Lee, Richard Henry (1732-1794) to William Davies
High-resolution images are available to schools and libraries via subscription to American History, 1493-1943. Check to see if your school or library already has a subscription. Or click here for more information. You may also order a pdf of the image from us here.
Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC00513 Author/Creator: Lee, Richard Henry (1732-1794) Place Written: Chantilly, Virginia Type: Autograph letter signed Date: 3 November 1781 Pagination: 1 p. : address : docket ; 29.3 x 19.7 cm. Order a Copy
Written by Lee, a signer of the Declaration of Independence, as a legislator in the Virginia Assembly to Davies as Commissioner of the Virginia War Office in Richmond. Asks Davies to see that arms taken from militiamen at Gloucester, probably used at the battle of Yorktown, be returned to them. Says near 200 arms were taken from the militia and they have returned home unarmed. Says the situation leaves 40 miles along the shores of his county "exposed to the ravage of piratical vessels." Says General George Weedon told him that the government detained the arms to furnish militia rotations, but says this should not apply to the Gloucester militia who stayed in the county for the entire siege. The folio page has been cut in half and the letter is pasted on one side of a white piece of paper and the address and docket on the verso of that paper. This creates a 1.5" border around the original letter.
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.