Previous image preload Next image preload
Back to catalog
Lot 180
image_0 image_1 image_2
Robert Morris Seeks Supplies or Funds from Pennsylvania for Continental Army
Robert Morris Seeks Supplies or Funds from Pennsylvania for Continental Army
image_0 image_1 image_2
Description:

Morris Robert

Robert Morris Seeks Supplies or Funds from Pennsylvania for Continental Army

 

ROBERT MORRIS, Manuscript Letter Signed, to William Moore, President of Pennsylvania, May 8, [1782, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. 2 pp., 7.5" x 9"  Expected folds; some tape repair to folds; text clear and dark.

 

By the late 1770s, the Continental Congress was struggling to raise money to support the war. It had no powers of direct taxation and had to depend on requests for money to the states, which the states generally refused. To address these deficiencies, Congress decided in the winter of 1779-1780 to apportion the provision of specific supplies among the states to allow the Continental Army to operate. On February 25, 1780, Congress called on the States to provide a quota of food supplies for the upcoming campaign. Pennsylvania’s portion was 40,000 barrels of flour, 14,189 bushels of salt, and 24,423 gallons of rum.

 

On November 4, 1780, the Continental Congress resolved to request the states to levy a tax, equal to six million silver dollars, “to be paid partly in the specific articles and at the prices hereafter enumerated, and the residue in gold or silver or bills of credit.” Pennsylvania’s quota was “3,000 barrels of beef, at 17½ dollars per barrel; 5,500 barrels of pork at 22 dollars per barrel; 20,000 barrels of flour, at 9 dollars per barrel; 9,000 hundredweight of beef, at 5½ dollars per hundredweight; 3,000 hundredweight of beef, at 8 dollars per hundredweight; 17,000 gallons of West Indian rum, full proof, at 1? dollars per gallon; 4,000 bushels of salt, at 3 dollars per bushel.” The resolution also provided a schedule for delivery by the first of January, March, May, and July 1781.

 

On May 17, 1781, Pennsylvania President Joseph Reed, for the Supreme Executive Council, wrote a lengthy letter to General George Washington on a variety of subjects, including the state quotas of supplies: “Your Excellency observes we are short of our quota. We frankly acknowledge that, in our opinion, the abilities of the State are not equal to the quota assigned; but we have done all in our power to attain it.... The supplies demanded this year, at the rates Congress have reckoned, which are much below market prices, are equal to eleven years taxes and all other income of the State in its most prosperous days....”

 

On May 10, 1782, President William Moore and members Dr. Joseph Gardner, Sebastian Levan, and James Cunningham of the Pennsylvania Supreme Executive Council met and considered this letter. They drafted an order on the Treasurer for the sum of £32,500 in specie, to be paid to Robert Morris, “in part of the supplies required by Congress from this State, for which he is to account; the same to be charged to the United States of America.”  Moore wrote to Morris the same day, “I have the pleasure to enclose to you a draft on the Treasurer of the state, dated this day, for the sum of thirty two thousand and five hundred pounds. This I hope will be agreeable to you and answer the purpose which you have at present in view.” However, by May 30, the warrant sent by the state had still not been paid.

 

Complete Transcript

                                                                        Office of Finance 8th May 1780 [1782.

Sir,

            By the Resolutions of Congress of the twenty fifth of February and fourth of November 1780, various articles of specific Supplies are required from Pensilvania to the amount of one Million three hundred and forty-four thousand nine hundred and thirty nine Dollars. By the only Return I have been able to obtain from Colo Morgan it appears that sundry articles have been furnished to the amount of near three hundred thousand Dollars according to his Estimation and it is probable that more have been delivered but on the whole there will remain a Balance of about a Million to be furnished in articles according to the Value of them then made and which are undoubtedly higher in some Instances than the Specie value but still the sum in Specie must be very considerable. But on account of those Supplies I have received by sundry warrants from the honorable Council one hundred and eighty thousand Dollars. From this short State of things it will appear that there must be a considerable Sum still due. The precise Amount will naturally come under Consideration when the Commissioner of Accounts for the State of Pensilvania is employ[ed in Settling them. Most of the States insist on it that they have paid their full quota of Supplies but whether they have or not can only be discovered on a Liquidation of their accounts. At present I am to request of your Excellency and the honorable Council that I may receive a further Warrant on account of those Supplies. This will be very useful to me as I am at present much in want of money for the current Service, none of the Taxes having yet come in on the Requisitions for the year 1782.

                                                                        I have the Honor to be with great Respect / Sir,

                                                                        Your most Obedient & / Humble Servant

                                                                        Robt Morris.

His Excellency

The President of Pensilvania

 

 

Robert Morris (1734-1806) was born in Liverpool, England, and immigrated to Maryland at age 13. After studying in Philadelphia, he became a partner in a banking and shipping firm in 1757. In the Second Continental Congress, he opposed the motion for independence but abstained in the final vote and signed the Declaration of Independence with the Pennsylvania delegation. He signed the Articles of Confederation in 1778 and the Constitution in 1787, making him one of only two people to sign all three founding documents. Morris served as Superintendent of Finance from 1781 to 1784, and personally paid £10 million to fund the American army during the Revolutionary War. With the national government virtually bankrupt, Morris risked his own personal fortune by securing supplies for the army, pressuring the states for cash contributions, and arranging a major French loan to finance the Bank of North America. After the war, Morris served as U.S. Senator from Pennsylvania from 1789 to 1795. His Philadelphia house served as the executive mansion for Presidents George Washington and John Adams from 1790 to 1800. Deeply engaged in land speculation, Morris bought millions of acres in western New York in 1791, leading to his personal bankruptcy in 1798 and imprisonment for debt. Congress passed the temporary Bankruptcy Act of 1800 in part to get Morris out of prison.

 

William Moore (1735-1793) was born in Philadelphia and became a successful merchant like his father. He supported colonial protests against the Stamp Act in 1765, but was more moderate than some early revolutionaries.  After his son joined the Continental Army in 1775, Moore supported the revolutionary cause. He was a member of Pennsylvania’s Council of Safety and Board of War. Elected to the Continental Congress, he declined to serve, preferring instead to be a member of the Supreme Executive Council of Pennsylvania. He served as its vice-president from November 1779 to November 1781, then as its president from November 1781 to November 1782. In 1784, he was elected to the Pennsylvania General Assembly.

 

Note: This letter is published in E. James Ferguson and John Catanzariti et al., eds., The Papers of Robert Morris, 1781-1784, 9 vols. (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: University of Pittsburgh Press, 1973-1999), 3:133.

 

 

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. ***PLEASE NOTE: IF YOU WOULD LIKE YOUR SHIPMENT TO BE SENT TO AN ADDRESS OTHER THAN THE ONE YOU HAVE ON FILE WITH INVALUABLE, YOU WILL NEED TO INFORM US OF THIS AS SOON AS PAYMENT IS SUBMITTED FOR YOUR WINNINGS*** Shipping and handling costs are competitive as we maintain discounted contracts with FedEx. If you have any questions, contact University Archives prior to bidding. After payment has been made in full, University Archives will ship your purchase within 5 business days following receipt of full payment for item. We currently ship via FedEx but if your purchase is shipping to a P.O. Box, we ship via USPS. All items are insured. We ship from our offices in Westport, CT. We may opt to use a third party shipper for very fragile, bulky or oversized items. Items requiring third party shipping will be denoted in the item description. Packages shipped internationally will have full value declared on shipping form. International buyers will be responsible for any customs fees incurred.

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

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