Description:

Revolutionary War
Charleston, SC, April 11, 1780
War Dated Continental Army Petition to Maj. Gen. Benjamin Lincoln
MDS
[Benjamin Lincoln]. Revolutionary War. Manuscript document signed, 3pp bifolium, 8" x 12.5", Charleston, South Carolina, April 11, 1780. Signed at the conclusion by Brigadier General Charles Scott (1739-1813); Colonel Richard Parker (1751-1780); Colonel William Heth (1750-1807); Lieutenant Colonel Samuel Hopkins (1753-1819); Major William Lewis (1724-1811); and Lieutenant Colonel Gustavus B. Wallace (1751-1802). Address panel at verso. Expected folds and creases with minor separation and a few areas of small loss. Fading to text, some areas more so than others, but most remains legible. Scattered pencil notations from a previous collector. Light toning and soiling. In good plus condition.

Addressed to Major General Benjamin Lincoln by a group of his officers who were held prisoner in Charleston, several through the end of the war. This petition outlines their complaints about the reorganization of various lines of troops and regiments. It describes the complications that arose when a portion of an established regiment was combined with a newly created regiment, and details the resulting disagreements about which men were in charge and which were not. The officers proposed their own solution, in part: "...we submit the following as it appears the most just & equitable arrangement to your better judgment, Viz. each Coll. in the Virginia Line to take his Regt. to the remaining Regts. to be divided among them in such a manner as to make their Command as nearly equal as circumstances will admit. The New Lines at the same time will equally be divided by joining such Regts. as they think proper. This will give satisfaction to us...".

In September 1778, Major General Benjamin Lincoln was appointed Southern Department Commander of the Continental Army. Shortly thereafter, he participated in the attack on Savannah and was forced to retreat to Charleston, South Carolina, where he took command of that city's garrison. The following March, the city was surrounded by a sizeable British force dispatched from the northern colonies and Lincoln grew desperate for more troops. After approaching the South Carolina legislature with a request to arm slaves to assist in the conflict, Lincoln ordered his two Virginia Continental detachments, commanded by Colonels Parker and Heth, to return from Augusta. The men had been serving in the Southern Department since the previous year at Augusta, to respond to any movements by the British up the Savannah River. Directing a battalion of Georgia and South Carolina militia to take their place at Augusta, Lincoln requested that the Virginians "march with all possible dispatch" to Charleston. These troops gave Lincoln approximately 350 additional rank and file with which to defend the city, but created a great deal of controversy amongst the officers of these detachments. Rather than be forced to arm slaves, the South Carolina legislature began negotiations with the British commanders to allow the British forces to pass through South Carolina. This was one of the worst Continental defeats of the war. Lincoln's entire army was held prisoner and Lincoln was denied the honors of war in surrendering, which deeply rankled him.

Benjamin Lincoln (1733-1810) was an American officer who served as a major general in the Continental Army. He was present at three British surrenders during the war: the Battles of Saratoga, the Siege of Charleston, and the Battle of Yorktown, where he formally accepted the British surrender as George Washington's second in command. After the war, Lincoln served as the first U.S. Secretary of War from 1781 to 1783. In his later years, he held the influential position of customs collector for the Port of Boston.

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: 8" x 12.5"
  • Medium: MDS

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