The founding father's letter will be the featured piece at the Commonwealth Museum's annual July Fourth exhibit, Secretary of the Commonwealth William Galvin's office states. It's the first time the public is getting an opportunity to see it since it was returned to the state after a lengthy court battle.
It will be presented alongside Massachusetts' authentic copy of the Declaration of Independence.
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Hamilton, the first Secretary of the Treasury who's been gaining renewed attention in recent years because of the hit Broadway musical that bears his name, composed the letter to the Marquis de Lafayette, the French aristocrat who worked as a general in the Continental Army.
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Dated July 21, 1780, it details an imminent British threat to French forces in Rhode Island.
"We have just received advice from New York through different channels that the enemy are making an embarkation with which they menace the French fleet and army," Hamilton wrote. "Fifty transports are said to have gone up the Sound to take in troops and proceed directly to Rhode Island."
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It's signed "Yr. Most Obedt, A. Hamilton, Aide de Camp."
The letter was forwarded by Massachusetts Gen. William Heath to state leaders, along with a request for troops to back French allies, Galvin's office announced.
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Galvin, whose office oversees the archives and the Commonwealth Museum, announced he was pleased the court ruled “that this historical treasure belongs to the people.” The letter is supposed to be put on display at the museum for special events, including the annual Independence Day celebration, Galvin stated.
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The letter was thought to have been stolen throughout World War II by a state archives worker, then sold privately.
It resurfaced many years ago when an auctioneer in Virginia got it from a family that wanted to sell it. The auction house determined it had been stolen and contacted the FBI. A federal appeals court ruled in October that it belonged to the state.
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The Commonwealth Museum is open from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. on Monday.
The auction house, which estimated the letter could sell for as much as $35,000, determined it had been stolen and contacted the FBI.
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The estate of the person who possessed the letter argued it had been purchased legally, though the appeals court disagreed.
“As an original paper belonging to the Commonwealth and dated in 1780, the letter is owned by the Commonwealth,” the decision announced. “It could not lawfully have been alienated to a third party ... either before or after the letter left the custody of the Commonwealth.”
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Despite the appeals court’s choice, the legal saga may not be over, according to an attorney for the party that had tried to sell letter.
“We are disappointed with the 1st Circuit’s decision, especially its creation of a seemingly new category of public record, a ‘historic public record,’” and the fact it overlooked that the letter was not one of the documents the state claimed was stolen, Ernest Badway announced in an email.
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They may either file a motion for a rehearing with the appeals court, or appeal directly to the U.S. Supreme Court, he stated.
"By all means, go to the Esplanade and enjoy all the other traditions we have. But find the source of history, it's right here," Galvin said. "We got a call that it had been put up for auction in Virginia," said Galvin.
He says a former employee is suspected of stealing it.
"The family that had put it up for auction claimed they should be paid. We didn't think we should pay them for stolen property. So we went all the way to the United States Supreme Court to get the letter back, and this March, we did. And to celebrate that, we want to show it to everybody."
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