Knox, Henry (1750-1806) to William Gordon
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Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC02437.03257 Author/Creator: Knox, Henry (1750-1806) Place Written: New York, New York Type: Autograph letter signed Date: 2 April 1786 Pagination: 3 p. : docket ; 32.2 x 20.2 cm. Order a Copy
Writes that he is unaware of a present being sent from the King of France to General George Washington; declares that Colonel Laurens received money and goods but he thought they had been purchased. Provides information about a wartime incident featuring General Washington and the Comte de Grasse (much of this section is crossed out). May have been verifying information for the Reverend Doctor Gordon's history of the war (see GLC02437.03248). See GLC02437.03258 for a legible copy of the section describing this incident.
It is unclear whether Knox is referring to Colonel Henry Laurens (1724-1792), a South Carolina statesman who did not serve in the Revolution but was a diplomat in France during the peace treaty talks in 1783, or his son Colonel John Laurens (1754-1782), an aide-de-camp of Washington who was killed in battle in 1782. Knox does not provide a time frame for the incident to which he refers, so the Laurens in question cannot be ascertained.
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