Weissenfels, Frederick (1738-1806) 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 #: GLC02437.03388 Author/Creator: Weissenfels, Frederick (1738-1806) Place Written: s.l. Type: Autograph letter signed Date: 22 December 1786 Pagination: 3 p. : docket ; 23.6 x 18.9 cm. Order a Copy
Writes that when he last saw Knox, "at the Door of my present unhappy confinement," he asked for his intercession, and Knox told him that when the time arrived that he needed Knox's help, he should remind him. Believes the time is now, and that Knox can influence "sundry Gentlemen Especially his Excellency the Governor" in his favor. Writes, "I have suffered Eighteen Months imprisonment, under grievous and [necessitious?] Circumstances, reduced to Extream [sic] want in my self and family, nevertheless I Honor the Laws of my Country, neither have I any desingn [sic], to Exculpate my self from the imprudency I might have inadvertently Comitted [sic], at the Same time my Sensibility is in a lively agitation When I behold myself friendless and- Crushed under the Severest Censures, as if nothing Else but Desingn [sic], Extravagancy or Dissipation, were the occasion of my present Embarrassement [sic]." Recommends his eldest son, who bears the letter, to Knox's notice.
Prussian-born Frederick Baron de Weissenfels emigrated to America in the 1760s. During the Revolutionary War, he served as lieutenant-colonel of the 3d New York battalion (1776), and afterward commanded the 2d New York battalion at White Plains, Trenton, the surrender of Burgoyne, and the battle of Monmouth.
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.