1783 Benjamin Talmadge Revolutionary War Harbored Culper Spy Ring Washington

REVOLUTIONARY WAR PAY ORDER TO BENJAMIN TALLMADGE

1783 Revolutionary War Manuscript Naming George Washington's Spymaster

Original Revolutionary War manuscript document executed at Litchfield, Connecticut, on January 17, 1783, during the final months of the American Revolution.

The document directs:

"Pay to Mr. Benj. Tallmadge or order all the public securities you may receive for me on account of my wages & bounty..."

This remarkable manuscript directly names Benjamin Tallmadge (1754–1835), the Continental Army officer who organized and directed George Washington's famed Culper Spy Ring, America's most successful Revolutionary War intelligence network.

Tallmadge served throughout the Revolution and became one of Washington's most trusted intelligence officers. Through agents such as Abraham Woodhull, Robert Townsend, and others operating in British-occupied New York, Tallmadge managed the clandestine communications network that supplied Washington with critical military intelligence during the war.

Executed in Litchfield, Connecticut, the document concerns payment of Revolutionary War wages and bounty rights through public securities issued by the government to compensate veterans. The reverse bears additional endorsements and accounting notations dated July 5, 1786, recording receipt and settlement of approximately eighty-three dollars and gratuity.

The document further bears endorsements of members of the prominent Tallmadge family, including John Tallmadge, strengthening its direct association with one of Connecticut's most important Revolutionary families.

HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE

• Names Benjamin Tallmadge

• Revolutionary War period manuscript

• Dated January 17, 1783

• Created during the final year of the Revolution

• Connected to military wages and bounty compensation

• Litchfield, Connecticut origin

• Multiple contemporary endorsements

• Direct association with Washington's intelligence chief

• Exceptional Revolutionary War and espionage interest

BENJAMIN TALLMADGE

Major Benjamin Tallmadge served as chief intelligence officer for General George Washington and organized the legendary Culper Spy Ring. After the war he became a prominent statesman and served for many years as a member of Congress. Documents directly relating to Tallmadge are highly sought after by collectors of Revolutionary War, intelligence, and early American history.

CONDITION

Original manuscript with expected fold lines, minor age toning, and handling wear consistent with an eighteenth-century document. Ink remains dark and highly legible. A handsome and highly displayable Revolutionary War manuscript.

A superb addition to collections of:

• Revolutionary War manuscripts

• George Washington material

• American intelligence history

• Culper Spy Ring collections

• Connecticut history

• Revolutionary War pay and bounty documents

• Early American manuscripts

An outstanding Revolutionary War survivor naming one of the most famous intelligence officers in American history.