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Personal letter from Washington to his wife is published in the newspaper...



Item # 616823

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December 24, 1777

THE PENNSYLVANIA LEDGER OR THE WEEKLY ADVERTISER, Philadelphia, Dec. 24, 1777 

* Revolutionary War Tory original
* Rare Pro British issue from America
* George Washington letter to Martha


This was a Tory newspaper published in Philadelphia when the British occupied the city. It began in 1775 and ended when the British evacuated the city in May of 1778. Not surprisingly, the masthead features an engraving of the Royal coat-of-arms.
The first column on the ftpg. features two Proclamations, each signed in type by: W. Howe, the General and Commander in Chief of the British forces. One concerns offering acres of land to those who would enlist in the King's service.
Page 2 begins with a fascinating extract of a letter from George Washington to his wife, prefaced with: "The printer has received from New York a few copies of an intercepted letter from General Washington to his Lady, dated June 24, 1776, which he is now selling at his shop in Market Street. The following is an extract." and what follows is a portion of a letter from George to Martha Washington in which he shares his thoughts on the progress of the way, the spirit of his soldiers, his thoughts on the King, and much more. Even some fears of what was plot to kill him suggested in: "My attention in this moment called off to the discovery...of a most wild & daring plot. It is impossible as yet to develop the mystery in which it either is or is not supposed to be involved...it will be a fine field for a war of lies on both sides..." with more (see). The hatred towards Washington is evident with this Loyalist printer, in that he would take a personal letter & reprint it for sale to the public.
Page 2 also has a lengthy letter from General Burgoyne from 1775 concerning America (see), followed by a Resolve from the Mass. General Assembly which includes: "...That the troops under General Burgoyne be quartered in the barracks..." with more, relating to the historic defeat of Burgoyne at Saratoga in September. Page 2 also has a letter from General Gates to Gen. Burgoyne dated a Saratoga, October 11, 1777 (see), which includes mention of a possible exchange from Col. Ethan Allen. Another item mentions: "The Rebels, we hear, have made another descent on Long Island...we can assure the public that their loss in the affair is capital...". This is followed by a witty anecdote concerning the Americans running out of Philadelphia (see).
Four  pages, a very light damp stain to a lower corner, numeric notations next to ads (this was the editor's copy), nice condition.

Category: Revolutionary War