1 ¼ pages (10 x 8 in.; 254 x 203 mm), with address leaf (“Mrs. Elizabeth Hamilton, Widow of the Late General  A. Hamilton”), Ben Venue, [Virginia], 1 July 1836; a few tiny repairs to fold separations, address leaf remargined and hinged to letter, light marginal staining, one or two burn holes slightly affecting text.

1 ¼ pages (10 x 8 in.; 254 x 203 mm), with address leaf ("Mrs. Elizabeth Hamilton, Widow of the Late General A. Hamilton"), Ben Venue, [Virginia], 1 July 1836; a few tiny repairs to fold separations, address leaf remargined and hinged to letter, light marginal staining, one or two burn holes slightly affecting text.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Seeking compensation from the government for his father’s military service during the War of Independence, David Meade prevails upon Elizabeth Hamilton for specifics, as her late husband served alongside Richard Meade as a close friend and fellow officer in Washington's inner circle. “I have for some time past been endeavoring to collect information as the military services of my Father, the late Col. Richard K. Meade, in reference to a supposed claim, that his children have upon the Government of the United States. From the warm friendship and intimacy that subsisted between my Father and your highly esteemed husband, General Alexander Hamilton, during our Revolutionary struggle, I have thought it highly probable that it might be in your power to furnish me with some particulars that might have an important bearing upon my enquiry. I am anxious to ascertain the year and period of the year that my Father left the family of the Commander in Chief ; and in addition to this, as my Father held a Commission in the line, what service he may have been engaged in, upon leaving the family of General Washington. That he was engaged in military duty, after leaving the General, seems to be generally believed amongst his remaining friends in this quarter …”

In October 1775 Richard Meade was commissioned captain of the 2^nd Virginia Regiment and led a company at the Battle of Great Bridge near Chesapeake, possibly the first Revolutionary War battle in the state of Virginia. In March 1777, he was appointed as one of Washington’s aides-de-camp, about a month after Hamilton joined Washington's Family. An excellent horseman and of rugged build, he was especially useful in delivering important dispatches and orders as well as in reconnoitering. While Hamilton did the “head work” for Washington, Meade would do the field work. Meade participated in all of Washington's major battles, but left the service in 1780 to marry. Nevertheless, he joined General von Steuben in the unsuccessful Battle of Blandford (near Petersburg, Virginia) in April 1781 against the forces of the traitor Benedict Arnold. Even after the end of the war, Hamilton remained good friends with Meade. In March 1782, he wrote: "Truly My Dear Meade, I often regret that fortune has cast our residence at such a distance from each other. It would be a serious addition to my happiness if we lived where I could see you every day but fate has determined it otherwise" (Papers, ed. Syrett, 3:69–70). 

Numerous pension and land bounty acts were enacted by Congress as early as 1776 and as late as 1878 for officers, soldiers, and their families with a ♛host of specific requirements for eligibility, as noted in Meade's opening paragraph. Similar to Eliza’s situation, few of Richard Meade’s contemporaries were still alive to expand on his military service (see lot 1067), so, rather th♊an rely on secondhand and possibly inaccurate sources, Meade's son appealed to Hamilton’s 79-year-old widow, who for most of her life actively sought concrete documentation about her husband’s service to his country:  “[B]ut as the soldiers of the Revolution are now rare, it is a difficult matter to procure any distinct evidence on the subject, so that it is rather a matter of common impression, than of actual testimony. Your life, Madam, was in part a camp life, of course placing you in a situation to be a testimony to important & interesting incidents, that in some instances might be received from you, with more authenticity than from most other sources.”