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| Field name | Value |
|---|---|
| Collection Reference Number | GLC00513 |
| From Archive Folder | Documents Relating to 1781 |
| Title | Richard Henry Lee to William Davies regarding the arms taken from militiamen at Gloucester |
| Date | 3 November 1781 |
| Author | Lee, Richard Henry (1732-1794) |
| Recipient | Davies, William |
| Document Type | Correspondence; Military document |
| Content Description | Written by Lee, a signer of the Declaration of Independence, as a legislator in the Virginia Assembly to Davies as Commissioner of the Virginia War Office in Richmond. Asks Davies to see that arms taken from militiamen at Gloucester, probably used at the battle of Yorktown, be returned to them. Says near 200 arms were taken from the militia and they have returned home unarmed. Says the situation leaves 40 miles along the shores of his county "exposed to the ravage of piratical vessels." Says General George Weedon told him that the government detained the arms to furnish militia rotations, but says this should not apply to the Gloucester militia who stayed in the county for the entire siege. The folio page has been cut in half and the letter is pasted on one side of a white piece of paper and the address and docket on the verso of that paper. This creates a 1.5" border around the original letter. |
| Subjects | Battle (Siege, Surrender) of Yorktown Revolutionary War Military History Militia Weaponry Privateering Maritime |
| People | Lee, Richard Henry (1732-1794) |
| Place written | Chantilly, Virginia |
| Theme | Naval & Maritime |
| Sub-collection | The Gilder Lehrman Collection, 1493-1859 |
| Copyright | The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History |
| Module | Settlement, Commerce, Revolution and Reform: 1493-1859 |