Printed and manuscript receipt signed by Brigadier General Alured Clarke, New York, October 26, 1783, acknowledging receipt of fuel allowances issued by the British military commissary. Executed during the final weeks of British occupation of New York City, only one month before the evacuation of British forces from the United States following the American Revolution. This highly evocative Revolutionary-era document bears the signature of Brigadier General Alured Clarke (1744–1832) and was executed in New York on October 26, 1783, at one of the most dramatic moments in British and American history. The partially printed receipt acknowledges fuel vouchers issued through the British commissary system for Clarke and the major of his brigade during the closing days of British military rule in New York. The document records receipt from: “George Brinley, Esq., Deputy-Commissary” for vouchers covering fuel allowances issued to: “Brigadier General Clarke and Major of Brigade” for an eight-week period extending from 1 September 1783 through 26 October 1783. The date is of extraordinary significance. Following the signing of the preliminary peace treaty between Great Britain and the United States, New York remained the principal British military stronghold in North America. In October 1783 preparations were actively underway for the evacuation of British troops, Loyalists, officials, and civilians from the city. Only a month later, on November 25, 1783—Evacuation Day—British forces finally departed New York, ending nearly seven years of occupation and bringing the military phase of the Revolution definitively to a close. This receipt therefore survives from the final weeks of British administration in America and reflects the routine logistical operations necessary to sustain an army even as it prepared to withdraw from a lost war. Such documents offer a rare glimpse into the day-to-day functioning of the British military establishment during its last days in the United States. The signer, Alured Clarke, was one of the most accomplished officers in the British Army of the late eighteenth century. Born in 1744, he entered military service at a young age and rose steadily through the ranks. During the American Revolution he served in several important commands and developed a reputation as a capable professional officer. By 1783 Clarke was serving as a brigadier general in North America, occupying a senior position within the British military hierarchy during the final phase of the conflict. Unlike many officers whose careers were diminished by Britain's defeat, Clarke continued to advance after the war and enjoyed a distinguished imperial career. In 1790 he was appointed Governor of Quebec, serving during a critical period in the administration of British North America. Later he became Commander-in-Chief in India, one of the most prestigious appointments in the British Empire. His military and administrative career culminated in promotion to full general and elevation among the senior leadership of the British Army. Clarke's service spanned the transformation of the British Empire following the loss of the American colonies. He belonged to the generation of officers who adapted Britain's military and imperial institutions to new realities after the Revolution and who helped direct the empire's expansion elsewhere around the globe. This receipt is especially appealing because it documents Clarke not in a distant colonial post or later imperial command, but in Revolutionary America itself. Moreover, the timing places it squarely within the final month of British occupation of New York, making it directly connected to one of the most important transitions in American history. Documents signed by British generals from the evacuation period are considerably scarcer than those of their American counterparts. As a result, this piece offers collectors and historians a rare opportunity to acquire an artifact associated with the British side of the Revolution and with the concluding chapter of British rule in the United States. ______________________________________________________________________________________________
NEW-YORK, 26th October 1783 Received from George Brinley, Esq. Deputy-Commissary, &c. sundry vouchers for Fuel, &c. issued upon regular Returns for Brigadier General Clarke and Major of Brigade within the District of New-York, amounting to Four Cords and two feet of Wood, of Candles, and of Oil, being Eight Weeks Allowance, commencing the 1st September 1783 and ending the 26th October following both Days included; for which I have signed two Receipts of this Tenor and Date. Alured Clarke Br. Genl.
