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Washington and General Anthony Wayne...
Washington and General Anthony Wayne...
Item # 703230
June 07, 1796
THE SALEM GAZETTE, Massachusetts, June 7, 1796
* President George Washington
* Asks United States Congress to act
* Possession of Detroit & Michilimackinac
Near the bottom of the front page is a note to Congress concerning the taking possession of the posts at Detroit and Michilimachiac, signed in type by the President: G. Washington.
Page 3 has a note: "Letters from West Point mention that the troops are under marching orders to take possession of the posts at Otswego and Niagara...The posts at Detroit and vicinity will be taken possession of by part of Gen. Wayne's army."
Four pages, small posting holes near the top, very nice condition.
AI notes: On May 25, 1796, President George Washington issued formal instructions related to the long-delayed transfer of Detroit from British to American control under the Jay Treaty of 1794. Although the treaty required Britain to evacuate its remaining frontier forts in the Northwest Territory—including Detroit, Michilimackinac, and others—the British had continued to occupy them well after the treaty’s ratification. Washington’s directive authorized U.S. military officers to prepare to take peaceful possession of Detroit once British forces withdrew, emphasizing orderly transfer, respect for private property, and maintenance of civil authority. This action marked a crucial step in asserting U.S. sovereignty over the Old Northwest, reducing British influence among Native American nations in the region, and securing American control of a strategically vital Great Lakes post. The actual evacuation occurred a few weeks later, on July 11, 1796, when American troops formally entered Detroit.
Category: The 1600's and 1700's
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