Address leaf, 7.25 x 3.5, hand-addressed by Hancock “To The Honble Arthur St. Clair Esqr., Major General in the Army of the United States, New Jersey,” signed in the lower left, “Congress Baltimore, John Hancock,” and noted in the upper right, “On Publick Service.” The panel is affixed to an 8.5 x 5.5 off-white album page and is in good condition, with a central vertical fold, edge chips and creases, a diagonal crease through bottom portion of signature, mild damp staining to edges, moderate toning and foxing, a few stray ink marks, and a few words lightly faded, but legible.
The envelope from which this address leaf comes to us very probably housed the only letter from Hancock during his time in Baltimore. That letter, dated February 22, 1777, informed St. Clair of his appointment as Major General, and detailed his commission. This letter was written three days before Hancock, president of the Continental Congress, composed correspondence to George Washington, informing the general that it “is the earnest desire of Congress, that the army under your command may be made, not only strong enough to confine the enemy within their present quarters, and prevent them from getting supplies from the country, but totally subdue them before they can be further reenforced,” and that he had written to New Jersey and Pennsylvania “to call forth their militia at this important crisis.”
Arthur St. Clair, a Scotland-native who served in the British Army during the French and Indian War, later moved to Pennsylvania and quickly found himself climbing military rank. He was appointed major general in the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War, and in April 1777 was charged with the defense of Fort Ticonderoga. Upon facing British General John Burgoyne’s substantial forces, St. Clair and his comparably smaller garrison were forced to retreat on July 5, 1777—an action that would see him court-martialed the following year. Although exonerated, St. Clair would never again be given the lead on battefield commands. He would, however, go on to serve as an aide-de-camp to General Washington, and was present at Lord Corwallis’ surrender at Yorktown. Pre-certified John Reznikoff/PSA/DNA and RR Auction COA.
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