"The material which goes to make up the present volume is derived in part from the more important letters preserved in the three series of scrap books designated by the color of their bindings, as the Red, Brown and Black Books, and from the mass of loose papers belonging to the State, now on deposit with the Maryland Historical Society. It is to be noted that the correspondence addressed to the Council shows a progressive increase in volume as the Revolution dragged on. The letters themselves deal with a wide variety of subjects, ranging from vital problems involving the conduct of the war to less important personal matters." These letters cover the critical period of the Revolution when the troops under La Fayette and Washington "were hurrying through Maryland by land and water on their way to Virginia to take part in the operations which were to culminate in the siege of Yorktown and the surrender of Cornwallis…" "The arrival of the French squadron under de Grasse in the Chesapeake late in August, and its successful encounter with the British fleet, had not only made safe the transport of Washington's army down the bay by water, but had put an end to the depredation by raiding parties from the British ships upon the settlements and plantations along the water front of the bay and its tributaries, to which many of the letters refer. The letters also tell us of the occasional revival of Tory activities, especially in Worcester and Somerset counties on the Eastern Shore…"
J. Hall Pleasants
(1930), 2007, CD-ROM, Graphic Images, Searchable, Adobe v6, PC or Mac, 616 pp.
ISBN: 9780788445347
101-CD4534
