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 William Knox

Order a pdf of this item here.

Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC02437.00717 Author/Creator: Knox, Henry, 1750-1806 Place Written: White Plains, New York Type: Autograph letter signed Date: 4 August 1778 Pagination: 3 p. : address : docket ; Height: 20 cm, Width: 15.8 cm Order a Copy

Discusses previous correspondence between the two, noting he always acknowledges letters received from William. Mentions a military operation planned against Newport to take place in conjunction with the arrival of a French fleet led by the Comte D'Estaing. Relates that his wife and daughter, both named Lucy, are with him in White Plains. Notes that Admiral Lord Richard Howe, in Sandy Hook, New Jersey "lays... with his small fleet ardently wishing for such a reinforcement as may enable him to look Monsr. Le Com[text loss]te in the face- but I hope he will be disappointed." Requests William to send him a large [hat?].

Knox, Henry, 1750-1806
Knox, William, 1756-1795
Estaing, Charles Henri, comte d', 1729-1794
Howe, Richard Howe, Earl, 1726-1799

Citation Guidelines for Online Resources