1779 letter from General George Washington unveiling

Marblehead Museum is thrilled to announce the acquisition of a 1779 letter from General George Washington to Marblehead’s heroic Revolutionary War general, John Glover. This special letter, featuring George Washington’s signature, is a reply to John Glover’s request to resign from the Continental Army due to the recent death of his wife, Hannah. The response, penned by Washington’s aide-de-camp, replies, “I am sorry for the unfortunate occasion that urges you to leave the service; but as I cannot take the measure on myself of accepting your resignation, I have therefore referred your letter to Congress. . . . [S]hould your resignation [be] accepted, it will be with that concern which I cannot help feeling on the loss of a good officer.”

This significant piece of Marblehead’s history was purchased at auction from Swann Auction Galleries thanks to a generous donation by Glover’s Marblehead Regiment.

The Marblehead Museum and Glover’s Regiment invite the public to an official unveiling of the letter at 3pm on Saturday, January 27th in the 2nd-floor JOJ Frost Gallery and Carolyn Lynch Education Center at the Marblehead Museum (there is no elevator – and no off-street parking available). The letter will continue be on display in the Museum when it reopens on March 1, 2024. Open Tuesdays-Fridays, 10am-4pm March through May; Tuesdays-Saturdays, 10am-4pm, June through December.