Washington, George. Washington (1732-1799) 1st President of the United States (1789-1797). Six line, 17-word Autograph Endorsement on verso of an order by Capt. Charles Edmonstone, one page, 7¼ x 9½ inches, Great Meadows, Nov. 20, 1768 (but probably in 1771). Washington's endorsement reads: "Chas. Edmonstone Esq.r his permit to Lau.e Harrison to take up the Great Mead.ws. 20th Nov.r 1768." Some toning and soiling; folds professionally mended, affecting a few words of Edmonstone's order but not touching Washington's endorsement. Tipped at top edge to another sheet.
The Edmonstone document reads, " By Charles Edmonstone Esq:r Captn of the 18th or Royal Regt of Ireland and Commanding His Majestys Garrison at Fort Pitt / Whereas Laurence Harrison hath made of application to me, to inclose the Big Meadows and Longfields at the lower end of them for pasturage and to raise grain for the use of Pack Horses, Beef Cattle, etc., that may be sent up for the Benefite of this Garrison, also to keep a House of Entertainment for the Accommodation of His Majestys Troops, and other Travellers, and it being agreeable to a late act of Assembly, made in Pennsylvania, and for the reasons above mentioned, I do hereby Permitt the said Laurence Harrison to take up, and Improve, the Big Meadows, on General Braddock's Road, and any land he may think necessary adjoining them. And to be subject to such Regulations as may be ordered by the Commander in Chief or by the Commander on this district for the Good of His Majesty's Service. Given under my hand at Fort Pitt this 20th day of Novr.1768. Chas.Edmonstone Capt Royal Regt. Of Ireland".
In the mid-18th century, the French began to move south from Canada and create settlements in the vast Ohio Valley. In 1753, Governor Dinwiddie of Virginia sent his young surveyor, George Washington, with a letter for Legardeur de Saint-Pierre, the French commander at Fort Le Boeuf [now Waterford, Erie County, Pennsylvania], asking by whose authority the French were occupying land that belonged to Great Britain and ordering them to leave. The French commander replied that he did not feel obliged to obey.
Washington reported back to Dinwiddie, who raised £10,000 to mount an expedition to ward off the French (George II did not feel inclined to get involved in this colonial struggle). Washington was soon promoted to lieutenant colonel and was sent to the frontier with a group of 300 backwoodsmen from Virginia and Kentucky under the command of Colonel Joshua Fry. As the company neared Cumberland, Maryland, Colonel Fry was seized with a fever and died suddenly, leaving Colonel Washington in command. Scouring the countryside for the French, he found a small party and instituted a skirmish in which the French leader Jumonville was killed, along with several followers. Washington and his troops retreated to the Great Meadows, marshy grassland located eleven miles east of what is now Uniontown, Pennsylvania. Here the young Colonel Washington and his troops hastily built a fortification they called "Fort Necessity." The French forces commanded by Coulon de Villers, numbering over 1400, attacked across the Great Meadows on July 3, 1754. Because of the numerous casualties inflicted on the British soldiers, Washington accepted terms of a conditional surrender, the only time in his military career he capitulated to the enemy. Thus began both the French and Indian War and wars between France and England which would continue until the Battle of Waterloo in 1815. More important, it signaled the emergence of George Washington on the international scene.
Estimated Value $12,000 - 15,000.
U.S. Presidents and First Ladies
