Revolutionary War-dated ALS signed “Go: Washington,” one page, 6.25 x 8, January 20, 1776. Letter to Brigadier General John Sullivan, written from Cambridge, Massachusetts, in full: "I agree to Adjutant Peabody’s discharge; & Col. Otis’s Son taking his place—I do not know of any objection to the last arrangement given in by you, & shall, when my present hurry of business is a little over Issue the Commissions—My Order extended to all persons whatsoever, but from the Nature of the Office of Clerk of the Market, as you describe it, he must come in under the Quarter-Masters department let him apply therefore to him—to Col. Mifflin I mean—and if [he] finds him useful I have no objection to the Appointment." Addressed on the reverse in Washington's own hand, "To, Brig'd Gen'l Sullivan, Winter Hill," with the left side of the leaf docketed in the hand of Marquis de Lafayette, who signs at the conclusion: "Be pleased to accept my acknowledgment and cordial good wishes, Lafayette." In very good to fine condition, with scattered light toning, paper loss and silking along the hinge, and seal-related paper loss to the integral address leaf.
The start of 1776 proved a momentous one for the commander-in-chief of the Continental Army. On the first of January Washington bolstered the morale of colonists seeking fair representation under British rule when he ordered the ‘Grand Union Flag’ to be displayed atop Prospect Hill. The flag’s symbolic raising coincided with the anticipated arrival of Henry Knox’s ‘noble train of artillery’ in Cambridge on January 27, weaponry that soon fortified Dorchester Heights and culminated the Siege of Boston with the evacuation of British troops. War-dated letters written by Washington remain tremendously sought-after, with this particular example deriving from a most significant chapter in New England history.
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