Johann Kalb autograph letter signed ("Baron de Kalb"). Two pages on one leaf, 6.5" x 8.5", Anderson's Ferry, [Pennsylvania]; September 28, 1777. An incredibly scarce letter from Major General Johann Kalb bitterly lamenting Brigadier General Thomas Conway's interference in obtaining his promised commission. "I could not hardly believe that Mr. Conway would pretend to get the Seniority over me...he very well knows that I am his superior in France both for rank and Seniority of Service..." Johann Kalb (1721-1780), also known as "Baron de Kalb," was a German-born French soldier. His distinguished service for the French military during the War of the Austrian Succession and the Seven Years War ensured he was among the French delegation of men sent to aid the colonies by Silas Deane. Deane, the American envoy at the French Court, engaged Kalb as a major general and he set sail for South Carolina in April 1777 together with his protégé, the Marquis de Lafayette. They arrived in June and promptly headed to Philadelphia to meet with Congress. After arriving in July, Kalb was informed that Congress had refused to ratify his contract, as they felt Deane had transgressed his authority and promised too many high-ranking commissions to foreigners over American men. The insult was driven further when an exception was made for Lafayette, who was appointed a major general after agreeing to serve without pay. An indignant Kalb then threatened civil action and made plans to return to France. He was on the precipice of his return when he received news that Thomas Conway (1735-1800), an Irish-born emigre, was not only personally opposing Kalb's commission, but was himself on the brink of promotion to major general. Conway, whose commission Congress had immediately ratified, had initially received the rank of brigadier general, but this rumor of a promotion incensed Kalb, and he penned this furious letter to an unknown recipient in the Continental Army. It reads, in part: "Chev[alier]. dubuysson will wait on you, & stay for an answer to my last. I do not know whether he did not mistake what you told him, having reported to me that General Conway had opposed in Congress my being appointed a major-Gl., I could not hardly believe that Mr. Conway would pretend to get the Seniority over me if [sic] both in your army for he very well knows that I am his superior in France both for rank and Seniority of Service, and that I was a Major of a regt. when he hardly was a sublieut. So I think there can arise no difficulty between us on that account. I can have no objection to his pretending to be made a m[aj]or gl. It is none of my Business, but I have an undoubted right of not submitting to let him take rank above me. The letter which I expect from you will I hope clear up this point, and everything contained in mine from Bethlehem. I depend on your kindness – for as speedy an answer as your many affairs will admit of..." Signed, "Baron de Kalb." The following month, Thomas Conway's intended promotion hit a snag when it was opposed by none other than General Washington, under whom Conway had been serving since the spring and whom he had failed to impress. After learning that Washington attempted to interfere, Conway offered his resignation, which Congress refused, who instead ignored Washington's objections and promoted him in December of the same year. The embittered Conway began writing a series of letters criticizing the general in what became known as the Conway Cabal. Eventually, the content of one of the letters was made public, and he was challenged to a duel by Brig. General John Cadwalader on July 4, 1778, where the former was shot through the cheek. Conway resigned his position and returned to France, but not before he penned an apology letter to Washington. Unbeknownst to Kalb at the time of this letter, Lafayette, perhaps conscious that his battle-hardened mentor was more deserving of the rank than himself, had been working behind the scenes utilizing his influence to put pressure on Congress to grant the promised commission. It proved successful, and Congress offered Kalb the position, backdated to September 15, 1777. The news barely reached Kalb in time as he received it on the road while traveling towards the ship that was to take him back to France. He accepted the commission and joined General Washington at Valley Forge. He was second-in-command to Lafayette during the Canadian Expedition of 1778 before he was sent south to the Carolinas to join General Horatio Gates. On August 16, 1780, they were surprised by the British at the Battle of Camden, and Kalb was shot from his horse while leading a charge. Mortally wounded from nearly a dozen separate injuries, the general died three days later on August 19, 1780. Given Kalb's premature death in 1780, autograph material of any kind is particularly scarce, making the significant historical content contained here all the more desirable and uncommon. It is accompanied by engraving featuring Kalb, Lafayette, and Deane by Martin, Johnson & Co. Reference: The Life of John Kalb, Major-General in the Revolutionary Army. Friedrich Kapp. New York: Henry Holt and Company. Condition: Pinhole to one letter of signature. Appears to have originally been from a bifolium with integral address leaf now missing. Light edgewear along left edge from address leaf's removal. Thin strip of toning from dried adhesive along left edge of verso, presumably indicating previous mounting. HID03101062020 © 2022 Heritage Auctions | All Rights Reserved

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