[American Revolution]: Hutchinson, Israel:

$3,000 · Offered by William Reese Company

[AUTOGRAPH LETTER, SIGNED, FROM ISRAEL HUTCHINSON, A MEMBER OF THE MASSACHUSETTS HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES IN BOSTON, TO SAMUEL HOLTEN, A MASSACHUSETTS DELEGATE TO THE CONFEDERATION CONGRESS IN ... An intriguing and somewhat cryptic autograph letter, signed, from Israel Hutchinson, a Revolutionary War veteran and member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives, in Boston to Samuel Holten, a Massachusetts delegate to the Confederation Congress in Philadelphia, written in aftermath of the infamous Newburgh Conspiracy, which had threatened to derail the American experiment in self-government before it was even launched. Following the American victory at Yorktown in October 1781, while Britain and America engaged in peace talks leading to a negotiated settlement that would bring an end to the Revolutionary War, the Continental Army withdrew to what would be its final encampment in New York's Hudson Highlands, with Washington establishing his headquarters at Newburgh. But as the months passed, the army became increasingly restless. One historian describes the situation: "[t]he troops were not being paid; Congress showed no disposition to meet its promise made in 1780 of half-pay pensions for the army; promotions had been frozen; there were numerous other minor grievances. Further, the war was drawing to a close, and there was a growing apprehension among the troops that Congress would disband the army without solving any of these problems. Thus it appeared to the men in the ar

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