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.

Reed, Joseph (1741-1785) to Charles Lee

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Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC02497.15 Author/Creator: Reed, Joseph (1741-1785) Place Written: s.l. Type: Autograph letter signed Date: 2 November 1776 Pagination: 1 p. : address : docket ; 20.4 x 16.5 cm. Order a Copy

Written by Colonel Reed as Adjutant General of the Continental Army to General Lee. Says in consequence of his note, General Washington has ordered General Putnam to send a party to Tarrytown. If the party feels Washington should, he'll detach a body of troops to deal with the enemy. A regiment is being sent to reinforce General Beall. Says to let Washington know if anything else occurs. This was written around the time Reed and Lee were exchanging letters criticizing Washington for his performance during the previous campaign in New York. Washington discovered the correspondence when he accidentally opened a letter Lee sent to Reed in late November 1776, and was personally hurt. Someone has written "Henry Lee" in pencil under the salutation "Dear General." This identification is impossible because Henry Lee was only a captain when this was written.

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