In the optimistic missive, Washington extols the revolutionary spirit of the American people—even in defeat—and makes a rare reference to the experimental smallpox inoculation that helped prevent outb

On April 26, 1777, during the Revolutionary War, a large British raiding party attacked the American supply depot at Danbury, Connecticut, burning houses and barns and destroying stores of shoes, tents, medicine and food.

Washington signed the letter on May 7, 1777. It was written in response to a letter, five days earlier, from Brigadier General Samuel Holden Parsons notifying Washington of “an Event very Alarming to the Country” — a British victory in Danbury, Connecticut.

A letter written by George Washington in 1777 that is valued at $150,000 is up for sale this Presidents Day. The letter, acquired by the Raab Collection, was written during the Revolutionary War,