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Lot 258
Historic 1778 Henry Laurens Document Transmitting Acts of Congress, Inc. Creation of American Army
Description:

Henry Laurens
Yorktown, PA, June 9, 1778
Historic 1778 Henry Laurens Document Transmitting Acts of Congress, Inc. Creation of American Army
ALS
A superb autograph letter signed of historic importance, one page, 7.75" x 12", Yorktown, Pennsylvania, June 9, 1778. To Vice President of Pennsylvania, George Bryan, transmitting five "Acts of Congress." Very boldly penned. Exhibits one small hole costing no text and rough right margin. Otherwise in very good to fine condition, and a superb example of the ratification of the nascent American government. From the collection of a Dallas gentleman.

Less than one year after the Articles Of Confederation were adopted (November 1777), Laurens informs Bryan of several significant Acts affecting the militia and trade relations. In part: "…You will receive within the present Inclosure five Acts of Congress as undermentioned.

1. …of 27th May for an establishment of the American Army.
2. …4 June for the appointing Commissioners for holding a treaty with the Delaware Shawnee, & other Indians at Fort Pitt the 23rd July next.
3. …6 June for extending to the Militia subsistence in lieu of extra Rations.
4. …8 June for raising a Company of Foot in the County of Northumberland etc.
5. …ibid. [June 8] for laying a general Embargo on certain articles of provision…"

While the Articles of Confederation had been drafted and accepted in November, 1777, it would be almost four years before they were ratified as the Constitution by all states, leaving much decision-making to individual states which naturally had individual interests. However, until the final ratification of the federal Constitution, these Articles were the de facto national rules of government and the decision making thereof solely in the hands of Congress. The quick turnaround of some of these Acts should come as no surprise then when few, if any, of the checks and balances adhered to in later iterations of Congress existed.

Of these acts, local implications such as the June 8 Pennsylvania's embargo on the exportation of wheat, flour, beef, pork "or other victuals, whether alive or dead, from this state to any parts or places beyond sea…" had immediate effect; however one specific Act transmitted by Laurens herein initiated a durable alteration in the country's very infrastructure: the creation of a national and codified American Army.

Following the Battles of Lexington and Concord, the Second Continental Congress established the Continental Army by resolution on June 14, 1775. The Treaty of Alliance with France was signed three years later on February 6, 1778, creating a military alliance between the United States and France against Great Britain which marked the official entry of the United States onto the world stage and the French recognition of American independence. The French entry into the war meant that Britain would have to divert troops and resources from Philadelphia to defend their other possessions and essentially turned a two-country ideological skirmish into world war.

Anticipating the need for a more organized military force, Washington submitted a plan for partial overhaul of army structure and administration in late January 1778 following its winter encampment at Valley Forge. His commitment to this task increased over the next two months: on April 21, 1778, he worriedly wrote to John Banister: "The necessity of putting the Army upon a respectable footing, both as to numbers and constitution, is now become more essential than ever. The Enemy are beginning to play a game, more dangerous than their efforts by arms, tho these will not be remitted in the smallest degree, and which threatens a fatal blow to American independence, and to her liberties of course: They are endeavouring to ensnare the people by specious allurements of peace." The May 5 ratification of the Alliance seemed to come just in time.

On May 5, 1778, George Washington announced the buoying news and gathered his army on the Grand Parade the next day to celebrate "Alliance Day." Still, he worried that his troops might become complacent as a result and confided to Alexander McDougall on May 5: "I very much fear that we, taking it for granted that we have nothing more to do because France has acknowledged our independency and formed an alliance with us, shall relapse into a state of supineness and perfect security…". Of course this fear became a somewhat moot point, as it would be another five years of fighting before independence was won.

On May 27 and one week after the failed engagement of Barren Hill, "May 27th 1778: establishment of the American Army" passed. This Act reorganized the Continental Army, with changes including the restructuring and reduction of men in the Infantry, Artillery and Cavalry, and the establishment of a company of light infantry. Congress also created for the first time a Provost (police) corps and an Engineering Department. Coterminous with this was the "Act for Raising Volunteers to Join the Grand Army," passed at the General Assembly's May 1778 session, which provided for the recruitment of 2,000 volunteers for the new army and the ushering in of a new era of the U.S. military.

Henry Laurens (1724-1792) was a successful merchant, slave trader (the primary source of his wealth), and farmer. During the Revolutionary War, his business success propelled him into a leadership role, even becoming, for a time, United States Minister to the Netherlands, a position that resulted in his capture at sea by the British and a lengthy imprisonment in the Tower of London. A delegate to the Second Continental Congress, Laurens succeeded John Hancock as President of the Congress. He was a signatory to the Articles of Confederation and President of the Continental Congress when the Articles were passed on November 15, 1777. Elected Minister to Holland by the Continental Congress on October 21, 1779, Henry Laurens sailed for his post early in 1780. He was captured on the voyage and held a prisoner in the Tower of London for 15 months. He was released on December 31, 1781, in exchange for Lord Cornwallis. Appointed one of the Peace Commissioners, Laurens signed the preliminary Treaty of Paris on November 30, 1782. He returned to the United States in August 1784.

George Bryan (1731-1791) was a Revolutionary-era politician and the first vice president and first president of Pennsylvania. He was an early abolitionist who also served on the Pennsylvania Supreme Court. He was installed as full Governor of Pennsylvania on May 23, 1778, just two weeks before this letter. Bryan took a stab at the Presidency in December 1778. While he was soundly defeated by Washington's prior aide-de-camp Joseph Reed, Bryan in turn defeated Joseph Hart to retain the Vice Presidency for almost a year.

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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  • Dimensions: 7.75" x 12"
  • Medium: ALS

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