1763-1783

Powell, Henry, 1733-1814

Autograph letter signed

Title: to John Burgoyne

Fragment of a letter written by Brigadier General Henry Watson Powell to General Burgoyne. Watson served under Burgoyne as commander of the 2nd Brigade during the Saratoga Campaign. This fragment is simply the closing of the letter. Says: "Carpenters, Masons;, Smiths, Oxen, Corvee Canadians[,]Carts & Horses with Harness compleat[.] Therefore The Ballance & Carts being destroyed will be of no great consequence." Signed by Powell.

GLC04764.80

December 12, 1777

Burgoyne, John, 1722-1792

Autograph note

Title: [Note on a missionary]

Index says the note is in General Burgoyne's hand. Initialed "JB" at the top. Says: "To be attended to: Joshua Wingate Weeks of Marblehead Missionary from the Society for propagat[ing] the gospel -" Weeks was a Royalist Anglican minister kicked out of Marblehead, Massachusetts for continuing to preach in the Anglican Church there. Date of creation inferred from the date of Weeks's ejection from Marblehead.

GLC04764.81

circa 1778

Geddes, David, fl. 1777-1778

Autograph document signed

Title: [Accounts during Saratoga Campaign according to David Geddes]

Created by Geddes as acting paymaster under British General John Burgoyne. This was written after the British defeat at Saratoga in October 1777. Document is divided into two sides, one side which marks expenditures by officers under Burgoyne and another that reconciles the expenses. Account goes from 15 June 1777 to 12 December 1777. Balance for expenditures by officers is slightly over 507 pounds. Combined with Burgoyne's own expenses of 330 pounds, the total balance is slightly over 837 pounds, "Errors Excepted."

GLC04764.82

circa October 1777

Broadside

Title: Burgoyne's Lamentation, At his surrender to the American army, under General Gates.

Nine stanza poem printed in Boston. Each stanza has eight lines and follows an "aabbccdd" pattern of rhyme. This broadside is the seventh edition. Date is estimated as around the end of the Battle of Saratoga in October 1777, but it could be later than that given this is the seventh edition. Told from the point of view of British General John Burgoyne while he is surrounded by American forces. Burgoyne sends his lamentations to the Greek goddess Diana in the poem. First stanza mentions that earlier American generals made Burgoyne overconfident of an easy victory. Poem goes into Burgoyne's…

GLC04764.83

1778

Spenser, Boyle, fl. 1756-1778

Document signed

Title: to His Excelency, Sir Guy Carleton

Written by Boyle as a Lieutenant in the 24th Regiment of Foot seeking a promotion to Carleton as commander of British forces in Canada. Boyle's regiment was part of the advanced corps of General John Burgoyne's army during the Saratoga Campaign, but it appears he did not fight at Saratoga because he says he applied to join Burgoyne's detachment but that the "request could not be complied with." Date of creation inferred from content of the document. Boyle says he joined the British Army in 1756 and that he has served for 22 years. Joined the army as an ensign in the 37th Regiment of Foot and…

GLC04764.84

17 July 1777

Stuart, Archibald, fl. 1759-1777

Autograph document signed

Title: to His Excelency, Sir Guy Carleton

This document is a memorial written by Lieutenant Archibald Stuart of the 62nd Regiment of Foot asking for official acceptance and a promotion to Carleton as commander of British forces in Canada. Says he was appointed a first lieutenant in 1759 in the 88th Regiment of Foot and was wounded in the leg during the Battle of Campen in 1760. He was subsequently taken prisoner by the French for six months. In 1763 he was put on half pay but upon an application to reenter service he was made a lieutenant in an invalid company, but that "Inactive life [was] not suitable to his Inclination." He was…

GLC04764.85

10 November 1777

Carter, Jonathan, fl. 1777

Autograph document signed

Title: [Petition against Articles of Convention]

Petition signed by 13 British officers and subalterns in the Royal Regiment of Artillery captured at the Battle of Saratoga in October 1777. Probably sent to General John Burgoyne. Claims the Americans have not followed through on the stipulations of the Articles of Convention, the document that delineated the terms of General John Burgoyne's surrender to the Americans. Claims they have not been quartered properly and that their conditions "Compell Us to Decline Our Assent to the Parole, 'till the Articles We think Incompatible with Our Situations in Life to Submitt to, are Alterd."

GLC04764.86

10 November 1777

Petrie, George, fl. 1777

Autograph document signed

Title: [Petition against Articles of Convention]

Petition from 17 officers of the 21st Regiment of Foot, known as North British Fusileers, to General John Burgoyne, protesting their conditions under the Articles of Convention, which delineated Burgoyne's terms of surrender after the Battle of Saratoga in October 1777. Name of creator was selected from the first legible signature at the bottom of the document. Says it is impossible for them to submit to the regulations laid before them because it is disgraceful. Says they cannot subscribe their names to their paroles because there would be no opportunity for redress afterward. Claims they…

GLC04764.87

circa 10 November 1777

Autograph document

Title: [Petition against Articles of Convention]

Petition of the Captains and subalterns of the 9th Regiment of Foot to General John Burgoyne. They are "object[ing] to give their parole," for their treatment under the Articles of Convention, which delineated the terms of Burgoyne's surrender at Saratoga in October 1777. Date estimated from other petitions in this decimalized collection, which are dated 10 November 1777. First complaint is on inadequate lodging and the other on the nightly curfew. No signatures are appended.

