WASHINGTON GEORGE Contemporary copy of Washingtons important

Sale 2391 - Lot 359

Price Realized: $ 750

?Final Price Realized includes Buyer’s Premium added to Hammer Price

Estimate: $ 1,000 - $ 1,500

"EVERY POST OUGHT TO BE DEEMED HONORABLE IN WHICH A MAN CAN SERVE HIS COUNTRY" WASHINGTON, GEORGE. Contemporary copy of Washington's important letter to General John Thomas. 4 manuscript pages, 12 1/4 x 8 inches, in an unknown hand on one folding sheet; separations at folds with archival tape repairs. (MRS) Cambridge, MA, 23 July 1775

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John Thomas (1724-1776) of Massachusetts was an important leader in the early days of the rebellion. Though he was named a brigadier general in the Continental Army when it was formed in June 1775, he was upset at not being named one of the four major generals and resigned his commission. With this letter, Washington convinced him to return to the service--and reflected on the greater meaning of the Revolution: "In such a cause as this, where the object is neither glory nor extent of territory, but a defence of all that is dear and valuable in life, surely every post ought to be deemed honorable in which a man can serve his country."
The letter signed by Washington is among the Thomas papers at the Massachusetts Historical Society; a draft in secretary Joseph Reed's hand is among the Reed papers at the New-York Historical Society. Provenance: sold by Stuart Lutz to the consignor, March 2003. This was perhaps Slater's last major purchase.