1779 Jeremiah Wadsworth Revolutionary War Account Signed by Peter Colt — Hartford
A substantial Revolutionary War–era manuscript financial account involving Colonel Jeremiah Wadsworth, Continental Army commissary general; Colonel William Pitkin IV, son of Connecticut’s final strictly colonial governor; and Peter Colt, Revolutionary patriot, Connecticut treasurer and great-uncle of firearms inventor Samuel Colt.
Dated Hartford, March 23, 1779, the document is headed:
“Dr. Jeremiah Wadsworth Esquire in A/c with Wm Pitkin Esqr.”
The account itemizes numerous cash payments and credits from 1778 through March 1779. Both sides balance at the very considerable sum of £4,094:17:11. At the conclusion, Peter Colt certifies the accounting:
“Errors Excepted
Hartford March 23d 1779
Peter Colt”
Jeremiah Wadsworth was then serving as Commissary General of Purchases for the Continental Army, making him one of the central figures responsible for feeding and supplying Washington’s forces. A prosperous Hartford merchant and shipowner, Wadsworth later represented Connecticut in the Continental Congress and served three terms in the newly established United States House of Representatives.
Peter Colt was Wadsworth’s trusted associate and business agent. During the Revolution, he assisted Wadsworth in military supply and financial operations. Colt subsequently served as Connecticut state treasurer and became superintendent of Alexander Hamilton’s Society for Establishing Useful Manufactures at Paterson, New Jersey. He was also the great-uncle of Samuel Colt, inventor of the Colt revolver.
The William Pitkin named in the account was most likely William Pitkin IV, a member of Connecticut’s powerful Pitkin family and son of Governor William Pitkin, remembered as an early opponent of the Stamp Act and a defender of colonial rights.
Although the individual transactions are not expressly identified as military expenditures, the document was created during Wadsworth’s service as Continental Army commissary general and survives among the interconnected financial world that sustained the American war effort.
Condition: Original laid paper with period folds, toning, stains, edge wear and several ink spots. The central horizontal fold has separated substantially and was reinforced with old transparent tape; vertical fold reinforcement is also present. Writing and Peter Colt’s signature remain clear and legible.
More info...
This is an original Revolutionary War–era financial account dated March 23, 1779, prepared for Jeremiah Wadsworth (1743–1804) and apparently balancing transactions involving William Pitkin IV (1725–1789). It is signed at Hartford by Peter Colt (1744/46–1824):
“Errors Excepted
Hartford March 23d 1779
Peter Colt”
The heading reads approximately:
“Dr. Jeremiah Wadsworth Esquire in A/c with Wm Pitkin Esqr.”
The account records numerous cash payments and credits from 1778 through March 1779, totaling:
£4,094:17:11
One entry identifies Wadsworth as “Col. Wadsworth.” The reverse docket reads approximately:
“Col. Wadsworth’s A/c … with Peter Colt Esq. — March 23d 1779.”
Historical importance
This dates precisely to Jeremiah Wadsworth’s service as Commissary General of Purchases for the Continental Army, a position he held from April 1778 through 1779. Wadsworth was one of the Revolution’s principal military suppliers and later served in the Continental Congress and the first United States Congress. The document therefore comes from the height of his Revolutionary War financial activity, although the account itself does not explicitly state that these particular payments purchased military supplies.
The William Pitkin named here was probably Colonel William Pitkin IV, the son of colonial Connecticut governor William Pitkin. Pitkin IV belonged to one of Connecticut’s most influential political families and was active in the state during the Revolutionary period. This cannot be the late Governor Pitkin himself unless it represents an old estate account, because the governor died in 1769; the living William Pitkin IV is the more likely identification.
Peter Colt, who signed and settled the account, was Wadsworth’s close associate and agent. Colt later became Treasurer of Connecticut and superintendent of Alexander Hamilton’s Society for Establishing Useful Manufactures, which founded Paterson, New Jersey. He was also a member of the Colt family and the great-uncle of firearms inventor Samuel Colt. Surviving records confirm extensive correspondence between Peter Colt and Jeremiah Wadsworth.
Condition
Large laid-paper account sheet with period folds and considerable blank space below the written account. The principal horizontal fold is substantially separated and has been reinforced with old transparent tape. Additional vertical fold reinforcement is visible. Scattered toning, stains, ink spots, edge wear and minor losses are present. The handwriting remains generally strong and readable, and Colt’s signature is clear.
