Description:

Nathanael Greene Pays His 1784 Postal Bill in Charleston

[GREENE, NATHANEAL] Manuscript Document Signed, “Thos. Hull”, as postmaster, 1p, 3.75" x 7.25", [Charleston], circa 1784-85. Flattened folds, minor toning, paper clip impression at top, chips at top edge not affecting text.

The bill lists Greene’s postage due for the months of September 1784, October 1784, March 1785, April 1785, and May 1785. At bottom, Thomas Hall has penned, “Received the Contents of the above in full / Thos. Hall / PM”.  Verso reads, “The Honle. Nathaniel [sic] Green [sic] Esquire / Act. £ 1..12..8” and “Post Office / May 4th, 1784”.

Nathanael Greene (1742-1786) was born in Rhode Island to a Quaker family. In 1770, he took charge of his family’s foundry and won election to the Rhode Island General Assembly. Re-elected several times, he served until 1775. In May 1775, he was promoted from private to major general of the Rhode Island army formed in response to the siege of Boston. A month later, he received his appointment as brigadier general in the Continental Army. He served with distinction in the Revolutionary War, especially in his command in the South from October 1780 to the end of the war. Although defeated in every pitched battle which he fought against the British, Greene was successful in a war of attrition against the British army, inflicting casualties it could not replace. He forced the British to retreat to their defenses around Charleston, where he besieged them until their evacuation in December 1782. North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia all gave Greene liberal grants of land for his service. He twice refused the position of Secretary of War and retired to his plantation in Georgia, where he died at the age of 43.

Thomas Hall (1750-1814) served in the Revolutionary War as a 2nd lieutenant with the 2nd South Carolina Provincial regiment and rose to the rank of captain. He was wounded at the battle on Sullivan’s Island in June 1776, participated in the siege of Savannah in 1779, and was captured at the siege of Charleston in 1780. Held prisoner in St. Augustine, he was later exchanged and served as an aide-de-camp to General Arthur St. Clair until the end of the war. He served as the postmaster of Charleston, South Carolina from 1783 to 1794. He also served as clerk for the U.S. District Court for South Carolina.

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.

WE PROVIDE IN-HOUSE SHIPPING WORLDWIDE.

Accepted Forms of Payment:

American Express, Discover, MasterCard, Money Order / Cashiers Check, Paypal, Personal Check, Visa, Wire Transfer

Shipping

We do our own in-house worldwide shipping!

Applicable shipping and handling charges will be added to the invoice. We offer several shipping options, and remain one of the few auction houses who proudly provides professional in-house shipping as an option to our clients. All items will ship with signature required, and full insurance. Most items are sent via Federal Express, with P. O. Box addresses being sent through USPS. We insure through Berkley Asset Protection with rates of $.70 per $100 of value, among the lowest insurance rates in the industry. Our shipping department cameras document every package, both outgoing and incoming, for maximum security. In addition, we compare our shipping and handling rates against those of other auction houses, to ensure that our charges are among the lowest in the trade.

Upon winning your item(s), you will receive an invoice with our in-house shipping and handling fees included. ***We will ship to the address as it appears on your invoice, unless you inform us otherwise, immediately upon your receipt of invoice***

International shipments: In order to comply with our insurance provider, all international shipments will be sent via Fed Ex and customs paperwork will show a value of $1.00. International buyers should contact our office directly with any questions regarding this policy.

Third Party Shipping Option: If a third party shipper is preferred, the buyer is responsible for contacting them directly to make shipping arrangements. For your convenience, we have provided some recommended shippers. For your protection, we will require a signed release from you, confirming your authorization for us to release your lots to your specified third party Please copy and paste this following link into your browser: http://universityarchives.com/UserFiles/ShippingInfo.pdf. At that point, our responsibility and insurance coverage for your item(s) ceases. Items picked up by third party shippers are required to pay Connecticut sales tax. Items requiring third party shipping due to being oversized, fragile or bulky will be denoted in the item description.

Please see our full terms and conditions for names of suggested third party shippers.


After payment has been made in full, University Archives will ship your purchase within 10 business days following receipt of full payment for item.


Please remember that the buyer is responsible for all shipping costs from University Archives' offices in Wilton, CT to the buyer's door. Please see full Terms and Conditions of Sale.

November 10, 2021 10:30 AM EST
Wilton, CT, US

University Archives

You agree to pay a buyer's premium of 25% and any applicable taxes and shipping.

View full terms and conditions

Bid Increments
From: To: Increments:
$0 $99 $10
$100 $299 $20
$300 $499 $25
$500 $999 $50
$1,000 $1,999 $100
$2,000 $2,999 $200
$3,000 $4,999 $250
$5,000 $9,999 $500
$10,000 $19,999 $1,000
$20,000 $49,999 $2,500
$50,000 + $5,000