181To George Washington from Henry Laurens, 22 November 1777 (Washington Papers)
The last I had the honour of writing to you was dated the 19th. Your Excellency’s Letter of the 17th in which was inclosed Copy of a paper from Mr Zantzinger & a Return of deficiencies in Clothing for the Army came Since to hand & have been presented to Congress—& by their order Committed to the Board of War & Treasury from whence no Reports have yet come up, I am thereby left without...
182To George Washington from Henry Laurens, 17 April 1778 (Washington Papers)
I had the honor of addressing Your Excellency the 14th by Barry. I am now to present & refer Your Excellency to two Acts of Congress which will accompany this. 1. of the 14th for empowering the Commissary of purchases to appoint & remove subordinate Officers & for divers establishments & regulations in that department. 2. of the 15th for appointing the Honorable Major General Gates to the...
183To George Washington from Henry Laurens, 17 December 1777 (Washington Papers)
I had this Morning the honour of receiving Your Excellency’s dispatch dated 14th & 15th Currt inclosing Copy of a Letter from Lt Genl Burgoyne, which, without reading them through, I sent directly to Congress, from whence I am this moment charged with a Resolve, formed, I presume, as the present necessary direction for a reply to the British General’s application to your Excellency. The...
184To George Washington from Henry Laurens, 7 November 1777 (Washington Papers)
I had the honour of writing to you the 4th & 5th by the conveyance of the Express Wm Jones since which Your Excellency’s dispatch under the 1st & 3d Currt with several inclosed papers reached me, were immediately Reported to Congress & Committed to the Board of War. My present duty is to forward the following recited Minutes & Resolves. Of the 1st Inst: for observing the 18th December next as...
185To George Washington from Henry Laurens, 14 January 1778 (Washington Papers)
Since the date of my last the 5th Inst. I have been honoured by the receipt of Your Excellency’s Several Letters of the 2d 4th 5th & 9th all which, together with Copy of a Letter to Major Genl Gates have been in course reported to Congress—a Sealed packet under Your Excellency’s direction to Genl Gates, I forwarded to day to Reading where I expect it will meet the Genl. Your Excellency will...
186To George Washington from Henry Laurens, 20 November 1778 (Washington Papers)
I feel myself doubly honoured by your favor of the 14th Inst. from the confidence of General Washington in the free communication of his sentiments & in the coincidence of his Ideas with my own, upon a question, on the wise decision of which the Inheritance, possibly the establishment, of the freedom & Independence of these States, seems to depend. The respect Sir, which I owe you, demands an...
187The American Peace Commissioners: Declaration of the Cessation of Arms, 20 February 1783 (Franklin Papers)
ADS and AD (draft): Massachusetts Historical Society; copies: Massachusetts Historical Society, Library of Congress; transcript: National Archives By the Ministers Plenipotentiary of the United States of America for making Peace with Great Britain: A Declaration of the Cessation of Arms, as well by Sea, as Land, agreed upon between His Majesty the King of Great Britain and the United States of...
Arrived Sunday 14th. April 1782. late in the afternoon at Leyden, lodged at the Golden Lion. 15th. at 5 oClock am. sent Mr. V by the Trekschoat to Amsterdam with a Message to Mr. A. “That I should be at Harlem where I requested he would meet me that day at the Golden Lyon, my business was of importance and respected a Treaty for Peace that being a Prisoner upon Parole I did not think it would...
189Proposed Explanatory Article Regarding Article 6 of the Provisional Peace Treaty, [ca. 27 April 1783] (Adams Papers)
Whereas, by the 6 th. Article of the Provisional Treaty of the 30 th of November 1782, it was agreed in these Words vizt “That there Shall be no future Confiscations made, nor any Prosecutions commenced, against any Person or Persons, for, or by Reason of, the Part which he or they may have taken in the present War, and that no Person Shall on that Account, Suffer any future Loss or Damage,...
190Draft Articles to Supplement the Preliminary Anglo-American Peace Treaty, [ca. 27 April 1783] (Adams Papers)
Articles agreed upon by and between David Hartley Esquire, Minister Plenipotentiary of his Britannic Majesty for &c in behalf of his Said Majesty on the one Part, and J.A. B.F. J.J. and H.L, Ministers Plenipotentiary of the United States of America for treating of Peace with the Minister Plenipotentiary of his Said Majesty, on their behalf, on the other Part, in Addition to those Articles...
Article. Commerce to be in force for Five Years unless sooner altered by a Treaty of Commerce 1. It is agreed that so soon as his Britannic Majesty, shall have withdrawn all his Armies Garrisons and Fleets, from the Said United states and from every Port Place and Harbour within the Same, according to the 7 Article of the Provisional Treaty of 30 Nov. 1782 all Ports in the Dominions of either...
192The American Peace Commissioners: Commission for William Temple Franklin, [1 October 1782] (Franklin Papers)
DS : Yale University Library; copies: Library of Congress (two), American Philosophical Society, Massachusetts Historical Society The present document, penned by William Temple Franklin on October 1, was most likely signed by Franklin the same day. It was eventually signed by all the peace commissioners, but not without hesitation (on the part of John Jay) and outright hostility (on the part...
