Beschreibung:

Andrews, Lt. William. Massachusetts Bounty Note. Framed 10.75 x 5.5 in. (sight). Framed to 15.5 x 12.75 in. A bounty note stating a value of 2050 Pounds given by the State of Massachusetts Bay on January 1, 1780 to Lieutenant William Andrews of the Third Continental Artillery. Below the note is a description that states "This MASSACHUSETTS BOUNTY NOTE shows one of the earliest attempts of the Government to stabilize the value of its Currency. It guaruntees the purchasing power of the Pound at maturity in March 1784, but only at about one third of its value when compared to its purchasing power in 1777 when the "Act to Prevent Monopoly and Oppression" was passed. This proceedure was recommended to the States by Congress. The engraving is attributed to I.M. Furnass, of Boston." Lt. Andrews (1748-1816) was a notable Boston bookbinder before being commissioned into the Third Continental Artillery Regiment as a lieutenant on January 1, 1777 under the command of Col. John Crane. He moved with the regiment all over the New England area including Boston, Morristown, New Jersey, Smith's Clove, New York, and Valley Forge. He was captured by British troops on June 1, 1779 and taken prisoner at Fort LaFayette in New York. He was part of a prisoner exchange and was was released on September 13, 1781. After the war he became one of the original members of The Massachusetts Society of the Cincinnati.