Adam Stephen autograph letter signed ("Adam Stephen"). One page, 8" x 7.75", "Smith's Town" [New York]; October 24, 1764. To Captain James Wood at Winchester. Colonel Adam Stephen orders troops to march to town to be discharged following the conclusion of Pontiac's War. Adam Stephen (circa 1718-1791) was a Scottish-born soldier who immigrated to Virginia in 1754. He served as a major in the Virginia militia under George Washington during the French and Indian War and was with Washington during the Jumonville affair, the Battle of Fort Necessity, and the devastating Braddock expedition, during which Stephen was severely wounded. He took part in the Timberlake Expedition under Lt. Henry Timberlake and Pontiac's War when Stephen, now a colonel, was in command of the Virginia Regiment. While Pontiac himself did not agree to a formal treaty until 1766, the conflict largely ceased after the 1764 Treaty of Niagara. At the time of this letter, Stephen was engaged in discharging a number of Virginia troops, which he communicates in this letter to Capt. Wood. It reads, in full: "I have sent orders to your Ensign to march all the men under his command to town, in order to be discharged. You will be pleas'd to dispatch an Express to the officer Commanding at the WarmSprings, &c with orders to march his men to Town immediately for the same purpose." Signed, "Adam Stephen." With a postscript that reads, "Send orders to Latam to Sell, at public Vendue [sic] for the use of the Country, all hides, casks, bags, & remnant of provant of provisions which may be on hand." During the Revolutionary War, Stephen offered his services to General Washington once again. Because of his extensive military experience, he was among the earliest officers promoted to major general. He acquitted himself well during the campaign in New Jersey and initially during the Philadelphia campaign. However, at the Battle of Germantown, Stephen's men engaged in friendly fire with General Anthony Wayne's troops. An investigation later accused Stephen of being intoxicated during the fight, and he was cashiered out of service following his court-martial conviction. Despite a long career with Washington, the two men did not see eye to eye. Stephen's irascible personality meant he did not shy away from criticizing the general, much like the controversial Charles Lee, the only other major general to be cashiered during the war. His ignominious exit from the Continental Army did not appear to affect his later career as he served in the General Assembly of Virginia from 1780 to 1785 and at the Virginia Constitutional Convention of 1788, the latter of which he gave a stirring speech in favor of the ratification of the Constitution. Autograph material from Adam Stephen infrequently appears as most of his personal papers have not survived. This particular letter, with military content written at the conclusion of Pontiac's War, is especially scarce. It is accompanied by a typed transcription. Condition: Window mounted to the overall size of 8.5" x 8". Some previous separations along folds have been repaired on verso with archival tape. Scattered soiling and foxing. HID03101062020 © 2022 Heritage Auctions | All Rights Reserved

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