George Washington letter signed ("Go: Washington"). One page of a bifolium, 8.25" x 13.25", "Head Quarters" [Fredericksburg, New York]; October 23, 1778. With integral address sheet in the hand of John Laurens. Docketed. General Washington commands McDougall to march to Hartford to augment Major General Gate's forces. Letter, in the hand of John Laurens (1754-1782), aide-de-camp to Washington, to Major General Alexander McDougall, in Fredericksburg (Patterson), New York, ordering him to march to Hartford, Connecticut, with three brigades to counter a British move. It reads, in full: "You are immediately to proceed with the brigades of Nixon, Parsons and Huntington—by the route which will be delivered to you by the Quarter Master General—as far as Hartford—where you will wait for farther orders. I am persuaded that no attention on your part will be wanting for the maintenance of discipline, and preservation of the Health of your troops—and that no precaution will be neglected for preventing every species of irregularity which might tend to injure the persons or property of the inhabitants on the march. Given at Head Quarters this 23d day of October 1778. Go: Washington" Here, McDougall helped to hold off the British and allow for the main body of the army to avoid conflict. Several days before this letter to McDougall, Washington, as Commander in Chief of American forces, ordered the division under General Horatio Gates (1727-1806), stationed at Danbury, Connecticut, to move to Boston in order to support the French fleet under the command of Vice Admiral Charles Henri Hector d'Estaing (1729-1794) from a possible British attack. Three brigades of Gates's division arrived in Boston between October 24-26. On October 19, Washington decided to send three brigades under McDougall toward Hartford, Connecticut, to augment General Gates's troops. Washington conveyed this order to McDougall in the letter shown here. In this letter, Washington directs McDougall to march to Hartford with three brigades under the command of Brigadier General John Nixon (1727-1815), Brigadier General Samuel Holden Parsons (1737-1789), and Brigadier General Jedidiah Huntington (1743-1818). Upon receiving intelligence that the French fleet was under no imminent danger of attack, Washington ordered McDougall's division to suspend its march at New Milford, Connecticut, at the end of October. In November, Washington ordered McDougall's division to Danbury and then to West Point, where it set up winter quarters. In the fall of 1778, Washington, unsure of the next moves of the British Army, decided to move most of his army to positions that would counter three possible British moves: a direct attack on his army, a foray up the Hudson River, and a naval expedition against the French fleet at Boston. Washington and his staff departed from White Plains on either September 16 or 17 and arrived at West Point on September 18 and then moved on to Fishkill the next day. By September 20, Washington had moved to the Fredericksburg (Patterson, New York) area, where he established headquarters. He remained in the Fredericksburg area until the end of November. John Laurens (1754-1782) was the eldest son of Henry Laurens (1724-1792), president of the Continental Congress. Born in South Carolina, he was sent to school in Europe in 1771. Shortly after the outbreak of the American Revolution, John abandoned his studies and returned to America to enlist in the Continental Army. He was made an aide-de-camp to General Washington and eventually promoted to lieutenant colonel. He saw action at the battles of Brandywine, Germantown, Monmouth, and Coosawhatchie and was killed while leading a charge at the Battle of the Combahee River on August 27, 1782. This letter shows Washington as a commander moving his forces, taking no chances concerning a possible British attack on the French fleet off of Boston. It is accompanied by a handsome engraved portrait of Washington in uniform on cardstock. Condition: 2.25" closed tear to one fold on blank portion of second sheet. Three minor areas of paper loss along the integral fold at intersections of horizontal folds. Moderate edgewear with light scattered soiling and foxing. HID03101062020 © 2022 Heritage Auctions | All Rights Reserved

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