Timothy Pickering
Philadelphia, PA, December 31, 1779
Timothy Pickering Tries to Protect Board of War from Unnecessary Distractions
ALS

TIMOTHY PICKERING, Autograph Letter Signed, to Woodford, December 31, 1779, [Philadelphia, Pennsylvania]. 1 p., 7.5" x 9". Water staining; general toning; small loss on fold, affecting one word.

In this letter, Board of War member Timothy Pickering asks General William Woodford to have regimental paymasters settle claims by Virginia soldiers for deficiencies in their clothing to allow the Board of War to focus on more important matters.

Complete Transcript
War Office Decr 31, 1779.
Sir
The Board are interrupted in more important business by the frequent applications of the Virginia soldiers for the allowances for deficiencies of cloathing—and there is more danger of error & imposition than if the business was conducted in the proper channel. The board therefore requests you will order all such demands (& every soldier makes them ) of the soldiers to be settled by the regimental paymasters, who if not already provided, shall be furnished with money by the board, on estimates or returns signed by you. We have the honour to be, Sir, your very obedt servants.
By order of ye board
Tim Pickering
General Woodford
P.S. If any paymaster is absent you will judge it proper to appoint one for the purpose.

Historical Background
From its office in Philadelphia, the Board of War and Ordnance managed the logistical departments of the Continental Army (quartermaster and commissaries), monitored troop rosters, and handled correspondence with General George Washington. It increasingly relied on individual states to fulfil requisitions for food and clothing, constantly attempting to keep the Continental Army supplied with shoes, blankets, and meat. From its formation in June 1776, the Board of War consisted of five members of Congress and a secretary. In October 1777, Congress reorganized the Board of War to consist of three permanent members—the following month electing Quartermaster General Thomas Mifflin, Adjutant General Timothy Pickering, and Washington's military secretary Robert Hanson Harrison—and a clerical staff. When Harrison refused to serve, and Mifflin convinced Congress to expand the Board, former Secretary Richard Peters, Major General Horatio Gates, and Commissary General Joseph Trumbull joined the board.

On December 4, Congress ordered the troops of the Virginia Line to march to Philadelphia, where they would await further orders. Four days later, General George Washington ordered Brigadier General William Woodford to march the Virginia Line to Philadelphia. He also wrote to Brigadier General Anthony Wayne to march the Virginia members of the Light Infantry to Philadelphia to join their regiments. On December 9, Wayne responded that "Colo. Febeger with the Virginia Light Infantry will March tomorrow morning at 8 OClock, but for want of shoes must carry a great many of his People in Waggons. There are a Considerable Number of our men totally barefoot, & many more will soon be in the same predicament, unless the Line sends a speedy Supply of this Necessary article. It's true that some of the Regiments & Brigades have forwarded a partial supply of Clothing, but have totally omitted the Shoe's...." Congress had ordered the Virginia Line to Philadelphia in preparation for sending them to the Southern Department to reinforce General Benjamin Lincoln against the British. Ultimately, many of them surrendered when the British captured the city of Charleston in May 1780.

Apparently, many individual soldiers were appealing directly to the Board of War in Philadelphia for compensation, perhaps to enable them to buy shoes in that city.

Timothy Pickering (1745-1829) was born in Massachusetts and graduated from Harvard College in 1763. He represented Salem in the Massachusetts General Court and served as a justice in the County Court of Common Pleas. After leading a regiment early in the Revolutionary War, Pickering accepted George Washington's request to become adjutant general of the Continental Army in 1777. He was elected by the Continental Congress as a member of the Board of War in November 1777. In 1780, the Continental Congress elected Pickering Quartermaster General. After the war, he tried several business ventures without much success. In 1787, he was a member of the Pennsylvania convention that ratified the U.S. Constitution. In 1791, President Washington appointed Pickering as Postmaster General. In 1795, Washington appointed him as Secretary of War for a brief time, and he then served as Secretary of State from 1795 to 1800. After Pickering objected to plans to make peace with France, President Adams dismissed him in May 1800. A passionate Federalist, Pickering represented Massachusetts in the U.S. Senate from 1803 to 1811. Charged with reading confidential documents in an open Senate session, Pickering was censured by the Senate in January 1811. He represented Massachusetts in the House of Representatives from 1813 to 1817. Failing to win re-election, Pickering retired to his farm in Salem, Massachusetts.

William Woodford (1734-1780) was born in Virginia. He married Mary Thornton (1743-1792) in 1762, and they had at least two children. During the French and Indian War, Woodford served as an ensign in Colonel George Washington's Virginia Regiment. He served as a delegate to the Third Virginia Convention in the summer of 1775 and accepted a commission as colonel of the 2nd Virginia Regiment. He led his forces against the royal governor, Lord Dunmore, driving Dunmore's Tory forces from the Norfolk peninsula in December 1775. In December 1776, Woodford's regiment joined the Continental Army as part of the Virginia Line. He was promoted to brigadier general in February 1777 and wounded at the Battle of Brandywine in September 1777. His brigade performed crucial action at the Battle of Monmouth in June 1778. In December 1779, he and his brigade were sent to join the Southern Continental Army. They were captured in the fall of Charleston in May 1780. The British sent Woodford to New York City, where he died of disease on a British prison ship in November 1780.

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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