Found 61 collections related to United States -- History -- Revolution, 1775-1783

James Wilkinson (1757-1825) of Maryland was a United States Army officer and first governor of the Louisiana Territory. Wilkinson was implicated in the Burr Conspiracy and resigned from the Army in 1815. He was later appointed U.S. envoy to Mexico and died there in 1825. Suspicions that he had long been an agent of the Spanish government were confirmed after his death. The collection consists chiefly of letters written by Wilkinson to military personnel and politicians, especially at Fort Washington during the Northwest Indian War and later 1790s. Recipients include John Armstrong, 1792; Bartholomew Shaumburg, 1796, David Holmes, 1812, and James Monroe, 1814. Wilkinson’s letter of 1823 April 17, Mexico, to an unidentified correspondent (probably to Thomas Aspinwall, U.S. Consul in London), describes the election of Agustín de Iturbide as emperor of Mexico. Also included is Wilkinson's 1793 bill to the government for expenses of his servants, and an order of payment to James Wilkinson by Joseph Reed, 1781. less

Elizabeth Graeme Fergusson (1737-1801) was a prominent American poet and author, known especially for the literary salon she established in colonial Philadelphia, and her association with the family estate of Graeme Park in Horsham, Pennsylvania. William Smith (1746-1822) was a Philadelphia physician and druggist. In 1775 he married Ann Young (1756-1780, also known as Anna Young), the niece of Elizabeth Graeme Fergusson. He married Letitia Correy in 1783, and purchased Graeme Park from Fergusson in 1791. The collection consists of two letters dated 1778 March 20 and 1791 March 16, written by W. Smith at Philadelphia to "Dear Madam" (Elizabeth Graeme Fergusson). His letter of 1778 March 20 apprises her of efforts being made by her friends in the Pennsylvania Assembly to restore her property rights, and shares news of mutual acquaintances and the progress of the war. His letter of 1791 March 16 concerns his plans to attend a sale she was holding. less

Timothy Pickering (1745-1829) was a Massachusetts statesman who served variously as colonel in the Continental Army, United States Secretary of War, and United States Secretary of State. The Timothy Pickering papers consist mainly of letters written by Pickering in the 1780s and 1790s in a professional capacity, with Samuel Hodgdon and Jedidiah Huntington being his most frequent correspondents. Earlier papers document the conditions and movements of the Army, 1780-1781, and include bills for services and supplies signed by Pickering as Quartermaster General. Letters relative to his duties as Secretary of War discuss the acquisition of provisions and munitions. Letters and documents created during his tenure as Secretary of State include "an estimate of the expence of negociating a treaty with the French Republic," 1799, and "Principles which should govern in choosing a president of the United States." Later material relates to personal and family matters, including an 1827 letter to Virgil Maxcy asking for advice in the growing of hops. Also present are autographs, seals, and receipts. less

The collection consists of a small quantity of letters written by American Revolutionary War General Nathanael Greene. Letters discuss preparations for the Battle of Long Island; the preservation of public stores and mobilization of troops under General Putnam; and the payment of officers. A later letter references his postwar agrarian pursuits in Georgia. Also present are fragments of letters and other writings; notes from an unknown source on Greene's campaigns; and an undated transcription of an illustrated narrative of the Battle of Eutaw Springs (1781) taken from Johnson's Life of General Greene less

Letters from the Marquis de Lafayette to various parties written between 1791 and 1834. Letters to Colonel Timothy Pickering and Maryland governor Thomas Sim Lee pertain to military matters; an 1834 letter to Joseph Hume expresses concern for Polish refugees displaced by Prussian authorities. Other letters relate to social engagements and personal affairs; recipients include Hugues-Bernard Maret, 1st Duc de Bassano, and Peter Stephen Du Ponceau. In English and French less

Benjamin Lincoln (1733-1810) served as a major general in the Continental Army, as Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts, and was appointed customs collector for the Port of Boston in 1789. The papers consist predominantly of letters sent by Lincoln pertaining to military matters, including a letter dated September 4, 1779, to General Lachlan McIntosh announcing the landing of Comte d'Estaing with twenty-five ships of the line and describing preparations for what would become the Siege of Savannah. Also present are legal documents, including powers of attorney and loan certificates; a bill of sale for the sloop "Polly," and customs documents generated by Lincoln during his term as Collector of the Port of Boston. less

