{"product_id":"1775-quaker-benedict-arnold-subscription-to-aid-sufferers-after-battle-of-concord-signed-gideon-vernon","title":"1775 QUAKER BENEDICT ARNOLD. Subscription to Aid Sufferers after Battle of Concord - Signed Gideon Vernon.","description":"\u003cp data-path-to-node=\"0\"\u003eAn incredibly poignant piece of Americana. The present 1775 print and manuscript subscription document is historically significance as an immediate, localized reaction to the immediate outbreak of the American Revolution, documenting a brief window when communities sought to address the humanitarian fallout of war before political lines hardened into absolute polarization. Drawn up in Pennsylvania in the direct wake of the Battle of Concord, the document is a relief fund subscription designed to aid the \"sufferers\" of the conflict. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-path-to-node=\"0\"\u003eIn the broader context of the Revolutionary War, such documents are incredibly rare because they capture a fragile, transitional moment in the spring and summer of 1775. At this point, the Continental Congress had not yet declared independence, and many colonists, particularly in politically complex, Quaker-heavy regions like southeastern Pennsylvania, viewed their financial contributions not as an act of treason or military backing, but as a moral, humanitarian effort to alleviate civilian distress caused by imperial overreach.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-path-to-node=\"1\"\u003eThe specific presence of Gideon Vernon’s signature on this document provides an extraordinary layer of irony and historical significance, capturing the exact moment before his radical transformation into a notorious \"turncoat\" and British operative. Vernon was a birthright Quaker from Chester County, meaning he was raised under the strict strictures of the Peace Testimony. By signing this document in 1775, Vernon was acting in accordance with traditional Quaker philanthropy, using his wealth to support a community relief effort. However, as the rebellion intensified into an all-out war for independence, Vernon rejected both his Quaker pacifism and the American revolutionary cause, completely switching his allegiance to the British Crown.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-path-to-node=\"2\" id=\"p-rc_62b24a4aa75de235-20\"\u003eVernon’s subsequent wartime career makes his signature on a 1775 relief document remarkably poignant. He went on to become one of the most active and reviled Loyalists in the Mid-Atlantic theater, abandoning his pacifist roots to serve as a military guide for General William Howe during the 1777 Pennsylvania Campaign. He spied directly on George Washington's embattled Continental Army at Valley Forge, worked under the direct supervision of British spymaster Major John André, and was eventually commissioned as a Captain in the Associated Loyalists, where he commanded a whaleboat raiding party along the Delaware River and intercepted rebel mails. Vernon even associated with the infamous, terrorizing Doan Gang of outlaws. \u003cspan class=\"citation-3 citation-end-3\"\u003eConsequently, the State of Pennsylvania formally charged him with high treason, confiscated his property, and officially outlawed him, forcing him to flee to Canada after the British evacuation.\u003csup class=\"superscript\" data-turn-source-index=\"1\"\u003e\u003c!----\u003e\u003c\/sup\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e This document stands as a vital primary artifact of the fluid, tragic personal choices dictated by the Revolution, freezing in time a future British spy and military raider while he was still operating as a peaceful, charitable colonial Quaker.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Specs Fine Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50908262432804,"sku":null,"price":6500.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0093\/3910\/9435\/files\/06-25-2026SpecsFineBooks-11.jpg?v=1782424370","url":"https:\/\/specsfinebooks.com\/products\/1775-quaker-benedict-arnold-subscription-to-aid-sufferers-after-battle-of-concord-signed-gideon-vernon","provider":"Specs Fine Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}