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Signatures of Thomas Melvill and Benjamin Lincoln...
Signatures of Thomas Melvill and Benjamin Lincoln...
Item # 706752
August 17, 1807
Document: Partly-printed document signed “B. Lincoln" and "T. Melvill”, one sheet, 5 by 9 3/4 inches, August 17, 1807.
This is a "Port of Boston and Charlestown" document certifying an import of "one Hogshead of Claret." Signed at the conclusion by Benjamin Lincoln as collector and countersigned by Thomas Melvill as inspector. In great condition.
Lincoln is remembered as the Continental Army officer who formally accepted the British surrender at Yorktown, while Melvill is best known as a member of the Sons of Liberty who participated in the Boston Tea Party. An almost identical document sold at Heritage Auction in 2008 for $191.
background: Thomas Melvill and Benjamin Lincoln were both influential figures in the American Revolutionary War, each contributing to the fight for independence in their own way. Melvill, a Boston merchant and patriot, is best known for his participation in the Boston Tea Party of 1773, where he helped protest British taxation by dumping tea into the harbor. He went on to serve as a major in the Continental Army, participating in the Siege of Boston and the Battle of Long Island. Though his military career was not as high-profile as some of his peers, his role in early acts of defiance against British rule marked him as an important revolutionary figure. Benjamin Lincoln, on the other hand, had a more prominent military career. A veteran of the French and Indian War, he rose to the rank of Major General in the Continental Army. His most notable achievement came during the Siege of Boston, where he played a crucial role in forcing the British to evacuate the city. However, his reputation was tarnished by his surrender at the Siege of Charleston in 1780, a strategic setback in the Southern campaign. Despite this, Lincoln remained a respected leader, later serving as the U.S. Secretary of War under President George Washington. Both men, through their actions in battle and in public service, helped shape the early years of the United States, navigating both triumphs and challenges in the pursuit of independence.
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