Description:

Washington George



George Washington Signed Discharge from Military Service At the Conclusion of the Revolutionary War

 

Document signed by George Washington to discharge "William Wheeler, Matross in the 2nd New York Artillery Regiment" from service. Signed by Washington as General and Commander in Chief in a clear superb signature "G Washington".  Dated "June 9, 1783". Counter signed by Jonathan Trumbull "J Trumbull".   Verso with  a Certificate signed by Washington in type noting that the "Certificate shall not avail the Bearer as a Discharge, until the Ratification of the definitive Treaty of Peace; previous to which Time, and until Proclamation thereof shall be made, he is to be considered as being on Furlough". Along right edge additional manuscript of  "… given to John Addams, Esq at the Time of his Purchasing the Lands that the within Soldier Drew for his services". 8" x 10".Toned more prominently to the outer left edge. Slight professional repair to fold lines and outer edge which is easily  matted out .Vibrant, strong contrasting inks. Accompanied by a lightly worn custom red cloth fold-out portfolio case

 

The 2nd New York Artillery Regiment played an instrumental role in the Revolutionary War having participated in the battle of Yorktown.

Gen. George Washington’s determination of units from the American Army in New York that would march to Yorktown in August 1781 included only one artillery regiment, the 2nd Continental Artillery Regiment.  Of the four Continental artillery regiments that existed at the time, only the 2nd and 3rd were with the army in New York and the 3rd was to remain there in a defensive posture.  By virtue of its size among the artillery units at Yorktown the 2nd Continental Artillery Regiment became the core American artillery unit there.  Brig. Gen. Henry Knox directed Col. John Lamb, commanding the 2nd Artillery, to begin the march towards Yorktown early on August 19.  Lamb’s second-in-command was Lt. Col. Ebenezer Stevens and for the southern campaign Knox augmented the regiment’s staff with Maj. Sebastian Bauman, then commanding the artillery at West Point. Washington had ordered Maj. Gen. Marquis de Lafayette to take 1,200 Continentals from the army in New York to Virginia in February 1781 to oppose British forces then threatening that state, instructing Lafayette to confer with General Knox concerning needed artillery support.  Knox assigned Lafayette one company each from the 2nd and 3rd Continental Artillery Regiments under Capt. Joseph Savage of the former regiment. Although it is unknown what Wheelers exact role was, his designation on the document was that of Matross, a soldier of artillery, who ranked next below a gunner. The duty of a matross was to assist the gunners in loading, firing and sponging the guns. They were provided with firelocks, and marched with the store-wagons, acting as guards. 

Our research shows that William Wheeler is one of four brothers who participated in the Revolutionary War. An extraordinary document with a fantastic Washington signature, additional certification on the verso and with a manuscript noting the Purchasing the land that was allocated for his War services.

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May 15, 2019 10:30 AM EDT
Wilton, CT, US

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