The Reply: A Complimentory [sic] Hieroglyphic Epistle from the Honorable Henry Laurens to Lord George Gordon

Author Henry Laurens American
Illustrator Anonymous, British, 18th century British

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This satire takes the form of a rebus letter written by Henry Laurens (1724-1792), a native of Charleston, South Carolina, sent as ambassador to the Netherlands by the Continental Congress. He was captured en route in 1779, off Newfoundland, tried for treason, thrown overboard then recovered. On October 6, 1781 became the first and only American ever imprisoned in the Tower of London, released on December 31 in exchange for Lord Cornwallis following the latter's surrender at Yorktown.

The Reply: A Complimentory [sic] Hieroglyphic Epistle from the Honorable Henry Laurens to Lord George Gordon, Henry Laurens (American, Charleston, South Carolina 1724–1792 Charleston, South Carolina), Etching

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