The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1894-11-27
TO JBRSBYMEU
Interesting Document Issued
by Washington After the
Battle Of Trenton.

Mr.. William R. Weeks of this city, has
in his possession, says the Newark
Sunday CALI a document from the pen
of Washington which he probably would
not be willing to part with for many
times its weight in gold. 1t is of value
for many reasons besides the fact of it
having been issued by the Father of his
| Country, and until Mr.. Weeks secured
it there seems to ave been no knowl-
edge anywhere in history of it's existence
1t has never appeared in print before to-
day and but one cor has ever been
taken of it, and that copy is in the
hands of Adjutant General Stryker, of
this State. The document is a call to
Jerseymen to take up arms in defense of
the country. 1t was written at Trenton
five days after the celebrated capture
of the town by the American forces, in
commemoration of which the Trenton
Battle Monument was raised a little
over a year ago. 1t was written on a
sheet of paper about eight inches Wild
and ten long, and an accurate copy of it
is as follows:-
To the Friends of America in the State
The Army Of the American States,
under my Command, being lately rein
forced, and having again entered the
State Of New Jersey most Warmiy
Important Crisis to Evince their love TO
their Country by boldly Stepping forth
and defending the Course of Freedom.
The Inhabitants may be assured that by
a manly and spirited Conduct they may
now relieve their Distressed State from
the D~epredations of our Enemies have
therefore despatched Coll. Nelson, Majors
Taylor, Van Emburgh and Frelinghuysen
together with some other Gentlemen of
your State, to call together and Embody
your Militia, not doubling but Success
will attend their e~ndeavours-
GO. WASHINGTON.
TRENTON, 81 Dec. 1776.
FLUSHED WITH SUCCESS.
The Continental Army was flushed
with its success at Trenton, but the
master mind of the commander was as
alert and as watchful as ever. He was
looking into the future and knew full
we'll that the battle-ground was to shift
to places further up the State. If Jer-
seymen were lukewarm the American
arms would be very seriously in jeop-
ardy. It was a crisis, as he calls it,
and he tries to make the people of the
State appreciate it, appealing to their
best and highest sentiments of patriot
ism.
The Major F~relinghuysen, whom the
document alludes to, had taken charge
of a battery of artillery at Trenton five
days before, and was a tried and trusted
officer of the militia. He afterward be-
came a colonel of militia, and at the
close of the war was sent to the United
States Senate from this State. He was a
professor at Rutgers during the greater
part of the Revolution, and his direct
descendants are well known n highly
esteemed in this city today. Washing
tons call to Jerseymen was calamity re-
sponded to, and recruits hocked to his
standard from all over the State. Not a
few of them, too, fell in the m~anoeuvres
which followed the battle of Trenton
and preceded the winter encampment at
Morristown.
But the document itself. What was
Ndone with it after it was written? Was
it entrusted to one of the four officers
of whom it makes mention? Was ii
were made and distributed throughout
the State? Was it ever sent out at all?
HISTORY OF THE DOCUMENT.
Mr.. Weeks got the document from a
friend in the South, and it seems to
have been found among W~ashington's
papers after his death. 1t was origin
ally folded through the centre in both
directions, or in other words folded
twice so that it made a small n COM
pact parcel. One corner, the upper left
hand, is soiled as if it had been opened
from the corner very frequently. The
way it was folded would lead one to
suspect that it was given into the care
of a horseman, who tucked it away in
his pocket in the smallest possible com
pass. 1t may "a been carried through
the towns by some messenger who read
it to the people as he went along. His
mission over he may have returned with
it to his chief. Whatever was d0ne with
it there can be no question as toNits gem
~uineness. Mr.. Weeks has, shown THE
document to one or two sofsthe7 leading
autograph experts in the country and
been suggested, however, that the docu-
ment itself was written by some one
else and that Washington simply. signed
alike in very many ways, however. The
penmanship is clear cut and very legible,
although it was written in some haste,
apparently. AT all events it was de-
spatched as soon as it was written, for
there are some slight blots still dis
cernible. due to hastX folding.