A Brief Survey of Washington Signed Historical Documents Collectors Can Look for on the Market
George Washington is regarded as a legendary leader, the quintessential hero of the American Revolution. As the commander-in-chief of the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War and the first president of the fledgling nation he helped to found, the basic details of his biography are known to every American.
But there is much more to the man, as his surviving correspondence and related documents demonstrate. Many of these documents are held by institutional libraries, among them the George Washington Presidential Library at Mount Vernon. Private collectors, however, still find spectacular opportunities to buy George Washington signed letters and documents.
George Washington, Surveyor
Long before Washington became the great military and political leader he would become, he worked as a land surveyor. Between the ages of 17 and 20, he executed about 180 land surveys, mostly in his home state of Virginia.
Finding one of these manuscript surveys on the market is rare, says Nathan Raab, and having an expert authenticate it is essential. A decade ago, Raab helped unmask a fake survey map made by a famous Victorian-era forger. Last year, The Raab Collection acquired a Washington survey map dating to 1751 and containing two manuscript plat maps and text in Washington’s handwriting. It was sold to the George Washington Presidential Library at Mount Vernon.
Washington as a Farmer and Landowner
George Washington was a believer in the potential of the American West and sought land holdings there. His interest lasted from the time of the French and Indian War right up until his death. He believed in the West.
This document, dated August 3, 1770, is a financial agreement that manifests Washington’s business affairs. In a dispute over a title to a piece of land, Washington and fellow Virginian George Muse came to an agreement, whereby Muse ceded a third of his claims to Washington in exchange for Washington’s surveying work. The transaction was secured by a bond from Muse to Washington. This is the original bond for Washington’s benefit, guaranteeing Muse would honor his end of the agreement. It is completely in Washington’s hand.
General George Washington
Washington served the British during the French and Indian War as an officer and there made a military name for himself. At the outbreak of the American Revolution he was called upon to lead the Continental Army. Victories were few and far between for the Americans, and at times the army under his command was reduced to a few thousand dedicated but ill-armed, ill-fed, and ill-housed men.
His letters during this time are authoritative and exude the powerful leadership characteristics that made him great. Letters of high content during this time become harder and harder to find, as they are acquired by libraries and major private collectors.
One remarkable letter not only reveals his deep relationship with his comrades-in-arms but evokes one of the most famous events of the war: the crossing of the Delaware on Christmas 1776. Washington had relied upon the men of John Glover’s command to implement a daring plan to throw four separate forces across the river to attack British-held Trenton on the night of the holiday. They were victorious.
When the war was over, Washington wrote to Glover, bidding him a fond farewell. Some letters remarkably remained for generations with the families of the recipients. Not all of Washington’s letters have been discovered. This is one such example, acquired from the Glover descendants.
General Washington’s Involvement with POWs
The surrender of British general Burgoyne at Saratoga in 1777 placed nearly 6,000 British and Hessian prisoners of war in the hands of the Continental Congress. According to the terms of their surrender, written in a document agreed upon by both sides, entitled the “Convention of Saratoga,” the prisoners were to be marched to Boston and then shipped back to Great Britain. When they arrived at Boston, a dispute arose, and Congress resolved to suspend the terms of the Convention and keep the prisoners in custody.
After some difficult negotiations, Washington announces in a 1780 letter his agreement with British commander Henry Clinton to effect the prisoner exchange. It not only shows Washington directly negotiating with his counterpart, but it reveals his compassionate concern for the welfare of prisoners. We’ve never seen another example.
A little over two years later, another high-level prisoner negotiation was underway, with Washington once again at the helm. In December 1782, news arrived that the negotiations for a peace treaty between Britain and America were proceeding. However, a senior British officer named John Schaack was still in confinement and subject to hanging. It was not until January 15, 1783, that Washington wrote Elias Dayton, one of his spymasters, ordering that Schaack be released and sent to New York. There the British remained, preparing to evacuate and go home after the peace treaty was signed.
George Washington as President
George Washington didn’t want to be president, lamenting that in assuming the presidency, he felt “like a culprit who is going to the place of his execution.” However, once he was inaugurated in 1789, he gave it everything he had. Washington’s greatest accomplishment was the setting of important positive precedents in the office. He was acutely aware of this aspect of his responsibility from the start, and made it his goal, saying, “As the first of everything, in our situation, will serve to establish a precedent, it is devoutly wished on my part that these precedents be fixed on true principles.”
His first momentous determination was to use as a Cabinet the principal Federal officials he would select, and to fill the Cabinet with men of stature and character, not just supporters or sycophants. The two best choices were Thomas Jefferson as Secretary of State and Alexander Hamilton as Treasury Secretary.
In 1793, Washington acted in his official capacity as Chief Executive under Article II of the U.S. Constitution, which provides that the President “shall nominate, and by and with the Advice and Consent of the Senate, shall appoint…” This is the only letter of his to the Senate as a whole, fulfilling this Constitutional role, that we have ever seen. President Washington promoted the fledgling concepts of American nationalism and unity, and originated a tradition of U. S. neutrality in European quarrels. When France declared war on Great Britain on February 1, 1793, Washington believed that neutrality was in the best interests of the country, and issued a proclamation to that effect.
During this time, every ship coming into the United States from a foreign port carrying tariff-eligible goods required a passport signed by the president and the secretary of state. For a few years, this meant that these were signed by both President Washington and Secretary of State Thomas Jefferson, a remarkable combination of signatures that has become less and less common.
Washington’s Legacy
George Washington saw that abuse of power was a risk which might entrap his successors, so he nonetheless limited the instances of his exercise of presidential powers. In keeping with this, he respected the role of Congress and decided to use the veto sparingly. He also refused to serve more than two terms in office. This proved to be another valuable precedent, as seeing his example, future presidents knew that one day they would go home and resume life as private citizens.
Washington believed that public virtue led to prosperity. In his first Inaugural Address, he stated, “There is no truth more thoroughly established than that there exists in the economy and course of nature an indissoluble union between virtue and happiness; between duty and advantage; between the genuine maxims of an honest and magnanimous policy and the solids rewards of public prosperity and felicity…” He lived by these words. His virtues were so pronounced that they actually influenced the way people thought about the concepts of leadership and greatness. Before Washington, a great man was usually a leader of enormous power and, often, many conquests; a Caesar, a Henry VIII, a Louis XIV. After Washington, a great man was one who was called to duty, performed it selflessly and modestly, and then willingly retired from public life without personal gain. Today, he typically ranks in the top three greatest American presidents.
Buying Washington Signed Documents
George Washington was a prolific correspondent. However, his surviving letters have been sought by private and institutional collectors for more than 200 years, making them increasingly difficult to acquire. To learn more about buying or selling George Washington autographs, visit our dedicated Washington page.
Nathan Raab, president of The Raab Collection, has also written an article for Forbes on “How You Can Learn to Detect a George Washington Autograph Forgery.”
