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THB[REVOLUTIONARY WAR] General Lee Taken Prisoner Engraving
![[REVOLUTIONARY WAR] General Lee Taken Prisoner Engraving](https://s1.img.bidsquare.com/item/xl/2987/29879590.jpeg?t=1TPW6u)
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About Auction
LiveApr 25, 2025
Fleischer's Auctions is pleased to present Day 1 of our 2025 Spring Premier Auction featuring rare items from colonial America, the Revolutionary War, Western Expansion, and African American history. Fleischer's Auctions info@fleischersauctions.com
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- Lot Description
The American General Lee taken Prisoner by Lieutenant Colonel Harcourt of the English Army, in Morris Country, New Jersey, 1776.
Engraving on laid paper. 9 1/4 in. x 15 3/16 in.
Engraved for the series Barnard's New Complete & Authentic History of England, circa 1783 or possibly the 1790 edition.
After William Hamilton, artist. Hawkins, engraver.
A fine 18th-century engraving showing the capture of General Charles Lee (1731-1782) at White's Tavern in Basking Ridge, New Jersey. He is depicted emerging from the tavern in uniform, offering his sword to Lieutenant Colonel William Harcourt, later 3rd Earl of Harcourt (1743-1830), the commander of the 16th Light Dragoons on horseback.
A career military man and veteran of the Seven Years' War, Lee was generally regarded by the Second Continental Congress as the most capable man to command the Continental Army. The role, however, was given to George Washington, in part because he was born in North America. Lee saw early success in repulsing a British attempt to capture Charleston in 1776.
Upon moving north later that year, Lee became critical of Washington's leadership, believing that his hesitation to evacuate Fort Washington led to its loss. As Washington retreated, he urged Lee's New York troops to follow. Lee's slow response has often been characterized as insubordination. On 12 December 1776, while writing a letter to General Horatio Gates complaining further about Washington, Lee was captured by British forces. He would be confined for the next 16 months.
Artistic license was certainly taken, as most reports relate that Lee was captured wearing a dressing gown and not in full uniform. Also, Lee is depicted with two fully fingered hands, while in reality he had lost two fingers in a duel in Italy years earlier.
[American Revolutionary War, American Revolution, Founding Fathers, Declaration of Independence, Colonial America] [Broadsides, Ephemera, Printing, Posters, Handbills, Documents, Prints, Engraving]
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