November 7-8, 2018 Edged Weapons, Armor, & Militaria
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 11/7/2018
BURNSIDE, James, ALS, 2 pp., folio sheet, containing retained copies of two letters sent, possibly removed from a letterbook kept by James Burnside while Quartermaster for New Jersey during the Revolutionary War. The first ALS is written to Moses Kitchell, Commissary of Forage at Hanover:, "Morris Town 15th. Jan[uar]y. 1779 / Sir / There is not one pound of Hay at this Post I have hourly expected you would have forwarded some And know not why it has not come in. Several Continental horses have died for want of Forage...Teams may be Impress'd at any Time to Cart it; Unless Spririted measures are used we may Give up all and let our Army Disperse...." The second ALS, on recto, is a Circular Letter to the Majistrates of Morris County, dated the following day, informing them that "The state of Affairs make it Absolutely necessary (in order to have our Army supplied with provisns. &c) To Apply to you for Assistance to have a supply of Forage at this Post....[and ask them to "give orders for Impressing Necessarys for the Army. The bearer Mr. Kitchell...can inform you of the Prices formerly allowed, & also what is now Allowed in the Vicinity of the Camp...." Washington's beleaguered main army was then in winter quarters at Middlebrook and Pluckemin in nearby Somerset County. Some separating at the folds and two minor losses of paper in the body, partly obscuring a few words. From the Walter O'Connor collection.