George Washington to Martha Washington, 23 June 1775

George Washington penned this poignant note just before departing Philadelphia for the American camp at Cambridge, Massachusetts. For reasons that will never be known, Martha Washington destroyed nearly all of her correspondence with her husband before her death in 1802. Her granddaughter, Martha Parke Custis Peter, discovered this letter and another dated June 18, 1775 - in which Washington informs his wife of his appointment as Commander in Chief - caught behind a drawer in Mrs. Washington's desk.

Purchase, 1960 [MS-252]