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Lot 245: Baron Von Steuben Signed Letter

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Lot  245: Baron Von Steuben Signed Letter
<b>Autographs</b><hr><b>Baron Von SteubenÕs New York 'Barony'</b>

<b>BARON VON STEUBEN, Revolutionary Soldier: as Inspector General of the Continental Army, he helped shape the raw American colonials into a credible military force.</b>
Autograph Letter Signed, in French, 1 page, 7.5' x 12', Fort Plain, New York, March 18, 1787. To 'My Friend!' Choice Extremely Fine. Still the great man, here Von Steuben plans for an estate that was never to be, and sends tender regards to a daughter that he did not have. The estate was 16,000 raw acres near Utica, given him by the state of New York, and rescued from a web of creditors by no less a financial genius than Alexander Hamilton; and the daughter, an term of endearment rather than fact - Von Steuben was a confirmed bachelor. In full: 'I arrived here before I leave tomorrow for my barony; I will be there after many people have already been engaged there for my new colony, and I believe that I will be able to establish, before the Mohac [Mohawk Indians] leaves, a little place in which it will be good to stop again for a long time, contrary to what I had thought, however I will try to be on the way again before the end of May, in order to finish my business with the Jersey legislators. I consider myself obliged to make other gifts for $200; have the goodness to tell him that this sum is indispensable to me. I need him to make the payment within 20 days from now. My tender compliments to my dear daughter; I will draw the farm for her with my own hands. Remember me to my friends, and believe me with the sentiments of a sincere friendship yours.'

As this letter reflects, the decade following the end of the Revolution saw the rapid settlement of most of upstate New York. Previously a combination of French military power, British colonial policies, and resistance by the powerful Iroquois confederacy prevented the spread of English speaking settlers. When these obstacles were removed, the result was a land rush into northern and western New York. Settlement was fostered, too, by the government of New York State: hence Von SteubenÕs acreage. New Jersey, too, made Von Steuben a gift of land - which typically turned into a legal and financial quagmire, requiring the General to deal, repeatedly, with that stateÕs legislature.