Handwritten docketing by George Washington on the reverse of Revolutionary War-dated document, one page, 7.5 x 8.5, Boston, October 21, 1778, being a list of items for General Washington’s personal use. General Washington dockets the reverse, "Mss Otis & Andrews , £85.20, 21st Oct. 1776 [sic]." The manuscript document's heading reads: “Memo of Sundries forwarded to the care of George Measam, Esq. for the particular use of his Excellency Genl. Washington & charged to the Board of War by Otis & Andrews in a H[og]h’d mark’d AN 570.” In very good condition, with light staining, toning, and small areas of edge loss; Washington's handwriting is quite light, but fully legible.
The Boston firm of Otis and Andrews was a major supplier of clothing for the Continental Army. George Measam was the Continental commissary for clothing at Springfield, MA and Hartford, CT. The only known correspondence between George Washington and Otis and Andrews occurred in Sept. and October of 1778, indicating that Washington erred when he docketed the year 1776 instead of 1778. The items sent to Washington, then in the field at Pawling, N.Y., consist of cloth, thread, and buttons (specifically for coats and vests). Interestingly, among the specified items is “18 yds red Shalloon” (Shalloon was used for coat linings) and “4 yds red Cloth.” The red-colored material was an unusual request and suggests that these materials were being used to make livery uniforms for Washington’s personal servants, including William (Billy) Lee.
Billy Lee served by Gen. Washington's side throughout the Revolutionary War and was the only slave to be freed immediately by Washington's will. He is believed to be represented in paintings by John Trumbull, Charles Wilson Peale, and Edward Savage. Historian Fritz Hirschfeld observed: 'If Billy Lee had been a white man, he would have had an honored place in American history because of his close proximity to George Washington during the most exciting periods of his career. But because he was a black servant, a humble slave, he has been virtually ignored by both black and white historians and biographers.'
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