DIGITIZED COLLECTIONS
Back to collection guide
Benjamin Lincoln Papers, 1635-1964
» Aug. 1783–Jan. 1787
Benjamin Lincoln Papers, 1635-1964
» Aug. 1783–Jan. 1787 [read more]
This reel consists of letters and other documents detailing Lincoln's resignation as
Secretary of War, his business activities, some special assignments, and his command of the
Massachusetts militia during Shays' Rebellion.
Letters relating to Lincoln's business interests include correspondence with his agents,
Samuel Hodgdon in Philadelphia and Thomas Porter in Alexandria; Timothy Pickering in
Philadelphia; Thomas Peters and Company in Baltimore; and William Lyles and Company in
Alexandria. Lincoln's acquisition and development of land around Passamaquoddy Bay are
detailed in correspondence with his son Theodore and Colonel John Allan, a resident of Dudley
Island.
Letters between 1784 to 1786 deal with Lincoln's service on special commissions, including
his efforts to settle the St. Croix boundary and make treaties with the Penobscot Indians, as
well as his appointment to the commission to determine Virginia's land claims in the Northwest
Territory. Correspondents include Governor Bowdoin, the Massachusetts Assembly and Council,
Henry Knox, and General Samuel Parsons.
The last third of this reel deals with Lincoln's command of the Massachusetts militia and
its efforts against the rebel movements in central and western Massachusetts. His struggle to
muster militia units and to procure the necessary supplies, difficulties due to divided
loyalties among the troops and jealousies among the officers, and the movement of his army
from Worcester to Springfield in mid-winter--all are revealed in the correspondence with his
commanding officers, such as Generals Shepard, Warner, and Paterson, and in his daily reports
to Governor Bowdoin.
There are several letters throughout the reel that indicate the many personal favors that
Lincoln performed for others, such as securing Tobias Lear the appointment as Washington's
private secretary, writing recommendations for his former assistant William Jackson, and
accepting the guardianship of the sons of Thomas Ferguson of Charleston.
This reel consists of letters and other documents detailing Lincoln's resignation as
Secretary of War, his business activities, some special assignments, and his command of the
Massachusetts militia during Shays' Rebellion.
Letters relating to Lincoln's business interests include correspondence with his agents,
Samuel Hodgdon in Philadelphia and Thomas Porter in Alexandria; Timothy Pickering in
Philadelphia; Thomas Peters and Company in Baltimore; and William Lyles and Company in
Alexandria. Lincoln's acquisition and development of land around Passamaquoddy Bay are
detailed in correspondence with his son Theodore and Colonel John Allan, a resident of Dudley
Island.
Letters between 1784 to 1786 deal with Lincoln's service on special commissions, including
his efforts to settle the St. Croix boundary and make treaties with the Penobscot Indians, as
well as his appointment to the commission to determine Virginia's land claims in the Northwest
Territory. Correspondents include Governor Bowdoin, the Massachusetts Assembly and Council,
Henry Knox, and General Samuel Parsons.
The last third of this reel deals with Lincoln's command of the Massachusetts militia and
its efforts against the rebel movements in central and western Massachusetts. His struggle to
muster militia units and to procure the necessary supplies, difficulties due to divided
loyalties among the troops and jealousies among the officers, and the movement of his army
from Worcester to Springfield in mid-winter--all are revealed in the correspondence with his
commanding officers, such as Generals Shepard, Warner, and Paterson, and in his daily reports
to Governor Bowdoin.
There are several letters throughout the reel that indicate the many personal favors that
Lincoln performed for others, such as securing Tobias Lear the appointment as Washington's
private secretary, writing recommendations for his former assistant William Jackson, and
accepting the guardianship of the sons of Thomas Ferguson of Charleston.
Reel 7, Box 7, Folder 20, 1-15 December 1783
Reel 7, Box 7, Folder 18, October 1783
Reel 7, Box 7, Folder 19, November 1783 (29 images)
crowdsourced transcription