Letter from Joseph Mayo to William Temple Franklin. Brussels. Thanks for the copy of Count de Vergennes's letter narrating the surrender of the forces of Cornwallis at Yorktown. Joseph also mentions hearing of the surrender from a local gazette. Prays that this surrender will mean a hastening of peace. The news of "his lordships" disaster reached London on Saturday which caused a hasty meeting of Parliament. Joseph also describes the terms granted to the British in Virginia as perhaps more generous than they would have allowed an American army in a similar situation, with many of the officers being allowed to return to England. Tells of a person having lately seen and conversed with Mr. Henry Laurens in the Tower of London; implies he has been treated with severity and rigor. George Fox's opinion of the Dutchmen's hospitality. Likes Brussels but finds the climate too damp.; American Philosophical Society
Letter from Joseph Hallett to Robert R. Livingston about erecting a "Foundry." Mentions that the colony will need a number of heavy ordinance for its defense.; Contains transcript of letter.; American Philosophical Society
Letter from John Ross to William Temple Franklin. Latest events of the war. Gen. Lord Cornwallis strongly entrenched and currently besieged at Yorktown by land and sea; the English fleet returned to New York badly battered; report of a bloody battle in South Carolina between Gen. Nathanael Greene's army and the British. Mentions the English killed, wounded, and prisoners to be above a thousand.; American Philosophical Society
A first hand narrative of the early years of the American Revolution written by Thomas Sullivan, an Irish-born sergeant serving with the British 49th Regiment of Foot. In polished prose, Sullivan describes the events from his arrival in North America just prior to the Battle of Bunker Hill through his participation in the Long Island, Philadelphia, and New Jersey Campaigns. Among the engagements described are Bunker Hill, Long Island, White Plains, Brandywine, Germantown, and Red Bank, but he reports as well on events that he did not personally witness, drawing liberally upon published sources to fill out his narrative. Two pieces of correspondence detailing these "lifted" accounts are included at the end of the collection. Such events described include the battle of Lexington and Monmouth. Also included are various ledgers detailing the supply of food rations, weapon and ammunition as well as approximations of the deaths and casualties of British and American soldiers. The diary also has a section beginning on page 404 entitled "The Author makes his escape from the English, and Returns back to Philadelphia" wherein he discusses his various reasons for deserting the British army, and likewise documents the travels his wife and himself made to get to Philadelphia in June of 1788. "Seeing American under arms," he wrote, and seeing that the Americans "were striving to throw off the Yoke, under which my native country sunk for many years..." After traveling to White Plains to work as steward to Nathanael Greene, the "diary" ends abruptly with the entry for July 28, 1778.; American Philosophical Society