Lot 176
Lincoln, Benjamin (1733-1810), U.S. Revolutionary War General, First Secretary of War (1781-1783) under the Articles of Confederation. Free franked address leaf, November 6, 1783, "B Lincoln" and, in another hand, "Public Service", addressed in that same hand to General Lochlan McIntosh in Savannah, Ga., manuscript "6 - Nov: 1783" with handstamped "Free", docketed at right; silked on verso and inlaid to an overall 13¼ x 11¼ with some repaired internal breaks, none of which affect the bold signature, Fine appearance.
Estimate 500 - 750
McIntosh, the man who killed Button Gwinnett in a duel, was a close friend and compatriot of Lincoln. The two were captured and taken prisoner by the British when Charleston fell in May of 1780. Later, after a prisoner exchange, Lincoln played a major role in Cornwallis‘ defeat at Yorktown. Humiliated by his defeat, Cornwallis refused to personally surrender his sword to Washington and instead sent his second in Command, General Charles O'Hara. Washington, in response, sent Lincoln to accept Cornwallis' sword. This letter was written a month after Lincoln had resigned his position as Secretary of War and shortly before he retired from active military service.
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