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| Field name | Value |
|---|---|
| Collection Reference Number | GLC02437.05267 |
| From Archive Folder | The Henry Knox Papers [0103] November-December 1791 |
| Title | William Hull to Henry Knox about building a canal and recent military losses |
| Date | 20 December 1791 |
| Author | Hull, William (1753-1825) |
| Recipient | Knox, Henry |
| Document Type | Correspondence; Military document |
| Content Description | Extended letter concerning the earlier mentioned canal to be built from the Connecticut River to Boston. Describes interactions with Captain [John] Hills, the surveyor, including all of his offers to help Hills. Discusses a recent loss their troops suffered. Hopes the loss will show the importance of establishing a national defense and a proper military establishment. Both he and his wife send their regards to Knox and Mrs. Knox. In a postscript Hull asks Knox to remember his part of the country if there should be an augmentation of troops. |
| Subjects | Revolutionary War General Canals Infrastructure Surveying Commerce Transportation Military History Government and Civics Frontiers and Exploration Westward Expansion Northwest Indian War Northwest Territory American Indian History Standing Army Recruitment Battle Massacre |
| People | Knox, Henry (1750-1806) Hull, William (1753-1825) Hills, John (fl. 1771-1796) |
| Place written | Newton, Massachusetts |
| Theme | Government & Politics; Westward Expansion; Science, Technology, Invention; Industry |
| Sub-collection | The Henry Knox Papers |
| Additional Information | William Hull, an army officer and territorial governor, was born in Derby, Connecticut. At the outbreak of the Revolution Hull joined the first company raised in Derby. He rose to lieutenant colonel in the Massachusetts line of the Continental army in 1779, and fought in most of the major battles in the northern theater. In January 1781 he won recognition for a raid he led on the British outpost at Morrissania. After leaving the service in 1784, Hull took to law and held a number of state and local offices. In 1805, Hull was appointed by Thomas Jefferson to be governor of the Michigan Territory where he developed a code of law and served as superintendent of Indian affairs. During the War of 1812, Hull was appointed brigadier general and commanded a force of 1,200 Ohio volunteers. Hull would later be court-martialed for his surrendering of Detroit during the War and was convicted of cowardice and neglect of duty. He was originally sentenced to be shot but President James Monroe commuted his sentence on the basis of his revolutionary services. Hull spent his later years cultivating a farm in Newton and trying to redeem his name. (William B. Skelton, "William Hull," American National Biography (1999): 455.) |
| Copyright | The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History |
| Module | Settlement, Commerce, Revolution and Reform: 1493-1859 |
| Related documents | Estimate for a canal built between Barnstable and Buzzard's Bay |
| Transcript | Show/hide Download PDF |