Whipple, William, 1730-1785 to John Langdon
Order a pdf of this item here.
Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC00194 Author/Creator: Whipple, William, 1730-1785 Place Written: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Type: Autograph letter signed Date: April 29, 1776 Pagination: 4 p. : docket ; Height: 21 cm, Width: 32.6 cm Order a Copy
William Whipple, a Continental Congressman, discusses the newly established Continental Navy with fellow Congressman Langdon. Refers to supplying guns to soldiers, and mentions a United States flag with "thirteen stripes red & white for the field, & a Union." Advises Langdon not to resign his Congressional seat in order to accept an appointment as a Continental Naval Agent, stating "such a step would have an avaricious appearance, & on the other hand there can not be a greater evidence of Patriotism than preferring the public good, to ones private interest ... I by no means can advise to your resigning your seat in Congress." Requests that Langdon transmit a list of nominations for officers of an unspecified ship. Discusses details regarding canvas being transmitted to Langdon (possibly for use in making a flag). Fragile and slightly torn in creases. For a related discussion of the Continental Navy, refer to GLC00336.
Citation Guidelines for Online Resources
The copyright law of the United States (title 17, United States Code) governs the making of photocopies or other reproductions of copyrighted material. Under certain conditions specified in the law, libraries and archives are authorized to furnish a photocopy or other reproduction. One of these specific conditions is that the photocopy or reproduction is not to be “used for any purpose other than private study, scholarship, or research.” If a user makes a request for, or later uses, a photocopy or reproduction for purposes in excess of “fair use,” that user may be liable for copyright infringement. This institution reserves the right to refuse to accept a copying order if, in its judgment, fulfillment of the order would involve violation of copyright law.