Letters from the Front: Mr. Hood's Account of 2nd Trenton

"The Enemy advanced abt. half way over the Bridge when they were repulsed it is supposed with considerable loss as a heavy fire was kept up both in front & flank with The Artillery & Musquetry for abt. 12 Minutes..."

Among the most out-standing documents in the Letters from the Front collection is Mr. Hood's Account of the Second Battle of Trenton, which took place on January 2, 1777. Hood served with the 3rd Battalion, Pennsylvania Associators, under the command of General John Cadawallader, whose crossing on December 27th led to Washington's re-occupation of Trenton on December 30th. His account begins on near midnight of December 31, 1776, when his unit was recalled from its position in Crosswicks, NJ, to join the main Continental Army at Trenton. From there, Hood chronicles the second battle of Trenton, the night march to Princeton, and the engagement outside the town on the morning of January 3rd. Hood concludes with the American advance to Morristown after the victory at Princeton. For the full account, continue below.

We wish all of our readers a Happy New Year and look forward to new posts in 2012!

WPTIII

Swain Report Special: War Office 28, Regimental HQ Papers, Installment 9

In this final installment of his on-going catalog of British War Office 28 (Miscellaneous Regimental Headquarters Papers from Canada), Library Research Assistant David Swain probes the returns of various Loyalist Corps, along with miscellaneous letters and records relating to the Indian Department. As with the other parts of this series, these documents serve a vital role in filling in the gaps in our understanding of British operations launched from Canada. The returns of Loyalist Corps in particular offer a means for understanding how the British Army struggled to incorporate Loyal Americans who fled to Canada and offered their military service. The Loyalist experience here was in marked contrast to the main British Army operating in the 13 more southerly colonies, as has been discussed in a previous entry. The records for the Indian Department provide an equaly important portal into the experience of another marginalized group of British combatants: the native tribes who kept their allegiance to Britain, along with the British Officers and Loyalists who worked closely with them. The remaining documents provide insights into the demographic composition of British and German units in the theatre, as well as general operations.

 Our sincere thanks go to David Swain for making this collection of material more accessible than it has ever been, and we hope our readers will embrace this opportunity to engage with these sources.

WPTIII

28.10 Miscellaneous returns, letters, and papers; Indian Department (Reel 8)

Summary contents:

 Returns relating to Loyalists—John Peters’ Queen’s Loyal Rangers, Ebenezer Jessup’s King’s Loyal Americans, Sir John Johnson’s 2nd Battalion, Daniel McAlpin’s Corps of Volunteers, 1777-1778: 58 documents; documents 1 through 58; printed page numbers 1 through 65

 Returns relating to Loyalists—Captain Daniel McAlpin’s Corps of Volunteers, 1779: 2 documents; documents 59 through 60; printed page numbers 66 through 68

 Returns relating to Loyalist Corps, 1780: 28 documents; documents 61 through 88; printed page numbers 69 through 110

 Returns relating to Loyalist Corps, 1781: 20 documents; documents 89 through 108; printed page numbers 111 through 130

 Returns relating to Loyalist, Regular Army, and Brunswick Regiments, 1782: 18 documents; documents 109 through 126; printed page numbers 131 through 175

 Returns relating to Loyalist, Regular Army, and Brunswick Regiments, 1783: 38 documents; documents 127 through 164; printed page numbers 176 through 281

 Miscellaneous letters, 1778-1783: 25 documents; documents 165 through 189; printed page numbers 282 through 321

 Original letters delivered to Brigade Major Skone [Shane ?] by Major Alexander Fraser, June 25, 1785: 34 documents; documents 190 through 223; printed page numbers 322 through 373

 Indian Department, letters and papers, 1775-1782 and 1785-1797: 40 documents; documents 224 through 263; printed page numbers 374 through 443

For the full catalog, read below.