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.

Dundas, Ralph (b. 1732) to James Dundas

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 #: GLC03676.05 Author/Creator: Dundas, Ralph (b. 1732) Place Written: New York, New York Type: Autograph letter signed Date: 6 November 1781 Pagination: 2 p. : address : docket ; 22.5 x 18.5 cm. Order a Copy

Dundas, the British captain of the H. M. S. Bonetta, informs his brother James that he was made "a Prisoner to France" and in New York on parole. Discusses the British capitulation at the Battle of Yorktown: "we lost our Ground Inch by Inch and did not Surrender untill our Ammunition was exausted and but five Days Provisions." Notes that the "Bonetta was to be at the Disposal of Lo Cornwallis to carry his Dispatches." Mentions dead and wounded. The articles of capitulation at Yorktown specified that the Bonetta would be permitted to return to New York with to correspondence for Sir Henry Clinton.

Dundas, Ralph, 1732-?
Dundas, James, 1752-1831

Citation Guidelines for Online Resources