1777 dated Pay Order signed by Hez Wyllys - American Revolutionary War Autograph

Handwritten pay order signed by Hez Wyllys. Most likely a relative of Sam Wyllys. Further research needed.

Dated October 7, 1777, this Revolutionary War manuscript is an official payment order issued in Hartford, Connecticut, directing the Colony's Committee of the Pay Table to disburse £300 lawful money for the use of troops "under marching orders for Peekskill." Addressed to Mr. Wyllys, Treasurer, the document authorizes funds on behalf of Colonel Newberry, reflecting the Connecticut government's role in financing and equipping its military forces during one of the most pivotal moments of the American Revolution. Peekskill, New York, served as a major Continental Army supply depot and strategic military post along the Hudson River, making this order an important piece of wartime logistical history.

The date of this document is especially noteworthy, as it was written on October 7, 1777, the very day of the Second Battle of Saratoga (Bemis Heights), one of the decisive engagements of the Revolutionary War. During this period, Connecticut was rapidly mobilizing men, supplies, and financial resources to support the Continental Army's operations against General John Burgoyne's invading British forces. Manuscripts documenting the funding and movement of troops during the Saratoga Campaign are considerably scarcer than ordinary financial records and provide tangible evidence of the administrative efforts that supported the American victory. Combining military finance, colonial government, and one of the most significant campaigns of the Revolution, this manuscript represents an exceptional surviving artifact from the struggle for American independence.

Samuel Wyllys (January 4, 1739 – June 9, 1823) was an American military officer, politician, and member of the Wyllys–Haynes family. Born on January 4, 1739, and baptized on January 7, 1739, Wyllys graduated from Yale College in 1758. He sailed to England in 1764 and stayed there for six years.

In October 1771, Wyllys led the petition to establish the Governor’s Guard, becoming its first captain. In 1775, he was appointed lieutenant colonel in Colonel Joseph Spencer’s 2nd Connecticut Regiment and later promoted to Colonel. He commanded the regiment until January 1, 1776, when it was reorganized as the 22nd Continental Regiment. Wyllys served in the Siege of Boston and marched with Washington to New York, participating in the Battle of Long Island. From 1777 to 1781, Wyllys commanded the 3rd Connecticut Regiment in the Connecticut Line under General Samuel Holden Parsons. His regiment served in the New York area.

Discharged from the Army on January 1, 1781, Wyllys served as a Major General of the Connecticut Militia from 1793 to 1796. Following the war, Wyllys became a representative in the Connecticut General Assembly and served as Hartford’s town clerk. He also succeeded his father as Connecticut’s Secretary of State from 1796 to 1809, becoming the third consecutive Wyllys to hold this position. Regrettably, he resigned due to a paralytic condition.

On February 3, 1777, Wyllys married his first cousin, Ruth Belden. Ruth passed away on September 11, 1807. Wyllys died on June 9, 1823, and was interred in Hartford’s Ancient Burying Ground. His grave remains unmarked, as the family decided against monuments to avoid diminishing their memory if Connecticut couldn’t recall them without them.

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