Polygraph Letter concerning British raids on the Chesapeake during the War of 1812:; On exporting grain and avoiding the British Navy.
Monticello, VA: 1813.
Polygraph of an Autograph Letter Signed "Th: Jefferson." 1 page (measuring 200mm x 142mm). Monticello, Nov. 9, 1813. Addressed to William Gibson, Jefferson asks for cash and advises that upon receipt "I shall immediately set out for Bedford to hasten down my flour from thence." He warns that the river was not deep enough to "yet float an empty boat." But Jefferson anticipated further delays from British warships patrolling and raiding the Chesapeake, and was "in hopes the winter gales will force the enemy from their stations in the bay, to cruise off the coast which will of course enable our produce to go out at the risk of some only being taken by the cruisers..." At the height of the War of 1812, the British Navy wreaked havoc on the Chesapeake, burning towns and seizing American ships throughout the summer and fall of 1813. The following year they would continue their raids, culminating in the burning of Washington and the unsuccessful attack on Baltimore. Fine.
An original 128-word note written by Jefferson from Monticello using his cherished polygraph machine. Invented by Englishman John Isaac Hawkins in 1803, the polygraph was a duplication device that allowed users to make a copy of a document as it was being written. It was famously used by Thomas Jefferson, who described the machine as "the finest invention of the present age." Jefferson's original polygraph machine can be found on display at his Monticello estate. Letters written by Jefferson using his polygraph are rather scarce. They are virtually indistinguishable from the original and are essentially "written" by Jefferson, as it was his hand movements that made the identical impressions on the extra sheet. One indication that this is a polygraph is the docket on rear "Gibson & Jefferson. Nov. 9. 13" suggesting it was a filed letter.
Binding: Unbound
Language: English
Price: $8,500.00
Item #314610