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.

Jackson, William (1759-1828) 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 #: GLC02437.05115 Author/Creator: Jackson, William (1759-1828) Place Written: s.l. Type: Autograph letter signed Date: 12 August 1791 Pagination: 1 p. ; 24 x 19.9 cm. Order a Copy

Signed in text in the third person by President George Washington's secretary William Jackson. Says he is writing by the President's command to transmit a letter (see GLC02437.04963)
addressed to the President from Behague, Governor of the French Windward Islands. Behague was soliciting a diploma for himself from the Society of the Cincinnati. The letter also asks for a diploma for Fressinaux. Reports that the President wants "General Knox to make such answer to M. Behague's letter [if] he may think proper, and the circumstances the case will authorise."

Jackson was the national secretary of the Society of the Cincinnati from 1800 until his death in 1828.

Citation Guidelines for Online Resources