Arthur St. Clair incomplete autograph letter signed ("Art. St. Clair"). Four pages on two sheets, 8" x 12.5", no place, [South Carolina]; no date, [circa March 1782]. To his daughter. [Elizabeth St. Clair] Arthur St. Clair writes a lengthy and poignant letter to his daughter concerning marriage and troop movements in South Carolina. Arthur St. Clair (1737-1818), a Scottish-born veteran of the French and Indian War, became the King's magistrate of Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, when it was founded on February 26, 1773. He was commissioned colonel of the 3rd Pennsylvania Regiment in 1776 and was quickly promoted to brigadier general. He took part in the disastrous invasion of Quebec and was with Washington at the crossing of the Delaware and the battles of Trenton and Princeton, after which he was promoted to major general. In spring 1777, Brigadier General St. Clair became the commander of Fort Ticonderoga in New York. St. Clair ordered the evacuation of the fort as British General Burgoyne's army prepared to attack. The action earned him a court-martial, but he was exonerated in time to witness General Cornwallis' surrender at Yorktown. General Washington then ordered St. Clair to South Carolina to aid General Nathanael Green in late 1781, and it was from here that he penned this letter to his daughter. While the first portion is missing, St. Clair's fondness and dedication to his daughter is evident throughout. It reads, in part: "...I trust your higher motives were the love of society and improvement and a desire to familiarize yourself to good company both to recommend yourself more and render yourself more worthy of the person the happiness of your Life will probably depend upon. You know who I mean – but take care not to let the Pleasures of the Town intoxicate you so as to lose the Relish for still Life – for there only Heartfelt satisfaction is to be found. The other is only a giddy sound that amuses without gratifying. I do not mean that happiness is only found in the country; I am far from thinking so, but it is only to be found in town or country in a regular and conscientious discharge of the duties of the station in which Providence pleases to place us and to which a life of gaiety and dissipation is a very great enemy. I hope to hear you acknowledge, with conscious pride, that there is more pleasure in contributing to the happiness of a husband, in soothing his cares and watching over a beloved infant whilst it sleeps than in shining at an assembly or being surrounded by a crown of busy, trifling, humming beaux, at once your amusement and contempt... And who should this very clever person be that escorted you to Philadelphia? I can't think for my Life – however, as he was 'almost as clever as me' and you seem to have been pleased with him, I am pleased too. I suppose you purposely concealed his name lest I should be jealous, but you should have considered that was the surest way to make me so, as I may possibly find a great many I think almost as clever...There is one person I will allow you to think more so, and if you have already, or when you do make him your lord and master, I hope you will think him cleverer than all the world..." Signed, "Art St. Clair" With a postscript that reads, "The Enemy have destroyed their Works at the Quarter House four Miles from Charles Town and returned to the Town and it is reported have embarked part of the Troops. If this prove true it is certain they can attempt nothing, so that I can with more propriety withdraw." While the name of the daughter is missing, it is presumed to be his second daughter, Elizabeth (1768-1825), as she married Captain John Lawrence (1751-1799) in 1782. St. Clair's postscript proved accurate and he was reunited with his family in Pennsylvania by summer 1782, although he was briefly called upon by Congress to put down the Philadelphia Mutiny in 1783. After the war, St. Clair was a member of the Confederation Congress from 1786 to 1787, and served as the seventh President of the United States in Congress Assembled from February 2, 1787 to October 29, 1787. From 1789 to 1802, St. Clair was the first Governor of the Northwest Territory and led the American forces at the catastrophic Battle of the Wabash. A truly remarkable and touching letter that illustrates St. Clair's love and care for his family while striking a playful note so often unseen in more official letters. It is accompanied by an engraving of St. Clair in uniform by E. Wellmore. Reference: The St. Clair Papers: The Life and Public Services of Arthur St. Clair, vol. I, William Henry Smith. Cincinnati: Robert Clarke & Co., 1882, pages 110-114. Condition: A few thin strips of archival tape or dried adhesive residue to some edges, presumably indicating prior mounting. 1" closed tear to upper-right edge of second sheet. Some light scattered soiling and foxing. HID03101062020 © 2022 Heritage Auctions | All Rights Reserved

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