Wheatly, John (fl. 1759) to Jabez Huntington
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Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC01450.291 Author/Creator: Wheatly, John (fl. 1759) Place Written: Crown Point, New York Type: Autograph letter signed Date: 1 September 1759 Pagination: 2 p. : address: docket ; 19 x 16 cm. Order a Copy
Written to Huntington, clerk of the Connecticut General Assembly, to describe fortifications at Crown Point on the western shore of Lake Champlain. The French abondoned and partially destroyed the fort during General Jeffrey Amherst's offensive in 1759. Wheatley, the commander of a company of marines from Connecticut, describes some of the reconstruction work subsequently started. He also laments the failure of the Connecticut Assmbly to properly supply his troops, who have "the honour & fortune to be the foremost i.e. the fartherest advancd of any of yo 4. Conit Regt." Apologizes for being so bold with his criticisms. Red wax seal with impression.
Jabez Huntington was a prominent politican and military advisor from Norwich, Connecticut during the Revolution. He made his fortune in the West Indies trade.
Wheatly purchased the enslaved woman Phillis Wheatley, famous for her poetry, in 1761.
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