Revolutionary War Collection, 1728-1962
(Text converted and initial EAD tagging
provided by Apex Data Services, March 1999.)
Revolutionary War Collection, 1728-1962 Contact Information:
Maryland Historical Society
Manuscripts Department
Maryland Historical Society Library
201 West Monument Street
Baltimore MD 21201-4674
410.685.3750
Fax: 410.385.2105
library@mdhs.org
www.mdhs.org
Descriptive Summary
CLASSIFIED CALENDAR TO THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR COLLECTION
MS 1814
Maryland Historical Society
Baltimore MD 21201-4674
by
William G. LeFurgy
May 1979
Introduction
The Revolutionary War Collection consists of twelve boxes (4.2 cubic feet) of material from 1750 to 1967. A strict chronological arrangement is followed throughout the Collection. All items originally were part of the Manuscript Division Vertical File. At some point, material judged relative to the American Revolution was removed to form a separate, artificial collection.
A general interpretation of the conflict was used in selecting items and resulted in the inclusion of a variety of documentation. Personal letters, muster rolls, military communication and orders, government administrative records, petitions, and many other types of material are included. Most items date from the revolutionary years and collectively detail the event in a broad fashion, with emphasis on military concerns of the Maryland state government. Messages to and from the Governor and Council abound, as do military service records. A significant portion of the Collection dates after the revolution and is for the most part personal in nature: reminicenses, genealogies, literary works, and so on.
This calendar reflects the two main catagories composing the collection: government records and personal papers, Items created or received by the government (local, state, or national) in the course of official business fall into the records category. All items not covered by this definition are defined as personal papers and covered separately.
The two main sections are further broken down into functional sub-groupings as follows:
Government
A. Military - all records other than correspondence dealing with official military activities or concerns. Enrollment lists, pay rolls, returns, reports, accounts and bills, muster rolls, certificates of enlistment, communications, orders, commissions, certificates of substitution, discharges, and financial accounts of disabled soldiers make up most of this section.
B. Correspondence - letters, notes, and memos sent and verified by government officials relating to official concerns, Correspondence of Maryland Governor Eden, Johnson, Lee, and Paca is abundantly represented, as are letters to and from other prominent state, civil and military figures.
C. Oaths of Fidelity - County returns of loyalty oaths sworn to the state from January to March, 1778.
D. General - all official records not falling into the above categories. Included are reports, legislative enactments, depositions, financial accounts, prodeedings of meetings, tax lists, assorted compilation and lists, licencer, petitions, and documents connected with administration of confiscated British property.
Personal Papers
A. Correspondence - letters, notesmand memos of a non-official character sent and received. Items deal with the full range of revolutionary activity.
B. Capt. John Eager Howard accounts and receipts - personal records of military pay tendered soldiers under Howard's command. At the Time of their creation, these documents were private accounts of Howard's own funds used for troop payments, and kept in hope of future reimbursement.
C. General - Material other than described above. Includes newspaper clippings, literary works, legal documents, diaries and reminiscences, accounts and receipts, membership certificates, speeches, and commemorative materials. Much of this section post-dates the Revolution.
* Note: Annotations preceeded by an asterisk (*) indicate a document stamped Archives of Maryland.