Official Express-Carried Letter Wrapper Addressed to Georgia Governor George Mathews by the Commander of the Georgia Frontier Cavalry “Hundred Horse,” Docketed in the Governor’s Office as an “Indian War” Communication.
N.p. May 20, 1794. Folded outer letter sheet addressed in manuscript to “His Excellency G. Mathews Esq.” and endorsed “By Express.” Reverse docketed in a contemporary official hand: “Letter Capt Armstrong / 20 May 1794 / Answered 25th Inst. (see Letter Book) / Indian War.” Seal tear and expected wear from transmission and filing. Contents no longer present. Item #List3726
A rare surviving wrapper from the administration of Georgia Governor George Mathews, preserving physical evidence of an express-carried military communication during the Creek frontier conflict of the 1790s. The cover bears contemporary executive office docketing identifying the enclosure as an “Indian War” letter from a Captain Armstrong and recording that it was answered on May 25, 1794, with a cross-reference to the governor’s letter book.
Recent research strongly suggests that the sender was the same Captain Armstrong referenced by Governor Mathews in official correspondence of May 8, 1794, in which Mathews explained to federal authorities that “the troop commanded by Captain Armstrong were to be considered as the hundred horse.” This statement places Armstrong in command of one of the principal mounted frontier forces maintained by Georgia during the Creek conflict and ties him directly to Mathews's military administration only twelve days before the present communication was dispatched.[1]
Overall a significant early document of correspondence, transmitted “By Express,” which indicates urgent delivery outside the ordinary mail. Upon receipt it was docketed as an “Indian War” matter, answered within five days, and entered into the governor’s correspondence system. A scarce piece of documentary evidence of communication between Governor Mathews and the commander of a frontier cavalry force operating during one of the most turbulent periods in Georgia’s relations with the Creek Nation.
[1] “Statement of Facts Relative to the Georgia Militia,” Papers of the War Department, 1784–1800, George Mason University, accessed June 4, 2026, https://wardepartmentpapers.org/s/home/item/66430.
Price: $1,500.00