Washington Letter Brings $362,500

A letter from George Washington to his wartime aide James McHenry, written following the British evacuation of New York City and telling of Washington’s intention to resign his commission as Continental Commander recently sold at auction for $362,500. The December 10, 1783 dated letter, which was the fourth highest price fetched at auction for any letter by the man who would go on to be the first President of the United States, is considered quite important as it includes Washington’s desire to “get translated into a private Citizen.” This correspondence was sold in 1859 with McHenry’s archives at auction to Baltimore collector William T. Walters, in whose family it descended to the current consignor.