Steuben, Friedrich Wilhelm Augustus, Baron von, Inspector General

Autograph letter in French signed ("Steuben"), one page (9 x 7 3/8 in.; 227 x 185 mm), with integral address leaf, n.p., ca. 1786, to Colonel Benjamin Walker, complaining about how shabbily Congress had treated him after the war; second leaf inlaid, seal tear repaired, washed, pressed, ink slightly faded. Tan linen folding case, red morocco spine, black morocco lettering pieces.

After his retirement, Steuben went heavily into debt in anticipation of a grant of $60,000 for his military service which he claimed from Congress. In 1786 the State of New York granted him 16,000 acres and in June 1790 the new Federal government granted him a pension of $2,500 per year instead of the lump sum he had expected. He refers to his "miserable situation" and desires that this is the last time he writes on the subject. "It is contrary to my nature to flatter those people who have treated me with injustice. It is against my interest to tell them the truth. Such correspondence is not pleasant. I wish to see the end of it."