Fredericksburg, VA stampless letter - 1815 - paid add'l tax for War of 1812

An immensely historical letter written just as the War of 1812 was ending. The sender, Nathan Ingersoll, did not write a long letter, but he packed a lot into it. He writes of the weather, crops and expected yields, cities along his trip, slavery, the business climate, and more. It is a treasure trove of insight into social life, commerce and business, and speculation for the era.

The War of 1812 (which lasted from June 1812 until its official ratification in February 1815) placed an immense financial burden on the young United States. To fund military operations and recoup the massive national debt, Congress instituted a variety of emergency wartime taxes.

Among these was the first-ever federal tax placed on postal charges. Because the Post Office was one of the few fully operational federal networks, adding a temporary war surcharge to the distance-based pricing system allowed the government to collect immediate, reliable revenue directly from citizens and merchants

On February 1, 1815, the United States government implemented a mandatory 50% surcharge on all domestic postal rates explicitly to generate revenue to pay off the massive financial deficits incurred during the War of 1812. This letter was sent September 2nd, 1815 and was taxed accordingly.

Circle town postmark - 26mm - "FREDG. VA" ("G" and "A" high) - Known usage 1800-1825