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.

Shepard, William (1737-1817) [Grievances of the Fourth Massachusetts Regiment]

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 #: GLC02437.10056 Author/Creator: Shepard, William (1737-1817) Place Written: s.l. Type: Manuscript document signed Date: 19 November 1782 Pagination: 3 p. : address : docket ; 35.5. x 23.3 cm. Order a Copy

Addressed to Colonel [John] Greaton, part of a committee, with Henry Knox, chosen to present the regiment's grievances to Congress. Colonel Shepard, Captain Isaac Pope and [Surgeon] Daniel Shute present grievances regarding lack of pay and lack of financial security for veteran soldiers, among others. They write, "We wish the Committee to inform Congress that unless they take up this matter respecting our grievances and redress them... we are fully convinced that we shall be under the disagreeable necessity of returning our commissions to that power from which they originated..."

Shepard, William, 1737-1817
Pope, Isaac, fl. 1782
Shute, Daniel, 1756-1829
Greaton, John, 1741-1783

Citation Guidelines for Online Resources