Museum buys earliest known James Monroe document

Written by Associated Press

Tuesday, 21 February 2012 11:10

Fifth U.S. President James Monroe painted by Samuel Finley Breese Morse. Image courtesy Wikimedia Commons.

FREDERICKSBURG, Va. (AP) – The James Monroe Museum and Memorial Library has acquired a document bearing what's considered the earliest known official document bearing Monroe's signature.

The museum purchased a furlough signed during the Revolutionary War that Maj. James Monroe signed on Feb. 23, 1778, at Valley Forge, Pa. Monroe issued the military pass to 2nd Lt. John Wallace Jr. of the 6th Pennsylvania Regiment.

Museum director Scott Harris tells The Free Lance-Star that a collector owned the document for decades before putting it up for sale. Harris says the price was several thousand dollars, and the museum received donations for its purchase from several groups and people.

Monroe was the 5th U.S. president and was the last one to have served in the Revolutionary War.

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Online:

jamesmonroemuseum.umw.edu

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Information from: The Free Lance-Star, http://www.fredericksburg.com/

AP-WF-02-20-12 1002GMT

ADDITIONAL IMAGE OF NOTE

Fifth U.S. President James Monroe painted by Samuel Finley Breese Morse. Image courtesy Wikimedia Commons.

Last Updated on Tuesday, 21 February 2012 11:18