Revolutionary War Document for Flour - Jeremiah Wadsworth - 1776 dated Document - Americana

Handwritten authorization by Capt. Jeremiah Wadsworth to pay for supplies for the army of flower (flour). Hartford, Connecticut. Nice!

Jeremiah Wadsworth (July 12, 1743 – April 30, 1804) was an American sea captain, merchant, and statesman from Hartford, Connecticut, who significantly profited from his role as a government official responsible for supplying the Continental Army during the American Revolution. He served as a representative for Connecticut in both the Continental Congress and the United States House of Representatives.

At the onset of the war, Wadsworth was tasked with procuring essential supplies for the army, including yarn stockings, specie, and tin kettles, and was later commissioned to secure pork supplies. His efficiency in these roles led to his election as Deputy Commissary General of Purchases in 1777, though he resigned shortly after. When Congress restructured the supply system, he was appointed Commissary General in 1778, a position he held until his resignation in 1779.

Wadsworth reached the rank of colonel and served as the commissary for Comte de Rochambeau's French army until the end of the war. In 1783, he traveled to Paris to report on his activities, having earned substantial profits through his supply transactions.

A close friend of Nathanael Greene, Wadsworth partnered with him in several investment ventures. Like many of Connecticut's elite, Wadsworth was a slave owner. He purchased an entire family, including Peleg Nott, who later became a Black Governor of Connecticut. Wadsworth freed Nott around 1780. Additionally, he owned a 6,600-acre plantation in South Carolina, which was farmed by 129 enslaved individuals. Read more at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeremiah_Wadsworth