Lot 95

George Washington Signed Correspondence While Commander in Chief

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Lot 95
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George Washington Signed Correspondence While Commander in Chief
George Washington Signed Correspondence While Commander in Chief
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George Washington Signed Correspondence While Commander in Chief

Estimate: $25,000 - $40,000

Starting Bid: $18,000

(0 Bids)
by Rock Island Auction Company
June 27, 2026 5:00 PM CDT
Live Auction
3600 Harwood Road
Bedford, TX, US 76021

Rare and Historic Framed George Washington Signed Correspondence Dated January 12th, 1780, During the American Revolutionary War While Washington was the Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army George Washington: Commander in Chief of the Continental Army and First President of the United States of America. There is perhaps no American as beloved as George Washington, and if we considered there to be just one Founding Father, he would be Washington. Washington played a central role in the creation of the country. His actions west of the Appalachians in the 1750s directly led to the escalation of the conflict between the French and British and their respective allies which grew into the French & Indian War and the international Seven Years War which in turn led to acts by King George III and Parliament to levy taxes and restrictions on the colonists in North America, creating tensions that flared, leading to harsh crackdowns, violence, death, and ultimately outright civil war. Even before the formal declaration of independence 250 years ago in 1776, Washington was at the head of the Continental Army, having been appointed Commander in Chief over a year earlier by the Second Continental Congress on June 15, 1775. He took command of a ragtag army with little chance against the world’s greatest empire and secured an early victory by fortifying Dorchester Heights with artillery brought from Fort Ticonderoga, forcing the British evacuation of Boston in March 1776. After defeats in New York left the army demoralized and shrinking, Washington rallied his men, invoking Thomas Paine’s American Crisis: “These are the times that try men’s souls; the summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of his country; but he that stands it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman. Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered; yet we have this consolation with us, that the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph.” Washington did not let his men shrink from the fight. Instead, he planned his most daring attack to gain a victory, inspire his men, and keep the revolution alive and launched his bold Christmas night crossing of the Delaware, surprising the Hessians at Trenton and capturing roughly 800 with minimal American losses. Washington held the army together through setbacks, including the loss of Philadelphia, and reinforced the northern campaign that culminated in the decisive American victory at Saratoga, convincing France to join the war. The army endured severe hardship at Valley Forge but emerged more disciplined. During the brutal winter of 1779–1780 at Morristown, with headquarters at the Ford Mansion, Washington positioned his forces between British-held New York and the Continental Congress while directing offensive operations. On January 12, 1780, he signed the correspondence offered here, with related letters from the same day addressing plans for a nighttime raid on Staten Island aimed at capturing enemy soldiers and war materiel. The beautifully framed display contains two sheets of paper measuring 12 inches long and 7 1/2 inches wide with writing on both sides of the first sheet and the front side of the second sheet. The correspondence features a date line on the first page of "Morris Town 12th Janu. 1780". It has been transcribed by the National Archives and is viewable online where it is noted as written in the hand of Tench Tilghman, Washington's aide-de-camp from 1776 until the end of the Revolutionary War. The National Archives also indicate that in 1991 it was owned by Joseph Rubinfine (1938-2019), a well-known dealer and collector of historical manuscripts with a particular interest in presidential documents, especially those of George Washington. The correspondence is on the subject of the estate of Colonel Thomas Colvill. Settling the estate proved to be a perennial struggle for Washington from the 1760s until virtually the end of his life. He had agreed to be one of Colvill's executors back in the 1760s in what was supposed to be only a nominal role, but it turned out that Colvill was also the chief executor for his brother John, a task he had left incomplete at the time of his death. Colvill's estate also included bequeathments to English individuals who could not be clearly identified, incomplete real estate deals, and other tiresome complications. Both pages bear a watermark in the center: the first a "JB" in a circle and the second a British seal, suggesting the paper itself was captured enemy materiel. The fact that both pages were written so that the water marks would be upside-down suggests a deliberate contempt for the symbols which would not be out of place for a revolutionary leader. At the bottom of the second page is the address "To/David Arrel Esq./Atty. At Law/Alexandria" below the signature "I am Sir/Your most Obdt. Servt./G. Washington". The "page" displayed in the center of the frame is a facsimile of the back of the first sheet allowing all the text to be viewed while still being safely contained within the frame. The display also features the Great Seal of the United States, "Washington Crossing the Delaware" by Emanuel Leutze, and Gilbert Stuart's famous portrait of Washington which served as the basis for his portrait on the dollar bill. David Arell (d. 1792) served as captain of Troop No. 2 of the 3rd Virginia Regiment from Alexandria in the early part of the American Revolution. In early 1778, he returned to his legal practice in Alexandria, Virginia. He is mentioned in Washington's diary and correspondence prior to and during the American Revolution. In 1780, Washington asked Arell to appear on his behalf in a matter relating to settling the Colvill estate. Washington of course had much grander problems to deal with. French forces under Comte de Rochambeau joined forces with Washington the following year. Together, they planned a way to end the war by capturing one of the two major British armies largely confined to the coast where they could be resupplied by the Royal Navy. Washington and Rochambeau targeted Yorktown, where nearly 20,000 American and French troops converged to besiege General Charles Cornwallis. The French naval victory at the Battle of the Capes trapped the British, and a successful night assault on October 14, 1781, captured key redoubts. Cornwallis sought terms on October 17, and the Articles of Capitulation were signed on October 19, securing American independence. Washington then moved the army to New York until the Treaty of Paris in 1783. On December 23, 1783, Washington resigned as commander in chief and returned his commission to Congress, voluntarily relinquishing power at a moment many feared he might assume it, setting a defining precedent. Recognizing the weakness of the Articles of Confederation, Washington presided over the 1787 Constitutional Convention, where a new system of government was drafted, and his signature appears prominently on the Constitution. In 1789, he was unanimously elected the nation’s first president, established key precedents, guided the country through early crises, and voluntarily stepped down after two terms, reinforcing the peaceful transfer of power. After retiring, Washington gathered his papers, many now preserved in the Library of Congress. As commander of the Continental Army, president of the Constitutional Convention, and the first President of the United States, documents bearing his signature are among the most desirable and difficult to acquire for collectors of historic American artifacts.

Manufacturer: None

Model: None

Class: Other

  • Provenance: The Joseph Rubinfine Collection; Private Collection
  • Condition: Very fine. Washington's distinctive signature remains crisp. Both sheets show minor foxing along the edges along with some wear on the creases and minor staining. The ink is generally strong overall, with only a small amount rendered illegible primarily from crease wear. The frame has minimal wear. This is an extremely rare opportunity to acquire framed correspondence from General George Washington in early 1780 during the Revolutionary War.

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$0 $199 $10
$200 $499 $25
$500 $999 $50
$1,000 $1,999 $100
$2,000 $4,999 $250
$5,000 $9,999 $500
$10,000 $19,999 $1,000
$20,000 $49,999 $2,500
$50,000 $99,999 $5,000
$100,000 $199,999 $10,000
$200,000 + $25,000