1779 Letter Between Prominent Members of the American Revolutionary Army Conveying Desperation and Plan for Support Following Tyron’s Raid on Connecticut

On offer is an outstanding piece of American history – a letter from the American Revolutionary War imploring a well-known commander to come to the aid of a Connecticut town that was raided by a British army. The letter was written by Isaac Baldwin, a local prominent citizen of the Connecticut town of New Haven and Assistant Quartermaster General in the Revolutionary army. In it he pleads with Captain Edward Rogers to send as many teams of horses as possible to move flour to a neighboring town. 

An excerpt from the letter follows: 

“Dear Sir You have undoubtedly heard before this that the Enemy have invaded Newhaven & that the militia are assembling from every quarter for its relief. Must therefore beg of you to send us as many teams as you can possibly raise to transport flour from the Magazine to Litchfield…”

The Enemy of course was the British army. The military action was Tryon’s Raid in which 2,700 men under Major General Richard Tryon raided several Connecticut ports in an effort to draw George Washington out into combat. 

Although the raid caused much suffering among the civilian populations, it was unsuccessful as a military tactic.

Captain Edward Rogers was a farmer, manufacturer, and merchant in Cornwall Connecticut. He was active in both military and civil service and served during the French and Indian War and the United States War of Independence. He took part in the Revolutionary War defending against the British Raid on Danbury, Connecticut. Rogers was well-known (and respected) for his generosity towards the men he recruited during the Revolutionary War. He frequently paid his troops wages and expenses out of his own pocket when the new Congress did not have the funds to do so. Although he kept records of all such expenses, Congress never did reimburse him, despite many efforts on his part and his heirs to be repaid. We suspect that the accounts listed on the reverse of this letter were related to his personal expenditures for his men.

At the bottom of the letter is Rogers response:

“Am pleased to send forward all the teams from Sharon to Litchfield for the flour is much wanted immediately”.

For a student of the American Revolution, this is a superb piece of primary source material. For any patriotic American, this letter is a direct connection to the harrowing days of a new country.

The letter measures 13.5 inches by 7.75 inches. The document is a single sheet of paper and the letter is written on one side. The reverse side bears the name of the recipient. Interestingly, the reverse also bears a list of items purchased, most likely expenditures by the recipient, as referenced above. The letter is in very good condition for its age and the handwriting is quite legible.