{"product_id":"henry-knox-orders-all-brass-mounted-muskets-put-into-serviceable-condition-1793-war-department-letter-signed","title":"Henry Knox Orders All Brass-Mounted Muskets Put into Serviceable Condition — 1793 War Department Letter Signed","description":"\u003cp class=\"PDq2pG_selectionAnchorContainer\"\u003eOriginal War Department letter signed by \u003cstrong\u003eMajor General Henry Knox (1750–1806)\u003c\/strong\u003e, George Washington’s chief of artillery during the American Revolution and the first United States Secretary of War.\u003cspan class=\"PDq2pG_selectionAnchor\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDated May 30, 1793, the letter is addressed to \u003cstrong\u003eSamuel Hodgdon\u003c\/strong\u003e, Revolutionary War Commissary General of Military Stores and former Quartermaster General of the United States Army. Knox issues an urgent and direct order:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cblockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e“You will immediately have all the brass mounted muskets put into order agreeably to your estimate and proposal.”\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/blockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe letter concludes with Knox’s bold signature, \u003cstrong\u003e“H Knox.”\u003c\/strong\u003e Its reverse retains Hodgdon’s contemporary filing docket identifying the subject as “brass mounted muskets” and recording its 1793 receipt.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis order was issued during a formative period in American military history. The young federal government was then organizing and arming the Legion of the United States for operations in the Northwest Territory. Under General Anthony Wayne, the Legion would defeat the Native confederacy at the Battle of Fallen Timbers in August 1794, establishing federal control over much of present-day Ohio.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAs Secretary of War, Knox supervised the Army, frontier defense, federal arsenals, military contracts and the acquisition and repair of arms. His direction to place all available brass-mounted muskets in order provides an unusually tangible glimpse into the practical work of equipping America’s first permanent national military establishment.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSamuel Hodgdon was uniquely suited to carry out the order. During the Revolution he served as Commissary General of Military Stores, overseeing arms, ammunition and military equipment. President Washington appointed him Quartermaster General in 1791, and he remained closely involved with the management of federal military stores.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe document is written in a War Department clerical hand and personally signed by Knox. It should properly be classified as a \u003cstrong\u003eletter signed rather than an autograph letter signed\u003c\/strong\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAn exceptional association document connecting two architects of America’s early military-supply system, with unusually desirable firearms content.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCondition:\u003c\/strong\u003e Original folds, expected toning, minor spotting and water staining along the lower edge and lower-left area. Light edge wear. Text and docket remain legible, and Knox’s signature is strong and unaffected.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Signature Documents LLC","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":52717742194970,"sku":null,"price":1495.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/2221\/0931\/files\/IMG_2276.jpg?v=1787143823","url":"https:\/\/www.thearchiveauthority.com\/products\/henry-knox-orders-all-brass-mounted-muskets-put-into-serviceable-condition-1793-war-department-letter-signed","provider":"Signature Documents LLC","version":"1.0","type":"link"}