Lot 374 October 30th, 1759 Soldier’s Letter from Québec City, written by then Major Roger Morris, who served for the Louisbourg Grenadiers, a special corps made up of the Grenadiers of the 22nd, 40th and 45th Regiments during General James Wolfe’s invasion of French Québec, where he participated in the Battle of the Plains of Abraham. In the letter, Morris writes about difficulties in communications, and the fact that he is “apprehensive” that he may not get an answer “…before the River is shut up.”. He goes on to say that General “Monckton sailed for New York yesterday” (Monckton was relieved of his duties at Québec on 26 October 1759 and was reassigned to New York for convalescence). This letter, Morris explains, was carried by Col. (Richard) Gridley, who has “promised to deliver it”, etc. Morris later retired from the British army in 1764 and settled in New York City. In 1765 he built a huge mansion in Manhattan (still there) and during the American Revolution, he left for England (left his wife and children behind) and lent his mansion to General George Washington, who used it as his temporary headquarters. A note on the back reads in part “Rec’d Col. Gridley / Nov 20 1759”. An important historical document. Estimate C$500, sold for C$6,400.00 plys 17% buyer’s premium.
Plains of Abraham
Lot 1102, Canada 1759 group of three folded letters from the Québec Military Campaign to Captain Boughey Skey, sold for C$53,820
Lot 1102 Group of Three Folded Letters Written During the 1759 Québec Military Campaign, all three are addressed to Captain Boughey Skey, Commander of the Guard at the Bridges of the River St Charles, of the 43d Regiment of Foot (Kennedy’s Grenadiers). The first letter is datelined “Camp Point Lévis 28th July 1759 / 10 at Night” and was written by Brigade Major John Spital (wounded on Sep 13, 1759), informing Skey that “…by orders of the General (Wolfe)… you march to the Encampment of the Grenadiers.. and put yourself under Major Morris’s Orders… your men are only to carry their blankets with them…”, etc. Written on the eve of the Battle of Beauport, also known as the Battle of Montmorency. The second letter is unaddressed, but starts off with “Dear Skey”, datelined “Québec October the 21st 1759” written by Major of Brigade Richard Maitland (wounded Aug 8, 1759), informing Skey that the General (Wolfe) has intelligence suggesting that there are enemies “…on your side, and that they intend to surprise you… he desires that you be very alert…”. The third letter is datelined “Québec 22 (October) 1759 / 6 oclock”, written by Thomas Mills (wounded in Apr/May 1760) informing Skey that General Mills will be sending “…40 men out to the Country, they will come near your post at night…”. This third letter has a half-remnant of a red wax seal bearing the arms and motto of General James Murray (who served immediately under General Wolfe and later became Governor of Québec). None of the letters have any postal indications and would have been carried “post haste” by army officers in this tumultuous time in Québec. The River St Charles (where Skey and his men were posted) is the principal river within Québec City and played a prominent role during the Québec Campaign of 1759/1760. Captain Boughey Skey joined the Army in 1747 and became part of this Regiment in 1751. He would have certainly taken part in the famous Battle of the Plains of Abraham, which took place on Sep 13, 1759. A very important trio of letters in very fine condition. Estimate $5,000, sold for C$46,000.00 plus 17% buyer’s premium.
Sale 32 Coming in January 2020
We are very pleased to announce our 32nd public auction. This is another exciting sale for us, as we have been again entrusted to sell a wide variety of interesting and impressive material by many different consignors. We also take pride in announcing that from now on, we will endeavor to include either a scan or a photograph online with each and every lot. We think this is yet another step, along with our exacting descriptions and live internet bidding, in helping our customers from around the world to have easy access to our auctions.