Colonial America and the Revolution

The papers of Alexander Hamilton (ca. 1757-1804), first treasury secretary of the United States, consist of his personal and public correspondence, including his experience as a Revolutionary War officer and aide-de-camp to General George Washington.

This digital collection brings together material from numerous South Caroliniana Library collections to document the experiences of South Carolinians during the American Revolutionary War—both within and outside of the state. Materials contained in the collection include the personal papers of soldiers, statesmen, merchants, planters, and diplomats, and prints, paintings and other artwork drawn from the extensive visual image archive of the South Caroliniana Library.

The papers of statesman, publisher, scientist, and diplomat Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790) consist of approximately 8,000 items spanning the years 1726 to 1907, with most dating from the 1770s and 1780s.

The papers deal with the problems of raising troops, securing money for payment, and obtaining adequate military equipment and food supplies. While the state militia was employed in service to the newly-formed United States, county defense was also frequently discussed.

The complete George Washington Papers collection from the Manuscript Division at the Library of Congress consists of approximately 65,000 documents. This is the largest collection of original Washington documents in the world. Document types in the collection include correspondence, letterbooks, commonplace books, diaries, journals, financial account books, military records, reports, and notes accumulated by Washington from 1741 through 1799. The collection includes a timeline of Washington's service during the American Revolution.

The 76-item digital collection consists primarily of letters written to and from Colonel Israel Shreve from 1776 to 1793, with the bulk of the correspondence taking place from 1777 to 1780. Written while Shreve was Colonel of the Second Regiment of New Jersey during the Revolutionary War, the letters are between Shreve and other officers in George Washington's Continental Army – including General George Washington himself.

The Madison Papers consist of approximately 12,000 items captured in some 72,000 digital images. They document the life of the man who came to be known as the "Father of the Constitution" through correspondence, personal notes, drafts of letters and legislation, an autobiography, legal and financial documents, and miscellaneous manuscripts. The collection includes a timeline that examines Madison's career during the American Revolution.

Meshech Weare (1713–1786) was a New Hampshire farmer, lawyer, and a revolutionary politician who represented the Seabrook and Hampton Falls area. Weare served as the first President of New Hampshire from 1776 to 1785. Weare's papers reside in the NH State Archives, and were selected for inclusion in the NH Citizen Archivists' Initiative.

The Rufus Putnam Papers is a collection that includes the correspondence, documents, diaries, and memorandums of General Rufus Putnam (1738-1824), Revolutionary War Army officer, superintendent of the Ohio Company of Associates, and surveyor general of the United States. The manuscript collection reflects the hazardous economic, military, and political life of this pioneer era.

The Skipwith Revolutionary War Collection consists primarily of the papers of Nathanael Greene, Major-General of the Continental Army. During the latter years of the war, Greene commanded the Southern Army, which had suffered from weaker commanders.

Jefferson's papers consist of approximately 27,000 documents ranging in date from 1606 to 1827. Correspondence, memoranda, notes, and drafts of documents make up two-thirds of the collection. Jefferson's activities as a delegate to the second Continental Congress, his drafting of the Declaration of Independence in June-July 1776, and his service as governor of Virginia, 1779-81, are well documented. The collection includes a timeline of Jefferson's activities during the years 1774 to 1783.

John Trumbull is considered one of the "Founding Fathers of American Art." This fascinating personality is connected not only to the development of American art, but also to the tumultuous history of the early American republic.

A collection of letters to and from Anthony Wayne, a Revolutionary War general and friend of George Washington.

Papers of William Bond (d. 1776), a Revolutionary Army officer and colonel in the 25th Regiment of Foot from Massachusetts. Bond led the regiment from July 1775 to August 31, 1776, when he died from an illness at Mount Independence near Fort Ticonderoga.