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British Army Colonial Manuscripts
circa 1752-1807
SC20855

(Originally Boxes 7 and 8 of AT7003)

Quantity: Three Boxes
Access: Open to Research
Acquisition: Unknown
Processed by: John J. R. Templin, Student Intern, College of St. Rose, Albany, New York, November 1991
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Scope and Contents Notes

The British Army Colonial Manuscripts collection (SC20855) can be divided into eight series: General Correspondence; Correspondence Regarding Changes of Command; Correspondence Designating Power of Attorney; Indian Affairs; Requisitions and Demands for Supplies; Extraordinary Expenses; Subsistance and Pay; and Accounts of Provisions and Victuallising the Troops.

The General Correspondence includes letters between various branches of British government; letters of recommendation for individuals, and letters from government officials in Canada.

The correspondence regarding Changes-of-Command primarily refers to Brigadier General Stanwycks and bears the signature of Major General James Abercrombie.

Correspondence designating Power of Attorney was sent to England for and by men serving in North America and the Leeward Islands.

The Indian Affairs folder contains letters from Major Generals Abercrombie and Amherst, Lord Loudon and General Hope and accounts of supplies, rewards and gifts to His Majesty's Indian allies.

Pre-printed forms were not yet in widespread use, so the Requisitions and Demands for Supplies are mainly hand-written letters, demanding everything from gunners' tools to cordwood for fuel.

The Extraordinary Expenses series consists of various vouchers for everything from storage and transport to bills rung up by prisoners of war.

Subsistance and pay vouchers, accounts and requests and the accounts of the several paymasters-general are included in the Subsistance and Pay series, which fills Box 1.

The Accounts of Provisions and Victualling the troops deal with contracts and vouchers and for the feeding of the troops in North America, Grenada, the Leeward Islands, the Caribbean and Gibraltar.

Also included in this collection are two indexes dating to the late 1800s or early 1900s (prior to 1911).

Series Description
1 Accounts and vouchers for subsistance and pay for His Majesty's forces in North America, the Leeward Islands, Grenada, Gibraltar, the "Charibee" Islands (U.S. Virgin Islands), and for various civilian adjuncts. Box 1, folders 1-8.
2 Requests for supplies, orders to supply various regiments, etc. Box 2, folders 9 and 10.
3 Vouchers and claims for "extraordinary expenses," such as storage and transport of provisions, officers or men and the purchase of the Bishop's Palace at Sorel. Box 2, folders 11-14.
4 Accounts of and vouchers for Provisions and "victuallising" His Majesty's troops, and a number of Loyalists widowed or orphaned after the Colonial Rebellion. Box 2, folders 15 and 16.
5 General Correspondence: letters between the Lords Commissioners of His Majesty's Treasury and the Comptrollers of the Accounts of the Army, letters to and from various Canadian government officials (most notably Lieutenant Governor Hamilton and Governor-General Haldimand) and military officers (including Generals Matthew, Leslie, Hopson and Amherst). Also included are letters of recommendation for two civilians. Box 3, folders 17-20.
6 Letters designating power of Attorney to John Barber for Captain Henry Boyle Graves; to James Russell for Lieutenant Lewis Waller; to David Geddes for Lieutenant Colonel James Hamilton and to Patrick Brett for Captain Robert Menkton. Box 3, folder 21.
7 Letters regarding changes-of-command involving Major General James Abercrombie, Brigadier General Lawrence, Brigadier General Stanwycks, Brigadier General Prideaux, Major General Amherst, Brigadier General Gage. Box 3, folder 22.
8 Correspondence from Major General Jeffrey Amherst, the Earl of Loudon, and Major General Abercrombie regarding payments for the Agent and Superintendent of the Several Nations of Indians Inhabiting the Frontiers of Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia. Accounts of supplies, gifts and rewards for Indians. Letter from General Henry Hope regarding pay for Sir John Johnson, Inspector General and Superintendent General of Indian Affairs. Box 3, folder 23.
9 Original (late 1800s/early 1900s) indexes for this collection. Box 3, folder 24.


Box Folder Descriptive Chronology
    Subsistance and Pay
1 1 December 1752 - September 1767
1 2 October 1767 - June 1768
1 3 June 1771 - June 1776
1 4 August 1776 - March 1778
1 5 May 1778 - September 1778
1 6 September 1778 - October 1779
1 7 May 1780 - June 1781
1 8 August 1781 - September 1797
    Requisition of Supplies
1 9 February 1756 - July 1770
1 10 November 1774 - September 1783
    Extraordinary Expenses
2 11 November 1752 - November 1774
2 12 January 1775 - August 1779
2 13 August 1779 - October 1784
2 14 October 1784 - April 1800
    Provisions and "Victuallising"
2 15 October 1760 - December 1767
2 16 February 1768 - April 1781
    General Correspondence
3 17 December 1760 - March 1763
3 18 May 1763 - January 1778
3 19 October 1780 - October 1782
3 20 November 1782 - December 1807
    Correspondence Designating Power of Attorney
3 21 November 1765 - September 1790
    Correspondence Regarding Changes of Command
3 22 March 1758 - January 1781
    Correspondence and Accounts Regarding Indian Affairs
3 23 March 1757 - March 1786
3 24 No dates are listed; however, based on paper, style of writing, etc., it is probable that these were written sometime between 1880 and 1905.
Last Updated: February 15, 2022