Lot 281
Hamilton, Alexander. Autograph letter signed ("A Hamilton"), 1 page with integral address leaf, 7½ x 6¼ in., Bedford (Pa.) Oct. 20, n.y. (1794). Overall toning. To Mrs. Hamilton during the Whiskey Rebellion: "I thank you my beloved for your letter of the 14th. I am very sorry that some of my sweet angels have been again sick. You do not mention precious John--I hope he continues well. The day after tomorrow I march with the army. Be assured that there is not the least appearance of opposition from the insurgents & that I shall take the greatest care of myself & I hope by the Middle of November to return. Have patience my love & think of me constantly as I do of you with the utmost tenderness. Kisses & blessings without number to you & my Children."
In 1791, as a means to help retire the national debt, Treasury Secretary Alexander Hamilton implemented an excise tax on domestically-produced distilled spirits. Farmers in the Western Pennsylvania, many of them Scots-Irish, were desperately poor and saw the tax as an assault on their liberty. They, in turn, assaulted the tax collectors, and in July 1794, burned the home, barn, and slave quarters of the chief excise collector, John Neville, a former Revolutionary War general and childhood friend of George Washington. President Washington called out a militia of some 13,000 men and personally led them to Bedford, Pennsylvania, where he turned them over to General Henry "Light Horse" Lee. Hamilton accompanied the troops, but by the time the army arrived in Pittsburgh, the rebels had gone home. Approximately 150 men were arrested and tried for treason but lack of evidence and witnesses hampered the trials. Two men, John Mitchell and Philip Weigel, were found guilty of treason but were subsequently pardoned by President Washington.
Estimated Value $2,000 - 3,000.
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| Realized $10,200 |
