Hancock, John, 1737-1793 to Horatio Gates
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Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC01498 Author/Creator: Hancock, John, 1737-1793 Place Written: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Type: Autograph letter signed Date: August 5, 1777 Pagination: 1 p. : Height: 17.5 cm, Width: 19.6 cm Order a Copy
Letter written by Hancock as President of the Continental Congress to Gates as Commander of the Northern Department. Says enclosed resolutions (which are not included here) give him command of the army. Gates was in a struggle for control of the Northern Department with General Philip Schuyler, which he won on August 4, 1777 after storming into the halls of Congress to plead his case. His victory came partially because Schuyler had lost Fort Ticonderoga to General John Burgoyne's invading forces. Congress's resolutions ended the squabble for power and allowed Gates to concentrate on defeating Burgoyne, which he did at Saratoga in September-October 1777.
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