Collection of three letters signed collectively or individually by Richard Penn (approximately 1736-1811) and Arthur Lee (1740-1792) while representing American interests in England. In July 1775, Richard Penn was entrusted by the Second Continental Congress with the delivery of the "Olive Branch Petition" to King George III after contacting colonial agents there, including Arthur Lee. Two letters are addressed to "Hon[ora]ble Sir" (presumably John Hancock, President of Congress) and concern the delivery of the petition to the British government. An autograph letter (4 p.) signed by Arthur Lee at Middle Temple, London, 1775 August 28, describes the delay due to the absence from town of Lord Dartmouth (Secretary of State for the Colonies). Lee shares his views on foreign reaction to American affairs and condemns the character of Thomas Hutchinson and Andrew Oliver, Massachusetts loyalists. A letter (1 p.) signed by Penn and Lee dated London, 1775 September 2, reports on the delivery of the original petition to Lord Dartmouth the previous day. Dartmouth promised to deliver it to the King, but told them "as his Majesty did not receive it on the throne, no answer would be given." Also present is an undated autograph letter (1 p. with integral address leaf) signed by Richard Penn at London to a Mr. Chambers, in which he states "I had rather convince one Honest Man of the Justice of the American Cause than ten Thousand Macaronies," for which purpose he encloses a pamphlet less

Elias Boudinot (1740-1821) was an American lawyer and statesman. Born in Philadelphia, he resided in New Jersey for most of his life. During the Revolution Boudinot served in the New Jersey Provincial Congress, was Commissary General of Prisoners from 1777 to 1778, and was a delegate to the Continental Congress in 1778 and from 1781 to 1783, holding a one-year term as its president, 1782 to 1783. He served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1789 to 1795, and as Director of the U.S. Mint from 1795 to 1805. A devout Presbyterian, Boudinot was a trustee of Princeton University and first president of the American Bible Society. The collection consists of letters written by Elias Boudinot, 1778-1786 and 1801-1820, as well as three letters received, 1777-1798; his undated draft proposal to prevent further depreciation of Continental currency; and a clipped signature. Letters to numerous correspondents concern government, business and personal matters, many written during the Revolution. They include his retained copies or drafts, among them two letters to General George Washington, dated June 28-July 6, 1778 and August 16, 1779 [i.e., August 16, 1778]. A letter received from James Drummond of Stobhall, Lord Perth, 1798, inquires about his New Jersey land holdings; a thank-you letter from Boudinot to Thomas Sully, 1818, is endorsed by the painter. The collection also includes a letter from James Buck to an unidentified recipient regarding legal matters involving Boudinot, 1787, and a letter from Mrs. R. Boudinot (Rachel Bradford Boudinot, wife of Elisha Boudinot) to William Sullivan of Boston, 1801. less

The Mercantile Collection, 1726-1950, is a synthetic collection documenting mercantile and other business activities from the early-17th to the mid-20th centuries, especially in the northeastern United States. It consists of papers and records created by persons, firms, and companies engaged chiefly in trade, finance, insurance, mining, railroad management, shipping, and whaling. A few items pertain to manufacturing and real estate. Transatlantic commerce in the colonial and early-national period, and the early railroad industry in America, are strongly represented. Notable material includes the assorted papers of New York City and Philadelphia merchants, among them members of the Pemberton family of Philadelphia; Vice-Admiralty court proceedings; and the incomplete ledger of an 18th-century New York City druggist. less

"Association unanimously agreed to, in the Provincial Congress of South Carolina on Saturday, the 3d. of June, 1775," to unite and support the colonies in their effort to secure their constitutional rights from Great Britain. Subscribed to by all members of the Congress then present, 202 signatures, certified by Henry Laurens, President less

Jedediah Huntington was an American general in the Continental Army during the American revolution. The collection consists largely of letters written to Huntington during his tenure as collector of customs at New London, Connecticut from Gabriel Duval, Albert Gallatin, Richard Rush, John Steele, Oliver Wolcott, and other officials of the Comptroller's Office of the U.S. Treasury Department less

Horatio Gates (1728-1806) was a general in the American Revolutionary War. He commanded the American forces at the Battle of Saratoga in 1777 and in 1780 was placed in chief command of the army in the South. During the French and Indian War, he served as an officer in the British army. Collection consists of correspondence and orderly books of General Gates. Correspondence, 1787-1804, primarily from family and friends, concerns personal and financial matters but also relates to American politics. Letter book, 1780-1781, contains letters written by Gates during his command in the South during the Revolution. Also, orderly books, 1760-1783; issued by Gates while commanding the Southern Army. less

Henry Laurens (1724-1792) was a South Carolina merchant, plantation owner, and Revolutionary-era statesman. The collection of Henry Laurens letters and documents, 1769-1792, includes letters written by him to Lachlan McIntosh, 1769; to his son John Laurens, 1775; to Thomas Wharton, Caesar Rodney and William Alexander while President of the Continental Congress, 1777-1778; and to Benjamin Vaughan, dated 1782 April 2 at Exeter, England, regarding a meeting with Lord Shelburne. An oversize letter to William Carmichael, 1778 February 24, asks for payment of his account with Matthew Lock, written on verso, for sums paid on behalf of the Marquis de Lafayette. Letters to Henry Laurens are chiefly from his former secretary Moses Young, captured with Laurens on their voyage to Holland in 1780, regarding Young’s attempts to obtain payment from Congress for his services. Laurens’s brief notes on his conversation with John Adams at Haarlem on April 15, 1782 (1 page), and two clipped signatures are also present. Items are in chronological order. less