To George Washington from John Hancock, 8 December 1775
From John Hancock
Philada Decr 8. 1775
Sir,
This will be delivered to you by Mr Jonathan Smith a gentlemen of this city who with two others is charged with 500.000 dollars for the use of the army under your command.1 I have the honor to be Sir Your obedient humble Servt
John Hancock Presidt
I shall Dispatch an Express this Day to you by order of Congress in Consequence of your Letter of 28th ulto.
LS, DLC:GW. The body of the letter is in Charles Thomson’s writing, and the postscript is in Hancock’s writing.
1. Jonathan Bayard Smith (1742–1812), a merchant in Philadelphia and a captain in the city’s battalion of military associators, fought in the Philadelphia campaign of 1777 as a militia officer and served in the Continental Congress from 1777 to 1778. For Congress’s authorization of the $500,000, see 3:352, 394.