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 #: GLC02437.00392 Author/Creator: Knox, William (1756-1795) Place Written: Boston, Massachusetts Type: Autograph letter signed Date: 24 July 1776 Pagination: 3 p.: address ; 33.7 x 20.7 cm. Order a Copy

Discusses a British ship that was captured near an American fort at Nantasket, Massachusetts. The vessel had come from Ireland to support General William Howe's army and had mistakenly thought the British were still in Boston. Tells a detailed story about how the Committee of Correspondence and Safety ordered every man between sixteen and sixty to gather with full military accoutrements and drafted thirty-two of them to join the invasion of Canada. Many men ran away but the draft was eventually made by offering larger bounties. The debacle caused some to call for the removal of John Brown, the chairman of the Committee. Also discusses the activities of his company, commanded by Henry Jackson, at the event. Notes that there is no other news, business has been slow, and that the town has been made "exceedingly dull with the smallpox."

Knox, William, 1756-1795
Knox, Henry, 1750-1806
Brown, John, 1744-1780

Citation Guidelines for Online Resources