Bankson, Jacob (fl. 1786) to Henry Knox
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Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC02437.10208 Author/Creator: Bankson, Jacob (fl. 1786) Place Written: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Type: Autograph letter signed Date: 22 November 1786 Pagination: 1 p. : address : docket ; 39.2 x 24.1 cm. Order a Copy
Reports to Knox about the state of a case concerning Captain James Lee "formerly of the Artillery [who] has made application to the...Court in Consequence of an Injury he received in the Service of his Country..." Mentions General Varnum and a Colonel [Thaire ?] as witnesses to prove that Lee had a furlough and a doctor's certificate. Address leaf marked with a postage stamp "25 NO" and has a reddish stain where the letter was sealed. Watermarked with hunting horn in a crest and "J. De Busscher." "Free" stamped on address leaf with no signature.
Varnum advocated allowing African Americans to enlist in the Continental Army, which resulted in the reformation of the 1st Rhode Island Regiment as an all-black unit. He was later appointed major general of Rhode Island militia and represented Rhode Island in the Continental Congress from 1780-1781 and in 1787. Lee was most likely the captain of the First Pennsylvania Artillery Regiment in Philadelphia and assisted Knox at West Point.
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