Our Collection

At the Institute’s core is the Gilder Lehrman Collection, one of the great archives in American history. More than 85,000 items cover five hundred years of American history, from Columbus’s 1493 letter describing the New World through the end of the twentieth century.

Knox, Henry, 1750-1806 to Lucy Knox

Order a pdf of this item here.

Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC02437.00640 Author/Creator: Knox, Henry, 1750-1806 Place Written: Pennsylvania Type: Autograph letter signed Date: 25 August 1777 Pagination: 3 p. : address : docket ; Height: 32.1 cm, Width: 19.4 cm Order a Copy

Written at "Derby, 7 Miles below Philadelphia" (possibly Darby, Pennsylvania). Reports that his troops had begun to march to the North River (the Hudson), but received a dispatch that British General William Howe was in the Chesapeake Bay. Believes Philadelphia to be Howe's target, and predicts he will approach Philadelphia via the Delaware River, not the Chesapeake Bay. Reports that American troops marched through Philadelphia 24 August: "their excellent appearance... astonished the Tories, who are very downcast in the Respectability of the army." Reports that he and General Nathanael Greene traveled to Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, to obtain gauze for Lucy, and were called back by General George Washington. Refers to General John Stark's victory in the recent Battle of Bennington and praises Stark's command of the militia. In closing Knox expresses his love for Lucy.

Knox, Henry, 1750-1806
Knox, Lucy Flucker, 1756-1824
Stark, John, 1728-1822
Greene, Nathanael, 1742-1786
Howe, William, 1729-1814
Washington, George, 1732-1799

Citation Guidelines for Online Resources