GLC04764.88

circa 10 November 1777

Autograph document

Title: [Petition against Articles of Convention]

Petition of the captains and subalterns of the 62nd Regiment of Foot, protesting the Articles of Convention to General John Burgoyne. Dated from other petitions in this collection which have a date of 10 November 1777. Says they cannot give their parole because of curfew restrictions and subpar housing. Claims "They feel themselves injured, that their Words of Honor are only to be trusted in Day light." Also claim their circumstances are "bordering upon close confinement." No signatures are appended.

GLC04764.89

14 October 1778

Kingston, Robert M., ?-1794

Autograph document

Title: Money paid by Lieutenant Colonel Kingston on Account of General Burgoyne

Account of General John Burgoyne's spending between September and December 1777. First page seems to be the final draft of the account. Mentions expenditures for cheese, horses, and for transporting the general's baggage. Kingston, one of Burgoyne's aids, paid out the money, which amounted to 60 pounds sterling. Kingston initialled the docket, which says a copy was left with a Mr. Collyer and that the account was reviewed on 18 December. Second separate page appears to be the first draft of this account. The draft accounts for a 21 pound sterling appropriation for a widow in the 62nd Regiment…

GLC04764.90

3 January 1778

Heath, William, 1737-1814

Autograph letter signed

Title: to John Burgoyne

This document references receiving a resolve from Congress of 19 December 1777. Quotes section of the resolve to Burgoyne about the need for the British commissary to either send provisions of equal amount that have been supplied or to liquidate accounts with gold or silver before any prisoners are released. The resolve "is prefaced upon Sir Will: Howe's requisition for provisions to be sent in for the Subsistance of the American prisoners in his possession." Thought it best to send this information to Burgoyne, so he can arrange to settle the accounts before embarking for England. Marked "…

GLC04764.91

4 April 1778

Phillips, William, 1731-1781

Autograph document signed

Title: Return of the Royal Artillery

Written in what appears to be a secretarial hand for Major General Phillips, who was to take over the Convention Army from Burgoyne after he embarked for England the next day, 5 April 1778. Includes a list of the number of men in each rank in the Royal Artillery in the Convention Army, from Captains to Rank & File. Also includes numbers for a detachment of Lieutenant Nutt's grenadiers and light companies from Canada. Includes lists of officers by name. Signed "W Phillips" at the bottom. Docket says that Lieutenant Colonel Robert Kingston, a staff officer under Burgoyne, is to send a…

GLC04764.92

10 April 1778

Geddes, David, fl. 1777-1778

Autograph document signed

Title: State of Cash Extraordinary Service

Account created by David Geddes, acting paymaster for the Convention Army. First part of account shows cash received from various people amounting to slightly over 61,890 pounds. Shows that the money was paid out by Burgoyne to settle accounts before he embarked for England. Also provides debit and credit accounts for "warrants granted," which amounted to slightly over 9295 pounds. These seem to be for soldiers pay and to settle miscellaneous drafts. Note before Geddes signature says "Errors Excepted." In previous correspondence with American General Heath, Burgoyne was asked to settle all…

GLC04764.93

30 November 1861

Print

Title: [Print of John Slidell]

Print of John Slidell, clipped from Harper's Weekly. The print was based on a photograph. The caption under the print states: "The captured rebel commissioner Slidell." Photographed by "Brady." The verso of the newspaper is part of "A Strange Story" by Edward Bulwer Lytton, which ran in Harper's Weekly.

GLC05342.02

13 April 1864

Stone, Elijah James, 1819-1887

Autograph letter signed

Title: to Francis H. Pierpont

Reverend Stone appeals to Governor Pierpont for aid in obtaining the position of Chaplain of Wheeling prison and hospital. Believes he is best suited for the job, since he has been praying with the prisoners for many years, while others who seek the job are only doing so because it is now an official paying job. Autograph note signed by Pierpont on verso, endorsing Stone for Chaplain, citing the same reasons Stone himself gives. "I believe every word of this….I have no faith in the efficacy of those who only pray for money…" Excerpt: "…he (I believe) made the prisoners believe I was one of…

GLC02233.38

14 July 1865

Parker, Frank W., fl. 1865

Autograph letter signed

Title: to Thomas M. Vincent

Parker, the Lieutenant Colonel of the 4th New Hampshire Volunteer Infantry Regiment, writes to Colonel Vincent to relay a statement on the service of Eleazer L. Sarsons. Recounts Sarsons service, which included a time as a prisoner of war in Andersonville Prison, and his denied application for an appointment. Asks that Sergeant Sarsons be mustered back into a New Hampshire regiment as a 1st Lieutenant, asserting that "Sergeant Sarsons is a deserving soldier." Notes on the fourth page show the processing of the request: there is a description of the request, a note signed by Vincent…

GLC03953.09

1861-1865

Newspaper clipping

Title: [Twenty two newspaper clippings collected by Eleazer L. Sarsons]

Mostly printed photos and obituaries of New Hampshire Civil War Veterans. Some material related to ex-prisoners of war; Sarsons had been a POW and spent time at Andersonville. There is also an article on Thomas Carter, who had been awarded the medal of honor. The newspaper names and dates do not appear.

