Handed Down for Centuries, Offered for Sale for the First Time, the Letters Come to Market as “America 250” Gets Underway
The Raab Collection announced today that it has discovered and is offering for sale two important letters of General George Washington relaying battle commands in the middle of the Revolutionary War, letters that have been passed down for centuries. They are being sold for the first time ever and are valued at $230,000. This discovery comes as the nation celebrates its 250th anniversary this year.
“Their importance is second to none in terms of gaining insight into Washington’s military strategy, how he communicated with his commanders, and how he viewed the British and the Tories,” said Nathan Raab, president of The Raab Collection and author of the bestselling book, The Hunt for History.
The Letters
Both letters date from the American Revolution and contain battle orders from then Commander in Chief of the Continental Army George Washington. Handed down for more than 200 years, the two spectacular letters come to market for the first time, as the U.S. semiquincentennial unfolds. They are valued at $150,000 and $80,000, respectively.
1779: Traitors to the Colonial Cause are “Detestable & Pernicious”
On December 22, 1779, General Washington, stationed in Morristown, New Jersey, writes to Lt. Col. William De Hart with detailed orders, stating that the Tories or British sympathizers are “detestable & pernicious,” that they are giving information to the British, and requesting intelligence about their activities.
Washington assigns De Hart to the command of a detachment to patrol the area around Paramus, New Jersey. Washington’s stated goal was to protect American patriots and prevent contact between the Tories and the British.
“The Objects of it are to cover the communication between this & Kings Ferry—to give protection to the well affected Inhabitants & restrain the others by preventing all kind of intercourse with the Enemy & to obtain the best intelligence of their movements & designs…. You are not to permit the passing of Flags or private persons on their own business on any pretense whatever. The detestable & pernicious traffic carried on with the Enemy will demand your greatest vigilance & attention—I intreat you to pursue the most decisive measures to put a stop to it.”
1780: “Observe the motions of the enemy”
Only weeks later, on January 14, 1780, Washington again writes to De Hart from his headquarters at Morristown, informing him of an imminent raid on Staten Island and ordering him to Newark, New Jersey, where he would provide surveillance of the British during the campaign.
General Stirling was dispatched that very day with a body of some 2,500 troops to surprise attack the outposts of the enemy on Staten Island. (Throughout 1780, Staten Island remained a critical, pro-British bastion and a base for raids against New Jersey.) It would be De Hart’s responsibility to monitor the enemy and send word to Stirling if the British sought reinforcements across the river.
“An attempt is to be made by a detachment of the army under the command of Lord Stirling against the enemy upon Staten Island. The object of your taking post at Newark is to observe the motions of the enemy…You will keep parties of observation over towards Bergen, and should they discover any motion in that quarter, you will instantly communicate it by way of Elizabeth Town to Lord Stirling.”
Historical Discovery
Neither letter has ever before been offered for sale. De Hart himself gave them to a friend with whom he was then living, and they have remained in that family for over 200 years. We obtained them from the descendants. For a time, the letters were on loan to the Princeton library.
To learn more about the letters, listen to episode 23 of the Inspired by History Podcast, “An America 250 Discovery of Two Important Letters of General George Washington.”
Over the past few decades, The Raab Collection has become the first destination for descendants and heirs of historically prominent figures who wish to sell their treasures. Last fall, Raab had the honor to bring three newly discovered Washington letters to market, purchased from the heirs of his Secretary of War and State, Timothy Pickering. Now again we have the opportunity to present two important, original pieces of history for sale.
