to present me with.-for both / permit me to offer my grateful thanks, / and to assure you that, the value of / the latter was greatly enhanced by the / flattering sentiments contained in the / former. In a struggle like ours-per= plexed with embarrassments-if it / should be my fortune to conduct the / Military helm in such a manner as / to merit the approbation of good men / and my suffering fellow Citizens it / will be the primary happiness of my / life because it is the first & great / object of my wishes. n To you Gent. I shall commit / the charge of making a tender of my / respect & thanks to the rest of the owners / -with much esteem & personal regard / I have the honor to be / Gentn. / Yr. most obed.t & oblig¹d / G: Washington [The letter is addressed in an inscription running vertically on the left side of the sheet Robt Morris & B. McClenachan Esqrs. Merchts. Philadelpª G:° Washington [The document is annotated, in a later hand Head Quarters at / Springfield Genl. Washington / to Blair McClenachan / & Robt Morris / 20 June 1780. The "rest of the owners" mentioned at the end were joint proprietors of one of the huge fleet of privateer ships owned by Morris (with incidental help from McClenahan): Morris said after the Revolution that he had lost 1500 ships-his was the largest marine force in the Americas-but "came out about even." Robert Morris (1734-1806) signed the Declaration of Independence, the Articles of Confederation, and the Constitution of the United States. He rose from clerk to partner of the immensely prosperous Philadelphia firm of Willing & Morris, and used his vast fortune to finance the American Revolution: in the single year of 1783 he loaned the Continental Congress some $15 million. His proposal to organize hard currency on the decimal system was taken over by Thomas Jefferson in 1784. He helped to found the two first banks in the new republic; Morris commented after Yorktown (which campaign he decisively furthered) that the struggle had turned from a war of bullets to a war of finances. He was offered the post of Secretary of the Treasury in 1789, but declined it in favor of his friend Alexander Hamilton; he did become one of the initial Senators from Pennsylvania, serving from 1789 to 1795. Blair McClenachan (1751-1812) also financed the Continental Army with a major subscription in 1780, and served in the U. S. Congress (as a Representative from Pennsylvania¹s second district) from 1797 to 1799. This beautiful letter is a fitting tribute from the first Commander-in-Chief to two of the most selfless men of the Revolutionary period.
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March 27, 2010 10:00 AM CDT
New Orleans, LA, US
Neal Auction Company
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