Washington, George (First US President, 1732-1799), LS letter from George Washington to George Walton, dated May 29, 1789, written in a hand other than Washington's but signed boldly by the first President, the document is splitting at some of the seams and has been repaired, but this does not detract from the content of the letter, sent less than a month into Washington's first term, making this one of the earliest known Presidential autographs, slight toning at the edges, but the ink is still bold. The letter reads:rn New York May 29th 1789rnSir,rnI have received by Colonel Gunn your honor-+s letters of the 11th and 15th of March, and the enclosures therein contained respecting the conduct of Joseph Martin Esqr., late agent of the United States to the Cherokee and Chickasaw nations of Indians.rnIt appears by the Resolve of Congress of the 19th of June 1788 that the said Joseph Martin was appointed an agent for the Cherokee nation of Indians to continue in office six months, and that on the 20th of August following his agency was extended to the Chickasaw nation of Indians with the powers described in the act of the 19th of June.rnThe period of his service therefore must be considered as having expired on the 19th day of December last.rnHis conduct will most probably operate to prevent any future confidence in him, or employment in the service of the United States—What further measures it may be proper to take respecting him will be a subject of consideration.rnThe unhappy situation of affairs between the State of Georgia and the Creeks will soon be a subject of deliberation, and I am persuaded will receive all that dispatch that the nature of the case may require, and the circumstances of the Government admit. I have the honor to be Sir with great respect Your Most Obedient Humble ServantrnGo. Washingtonrn George Walton was born sometime between 1740 and 1749 in Cumberland County, Virginia. A successful lawyer before the American Revolution, Walton quickly became a vocal supporter of the independence movement; he held several local offices in Georgia before serving as a delegate from Georgia to the Second Continental Congress. Walton signed both the Declaration of Independence and the Articles of Confederation, making him one of the most significant political and historical figures in the history of the state of Georgia. rnWalton later served as the Governor of Georgia and a United States Senator. He dedicated much of his time to negotiations with the Native Americans in Georgia, and was influential in the creation of the Treaty of New York between the Creek people and Henry Knox. It is his dealings with the Creek that led to the correspondence with George Washington from which this letter originates. Specifically, the letter deals with the conduct of a man named Joseph Martin—an enigmatic and controversial figure of the colonial frontier.rnIn the 1940s, the Work Projects Administration described Joseph Martin as -½a robust figure in the history of the early frontier...[he] ran away to fight Indians at 17, became an Indian agent, land agent, and officer of militia, fighting Indians all up and down the frontier.-+ As a young man he served in the Army during the French and Indian War before setting out for the frontier. Martin was commissioned in 1777 by Governor Patrick Henry, a good friend, as Agent and Superintendent for Indian Affairs for the State of Virginia (Martin would later hold this same title for North Carolina). rnDuring the later years of the Revolutionary War, Martin was influential in dissipating the threat of war between the Native Americans and the colonists. Due to his diplomatic efforts, the Overhill Cherokee opted not to wage attacks on the colonists, despite insistence from the Loyalists to do so. Without the threat of attack from the Cherokee, the Americans were able to win several major battles that helped to expedite the end of the war. Martin-+s efforts were celebrated by all involved in the war effort.rnOn November 8, 1788, a letter from Joseph Martin to Creek chief Alexander McGillivray was intercepted by the Georgia militia. By January of 1789, the issue had become a major scandal and was a piece of a larger historical movement known as the Spanish Conspiracy. The letter from Martin read, in part, -½I hope to do honor to any part of the world I settle in, and am determined to leave the United States, for reasons that I can assign to you when we meet, but durst not trust it to paper.-+ At the meeting of the General Assembly of Georgia on January 24, 1789, an investigation into Martin-+s conduct was ordered.rnThe letter Washington references from George Walton of March 11, 1789, contained the committee report from that January 24th meeting. Unfortunately the letter of March 15 has not been located, but it undoubtedly contained more information regarding Martin-+s conduct. However, Washington-+s heavy condemnation of Martin-+s character was premature; the Georgia General Assembly later exonerated him because additional correspondence revealed that his dealings with McGillivray had been suggested by Patrick Henry in order to gain intelligence on the Spanish in Florida and New Orleans. While Washington believed Martin to be a spy, he was actually a double-agent at the request of one of the Founding Fathers. (Image)

CV. 15,000-20,000