George Washington letter signed ("Go: Washington"). One page of a bifolium, 8.25" x 13.5", "Head Quarters White Plains" [New York]; September 15, 1778. With integral address sheet, in the hand of Tench Tilghman. Docketed. General Washington orders McDougall to march to Danbury to serve under the command of Major General Horatio Gates. Letter, in the hand of Tench Tilghman (1744-1786), aide-de-camp to Washington during the Revolutionary War, to Major General Alexander McDougall, ordering him to march to Danbury, Connecticut, to serve under the command of Major General Horatio Gates (1727-1806). It reads, in full: "Sir You are to march tomorrow morning precisely at the time appointed with the division under your command towards Danbury, there to join the left Wing, under the immediate command of Major General Gates. You will take the Route by King's Street Bedford &ca. You will regulate the particular order of your march, agreeable to the principles of a General Order issued at Valley Forge the first of June last, and to the General order of this day; observing every precaution to preserve the greatest regularity and to prevent every species of injury or abuse, either to the persons or properties of the inhabitants, on any pretence whatever. Given at Head Quarters White Plains this 15th. day of Sept. 1778. Go: Washington" In this letter, Washington, as Commander in Chief of American forces, orders McDougall to march his troops on the morning of September 16 at 7am, as stated in the General Orders issued the same day as this letter, to Danbury, Connecticut, to join the division commanded by General Horatio Gates. The General Orders issued by Washington were, in part, the following: "1st—The whole Army will march tomorrow morning at seven o'Clock—The General will beat at five the troop at six and the march at seven precisely. 2nd The baggage will precede the troops the first day Provision and Forage Waggons going in front. 3rd The Park of Artillery will march with the second Line between Parsons's and Clinton's Brigades. 4th The Commander in Chief's baggage with the Baggage of all the General, Staff and Flying Hospital are also to march with the second line in the order which will be particularly pointed out by the Quarter Master General. 5th The Quarter Master and Commissary General will divide the Stores in their respective departments to the several Columns which will lead the Columns of Baggage. 6th Coll Sheldon with all the Cavalry on the East-Side of the North-River will join General Scott. 7th—The Quarter Master General will give the particular Order of march to be observed by each Division. 8th The Troops are to be furnish'd with three days bread." This movement by McDougall's division, consisting of two brigades, to Danbury was part of a much larger movement of American forces which occurred between September 16 and 25. During this period, Washington moved most of his army to several new positions thirty-five to forty-five miles north of White Plains, including Fredericksburg (Patterson, New York), Fishkill Plains, West Point, and Danbury. General Gates's division moved from Bedford, New York, to Danbury, where he was joined by McDougall's division. Since Washington was unsure of the British Army's next moves, he decided to move most of his army to positions that would counter three possible British moves: a direct attack on his army, a foray up the Hudson River, and a naval expedition against the French fleet at Boston. Washington and his staff departed from White Plains on either September 16 or 17 and arrived at West Point on September 18, and then moved on to Fishkill the next day. By September 20, Washington had moved to the Fredericksburg area, where he established headquarters. He remained in the Fredericksburg area until the end of November. Around this time, the British were initiating a series of raids on American coastal communities. After the inconclusive Battle of Rhode Island on August 29, 1778, American Major General Sullivan (1740-1795) retreated from Newport before British forces under General Henry Clinton (1730-1795) arrived. Clinton decided to raid coastal communities and destroy shipbuilding facilities and supplies. He thus ordered Major General Charles Grey (1729-1807) to raid New Bedford and Fairhaven, coastal towns in Massachusetts, as well as the island of Martha's Vineyard. Grey raided New Bedford and Fairhaven on September 5-6, a week before Washington moved his army, where his troops destroyed storehouses, shipping, and supplies. Days before Washington's army advanced, Grey invaded the undefended island of Martha's Vineyard, taking more than 10,000 head of sheep, 300 oxen, and most of the island's weapons. The British continued their raids, moving to New Jersey, where they defeated American troops at the Battle of Chestnut Neck, near Egg Harbor, on October 6. On October 15, British troops surprised American forces, bayonetting many soldiers in their sleep, in what was called the Egg Harbor Massacre. With the American's treaty with France in 1778, however, British forces, now in a global war with France, changed strategy. They decided to concentrate their efforts in the American South, where they believed the majority of American loyalists lived and hoped to enlist enslaved people to their cause. This letter shows Washington thinking strategically as he plans for three possible moves by the British Army during the fall of 1778. His troop movements were initiated to counter these possible British actions. It is accompanied by a vignette portrait of Washington. Reference: The Papers of George Washington, Revolutionary War Series, vol. 17, 15 September–31 October 1778, ed. Philander D. Chase. Charlottesville: University of Virginia Press, 2008, pages 1–4. Condition: 4.75" separation along integral fold. Two minor areas of paper loss along the integral fold at the intersections of horizontal folds. One area of loss to blank portion of address leaf from seal removal upon opening. Minor edgewear. Scattered soiling and foxing. HID03101062020 © 2022 Heritage Auctions | All Rights Reserved

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