JOHN HANCOCK - AUTOGRAPH LETTER UNSIGNED 03/27/1783 - HFSID 286082
Price: $5,250.00
JOHN HANCOCK
His handwritten March 1783 letter as Governor of Massachusetts, instructing a
garrison commander to forbid a ship full of Tories to disembark, requiring them
to sail instead for New York (still in British hands)
Autograph Letter, unsigned, 1 page, 7¾x12. Written as Governor. Boston,
Massachusetts, 1783 March 27. To William Gordon, Commander of the Garrison
in Dartmouth. In full: "I have this moment received your Letter by
Express, giving information of the arrival of a Flag with a Number of Persons on
board who were desirous of remaining some time at Dartmouth. I have laid the
state of this Flag before the Council, & in consequence of their advice you
are hereby Directed upon no pretense whatever, to suffer any of the Persons or
any of the Effects brought in the Flag to be Landed at Dartmouth, or in any
other place, but that you give immediate Directions for the Departure of the
Flag with the Persons, & their effects to New York, and that after the
Receipt of this Letter you make a point of Embracing the first fair wind to put
her under Sail for New York, as no circumstance can possibly induce me to
Deviate from this order. I am Sir your very humble servant." Boston merchant John Hancock (1737-1793), Member of the
Continental Congress (1775-1778), served as President of the Congress from May
24, 1775 to October 1777 and was the first Signer of the Declaration of
Independence. From 1780-1785 and 1787 to his death in 1793, Hancock was Governor
of Massachusetts. The port section of Dartmouth, Massachusetts is now the City
of New Bedford. The persons refused permission to land at that port were
undoubtedly British Loyalists, since they were redirected to New York City,
which remained in British hands until November 1783. Preliminary peace
negotiations in Paris in 1782 designated New York City one of three places
(along with Charleston, S.C., and Savannah, Georgia) from which American
colonists loyal to Britain were to be evacuated to Canada or other locations
in the British Empire. Britain did not formally recognize American independence
until the Treaty of Paris was signed (September 3, 1783), so Massachusetts was
still technically in a state of rebellion when Governor Hancock wrote these
instructions to the garrison at Dartmouth. Several small areas of ink erosion in
text, which remains fully legible. Lightly toned and soiled, with light creases.
Tape reinforcements to horizontal folds on verso. Otherwise, fine condition for
a document of this age.
Following offer submission users will be contacted at their account email address within 48 hours. Our response will be to accept your offer, decline your offer or send you a final counteroffer. All offers can be viewed from within the "Offer Review" area of your HistoryForSale account. Please review the Make Offer Terms prior to making an offer.
If you have not received an offer acceptance or counter-offer email within 24-hours please check your spam/junk email folder.