American Revolution
January 2, 1775-Dated Revolutionary War Goods Purchases
January 2, 1775-Dated Revolutionary War Period, Autograph Document Signed, "Caleb Toppan" being an Invoice for Goods Purchased by Capt. Jacob Gerrish for use during the War at Cambridge (MA). Garrish saw action in the Boston and Cambridge Campaigns and fought at Bunker Hill on June 17, 1775, Very Fine.
Autograph Document Signed, "Caleb Toppan" (merchant) on a laid period paper with a Crowned "GR" watermark, 1 page, dated January 2, 1775 at Cambridge. Colonel Samuel Gerrish, the unit saw action in the Boston and Cambridge Campaigns and fought at Bunker Hill June 17, 1775. This Document measures 7.5" x 7" and has five lines of items purchased by Captain Gerrish, including a silk handkerchief, a case of knives and forks, a pepper box, a small mug, and other sundries. The total purchase price was 2 Pounds, 16 Shilling and 0 Pence. There is some paper loss at upper left corner and on the left edge, but none of this affects the writing. The upper left corner also shows some heavy toning; and lower left corner. Gerrish didn't receive his commission until five months later, but the items listed here show that he was getting ready to go. He held the rank of Captain in Colonel Little's Massachusetts Regiment from May 1775, fought at Bunker Hill on June 17, 1775, and remainded in that unit until the end of 1776.
Jacob Gerrish (c. 1739-1817) was commissioned as Captain in Colonel Little's Massachusetts Regiment in May 1775 and continued to hold that rank in Little's 12th Continental Regiment during 1776.
Gerrish gave up his Continental commission at the end of 1776, and from 1777 to 1778 he served as a Colonel in the Massachusetts militia. Gerrish's Regiment was one of the 27 infantry regiments of the Massachusetts line created by the Continental Congress in 1775. Commanded by Colonel Samuel Gerrish, the unit saw action in the Boston and Cambridge Campaigns and fought at Bunker Hill June 17, 1775.