Description:

Timothy Pickering Writes and Signs Receipt to Himself on Behalf of Newly Promoted Brigade Major Aaron Ogden

[REVOLUTIONARY WAR.] Timothy Pickering, Autograph Document, Signed by Aaron Ogden, Receipt to Timothy Pickering, May 28, 1783. 1 p., 8.125" x 4.25". Some chipping on one edge, not affecting text; very good.

Complete Transcript
No. 258. May 28, 1783 Received of Timy Pickering QMG ⅌ D Wolfe Twleve dollars and eighteen ninetieths, in full for forage rations from 1 April 1783 to 31st current month & signd duplicates.
Aaron Ogden / Majr Gen Brigade
Dollr 12 18/90

Quartermaster General Timothy Pickering wrote this receipt, effectively signing his name in the text, for forage rations provided to Brigade Major Aaron Ogden. According to General Orders from Washington's headquarters of March 1, 1783, "Captain Aaron Ogden is appointed Major of Brigade to the Jersey brigade vice Cox promoted January 6th 1783."

Five weeks later, on April 6, Ogden was writing to General Washington to explain why he had traveled to the city of New York (still held by the British). He told the Commander in Chief that he had met Lewis Morris in Elizabethtown who said he had dispatches from Congress for the British commander Sir Guy Carlton, "containing an account of a general peace" and asked Ogden to transport him by boat to Staten Island and accompany him into British lines. "In this," Ogden explained, "I acted unthinkingly and unadvisedly, and I am pained beyond expression, if I have thereby given any cause of dissatissfaction to your Excellency." When they reached Staten Island, the British officer there said they could continue on to New York or await a proper barge. They continued on, and Ogden and the exhausted boat oarsmen spent the night in the city. Ogden pleaded with Washington that "if I have committed any errors, that they may be considered as unintentional, and therefore pardoned." Washington's aide-de-camp and future Connecticut governor Jonathan Trumbull Jr. (1740-1809) responded on April 12 that General Washington, "being disposed, from his former good Opinion of you as an officer, to think the best, is willing to look upon your going into N. York with Mr Morris as a Step of Inadvertence—which, altho in its first aspect, it wore a very disagreeable Appearance, yet, as it was attended with no ill Intention, the Idea of Criminality is removed from his Mind—and therefore he desires that you will entertain no further Apprehension of his Displeasure on that a/c."

Ogden returned to his duties as brigade major, including signing this receipt for forage rations in April and May.

Timothy Pickering (1745-1829) was born in Massachusetts and graduated from Harvard College in 1763. He represented Salem in the Massachusetts General Court and served as a justice in the County Court of Common Pleas. After leading a regiment early in the Revolutionary War, Pickering accepted George Washington's request to become adjutant general of the Continental Army in 1777. In 1780, the Continental Congress elected Pickering Quartermaster General. After the war, he tried several business ventures without much success. In 1787, he was a member of the Pennsylvania convention that ratified the U.S. Constitution. In 1791, President Washington appointed Pickering as Postmaster General. In 1795, he was made Secretary of War for a brief time, and then Secretary of State from 1795 to 1800. After Pickering objected to plans to make peace with France, President Adams dismissed him in May 1800. A passionate Federalist, Pickering represented Massachusetts in the U.S. Senate from 1803 to 1811 and in the House of Representatives from 1813 to 1817. Charged with reading confidential documents in an open Senate session, Pickering was censured by the Senate in January 1811. Failing to win re-election, Pickering retired to his farm in Salem, Massachusetts.

Aaron Ogden (1756-1839) was born in New Jersey, the son of Robert Ogden, the Speaker of the lower house of the New Jersey colonial legislature just before the Revolutionary War. Aaron Ogden began the war as a lieutenant in the 1st New Jersey and rose to the rank of brigade major. He was wounded at the siege of Yorktown in 1781. An original member of the Society of the Cincinnati in New Jersey, he served as president of the New Jersey Society from 1824 and President General of the national Society of the Cincinnati from 1829 until his death. Admitted to the bar in 1784, he represented New Jersey in the U.S. Senate from February 1801 to March 1803, losing his bid for re-election. He served as Governor of New Jersey from October 1812 to October 1813 and is perhaps best remembered as the losing defendant in the U.S. Supreme Court case of Gibbons v. Ogden (1824), which denied New York a monopoly on steamboat operations between New York and New Jersey and established federal primacy over the regulation of interstate commerce.

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

Unless otherwise indicated, 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. If any changes to the shipping address need to be made, you must inform us immediately.***

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.

August 17, 2022 10:30 AM EDT
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