Historic Georgia Militia Arms Order Signed by Colonel George Bomford | U.S. Ordnance Department | 1826

Historical Context & Origin

Region: Washington, D.C., United States
Material: Handwritten ink on laid or writing paper, conservation-mounted beneath UV-filtering glass in a gilt and black frame
Period: Early American Republic, dated December 18, 1826

Description

This historically significant United States military document is an original one-page letter issued by the Ordnance Department in Washington, D.C., on December 18, 1826. It was addressed to Major Mathew Mountjoy Payne, commandant of the United States Arsenal at Augusta, Georgia, and signed by Colonel George Bomford on behalf of the Ordnance Service.

Written in a clear period hand, the letter instructs Payne to comply with an order transmitted to Georgia Governor George Troup for the delivery of 200 pistols and 200 cavalry sabres from the federal arsenal under Payne’s command. Bomford further notes that instructions governing the issuance of arms to state militias under the federal Act of April 1808 were enclosed for Payne’s guidance.

The document reads:

“An order was on the 16th instant transmitted to Governor Troup for the delivery to him, or to his order, of 200 Pistols, and 200 Cavalry Sabres, from the Arsenal under your Command, which on its presentation, you will please comply with. I enclose herewith, a copy of the instructions for issuing Arms &c to the Militia under the Act of April 1808, for your government in such cases.”

It concludes:

“Respectfully I am Sir, Your obt Servt, G. Bomford Bt. Col., on Ordnance Service.”

George Bomford was a prominent American military engineer and ordnance officer who served during the War of 1812 and later became the second Chief of Ordnance of the United States Army in 1832. He was also associated with the development of the Columbiad, a heavy coastal-defence cannon used in nineteenth-century American fortifications.

Major Mathew Mountjoy Payne served as an early commandant of the Augusta Arsenal. The arsenal had been established to store and distribute federal arms throughout the region, and Payne was closely involved in its administration and relocation outside central Augusta.

The letter has been professionally mounted within a wide archival-style mat and housed in a decorative black and gilt frame. A label on the reverse identifies Skinner Framing & Decorating of Demorest, Georgia, while a TruGuard label confirms the use of conservation glass providing UV-light protection.

Features

- Original United States Ordnance Department letter

- Dated December 18, 1826

- Signed by Colonel George Bomford

- Addressed to Major Mathew Mountjoy Payne

- Issued from Washington, D.C.

- Orders the delivery of 200 pistols and 200 cavalry sabres

- Arms intended for Georgia Governor George Troup or his authorized representative

- References federal militia-arms instructions under the Act of April 1808

- Connected to the historic Augusta Arsenal

- One handwritten page in period ink

- Professionally conservation framed beneath UV-filtering glass

Cultural Significance

This document provides a direct record of how the early United States government distributed military arms from federal arsenals to state militias. The Militia Act of 1808 established continuing federal appropriations for supplying arms and equipment to the states, and this letter illustrates that system in active operation less than two decades after the legislation was enacted.

Its date and recipients also place it within a contentious period in Georgia history. Governor George Troup was engaged in an escalating confrontation with the federal government and the Muscogee, or Creek, Nation following the disputed Treaty of Indian Springs of 1825 and the replacement Treaty of Washington in 1826. Troup rejected federal efforts to restrain Georgia’s territorial claims, ordered surveys of Creek lands, and mobilized state militia during the resulting crisis.

The letter does not identify a specific planned campaign or state that the pistols and sabres were intended for the forced removal of the Creek people. Nevertheless, it documents the transfer of substantial federal weaponry to Troup’s Georgia government during the same period of militia mobilization, contested land surveys, and intensifying conflict over Indigenous sovereignty.

As both a signed George Bomford document and a record of federal-state arms distribution, the letter has significance for collectors of early American manuscripts, military history, Georgia history, federal arsenal material, and documents associated with the broader history of United States expansion and Native dispossession.

Condition

The document remains legible and presents well within its professional conservation framing. Expected age-related toning, scattered staining, creasing, fold lines, minor surface abrasions, small edge losses, short tears, and areas of old paper or adhesive repair are visible throughout.

A pronounced horizontal fold or separation line crosses the centre of the sheet, with additional losses and irregularities along the right edge and upper margin. The ink remains dark and readily readable, including Bomford’s signature.

The frame displays minor surface wear consistent with age and handling. The document has not been removed from its frame for inspection, and the condition of concealed margins and the reverse has therefore not been assessed.

Dimensions (Approximate)

Framed Height: 16 in
Framed Width: 14.25 in
Depth: 0.75 in

Age (Approximate)

200 years old

Provenance

Formerly part of a private collection in Columbus, Ohio, USA, assembled over several decades with a particular emphasis on early American militaria, historic documents, and nineteenth-century United States Army artifacts. The collection included military correspondence, edged weapons, uniforms, and archival material relating to the formative years of the American republic and the expansion of the United States military establishment.

The present document was preserved within this collection and professionally conservation framed by Skinner Framing & Decorating of Demorest, Georgia, using TruGuard UV-protective glass to safeguard the manuscript from light exposure and environmental damage.

Learn More

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