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144

George Washington

Currency:USD Category:Collectibles / Autographs Start Price:NA Estimated At:14,000.00 - 15,000.00 USD
George Washington

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Auction Date:2013 Mar 13 @ 18:00 (UTC-05:00 : EST/CDT)
Location:5 Rt 101A Suite 5, Amherst, New Hampshire, 03031, United States
ALS - Autograph Letter Signed
ANS - Autograph Note Signed
AQS - Autograph Quotation Signed
AMQS - Autograph Musical Quotation Signed
DS - Document Signed
FDC - First Day Cover
Inscribed - “Personalized”
ISP - Inscribed Signed Photograph
LS - Letter Signed
SP - Signed Photograph
TLS - Typed Letter Signed
Very rare war-dated manuscript DS, signed “Go: Washington,” one page, 7.25 x 9.5, February 14, 1779. A ship’s passport from Washington, one of three issued on this date, for a vessel supplying British prisoners in Saratoga. In full: “Permission is hereby granted to the Brig. Lady Howe, Steady, Master, laden with cloathing, stores &c for the use of the Convention Troops, to proceed from the Port of New York to Hampton-road, Virginia, there to receive further directions from His Excellency, the Governor of the State of Virginia." Washington’s red wax signet is in the upper left of the page, with some light cracks, but still intact. In very good condition, with document having been professionally cleaned, several well-done professional repairs to paper loss, with a couple very minor touch-ups to text, and scattered toning. Provenance: Christie’s 2004.

When Washington’s army won a decisive victory at Saratoga, British General John Burgoyne surrendered his army of nearly six thousand British, German, and Canadian troops. They were to be released under the terms negotiated at the Saratoga Convention, namely that they would not rejoin the conflict. When Burgoyne refused to provide the Continental Congress a list of the officers to ensure they would not return, the ‘Convention Army’ was marched south to Virginia, where most were held for the duration of the war. With provisions in short supply, the British were encouraged to provide sustenance, clothing, and blankets to the prisoners. Washington granted passports to the ship Lady Howe and two other British vessels, allowing them to anchor at Hampton Roads to deliver the provisions. The present document is the actual passport carried by the ship’s Captain Steady en route to Virginia. One of only three such passports issued by Washington on February 14, 1779, this is one of the rarest documents we have offered from the American Revolution—a truly remarkable piece!
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