THOMAS JEFFERSON Signed 1780 Revolutionary War Letter, Fearing Virginia Invasion

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Autographs-Colonial-Political-Americana

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Mar 20, 2021

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• Lot Description
  Autographs
  October 1780-Dated Thomas Jefferson's Signed Letter Fearing a Full-Scale British Army Invasion of Virginia
  THOMAS JEFFERSON (1743-1826). Third President of the United States(1801-1809), an American Founding Father, the principal author of the Declaration of Independence (1776). He served in the Continental Congress representing Virginia and then served as a wartime Governor of Virginia (1779-1781), served as a Diplomat at Paris (May 1785) as United States Minister to France.
  October 21, 1780-Dated Revolutionary War period, Letter Signed, "Th. Jefferson" as Governor of Virginia, 1 page, 6.5" x 8" (folded size), Quarto, Choice Extremely Fine. Written to, "The County Lieutenant of Berkeley," with attached Address Overleaf to, "County Lieutenant of Berkeley". With the Landing of the British Army in Chesapeake Bay, Governor of Virginia Thomas Jefferson, fearing a full-Scale Invasion of Virginia from the South, Must Delay the Reinforcement of the Southern Army by the Virginia Militia. Here, Thomas Jefferson writes, in full:
  "Sir: --- As various circumstances have delayed the march of Colo. [Joseph] Crockett's* battalion so much longer than had been hoped, we think it proper to countermand the march of the militia from your County westward at this late season of the year. It is probable that the ensuing season must be opened by considerable aide of men to the westward. -- I am with great respect Sir, -- Your most Obedt. Servant. - (Signed) Th: Jefferson".
  Joseph Crockett (d. 1829), (unrelated to famed backwoodsman and U.S. Representative David Crockett), served as Major with the 11th Virginia (May 20, 1779 - February 12, 1781) then was transferred to the 5th Virginia (February 12, 1781 - to the end of the Revolutionary War).
  In the spring of 1780, Charleston fell to British forces under General Clinton (May 12). The surrender of Charleston swallowed up nearly the whole of the Virginia Line. The loss was followed by, at the end of the Summer, the Battle of Camden (August 16), at which General Horatio Gates was overwhelmed by Lord Cornwallis in an attempt to take the British post and supply base at Camden, South Carolina. The way was opened for the British invasion of North Carolina and the loss of the Virginia line. Jefferson's task at hand: to make immediate and even greater efforts to stop the progress of the enemy and avoid waging the combat on Virginia soil.
  Until late October of 1780, the State of Virginia, under Thomas Jefferson's Governorship, was spared actual invasion by the British; at the same time, many Virginians had already met defeat and death on the battlefields of South Carolina. In the days preceding the invasion, Jefferson was concerned about procuring money, supplies and soldiers - to be used against the invasion from the South. Committed to aiding in the support of the Southern Army, Jefferson persisted, even though the state's resources were mostly dissipated.
  After the Battle of Camden, Jefferson reported to Commander-in-Chief George Washington that a new army was forming to serve in North Carolina -- 3,000 newly-levied regulars and a thousand or more militiamen, including some from the Piedmont and western counties. Some militiamen were able to reach Gates by late October. However, the real problem was not a lack of men, but a lack of equipment. Then, Cornwallis unexpectedly drove into the State from North Carolina and linked the British forces.
  The countermanding of the march of Colonel Joseph Crockett's battalion was necessitated by, as Jefferson mentions, "the late season of the year". It was also in response to news received by Jefferson of the arrival of the enemy's fleet in Chesapeake Bay. A British detachment under General Alexander Leslie landed, with reports indicating that the soldiers numbered from four to five thousand (though the reports were later found to be exaggerated). The landings were made on both sides of the James River, with the forces soon concentrating at and near Portsmouth.
  Jefferson's early opinion that the landing was not a true invasion proved correct. One month after the British sails were first sighted, the enemy vessels put out to sea. Jefferson, spared a real invasion, again gave his attention to the reinforcement of the Southern Army.
  
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