1From Thomas Jefferson to William Preston, 18 August 1768 (Jefferson Papers)
I sit down to petition your suffrage in favor of a friend, whose virtues and abilities have made him such to me, and will give him equal place in your esteem whenever you have an opportunity of becoming acquainted with them. The gentleman I speak of is the Revd. James Fontaine, who offers himself as a candidate for the place of chaplain to the house of burgesses. I do not wish to derogate from...
2From Thomas Jefferson to William Preston, 7 August 1779 (Jefferson Papers)
You are desired to call together your feild officers and in conjunction with them to recommend to the Executive a Lieutenant and an Ensign to take command in one of the battalions to be raised for the defence of the Western frontier under an act of the late assembly intit[uled ‘an] act for raising a body of troops for the defence of the Commonwealth.’ The men to be raised in your county under...
3From Thomas Jefferson to William Preston, 15 October 1779 (Jefferson Papers)
Having heard the disagreeable news of your illness, and that there was a doubt whether you would recover in time to attend to the duties of the commission for settling the Western titles, and the executing that commission being of very great importence, the executive has been induced, considering the great distance and the delays that would occasion, to direct the inclosed commission to be...
4From Thomas Jefferson to William Preston, 22 October 1779 (Jefferson Papers)
Mrs. Byrd the other day inclosed to me copies of two entries under your hand, the one for 1000 acres at and near the Lead mines on both sides New river joining Forbes’s and Herbert’s land including the Mine hill, the other for 1000 acres at the big French Salt lick on the S. W. side of Cumberland river near the mouth of Stone’s creek, both made by Colo. Byrd on the 1st. of March 1774 by virtue...
5To Thomas Jefferson from William Preston, March 1780 (Jefferson Papers)
Montgomery County [ Va. ], Mch. 1780 . Has received circumstantial information that “a Number of Men dissafected to the present Government had combined to disturb the Peace of this unhappy Frontier as soon as the Season would Permit and the british Troops could gain any Footing in So. Carolina.” There are now fifteen British commissions in this county and that of Washington. Nor is this the...
6From Thomas Jefferson to William Preston, 21 March 1780 (Jefferson Papers)
I am sorry to hear that there are persons in your quarters so far discontented with the present government as to combine with it’s enemies to destroy it. I trust they have no greivance but what we all feel in common, as being forced on us by those to whom they would now join themselves. Had any such grievances existed complaint and refusal of redress should have preceded violence. The measures...
7From Thomas Jefferson to William Preston, 15 June 1780 (Jefferson Papers)
The present campaign promises our handsful of emploiment from every quarter. Of this you are likely to have your share. While we are threatned with a formidable attack from the northward on our Ohio settlements and from the southern indians on our frontiers convenient to them, our eastern country is exposed to invasion from the British army in Carolina. To the counties of Washington and...
8From Thomas Jefferson to William Preston, 22 June 1780 (Jefferson Papers)
Since my Letter directing the Guards from the Lead mines to escort the ammunition to Kentucky, I am informed that those men have not arms. Should this be the case it will be necessary that they should either be furnished with arms public or private or that a guard of the militia from the counties of Montgomery and Washington should go, the numbers from each county to be furnished in proportion...
9From Thomas Jefferson to William Preston, 28 June 1780 (Jefferson Papers)
Since my last letter to you we have concluded to send from hence fifty stand of arms for the regulars at the mines, which with a few at Colo. Fleming’s and such as you have fit for service wi[ll] arm the regulars at the Leadmines so that they may escor[t] the ammunition to Kentucky and render an escort of iniliti[a unnecessary. Such of the arms as you have, unfit to be de[livered to them, be...
10From Thomas Jefferson to William Preston, 3 July 1780 (Jefferson Papers)
The measures you have taken for the preservation of the Leadmines by calling in the militia of Montgomery Washington and Botetourt are as wise as could have been advised, and as effectual as, in the present State of things, can be administered. The distress of the Western Frontier is much too general to confine Crocket’s battalion to a single part. It is indispensably necessary that he proceed...