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.

Adams, John, 1735-1826 [Privateer's commission for "the Concord"]

Order a pdf of this item here.

Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC02517.01 Author/Creator: Adams, John, 1735-1826 Place Written: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Type: Document signed Date: 12 December 1798 Pagination: 1 p. ; 40.3 x 32.2 cm. Order a Copy

Signed by John Adams as President and countersigned by Secretary of State Timothy Pickering. Allows Ebenezer Sage and Benjamin Williams to outfit a privateer, the "Concord," to attack French shipping under a Congressional law passed on July 9, 1798. The 8 gun, 20 man crew will be captained by William Vandeursin. Allows the Concord to capture French ships on the high seas as well as recapture American ships seized by France. The American government sanctioned these actions at a time of heightened tension with France known as the Quasi War. Large embossed paper Seal of the United States at bottom.

Adams, John, 1735-1826
Pickering, Timothy, 1745-1829

Citation Guidelines for Online Resources