Dates:

1694-1808, bulk 1755-1758

Extent:

166.66 Linear Feet (132 boxes, 4 oversize folders, 1 volume)

Scope and content:

The bulk of items in this subseries relate to John Campbell's role as commander in chief of British forces in colonial North America during the Seven Years' War, from 1756 to 1758. Subjects include British defeats at Fort Oswego and Fort William Henry; Campbell's failed expedition in 1757 to Nova Scotia to attack Fort Louisbourg; British outposts at Fort Edward and Fort No. 4; relationships with colonial governors, military, and assemblies; troop recruitment; frontier defenses; Campbell's commander in chief predecessors Edward Braddock and William Shirley, and his successors James Abercormby and Jeffrey Amherst; and military discipline and court martials, including the trial of Lord Charles Hay, 1759 to 1760. Also present is a small amount of material relating to the Revolutionary War, including letters from American loyalists and British officers; several written in spring 1775 detail the military actions at Lexington, Concord, and Bunker Hill, Massachusetts.

Material consists of correspondence and circular letters, memorials, petitions, warrants for payments, returns (of officers and troops, recruits, artillery and supplies), memoranda, accounts, reports, minutes of councils and courts of inquiry, depositions, intelligence reports, and communications with British officials and cabinet members including the Secretary at War, the Secretary of State, the Board of Trade, and the royal family. Persons who appear frequently in this subseries are listed below.

This subseries contains several plans and maps of forts, roads, battle plans and lines, especially for expeditions in Nova Scotia against Fort Louisbourg on Cape Breton in 1757 (LO 6605, LO 3997) and 1758 (LO 5869, LO 5880).

A number of items pertain to British relations and interactions with Native American leaders and nations, especially the Six Nations of the Iroquois Confederacy (the Cayuga, Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Seneca, and Tuscarora), the Delaware, the Shawnee, the Cherokee, and the Stockbridge. Material includes correspondence and reports of Major General William Johnson, who served as Superintendent of Indian Affairs in the northern colonies as well as Colonel of the Six Nations; Edmond Atkin, Superintendent of Indian Affairs for the southern colonies; and Peter Wraxall, Captain of New York Independent Company and Secretary of Indian Affairs. Also present are records of proceeding, councils, and treaties; intelligence reports from Native Americans; and accounts of gifts for tribes. Individuals documented include Teedyuscung, Delaware chief (including minutes of the Philadelphia council, August 1757), Dyaderowane, Cayuga chief; Ogaghradarisha, Six Nations chief; Canajageya, alias Old Kettle, sachem of the Onondaga, and of the chief of Nanticokes; and Captain Jacob Cheeksaunkun, Lieutenant Jacob Neva Nautphtonk (Naunuhptaung), and Sachem Benjamin of the Stockbridge Community; among others. Note: some spellings of some Native American names are based on original descriptions and may not be accurate.

Military personnel found in this subseries include Major Generals James Abercromby, Peregrine Thomas Hopson, Daniel Webb, and Edward Braddock; Adjutant General John Forbes; Rear Admiral Francis Holburne; John Calcraft, regimental agent; Lieutenant Colonel George Monro; John Winslow, general of provincial troops; Lieutenant Colonel John Bradstreet; James Gabriel Montresor, chief engineer; and a few items of French Lieutenant-general Louis-Joseph, marquis de Montcalm de Saint-Veran. Also present are letters of Lieutenant Colonel James Abercrombie, including several sent from Massachusetts in 1775.

Members of the 60th or Royal American Regiment represented include John Stanwix, colonel commandant 1st Battalion; Henry Bouquet, lieutenant colonel 1st Battalion, 60th Regiment; and James Prevost, colonel 4th Battalion. Other military personnel include Nathaniel Meserve, colonel of New Hampshire troops; Thomas Gage, lieutenant colonel, 44th Regiment; Robert Monckton, lieutenant colonel, 47th Regiment; Ralph Burton, lieutenant colonel, 48th Regiment; Major Charles Craven, 51st Regiment; Robert Rogers, ranging company captain; William Pepperrell, regiment colonel; and secretary to John Campbell, John Appy. Also present are numerous accounts of and warrants for payments to Abraham Mortier, deputy paymaster general at New York. This subseries contains correspondence and documents for numerous colonial governors and leaders including Robert Dinwiddie, William Shirley, Thomas Pownall, Horatio Sharpe, Benning Wentworth, William Denny, William Henry Lyttelton, Charles Hardy, and James De Lancey.

British royalty and political leaders present include Secretary at War William Wildman Barrington, 2nd Viscount Barrington; Secretary of State Robert D'Arcy, 4th Earl of Holderness; Secretary of State, Secretary at War, and Paymaster Henry Fox, 1st Baron Holland; and Secretary of State Thomas Robinson, 1st Baron Grantham. Also present is correspondence with William Augustus, Duke of Cumberland, including a letter book; and appointments, orders, and instructions of King George II.

Autographed and/or signed items of George Washington and Benjamin Franklin in this subseries were removed during twentieth century processing to the George Washington collection or the Benjamin Franklin collection (see lists in Separated Materials notes); some contemporary copies or letters to Washington and Franklin remain in this collection.

A small amount of material included in this subseries during twentieth century processing does not relate to North America, especially from 1759 on. Some items present relate to the 30th Regiment of Foot, which was not deployed to North America.

