WINDSOR FEDERAL GAZETTE, Vermont, Aug. 31, 1802  The front page contains the text of Washington's last official letter, including a nice introductory report concerning it.
The letter is dated "Mount Vernon, July 13, 1798" and is signed in type at its conclusion: George Washington. In the letter to John Adams he expresses his gratitude for being appointed Lieutenant General and Commander in Chief of the U.S. armies. However, he also expressed his desire for a younger, more qualified person to take on the role.
It is followed by a report beginning: "Fellow Citizens---You have here detailed the LAST PUBLIC COMMUNICATION of our illustrious Washington, in which he unequivocally approves the whole of the administration of Mr. Adams..." with more.
Four pages, never bound nor trimmed, there are considerable period notations in the margins, not invading the text. A loss to a lower corner affects nothing on pages 1 & 2, and only an ad on page 3.
A quite scarce title as it existed from just 1801 thru 1804. Aside from a recent purchase we have not had any issues of this title to offer in our 50+ years.

Background: This August 31, 1802 issue of the short-lived Windsor Federal Gazette captures a critical intersection of early American military anxiety and fierce, post-presidential partisanship. At its core is the reprinting of George Washington’s July 13, 1798 letter to John Adams, written during the height of the Quasi-War—an undeclared naval conflict with revolutionary France. This letter marks the profound moment a reluctant, 66-year-old Washington was pulled from retirement to serve as Lieutenant General and Commander in Chief of a provisional army, a role he accepted out of deep civic duty despite expressing his poignant wish for a younger leader. The publication of this document in 1802, nearly three years after Washington's death and a year after the bitter election of Thomas Jefferson, carries immense political weight. By appending a fiery commentary framing this as Washington's "last public communication" that "unequivocally approves" of John Adams, the staunchly Federalist newspaper weaponized the deceased president's unimpeachable legacy to legitimize Adams' past administration and attack the reigning Jeffersonian Republicans, transforming a historical military appointment into a potent political tool for a fractured nation.