Richard Montgomery autograph letter signed ("R Montgomery"). One page of a bifolium, 7.25" x 9", New York; "Saturday" [circa June 1775]. Addressed by Montgomery to his brother-in-law, the politician and Founding Father, Robert R. Livingston (1746-1813), who was in Philadelphia with the Continental Congress. Docketed by Livingston. Exceedingly scarce autograph letter signed from Richard Montgomery just months before his death at the Battle of Quebec. It reads, in full: "I have just time to acknowledge yours & to tell you your grand Father Livingston has sent down 36 barrels of flower to be sold & the money to be sent to you how shall I send it? – Duer exculpated himself handsomely before a Committee, but no command is mentioned for him. Some people think he is not sufficiently in the good graces of the New Englanders of Albanians to carry on business on the Northern frontiers with success." Signed, "R Montgomery". With a postscript following that reads, "The troops destined for this port are I believe ordered to Boston." Montgomery's reference to troops in the postscript refers to General Gage's second embarkation of troops he ordered re-routed from New York in early June. William Duer (1743-1799) was a British-born speculator and judge who served on the New York Provincial Congress in 1775. In June 1775, he requested a private hearing before a committee of the Provincial Congress to protest the closure of the Charlotte County courts, which had been closed that month on the admittedly flimsy charge of operating under the king's name. This, combined with Duer's mercantile pursuits with the British military in the early 1770s, persuaded him to initially take a more conservative view toward American independence, and his reputation suffered, as Montgomery intimates. However, Duer later fully embraced the American cause by serving in the Continental Congress from 1778 to 1779 and signing the Articles of Confederation. Despite his inauspicious beginning, he is considered one of America's Founding Fathers. Richard Montgomery (1738-1775) also served on the New York Provincial Congress in May 1775, which allowed him to report so accurately on Duer's activity before the committee to his brother-in-law a few weeks later. They commissioned him brigadier general in early June 1775, which the Continental Congress duly approved on June 22nd, just days after George Washington's appointment to commander-in-chief. Washington assigned Montgomery to serve as deputy commander under Major General Philip Schuyler, but Schuyler's poor health pushed Montgomery into command sooner than anticipated. He had some initial success at St. John and Montreal in November 1777 and was promoted to major general on December 9th. However, the ill-fated Canadian campaign was dealt a disastrous blow at the Battle of Quebec, when Montgomery was killed while attempting to storm the city on December 31, 1775. His death was immortalized by John Trumbull's famous painting The Death of General Montgomery in the Attack on Quebec, December 31, 1775. Given Montgomery's premature death, autographs from the general are amongst the scarcest of the Revolution. This one, penned close to Montgomery's brigadier general commission, makes it among the most uncommon. It is accompanied by three engravings: a portrait of Montgomery in uniform by G. R. Hall, a portrait of Livingston by H. B. Hall, and one based on the Death of General Montgomery painting by Trumbull. Condition: Small area of paper loss from seal removal upon opening to blank portion of address leaf. Minor scattered soiling and foxing with a few pinholes. HID03101062020 © 2022 Heritage Auctions | All Rights Reserved

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