Samuel H. Parsons autograph letter signed ("Sam H. Parsons"). Two pages of a bifolium, 6.75" x 8.25", Redding, [Connecticut]; May 26, 1779. Addressed to "Thomas Mumford" in Hartford. Docketed. Brigadier General Samuel Parsons writes shortly before General Henry Clinton's advance up the Hudson. "I expect every hour to receive orders to march for the North River. The enemy are drawing in all their Posts for action..." Brigadier General Samuel Holden Parsons (1737-1789) served on the Connecticut General Assembly from 1762 to 1774 and was among the first in the state to support the organization of the Continental Congress. During the Revolution, he accepted a commission as colonel in the 6th Connecticut Regiment. He saw action at the battles of Bunker Hill, Battle Hill, and White Plains before he was placed in command of the construction at West Point in the winter of 1778-1779. By spring 1779, Parsons was in failing health and deeply concerned about the depreciation in the currency and lack of supplies for his troops. He attempted to resign in March 1779, but Congress refused his request, and he was stationed in Connecticut for the rest of the war. His position allowed him to pass intelligence on the enemy's movements around New York City, as evidenced here. By May, that intelligence intimated that an attack along the Hudson River, led by General Henry Clinton, was imminent. In this letter, Parsons writes to his friend, Thomas Mumford, a Connecticut merchant, to discuss Clinton's movements up the Hudson and Parsons' concern about the high number of desertions. It reads, in part: "...am happy to find some Measures are Pursuing to procure the Money for the army which they so much want. We feel ourselves under constant Obligation for your particular attention to the Soldiery. I expect every hour to receive orders to march for the North River. The enemy are drawing in all their Posts for action, some believe a design to attack our Posts on the Hudson, others an attempt on our army, but I cannot persuade myself they are at present in Force for either; but their whole system appears to me defensive at New York. Can no possible way be devised to retake our Deserters or prevent Desertion? What effect will it have to injoin [sic] every Town to keep good their Quota of Men? perhaps this may Strongly interest the Inhabitants in taking up Deserters instead of concealing them. I would by no means advise your Son to leave the Service for the present, my particular Obligations to you and Friendship for him will induce me to endeavor to remove him from his disagreeable situation when such an arrangement is made by Congress as will enable me to do it..." Signed, "Sam H. Parsons." Parsons's expectation "every hour to receive orders to march for the North River" was partially correct. Shortly after penning this letter, Parsons and his men were ordered to West Point to aid in its defense. On May 31, 1779, General Clinton sailed up the Hudson "with a force of about six thousand men, a fleet of seventy sailing vessels and one hundred and fifty flat-boats" to capture the nearby crossing at King's Ferry. Clinton hoped his attack upon a major crossing would force General Washington into action against him. However, King's Ferry was only lightly defended by forts Stony Point and Verplanck's Point and the men stationed there quickly surrendered. Clinton then left behind a contingent of several hundred men and retreated back up the Hudson. Parsons was promoted to major general in 1780. He spent the rest of his time in service maintaining the Connecticut Line until 1782 when Congress finally accepted his resignation. The letter is accompanied by a typed transcription. Reference: Life and Letters of Samuel Holden Parsons. Charles S. Hall. Binghamton, New York: Herald Company, 1905. Page 247. Condition: Two small area of paper loss from seal removal upon. Minor scattered soiling and foxing with small dampstain near wax seal remnants. HID03101062020 © 2022 Heritage Auctions | All Rights Reserved

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