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| Field name | Value |
|---|---|
| Collection Reference Number | GLC02437.00553 |
| From Archive Folder | The Henry Knox Papers [0016] January-April 1777 |
| Title | Lucy Knox to Henry Knox about her hardships, child and quoting poetry |
| Date | 18 March 1777 |
| Author | Knox, Lucy Flucker (1756-1824) |
| Recipient | Knox, Henry |
| Document Type | Correspondence |
| Content Description | Badly misses Henry and hopes to hear from him, her only comfort being her young baby, Lucy Flucker Knox. Hopes that he cries when thinking of her hardships. Reports that William Knox, who she calls Billy, has set out for Newburg, in order to purchase stationery which he hopes to sell. Lucy and William Knox reopened the Boston bookstore that Knox had operated before the war began. They tried to sell other stationery items, but were not very successful. Notes that a shipping embargo may begin soon, but feels that it is "privateering" to take the goods of those "innocent people" who are not directly involved in this revolutionary quarrel. Mentions business debts, and worries about the state of the revolution, saying "it grieves me to think you are embarked in a cause so wretchedly managed." In the postscript, which she could write only after crying, she includes a number of lines from Caspipina's Letters on the subject of yearning for a loved one. |
| Subjects | Revolutionary War Revolutionary War General Children and Family Marriage Women's History Book Selling Merchants and Trade Commerce Embargo Privateering Finance Economics Love Letters Literature and Language Arts |
| People | Knox, Henry (1750-1806) Knox, Lucy Flucker (1756-1824) Duché, Jacob (1737-1798) Knox, William (1756-1795) Knox, Lucy Flucker (1776-1854) |
| Place written | Boston, Massachusetts |
| Theme | The American Revolution; Children & Family; Women in American History; Arts & Literature; Merchants & Commerce |
| Sub-collection | The Henry Knox Papers |
| Additional Information | Jacob Duche was a Philadelphia clergyman. In 1774 he wrote Caspinina's Letters, a commentary on American society written as a series of letters by the fictional Tamoc Caspipina. When the revolution began Duche was a strong supporter at first, and became the first Chaplain to the Continental Congress. But in October 1777, after the British had taken Philadelphia, he came to see the war as futile, and wrote to George Washington asking him to end the revolution. When this became publicly known Duche was forced to flee to Britain. At the time of this letter however, he was still a well regarded figure. Lucy Flucker Knox was the oldest daughter of Henry Knox and Lucy Flucker Knox |
| Copyright | The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History |
| Module | Settlement, Commerce, Revolution and Reform: 1493-1859 |
| Transcript | Show/hide Download PDF |