193Henry Laurens’ Account of a Conversation with John Adams on the Peace Negotiations, 19 December 1782 (Adams Papers)
Waited on M r. Adams this Morning & after our conversation on M r. Bridgen’s affair as related in P. S. of a Letter to him. We entered upon the topic of our late preliminaries, I repeated my apprehensions of our having done wrong. M r. Adams persevered in his old opinion & in censuring Count de Vergennes upon whom he said the whole blame would fall, he had been a greater Enemy to the United...
194The American Peace Commissioners: Three Proposed Articles, [29 April 1783] (Franklin Papers)
Copies: Massachusetts Historical Society (three), National Archives (two), William L. Clements Library, Archives du Ministère des affaires étrangères, Library of Congress; press copy of copy: American Philosophical Society; transcript and partial copy: National Archives No. 1. Article It is agreed, that so soon, as his Britannic Majesty shall have withdrawn all his Armies, Garrisons and...
195Preliminary Articles of Peace, [30 November 1782] (Franklin Papers)
DS : Public Record Office; copies: National Archives (six), Library of Congress (three), Massachusetts Historical Society (two), William L. Clements Library; press copies of copies: American Philosophical Society (two); transcripts: National Archives (four) Articles agreed upon, by and between Richard Oswald Esquire, the Commissioner of his Britannic Majesty, for treating of Peace with the...
Article. Manufactures. foreign Commodities. It is agreed, that American Merchants shall be allowed to import into any Part of the Dominions of his Britannic Majesty and there Sell and dispose of any Manufactures of the said United states or any other Merchandizes, of whatever kind of the Growth Production or Manufacture of any Part of the World, for the Purpose of making Remittances and paying...
197The American Peace Commissioners: Passport for British Ships, [3 February 1783] (Franklin Papers)
Copies: Massachusetts Historical Society (three), Library of Congress We John Adams, Benjamin Franklin and John Jay, three of the Ministers Plenipotentiary of the United States of America for making Peace with Great Britain. To all Captains or Commanders of Ships of War, Privateers or armed Vessels belonging to the said States, or to either of them, or to any of the Citizens of the same, And...
198Proposed Article Regarding Article 7 of the Preliminary Peace Treaty, 28 April 1783 (Adams Papers)
Article. His Britannic Majesty agrees, that within Months from this Date, and as much Sooner as may be, he will withdraw all his Armies, Garrisons and Fleets, from the Said United States, and from every Port Place and Harbour within the Same, and without causing any Destruction, or carrying away any Negroes, or other Property of the American Inhabitants, and leaving in all Fortifications the...
199Draft Letter from the American Peace Commissioners to Bariatinskii and Arkadii Markov, [before 15 July 1783] (Franklin Papers)
AL (draft): American Philosophical Society Around July 13, the American commissioners had been given to understand that mediation by the imperial courts was “a mere formality—a mere Compliment, consisting wholly in the Imperial Ministers putting their names & Seals to the parchment, & can have no ill effect.” On that basis, and believing that Vergennes was in favor of it, Adams drafted the...
200Preliminary Articles of Peace, 30 November 1782 (Jay Papers)
Articles agreed upon by and between Richard Oswald Esquire the Commissioner of his Britannic Majesty, for treating of Peace with the Commissioners of the United States of America, in behalf of his said Majesty, on the one part; and John Adams Benjamin Franklin, John Jay, ^ and Henry Laurens, ^ four of the Commissioners of the said States for treating of Peace with the Commissioner of his said...
201The American Peace Commissioners: Acceptance of the British Declaration of the Cessation of Hostilities, [20 January … (Franklin Papers)
Copies: Massachusetts Historical Society (three), National Archives (three), Library of Congress (two), Public Record Office, Archives du Ministère des affaires étrangères; press copy of copy: National Archives; transcripts: National Archives (three) When Franklin, Adams, and William Temple Franklin arrived at Vergennes’ office at ten o’clock on the morning of January 20, they learned that...
202Preliminary Articles of Peace: Second Draft Treaty, [4–7 November 1782] (Franklin Papers)
D and copy: Massachusetts Historical Society; two D and copy: Public Record Office; transcript: National Archives As new American and British negotiators were converging on Paris, Franklin’s isolation in Passy posed certain inconveniences. John Adams arrived on October 26 but, as he initially refused to call on Franklin, the latter was evidently unaware of his arrival until Matthew Ridley...
203Appointment of William Temple Franklin, 1 October 1782 (Jay Papers)
To all to whom these Presents shall come, Benjamin Franklin & John Jay send Greetings. Whereas the United States of America in Congress assembled did on the 15 th . June in the year of our Lord 1781, appoint and constitute the said Benjamin Franklin and John Jay, & John Adams, Henry Laurens and Thomas Jefferson Esquires, and the Majority of them, and of such of them as should assemble for the...