GLC03953.12

3 November 1778

Burgoyne, John, 1722-1792

Autograph letter signed

Title: to Mrs. Spencer

A letter tipped into the book, "A State of the Expedition from Canada, as laid before the House of Commons," by John Burgoyne. See GLC08975.01 for a description of the book. The letter is written to the mother of a soldier from Burgoyne's surrendered army. He replies to a mother trying to contact her son, who was taken prisoner when Burgoyne's army surrendered at Saratoga. Writes, "It is not in my power to give you great encouragement ... " but advises that the best way to get a letter to Cambridge, Massachusetts is by way of General Henry Clinton in New York. Hopes, however, that his army…

GLC08975.02

January 21, 1778

Rooke, William, fl. 1777-1778

Autograph letter signed

Title: to Dorothy Rooke

Writes to his sister, stating that he hopes an unspecified person (possibly Henry Rooke) has returned from America to England. Refers to battle between Generals William Howe and George Washington. Mentions confusing reports he has received concerning the battle. Discusses the possibility of Washington having been taken as a prisoner, and America's loss of troops during the battle. Discusses his travels through Italy viewing artistic masterpieces, including those of Correggio. States "tho' there are numbers of very capital performances there is at the same time a great deal of trash to…

GLC03881.03

27 August 1776- 1777

Rooke, Henry, fl. 1775-1783

Autograph manuscript

Title: [British soldier's journal detailing New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania engagements during the Revolutionary War]

Rooke, a British soldier, records various Revolutionary War events. Discusses the Battle of Long Island, during which he estimates 1,500 Americans were killed and 2,000 taken prisoner. Mentions the November 1776 British capture of Fort Lee, New Jersey. States that the fort was abandoned when his regiment arrived. Refers to General George Washington's crossing of the Delaware River (December 1776). Discusses the British takeover of Philadelphia and deterrents regarding a British attack on Washington at Whitemarsh, Pennsylvania.

GLC03881.04

1861-1862

Norton, Levi W., fl. 1861-1862

Header Record

Title: Collection of 13 Civil War soldier letters [decimalized]

The collection consists of thirteen letters written by Levi W. Norton. Twelve of these letters are written to his wife, and one is addressed to his son, Fred. Norton was 41 years of age when he enlisted on 23 July 1861 at Staten Island, New York as a chaplain. He was commissioned into Field & Staff New York 72nd Infantry the following day. Norton was discharged on 20 April 1862 and died in 1900. The collection is accompanied by a newspaper, The Chautauqua Democrat, from Wednesday 25 September 1861. Selected highlights from the collection include: an explanation of a Bavarian…

GLC09006

18 June 1864

Carter, Solon A., 1837-1918

Autograph letter

Title: to Emily Carter

Writes to his wife, "My own Emily," about the first engagements of the Battle of Petersburg. Reports that he is two miles from Petersburg and that "The whole army is here and banging away at the rebs pell mell." Praises the African American division of the XVIII corps led by General Edward Winslow Hinks, " ... the fight of our darkey division before Petersburg on the 15th inst. It was a very brilliant affair and every body speaks in the highest terms of their conduct ... The Army of the Potomac is a big thing, and so is Hink's Colored division." Describes the success of the African…

GLC09008

April 1778

Titcomb, Oliver, fl. 1776-1778

Autograph document signed

Title: [Receipt for mileage]

Receipt written by Captain Titcomb for moving his company of 53 men. The company was in Colonel Jacob Garrish's regiment. Titcomb's men were stationed at Winter Hill, which is outside Boston, to guard the Convention Army, which consisted of captured British soldiers from the Saratoga Campaign. His men are being paid mileage. 27 of his men marched from Winter Hill to Amesbury, which is 50 miles, and received over 16 pounds. 26 of his men marched from Rowley to Amesbury, a distance of 35 miles, and received over 11 pounds. Titcomb has spelled Amesbury as "Almesbury." Due to text loss, it is…

GLC01450.228.01

circa 1775-1783

Clarkson, Matthew, 1758-1825

Autograph letter signed

Title: to Thomas Bradford

Note from Clarkson as aide-de-camp of General Benjamin Lincoln to Bradford as Commissary of Prisoners that says General Lincoln wants to see Bradford immediately. Letter dated August 2, but year cannot be inferred.

GLC01450.458.02