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.

Wadsworth, Jeremiah (1743-1804) to Henry Knox

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Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC02437.03101 Author/Creator: Wadsworth, Jeremiah (1743-1804) Place Written: New York, New York Type: Autograph letter signed Date: 26 February 1785 Pagination: 2 p. : docket ; 23.1 x 21.9 cm. Order a Copy

Wadsworth writes, "It is now in contemplation to appoint you Secretary at Warr- the Salary may possibly be 2500 dollars per annum- which is certainly too small, but small as it is, it is probable it will be 500 dollars less- and not worth Your acceptance." Suggests that if Knox accepts the position, he hire Samuel Blachley Webb to oversee affairs in New York while he remains in Boston.

Wadsworth was a sea captain and merchant who served as deputy and commissary general during the Revolution. He was a member of the Continental Congress in 1788 and was elected to the First, Second, and Third Congresses (4 March 1789 - 3 March 1795). Samuel Blachley (Blatchley in some sources) served as one of George Washington's aides in the Revolutionary War.

Wadsworth, Jeremiah, 1743-1804
Knox, Henry, 1750-1806
Webb, Samuel Blachley, 1753-1807

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