Lot 5
Braxton, Carter -- Rare War-date ALS by the Signer From Virginia (1736-97) Merchant, planter, statesman; a signer of the Declaration of Independenc from Virginia. Autograph letter signed ("Carter Braxton"), 4 pages, 9¼ x 7 3/8", Delaware Town, July 26, 1777. To an unknown recipient, with details of transactions of salt, tobacco, and pork, and reports of Howe's assault on the central colonies. Braxton asks his unnamed recipient to look after his affairs at the Head of the Elk River, which was of strategic importance to both the British and the Americans as it was the closest point for Patriot forces in the central colonies to debark for travel down the Chesapeake. It was also the closest point in Chesapeake Bay for the British to direct amphibious operations against Philadelphia. In late July 1777, a 265-ship armada carrying 17,000 troops under General Howe's command arrived at the Head of Elk.
Braxton writes: "Our Cape is so totally blocked up & so many Vessels taken that all trade seems expiring fast & the want of real necessaries in the Fall will be too great I fear to be endured. Mr Morris and myself have suffered severely in some late Losses & have now several Vessells that cannot get out tho loaded & ready for sea." Braxton risked his large fortune, inherited from his father's prosperous tobacco plantation, in extensive commercial enterprises, and like Robert Morris, he loaned money to the American cause, as well as funded shipping and privateering. About half of the 14 ships in which he held an interest were either sunk or captured by the British, who also destroyed some of his plantations. He fell deeply into debt and was forced to sell off his estate in 1786.
The letter is browned, stained, and faded, with small holes and fold separations touching a few words. Estimate Value $4,000 - UP
James Copley Collection, Sotheby's, New York April 24, 2010, lot 26.
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| Realized $4,560 |
