{"product_id":"1782-revolutionary-war-pay-order-to-lexington-alarm-minuteman-captain-matthew-smith-signed-by-oliver-wolcott-jr","title":"1782 Revolutionary War Pay Order to Lexington Alarm Minuteman Captain Matthew Smith—Signed by Oliver Wolcott Jr.","description":"\u003cp class=\"PDq2pG_selectionAnchorContainer\"\u003eAn original \u003cstrong\u003eState of Connecticut Pay Table order\u003c\/strong\u003e, dated \u003cstrong\u003eApril 4, 1782\u003c\/strong\u003e, authorizing the payment of eighteen pounds to \u003cstrong\u003eCaptain Matthew Smith of East Haddam\u003c\/strong\u003e, a documented participant in the Lexington Alarm of April 1775.\u003cspan class=\"PDq2pG_selectionAnchor\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe partially printed order directs Connecticut State Treasurer John Lawrence to:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cblockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e“Pay Capt. Matthew Smith Eighteen Pounds out of the Tax of Two Shillings and Six Pence on the Pound, granted in May last, exclusive of that Part payable in State Bills, and charge the State.”\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/blockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe document is signed by Connecticut Pay Table Committee members \u003cstrong\u003eWilliam Moseley\u003c\/strong\u003e and \u003cstrong\u003eOliver Wolcott Jr.\u003c\/strong\u003e Moseley subsequently wrote across the committee signatures to cancel the instrument after payment—an original wartime accounting procedure. Contemporary endorsements on the reverse record its settlement on October 31, 1782.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eA Patriot of the Lexington Alarm\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMatthew Smith (1740–1824) was born and died in East Haddam, Connecticut. Published Revolutionary War and genealogical records identify him as a private in \u003cstrong\u003eCaptain John Willey’s company\u003c\/strong\u003e, which responded to the Lexington Alarm following the fighting at Lexington and Concord in April 1775.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Lexington Alarm transformed the conflict in Massachusetts into a broader New England military mobilization. Connecticut militia companies hurried toward Boston in response, forming part of the first organized American reaction to the opening battles of the Revolution. By the date of this document, Smith was recognized as a captain.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eSigned by a Future Secretary of the Treasury\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eOliver Wolcott Jr. (1760–1833)\u003c\/strong\u003e was the son of Connecticut governor and Declaration of Independence signer Oliver Wolcott Sr. The younger Wolcott served on Connecticut’s Pay Table during the Revolution and later became:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eComptroller of the United States Treasury\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eSecretary of the Treasury, succeeding Alexander Hamilton\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eGovernor of Connecticut\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Pay Table administered Connecticut’s military accounts, soldiers’ compensation, supply claims, and wartime expenditures. This order illustrates how Connecticut financed the Revolution through specially authorized taxation and state credit.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePrinted and manuscript on period laid paper. Original folds, moderate toning, scattered staining and handling wear, minor edge irregularities, and contemporary pen cancellation through the committee signatures. Numerous original accounting endorsements appear on the reverse. Complete and readily legible.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe document is unquestionably issued to Captain Matthew Smith. Although an earlier catalog description identifies it as signed by Smith on the reverse, the endorsement has not been independently authenticated as his autograph and is therefore not represented as such here.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Signature Documents LLC","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":52760539922714,"sku":null,"price":918.0,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/2221\/0931\/files\/IMG_2683.jpg?v=1788033798","url":"https:\/\/www.thearchiveauthority.com\/en-ca\/products\/1782-revolutionary-war-pay-order-to-lexington-alarm-minuteman-captain-matthew-smith-signed-by-oliver-wolcott-jr","provider":"Signature Documents LLC","version":"1.0","type":"link"}