A substantial Revolutionary War–era manuscript financial account involving Colonel Jeremiah Wadsworth, Continental Army commissary general; Colonel William Pitkin IV, son of Connecticut’s final strictly colonial governor; and Peter Colt, Revolutionary patriot, Connecticut treasurer and great-uncle of firearms inventor Samuel Colt.
Dated Hartford, March 23, 1779, the document is headed:
“Dr. Jeremiah Wadsworth Esquire in A/c with Wm Pitkin Esqr.”
The account itemizes numerous cash payments and credits from 1778 through March 1779. Both sides balance at the very considerable sum of £4,094:17:11. At the conclusion, Peter Colt certifies the accounting:
“Errors Excepted
Hartford March 23d 1779
Peter Colt”
Jeremiah Wadsworth was then serving as Commissary General of Purchases for the Continental Army, making him one of the central figures responsible for feeding and supplying Washington’s forces. A prosperous Hartford merchant and shipowner, Wadsworth later represented Connecticut in the Continental Congress and served three terms in the newly established United States House of Representatives.
Peter Colt was Wadsworth’s trusted associate and business agent. During the Revolution, he assisted Wadsworth in military supply and financial operations. Colt subsequently served as Connecticut state treasurer and became superintendent of Alexander Hamilton’s Society for Establishing Useful Manufactures at Paterson, New Jersey. He was also the great-uncle of Samuel Colt, inventor of the Colt revolver.
The William Pitkin named in the account was most likely William Pitkin IV, a member of Connecticut’s powerful Pitkin family and son of Governor William Pitkin, remembered as an early opponent of the Stamp Act and a defender of colonial rights.
Although the individual transactions are not expressly identified as military expenditures, the document was created during Wadsworth’s service as Continental Army commissary general and survives among the interconnected financial world that sustained the American war effort.
Condition: Original laid paper with period folds, toning, stains, edge wear and several ink spots. The central horizontal fold has separated substantially and was reinforced with old transparent tape; vertical fold reinforcement is also present. Writing and Peter Colt’s signature remain clear and legible.
More info...
This is an original Revolutionary War–era financial account dated March 23, 1779, prepared for Jeremiah Wadsworth (1743–1804) and apparently balancing transactions involving William Pitkin IV (1725–1789). It is signed at Hartford by Peter Colt (1744/46–1824):
“Errors Excepted
Hartford March 23d 1779
Peter Colt”
The heading reads approximately:
“Dr. Jeremiah Wadsworth Esquire in A/c with Wm Pitkin Esqr.”
The account records numerous cash payments and credits from 1778 through March 1779, totaling:
£4,094:17:11
One entry identifies Wadsworth as “Col. Wadsworth.” The reverse docket reads approximately:
“Col. Wadsworth’s A/c … with Peter Colt Esq. — March 23d 1779.”
Historical importance
This dates precisely to Jeremiah Wadsworth’s service as Commissary General of Purchases for the Continental Army, a position he held from April 1778 through 1779. Wadsworth was one of the Revolution’s principal military suppliers and later served in the Continental Congress and the first United States Congress. The document therefore comes from the height of his Revolutionary War financial activity, although the account itself does not explicitly state that these particular payments purchased military supplies.
The William Pitkin named here was probably Colonel William Pitkin IV, the son of colonial Connecticut governor William Pitkin. Pitkin IV belonged to one of Connecticut’s most influential political families and was active in the state during the Revolutionary period. This cannot be the late Governor Pitkin himself unless it represents an old estate account, because the governor died in 1769; the living William Pitkin IV is the more likely identification.
Peter Colt, who signed and settled the account, was Wadsworth’s close associate and agent. Colt later became Treasurer of Connecticut and superintendent of Alexander Hamilton’s Society for Establishing Useful Manufactures, which founded Paterson, New Jersey. He was also a member of the Colt family and the great-uncle of firearms inventor Samuel Colt. Surviving records confirm extensive correspondence between Peter Colt and Jeremiah Wadsworth.
Condition
Large laid-paper account sheet with period folds and considerable blank space below the written account. The principal horizontal fold is substantially separated and has been reinforced with old transparent tape. Additional vertical fold reinforcement is visible. Scattered toning, stains, ink spots, edge wear and minor losses are present. The handwriting remains generally strong and readable, and Colt’s signature is clear.
