WAR DATE REVOLUTIONARY WAR PASS SIGNED BY COMMANDER IN CHIEF GEORGE WASHINGTON

Letter signed by George Washington, as Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army, to "the Officer Commanding at Ramapo Pass". Headquarters, Bergen County, [New Jersey], 9 September 1780. 1 page, visible 5 1/4 x 3 3/4 in. 

FRAMED WITH A. Chappel, artist. Frederick Halpin, engraver. G. Washington. Engraving New York: Johnson Fry & Co., 1860. Visible 6 1/2 x 9 1/2 in.  Hart 754. 

FRAMED WITH G. Washington. Engraving. New York: Johnson Fry & Co., 1870. Visible 6 1/2 x 9 1/2 in. Hart 681

A bold wartime signature of Commander in Chief George Washington, beautifully presented with two engravings of America's first president. 

The document is a pass made for Mr. Daniel Dickinson, which reads in full: "Permission for one week from date is granted to Mr. Daniel Dickinson to pass and repass the pickets at Ramapo." Signed by Washington from his headquarters in New Jersey. 

Nestled in the Hudson River Valley, the Ramapo Pass (alt. Ramapough) was a strategic location for Washington throughout the Revolution. The British held New York City from 1776 and long set their sights on upstate New York. Washington ordered the construction of fortifications and structural improvements to the road and Sidman's Bridge. The Pass provided important lookout points to observe British movement in New York Harbor as well as a strategic blockade of the Hudson River at West Point, effectively protecting Albany and the rest of the upstate from British incursion. 

The area was also home to a large percentage of the Continental Army during the harsh winter of 1779-1780, which saw 26 severe storms. Although Washington had decided upon Morristown, New Jersey, as winter headquarters, many troops were forced to remain in the area surrounding the Ramapo Pass. 

While we do not know precisely the identity of Mr. Daniel Dickinson, there are several candidates who may have received the pass. Daniel Dickinson served in the Albany County Militia, 13th Regiment, later leading the regiment with the rank of Major. (New York. p. 122, 234). Possibly the same Dickinson identified in pension documents connecting him with Col. Cornelius Van Vechten's regiment. 

A private named Daniel Dickinson is enumerated as serving in Captain Moses Kellogg's company of Col. E. Porter's Hampshire Co. Regiment in 1777, among other terms of service with years not given. 

A fine and presentable example of a wartime signature of General Washington. 

References

Massachusetts Soldiers and Sailors of the Revolutionary War. Boston: Wright & Potter Printing Co., 1896. p. 744. 

James A. Roberts, comptroller. New York in the Revolution as Colony and State. Albany: Brandow Printing Company, 1898. 

Not examined out of frame. Accompanied by a 2009 PSA/DNA Letter of Authenticity (Cert. J342133).