Hawkins, Benjamin (1754-1816) to Henry Knox
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 #: GLC02437.02513 Author/Creator: Hawkins, Benjamin (1754-1816) Place Written: Princeton, New Jersey Type: Autograph letter signed Date: 14 September 1783 Pagination: 1 p. : address : docket ; 22.8 x 18.3 cm. Order a Copy
Written by Confederation Congressman Hawkins to Major General Knox. Encloses a letter for Captain Hopkins from General Robert Howe (not included here). Mentions that there are dispatches from diplomats before Congress. Says "I can only inform you that the definitive treaty was not signed on the 27th of July."
Benjamin Hawkins, usually known as Colonel Hawkins, was an American farmer, statesman, and Indian agent from North Carolina. He was a delegate to the Continental Congress and a United States Senator, as well as a long term diplomat and agent to the Creek Indians. Hawkins was commissioned a Colonel and served on George Washington's staff, assisting with French translation. He was released from federal service late in 1777 and was elected to the North Carolina House of Representatives in 1778. He served there until 1779, and again in 1784. The Carolina Assembly sent him to the Continental Congress as their delegate from 1781 to 1783, and again in 1787. In 1789, he was a delegate in the North Carolina convention that ratified the United States Constitution. He was then elected to the first U.S. Senate and served from 1789 to 1795. Early in his Senate career, he was counted in the ranks of those Senators viewed as Pro-Administration, but by the third congress, he generally sided with Senators of the Republican or Anti-Administration Party. In 1796 President Washington appointed him General Superintendent of Indian Affairs dealing with all tribes south of the Ohio River and he moved to Crawford County, Georgia, where he lived until his death in 1816.
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.