Description:

Governor of Pennsylvania Richard Penn Seeks a Garrison to Man Fort Pitt

RICHARD PENN, Manuscript Document, Contemporary Copy of A Message to the Assembly, January 29, 1773. 2 pp., 7.375ʺ x 9ʺ. Expected folds; some tears and holes with minimal impact on text; good.

Ex Christie's, Sigety

Complete Transcript:

"A Message from the Governor to the Assembly

Gentlemen

    I think it is incumbent upon me to inform you that the late Evacuation of Fort-Pitt by order of the Commander in Chief hath greatly alarmed the Inhabitants of this province settled beyond the Alleghany Mountain, who have been used to look upon that Fortress as their Safeguard against the Incursions of the Indians.     I have received from the People in that Quarter several Petitions (which I have ordered the Secretary to lay before you) expressing their apprehensions of the dangerous Situation to which they are reduced and praying from Government a suitable Relief
    Upon the Receipt of these Petitions I wrote to General Gage by Express requesting the continuance of a small Garrison at that Post, at least till the Meeting of the Assembly: But the General was of Opinion that the Execution of his Orders was too far advanced to be countermanded; nor did he seem to think it expedient for him to have continued any of the Troops there, had my Letter been in Time
    It cannot be doubted but that the late Military Establishment at Fort-Pitt did very greatly contribute to the rapid Population of the Country beyond the mountain; and that the withdrawing the King’s Troops must of Course not only depress the Spirits of the present Settlers but retard the progress of the Settlement.
    I persuade myself that you will view the Safety and Protection of that extensive and flourishing District as an Object of general Importance and worthy of the Public Attention. And as it appears to me that the most proper, and indeed the only Assistance which can be afforded these People is the supporting a small Garrison at that Post or Place I find myself under the necessity of applying to you to enable me to carry that measure into Execution.

        Richard Penn

January 29th 1773

Historical Background:

British forces built Fort Pitt at the confluence of the Monongahela and Allegheny rivers that form the Ohio River in western Pennsylvania between 1759 and 1761. In 1763, Native Americans besieged Fort Pitt during Pontiac’s War but failed to dislodge the British forces. The following year, the soldiers constructed the Fort Pitt blockhouse as a defensive redoubt.

General Thomas Gage (1719-1787) served as commander-in-chief of British forces in North America from 1763 to 1775. In the fall of 1772, from his headquarters in New York City, Gage ordered the abandonment of Fort Pitt to conciliate the Native Americans, with whom the British had been at peace for eight years. In response to Gage’s orders, Major Edmonstone, the British commander at Fort Pitt sold the building to colonists William Thompson and Alexander Ross.

When the people of Pittsburgh protested the removal of British forces and petitioned acting Governor Penn, he sent this message to the legislature. In a subsequent communication on February 5, he suggested that a garrison of even 25 to 30 men might be placed there by the Province. On February 19, the Assembly refused Penn’s request, believing it might offend the Native Americans with whom the country was at peace.

Both Pennsylvania and Virginia had long claimed the area around Pittsburgh, and Virginia Royal Governor Lord Dunmore sent a delegate to take control of Fort Pitt and rename it Fort Dunmore. It served as a staging ground for Dunmore’s War of 1774 against Native Americans in the area.

Richard Penn (1735-1811) was born in England, the grandson of William Penn, the founder of Pennsylvania. He was educated at Eton College and St. John’s College, Cambridge. He joined the Inner Temple in London as a barrister, and he and his brother John first visited Pennsylvania in 1763. His brother served as governor of Pennsylvania from 1763 to 1771, and again from 1773 to 1776. In 1771, Richard Penn returned to Pennsylvania and was appointed lieutenant governor. When his brother John returned to England, Richard Penn was the acting governor from 1771 to 1773. He married Mary Masters in Philadelphia in 1772, and they had four children. His mother-in-law gave the couple a city house as a wedding present. Penn entertained members of the Continental Congress at his house, which in the 1790s served as the executive mansion for the U.S. government. As the Revolution approached, Penn retired and returned to England in the summer of 1775, taking with him the Olive Branch Petition from the Continental Congress to King George III. When the King refused to accept the petition, Penn gave evidence to the House of Lords on the colonies’ attitudes toward independence. After the Revolutionary War, the United States government compensated Penn for the loss of his proprietary rights in Pennsylvania. Penn served in Parliament from 1784 to 1791, and again from 1796 to 1806.

This item comes with a Certificate from John Reznikoff, a premier authenticator for both major 3rd party authentication services, PSA and JSA (James Spence Authentications), as well as numerous auction houses.

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