{"product_id":"1778-als-signed-blaquiere-discussing-revolutionary-war-carlisle-conference","title":"1778 ALS Signed Blaquiere Discussing Revolutionary War, Carlisle Conference","description":"\u003cp\u003eRevolutionary War Letter 1778 – Sir John Blaquiere – Philadelphia, Congress, New York, French Alliance\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eOriginal Revolutionary War-era autograph letter dated September 9, 1778, docketed on verso \"From S. John Blacquin rec'd Oct. 4th 1778.\"\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003eWritten during the period of the Carlisle Peace Commission (1778), with apparent references to the British peace commissioners operating in America.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis is a very interesting Revolutionary War-period letter. Based on the docketing on the reverse (\"From St. John Blacquin rec'd Oct. 4th 1778\") and the contents, this appears to be a letter written by Sir John Blaquiere (often spelled Blaquiere\/Blaquière), the Irish-born diplomat and political agent who was heavily involved in American and British affairs during the Revolutionary era.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIdentification\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWriter: Likely Sir John Blaquiere (spelled \"St. John Blacquin\" in the contemporary docketing)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eDate: September 9, 1778 (\"P.P.S. Sept. 9, 1778\")\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eRecipient: Not fully identified from the surviving pages, but apparently a close friend or political associate.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eHistorical Context:\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWritten only months after the French alliance with the United States.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eDiscusses American politics, Philadelphia, New York, English commissioners, and military affairs.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eContains an extended French-language political commentary.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eReflects contemporary reaction to the changing course of the American Revolution in 1778.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eTranslation of the French Portion\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe French text is partly obscured and difficult, but the meaning is substantially clear:\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eTranslation\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"My dear friend, I scarcely know what to write to you. This country produces strange things. I must send you the extract of a letter which I received yesterday from a man of sound judgment and spirit, which is very odd and seems too wild to be invented.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBut let us leave that. Here one sees every day strange events and many signs of upheaval.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eYou know that a new war council has been established; if the general had wished to create an engine, it could not have served the purposes of the party better.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe result, according to my information, is that the English commissioners are very pleased with it.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFor an English parliamentarian, and even more for an American congressman, it is too absurd to require explanation.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe executioner of Philadelphia may soon have himself carried to New York.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eYour favorite will find himself abandoned.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eNevertheless fortune is on your side; three considerable fleets, loaded with supplies and troops, are entering your ports, and this will sustain commerce, I believe.\"\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe phrase \"executioner of Philadelphia\" is probably a political nickname or sarcastic reference to a leading Revolutionary figure. It may have been understood by the recipient but is difficult to identify with certainty today.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003eHistorical Significance\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis letter has significance because it was written during one of the most critical years of the American Revolution:\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWhat makes it important\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eDated 1778\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eOne of the pivotal years of the war.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFollows the American victory at Saratoga and the French alliance.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eContemporary Political Commentary\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eDiscusses:\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eCongress\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ePhiladelphia\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eNew York\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBritish peace commissioners\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eMilitary organization\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eForeign aid and fleets\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBlaquiere Connection\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eSir John Blaquiere was a notable diplomatic and political figure.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eLetters from individuals operating near the highest levels of British and Irish politics are actively collected.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBilingual Revolutionary-War Content\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eEnglish and French in the same letter.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eReflects the international nature of Revolutionary politics after France entered the war.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eOriginal Docketing\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe reverse endorsement identifying the writer and receipt date substantially strengthens authenticity and provenance.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003estrong possibility that it is referring to the Carlisle Peace Commission, although the reference is indirect rather than explicit.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eSeveral clues point in that direction:\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eKey Passage\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn the French section Blaquiere writes something close to:\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"...le résultat, d'après mes informations, donné aux commissaires anglais...\"\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"...the result, according to my information, has given satisfaction to the English commissioners...\"\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe phrase \"English commissioners\" in September 1778 is highly suggestive because the principal British commissioners then active in America were the members of the Carlisle Commission, formally the British Peace Commission sent to negotiate with Congress.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eTiming Fits Perfectly\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe letter is dated:\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eSeptember 9, 1778\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe Carlisle Commission had arrived in America in June 1778 and throughout the summer was attempting to negotiate a settlement after the French alliance transformed the war.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBy September:\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe Commission had already failed to persuade Congress.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ePhiladelphia had been evacuated by the British.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe commissioners were corresponding with Congress and issuing public appeals.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eTheir efforts were becoming increasingly desperate.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis is exactly the political environment reflected in the letter.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAdditional Clues\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe letter mentions:\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ePhiladelphia\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eNew York\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eCongress\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eEnglish commissioners\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003epolitical factions\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003emilitary councils\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003earrival of fleets\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThose were all subjects dominating discussion surrounding the Carlisle Commission in mid-to-late 1778.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWho Was the \"Executioner of Philadelphia\"?\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eOne particularly interesting phrase appears to read:\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"l'exécuteur de Philadelphie...\"\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e(\"the executioner of Philadelphia\")\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThat could be a sarcastic reference to:\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ea Revolutionary leader,\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ea British official,\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eor even someone associated with the political struggle surrounding the peace negotiations.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIf the handwriting could be deciphered more completely, that phrase might reveal an even stronger Carlisle connection.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBlaquiere's Perspective\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIf the writer is indeed Sir John Blaquiere, this becomes especially interesting. Blaquiere was:\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003econnected to British political circles,\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ewell informed on imperial affairs,\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ethe sort of person who would receive inside reports regarding the Commission's prospects.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe sentence about the new military council benefiting a faction and pleasing \"the English commissioners\" sounds exactly like the kind of insider political commentary one would expect regarding the Carlisle mission.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Signature Documents LLC","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":52312133632282,"sku":"EB-327193399576","price":5358.0,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/2221\/0931\/files\/57_821f9387-dd58-4646-846a-87e418687a37.jpg?v=1780518126","url":"https:\/\/princetonaudubonprints.com\/en-ca\/products\/1778-als-signed-blaquiere-discussing-revolutionary-war-carlisle-conference","provider":"Signature Documents LLC","version":"1.0","type":"link"}