Many documents in this subseries are contemporary copies, often with multiple copies present.

See also Stanley M. Pargellis, "Loudoun Papers: Colonial, 1756-58," The Huntington Library Bulletin, No. 3, Feb. 1933.

Language:

Bulk in English; numerous items in French.

Biographical / historical:

See the collection level Biographical Note for a more general overview of John Campbell's life and military career. This note describes John Campbell's military activities during the Seven Years' War in North America.

In early 1756, during the beginning stages of the global Seven Years' War (or French and Indian War in North America), John Campbell, 4th Earl of Loudoun, was appointed colonel in chief of the colonial 60th Foot (originally 62nd) or Royal American Regiment; the governor-general of Virginia; and commander in chief of British forces in North America, through the patronage of William Augustus, Duke of Cumberland. He arrived in New York on July 23, 1756, replacing William Shirley as commander in chief.

Campbell's tenure as commander in chief was marked by contentious issues with colonial troops, governors and assemblies over his authority, military finances, and the recruitment and quartering of soldiers. His period of leadership also coincided with significant British defeats and a failed excursion. In August 1756, Fort Oswego in New York fell to the French army, led by Lieutenant-general Louis-Joseph, marquis de Montcalm de Saint-Veran.

In March 1757, John Campbell imposed an unpopular trade embargo on the colonies, lasting several months. In June, he departed for Nova Scotia on an expedition to take Fort Louisbourg on French-held Cape Breton Island and was held up for numerous weeks in Halifax awaiting favorable conditions to advance. While Campbell was in Nova Scotia, French and allied Native American forces lay siege to Fort William Henry at Lake George, New York, which surrendered on August 9. Campbell eventually abandoned the proposed attack on Fort Louisbourg, returning to New York in September 1757.

In addition to military setbacks, John Campbell continued to struggle with troop recruitment and colonial authorities, especially the Massachusetts and New England assemblies. The commander in chief also lost a major supporter when William Augustus, Duke of Cumberland, was forced to resign in October 1757 following defeat and surrender while fighting in continental Europe. In December 1757, British minister William Pitt, the elder, made the decision to recall Campbell; the recall was put into effect in March 1758, with Campbell succeeded by James Abercromby.

Sources

Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (DNB)

Fred Anderson, Crucible of War: The Seven Years' War and the Fate of Empire in British North America, 1754-1766, Alfred A. Knopf, 2000

William M. Fowler Jr., Empires at War: The French and Indian War and the Struggle for North America, 1754-1763, Walker & Company, 2005

Stanley McCrory Pargellis, Lord Loudoun in North America, Yale University Press, 1933

Processing information:

Some items in this subseries were given call numbers that included additional alphabetical designations (i.e. LO 1432 A and LO 1432 B) during twentieth century processing--these were typically mulitiple copies of the same document that were housed together in the same folder. These alphabetical designations do not appear on the container list in this finding aid. In addition, numerous items in this subseries were renumbered at some point following the collection's initial acquisition and processing. See the manuscript card catalog for information about original item call numbers.

Arrangement:

Material is arranged chronologically.

Separated material:

Eight George Washington items were removed from North American material during twentieth century processing and are now located in the George Washington collection (mssGW).

1. George Washington and the officers of the Virginia Regiment address to John Campbell, Earl of Loudoun, Winchester, 1756 July 25 (LO 1354)
2. Return of Virginia regiment, Winchester, 1756 October 9 (LO 1992)
3. A return of stores belonging to the King and Colony of Virginia at Forts Cumberland and Loudoun, 1756 December 17 (LO 2361 A and B)
4. George Washington, Fort Cumberland, letter to John Campbell, the Earl of Loudoun, 1757 January 10 (LO 2659)
5. George Washington, Fort Loudoun, letter to James Cuninghame, 1757 January 28 (LO 2725)
6. Distribution of the Virginia Regiment, Philadelphia, approximately 1757 March 20 (LO 3080)
7. George Washington, Fort Loudoun, letter to Colonel John Stanwix, 1757 June 16 (LO 3842)
8. George Washington, Mount Vernon, letter to Colonel John Stanwix, 1758 March 4 (LO 5699)

Eight Benjamin Franklin items were removed from North American material during twentieth century processing and are now located in the Benjamin Franklin collection (mssFranklin).

1. Benjamin Franklin memorial to James Abercromby relating to expresses, 1756 June 22 (LO 1239)
2. Benjamin Franklin memorial of the state of the forces in Pennsylvania, 1756 July 22 (LO 1328)
3. Benjamin Franklin letter to Thomas Pownall, contemporary copy, 1756 July 30 (LO 1298)
4. Benjamin Franklin extract of letter to Thomas Pownall, contemporary copy, 1756 September 9 (LO 1749)
5. Benjamin Franklin letter to John Campbell, 4th Earl of Loudoun, 1757 March 3 (LO 2963)
6. Benjamin Franklin extracts and answers to points proposed to be amended in the bill now before the Governor, 1757 March 21 (LO 3119)
7. Benjamin Franklin list of servants belonging to inhabitants of Pennsylvania and taken into His Majesty's Service, 1757 April 21 (LO 3415)
8. Benjamin Franklin letter to John Campbell, 4th Earl of Loudoun, 1757 May 21 (LO 3699)

Contents

Access and use