To George Washington from Benjamin Walker, 27 December 1796

From Benjamin Walker

New York Decr 27th 1796

Dear Sir

I did not get your Letter of the 24th inst. with its inclosure, until after the post of yesterday had departed.1 the Ship Swan Joseph Woodham Master sails tomorrow for Liverpoole and I shall put your Dispatch into his bag.2 no Vessell is going shortly to London, indeed if there was I should prefer this conveyance as more safe not having to pass thro’ the channell.

Mrs Walker3 joins in respectfull compliment to Mrs Washington—I anticipate the pleasure I soon expect, of congratulating her on the near approach of an event so long wished for4 and am Dr Sir Your very affectte obliged Servant

Ben. Walker

ALS, DLC:GW.

1. Neither GW’s letter to Walker of 24 Dec. nor its enclosure has been found.

2. The Minerva, & Mercantile Evening Advertiser (New York) for 28 Dec. 1796 printed an item, dated 29 Nov., that announced that the Swan, Capt. James Woodham, would sail to Liverpool “about 20th next month.” However, the Aurora General Advertiser (Philadelphia) for 19 Jan. 1797 reported that on 5 Jan., the Swan had been “out 2 days” from New York. The ship arrived in Liverpool on 2 Feb. (see Oracle and Public Advertiser [London], 4 Feb. 1797).

Ship captain James Woodham (c.1761–1832) commanded the Swan, which ran between New York and ports in Ireland and England. By 1800, Woodham was living at “110 Liberty-street” in New York (Longworth’s American Almanac, New-York Register, and City Directory [New York, 1800], 379).

3. Walker had married a Quaker named Polly in 1784 (see Walker to GW, 20 Dec. 1784, and n.3, in Papers, Confederation Series description begins W. W. Abbot et al., eds. The Papers of George Washington, Confederation Series. 6 vols. Charlottesville, Va., 1992–97. description ends 2:224–26).

4. Walker refers to GW’s retirement from the presidency. Attorney General Charles Lee had informed John Marshall on 5 May 1796 that “Mrs. Washington in her conversations speaks in all companies of being retired ere long at Mount Vernon once more” (Marshall Papers description begins Herbert A. Johnson et al., eds. The Papers of John Marshall. 12 vols. Chapel Hill, N.C., 1974–2006. description ends , 3:25–28).

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Source Project: Washington Papers
Title: To George Washington from Benjamin Walker, 27 December 1796
Author: Walker, Benjamin
Recipient: Washington, George
Date: 27 December 1796

Reference

Cite as: “To George Washington from Benjamin Walker, 27 December 1796,” Founders Online, National Archives, https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Washington/05-21-02-0190. [Original source: The Papers of George Washington, Presidential Series, vol. 21, 22 September 1796–3 March 1797, ed. Adrina Garbooshian-Huggins. Charlottesville: University of Virginia Press, 2020, pp. 443–444.]

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