Lot 164
Gates, Horatio Lloyd (1727-1806), British soldier turned American general during the Revolutionary War. Autograph Letter Signed, 2½ pages, 7 x 8¾ Hillsboro, December 28, 1780. To Richard Peters, secretary to the Board of War, three weeks after Nathanael Greene had replaced Gates as commander of the Southern Department, as a result of Gates' disastrous defeat at the hands of General Cornwallis in the Battle of Camden [S.C.]. The letter reads in part:
"…I wish I could say the Cavalry were in better plight. The Regiments of Baylor, and late Blands, are near one half sick. I have shifted them into more wholesome Quarters…Though the returns are intended for the Board, this is designed only as a private Letter, my official one will come with the General Returns - for your private information…" Then, apparently not believing that the loss of his command was permanent, he writes, ".should the French Troops turn this way, & I am continued in Command, I must desire Clajon may be dispatched to Hillsborough, as will be utterly impossible for me to act with them, without his assistance…"
Two pages rejoined with second page inlaid into a thin paper frame, Fine.
Estimate 3,000 - 4,000
This letter was written on the same day that Virginia's House of Delegates unanimously passed a resolution requiring a board of inquiry into Gates' conduct at the Battle of Camden.
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| Realized $2,600 |
