LOT Old Heritage Auctions  /  2007 October Rare Books & Manuscripts #675  / 

30021

Philip Van Cortlandt Autograph Letter Signed

Currency:USD Category:Collectibles Start Price:2,500.00 USD Estimated At:4,000.00 - 5,000.00 USD
Philip Van Cortlandt Autograph Letter Signed
<B>Philip Van Cortlandt Autograph Letter Signed</B></I> “<I>Philip Cortlandt L Col,</B></I>” one page, 8.5” x 6”. <B>Ticonderoga, July 23, 1776.</B></I> Unidentified recipient. In full, “<I>I herewith send you a coppy (sic) of a letter from Ph. V. Rensselaer Esqr to Major General Gates the purpose of which you will please to observe. As the articles therein mentioned are much wanting and I know not anything of their being sent to this place as Capt. Dow informs me he knows nothing about them and must inform you it is the Generals Express Orders that they be forwarded which you will please to do immediately.</B></I>” In the Revolutionary War, Lieutenant Colonel Philip Van Cortlandt was present at the surrender of Gen. Burgoyne in 1777 and, in 1779, he was with Gen. Sullivan in the Indian Campaign in western New York. He was mustered out of the service with the rank of Brigadier General for gallant conduct at the siege of Yorktown under Gen. Lafayette. In May 1776, Philip Van Rensselaer was appointed storekeeper by General Philip Schuyler and placed in charge of ordnance and other important military supplies. On May 16, 1776, Horatio Gates was commissioned Major General. Congress had put Gates in command of the American troops in Canada, but when Maj. Gen. John Sullivan withdrew the troops to New York, Gates was reassigned as second in command to Gen. Schuyler. Written just 19 days after independence was declared in Philadelphia, this letter reveals the need for supplies for the American troops at Fort Ticonderoga, captured by Colonels Ethan Allen and Benedict Arnold a year earlier, less than a month after Lexington and Concord. Some mat burn is apparent from prior framing, chipped at corners, lightly foxed, and uneven margins. Letter remains very legible and in very good condition.<BR><BR><b>Shipping:</b> Flat Material, Small (<a target="_blank" href="http://www.heritageauctions.com/common/shipping.php">view shipping information</a>)
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