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Continental Battalion, 1777 Promissory Note Issued to Spy, Captain Eli Leavenworth

Currency:USD Category:Collectibles / Autographs Start Price:750.00 USD Estimated At:1,000.00 - 1,500.00 USD
Continental Battalion, 1777 Promissory Note Issued to Spy, Captain Eli Leavenworth
SOLD
800.00USD+ buyer's premium + applicable fees & taxes.
This item SOLD at 2021 Nov 23 @ 14:33UTC-5 : EST/CDT
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Hartford, Connecticut. 14th March, 1777. Fascinating piece of history related to espionage in the Revolutionary War. Promissory note issued to Eli Leavenworth for 360 Pounds to "pay out (as the additional Encouragement of Ten Pounds granted by this State) for inlisting his own Company, in the Continental Battalion, to be commanded by William Douglas, Colonel." Signed by Committee Pay-Table members Ebenezer Williams and Oliver Ellsworth. Eli Leavenworth (1748 - 1819) of New Haven served as a captain of the 7th Connecticut Regiment from 6 July to 10 Dec. 1775 and as a captain of the 19th Continental Regiment throughout 1776 before becoming a captain of the 6th Connecticut Regiment in January 1777. In November 1778 he was promoted to Major, with the appointment retroactive to 18 Sept. 1777. Leavenworth was a Spy Intelligence Officer, who had active intelligence operations conducted on Long Island, New York, and was known to have served with distinction in this position. His role during the Revolutionary War was to track spies within the Patriots, as well as keep tabs on enemy movements. This note provided an additional sum to Leavenworth for enlisting a company to be commanded by William Douglas. William Douglas (January 17, 1742 - May 28, 1777) was an American military officer who led regiments from Connecticut during the American Revolutionary War. He privately acknowledged in letters to his wife that his troops were often ill-equipped for battle, writing at one point that they “give me much fatigue and trouble.” During the landing of British troops at Kips Bay in New York City on September 15, 1776, Douglas’ troops retreated wildly in the face of the British attack. General George Washington, encountering the retreating troops, reacted angrily by flogging some of Douglas’ troops with his riding cane and declaring: “Are these the men with whom I am to defend America?” Rare and fascinating piece of history directly related to espionage during the Revolutionary War. Fine condition for its age with slight toning.