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.

Washington, George, 1732-1799 to Henry Knox

Order a pdf of this item here.

A high-resolution version of this object is available for registered users. LOG IN

Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC08076 Author/Creator: Washington, George, 1732-1799 Place Written: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Type: Autograph letter signed Date: 4 April 1794 Pagination: 1 p. : docket Height: 23.1 cm, Width: 20.1 cm Order a Copy

Responds to a letter from Secretary of War Knox relating to the security of the Old Northwest. Comments on a speech by Lord Dorchester [Sir Guy Carleton], the commander in chief in British North America, and states his belief that the British intend "to keep this Country in a state of disquietude with the Indian nations; and also to alter the boundary between them and us, if, by any means, they can effect it." As a consequence of that belief, Washington reiterates his instructions to maintain good relations with the Six Nations and to "Buy Captn. [Joseph] B_t [Brant] off at almost any price." Brant was a Mohawk chief who allied with the British in the American Revolution and now functioned as an intermediary between the U.S., Britain, the Iroquois, and the tribes of the Northwest territory.

Washington, George, 1732-1799
Knox, Henry, 1750-1806
Rostaing, Juste-Antoine-Henri-Marie-Germaine, marquis de, 1740-1826

Citation Guidelines for Online Resources