Papers of Daniel Brodhead, 1779-1781 [electronic resource].

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Papers of Daniel Brodhead, 1779-1781 [electronic resource].

http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/671395145

The items in this collection contain instructions sent by Daniel Brodhead from Fort Pitt during his tenure as commander of the Western Department. They reveal the recurring difficulties posed by food shortages, lack of money, uncooperative officers, and raids conducted by hostile Indian tribes, which prompted settlers in the area to abandon their property. Also documented are plans for military maneuvers and logistical matters such as the transferring of soldiers and supplies between forts. "Instructions to Officers on Different Commands and at Different Posts" consists of copies of orders sent to military personnel stationed primarily at surrounding forts, including Armstrong, McIntosh, Laurens, Wheeling, and Tuscarora. The orders communicate instructions from Brodhead, as well as relaying commands from other government officials, including George Washington (referred to as "his Excellency the Commander in Chief"). A number of the orders, as well as the two letters in the collection, are addressed to Archibald Lochry, a colonel in command of troops from Westmoreland County. In 1781, he would die in a battle known as "Lochry's defeat," after an ambush by British and Indian forces while en route to a planned attack on Fort Detroit. The Darlington Autograph collection (noted below in the Related Materials section) also contains a number of Lochry's letters. Correspondence of Lochry Other recipients of the commands include John Bayard, George Rogers Clark, and Frederick Vernon. Specific instructions pertain to the building of a stockade at Kittanning (later to be known as Fort Armstrong), the procurement of supplies from settlers through compulsion, and reconnoitering expeditions into Indian Territory. Brodhead writes of his frustrations resulting from officers ignoring his orders and settlers abandoning their property due to Indian attacks.

1 vol + 2 letters.

University of Pittsburgh

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SNAC Resource ID: 7965333

University of Pittsburgh

Related Entities

There are 6 Entities related to this resource.

University of Pittsburgh. University Library System. Digital Research Library.

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Gibson, John, 1740-1822

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w69s1rdd (person)

Revolutionary War officer and Secretary of Indiana Territory, 1800-1816. From the description of John Gibson papers, 1770-1812. (Detroit Public Library). WorldCat record id: 429901716 Soldier and Indian trader on the Pennsylvania frontier, 1758-1782; post-Revolutionary War Alleghany County, Pa., judge and militia officer; and secretary of the Indiana Territory, 1800-1816. From 1781-1782, Gibson was commanding officer at Fort Pitt. From th...

Washington, George, 1732-1799

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George Washington (b. Feb. 22, 1732, Westmoreland County, Va.-d. Dec. 14, 1799, Mount Vernon, VA) was the first president of the United States, serving from 1789 to 1797. Washington came from a family of farmers and landowners. He had little education but showed an aptitude for mathematics. He used this talent to become a surveyor. At 15, Washington took a job as assistant surveyor on a team sent to map the Shenandoah Valley in western Virginia. In his early 20s, Washington joined the Virgin...

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Brodhead, Daniel, 1736-1809

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w67w6mjv (person)

Born in 1736 in Marblehead, New York, Daniel Brodhead served as a colonel in the Revolutionary War, commanding the Western Department from his headquarters at Fort Pitt from 1779 to 1781. In the years preceding the outbreak of war, Brodhead operated a gristmill and worked as a deputy-surveyor for the colony of Pennsylvania. Disturbed by the passage of the Coercive Acts in 1774, Brodhead represented Berks County at a protest congress held in Philadelphia. In 1776, he was commissioned as an office...

Pennsylvania. Militia. Pennsylvania Regiment, 4th.

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