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, William, 1756-1795 to Henry Knox

Order a pdf of this item here.

Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC02437.04759 Author/Creator: Knox, William, 1756-1795 Place Written: London, England Type: Autograph letter signed Date: 29 October 1790 Pagination: 3 p. : address ; Height: 22.6 cm, Width: 18.6 cm Order a Copy

William Knox writes Secretary of War Knox that though in London ten days, he has been unable to do much regarding the sale of Knox's lands. William hopes to provide more news next week including "the result of the business between Mrs. Harwood and Mr. Longman." William notes that a Mr. Teissier will be his correspondent in London. He tells Henry to tell Captain [Thomas] Randall that William will write Randall with the next "Packet" across the Atlantic. William tells Henry that Lord Howe's fleet is at Portsmouth, and General Garth's troops were recently reviewed by the King in Hyde Park. The destination of the troops is unknown. Relates that Admiral Cornish sailed two or three days before to the West Indies. Writes, "No stroke has yet been struck by either the English or Spaniards, and if the stocks can serve in any degree as a political thermometer, the chance is about equal whether there will be War or Peace, as they rise one day and fall the next." William is unable to locate [Stephen] Sayre or Francisco de Miranda in London but has seen "Mr. Brett" almost every evening with the old general, (likely John Maunsell). William has not heard back from Chevalier de la Luzerne.

Knox, Henry, 1750-1806
Knox, William, 1756-1795
Miranda, Francisco de, 1750-1816
La Luzerne, Anne César de, 1741-1791
Maunsell, John, 1724-1795
Howe, William, 1729-1814
Sayre, Stephen, 1736-1818

Citation Guidelines for Online Resources