The 30 Minute Rule begins July 15 at 7:00 PM EDT. An Initial Bid Must Be Placed By July 15 at 6:00 PM EDT To Participate After 6:00 PM EDT
Exceptional pairing of autograph material from the famed American explorers who led the Lewis and Clark Expedition of 1804–1806, featuring an ANS by Meriwether Lewis and an ADS by William Clark.
- ANS signed "M. Lewis," one page, 8 x 2.5, no date but circa July 1801. Lewis writes, in full: "Note—I presume that Mr. Monroe if referred to will recollect this transaction." On the reverse is a partial copy of a letter from Alexander Humphreys, also penned in Lewis's hand; a second, detached section of the letter is also present. It reads, in part: "On my second trip to the City I made another application City I made another application but was treated with more impertenance and ungentlemanly conduct, than any mortal ever done before with impunity. How is it possible such a fellow is continued in office. You will oblige me by having the affair adjusted. Perhaps it will be better to let the affair go on in my na,e. Mr. Monroe will stand in need of a little money—If you cannot get the affair settled pray advance him a little and the receipt will be acknowledged." By July 1801, Lewis was serving as Thomas Jefferson’s private secretary, but the origin of this matter probably dates from the late 1790s, when he was an army officer stationed in Virginia. It was here that he befriended Alexander Humphreys and James Monroe.
- ADS signed "Wm. Clark, Lt. 4 S.L.," one page, 7.25 x 4, May 28, 1794. Stationed at Greenville, Ohio, Clark writes, in full: "Please to deliver for the use of the Chickasaw Indians one quart of Whiskey." Clark signs as lieutenant in the Fourth Sub-Legion, a commission he received on March 7, 1792, during his service under General Anthony Wayne in the Northwest Territory. In 1793, Clark was placed in charge of a rifle corps that included several Chickasaw Indians, and by late May 1794 he had joined Wayne at Greenville shortly before the campaign that culminated in the decisive American victory at Fallen Timbers. This document dates from a pivotal moment in the struggle for control of the Old Northwest. Wayne’s campaign led to the Treaty of Greenville of August 3, 1795, which opened much of present-day Ohio to American settlement and secured strategic tracts westward for forts and portages, including the future site of Chicago at the mouth of the Chicago River.
In overall very good to fine condition, a light edge stain to to Clark, and a small area of seal-related edge loss and repairable separation along the central horizontal fold of the otherwise self-contained Lewis. A superb dual-explorer assemblage, uniting early, historically resonant autograph material from the two figures forever linked with the opening of the American West.
