James McHenry papers, 1776-1815, bulk 1796-1800

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Summary

Creators:
McHenry, James, 1753-1816
Abstract:
A collection of the professional, personal, and political papers and correspondence of American statesman James McHenry.
Extent:
2.71 Linear Feet (3 boxes)
Language:
Materials are in English.
Preferred citation:

[Identification of item]. James McHenry papers, The Huntington Library, San Marino, California.

Background

Scope and content:

A collection of 161 items from 1776 to 1815; it consists of the professional, personal, and political papers and correspondence of James McHenry. The bulk of the collection consists of letters addressed to McHenry during his term as the Secretary of War, from 1796 to 1800. Also included are: petitions to Sir William Howe and report to George Washington concerning the condition of American prisoners of war (1776 to 1777); a regimen and diet prescribed by him to Alexander Hamilton (1778); correspondence and documents relating to the American Revolution accumulated by McHenry during his service as Washington's secretary (1778 to 1780); and Lafayette's aid (1780 to 1781), including a journal that McHenry kept in July 10-15, 1778 en route with Washington's Army to the North River.

The collection contains five John Adams items: autograph request signed to Secretary of War James McHenry, 1797 March 14 (MH 1); autograph letter signed to James McHenry, 1797 Ocotober 27 (MH 2); contemporary copy of letter to Timothy Pickering, 1798 June 12 (MH 3); autograph letter signed to James McHenry, 1798 July 6; and autograph letter signed to James McHenry, 1798 August 18 (MH 159).

Biographical / historical:

James McHenry (1753-1816) was an American statesman, soldier, and physician. Native of Ireland, McHenry settled in Philadelphia in 1771 and studied medicine under Benjamin Rush. From 1775 to 1778, he served as a surgeon in the Continental Army in the American Revolution. Captured by the British at Fort Washington on Harlem Heights, New York, he was exchanged in the spring of 1778. From 1778 to 1780, he served as secretary to George Washington, and in 1780 to 1781, as an aid to Marquis de Lafayette. From 1796 to 1800, he served as the Secretary of War but as a Federalist, McHenry found himself in conflict with John Adams who demanded his resignation. McHenry retired to his estate near Baltimore, Maryland, where he died in 1816, at the age of 63.

Acquisition information:
Purchased from George D. Smith, 1919.
Processing information:

Processed by Huntington Library Staff, circa 1925. In 2020, Gayle Richardson created the finding aid derived from a legacy summary report. In 2022, Melissa Haley enhanced description of the presidential material present in the collection as part of the American Presidential Papers Project. In 2024, Mari Khasmanyan rehoused materials formerly in an oversize folder into a document box and updated the total extent of the collection.

Arrangement:

Arranged chronologically.

Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Access and use

Restrictions:

Open for use by qualified researchers and by appointment. Please contact Reader Services at the Huntington Library for more information.

Terms of access:

The Huntington Library does not require that researchers request permission to quote from or publish images of this material, nor does it charge fees for such activities. The responsibility for identifying the copyright holder, if there is one, and obtaining necessary permissions rests with the researcher.

Preferred citation:

[Identification of item]. James McHenry papers, The Huntington Library, San Marino, California.

Location of this collection:
1151 Oxford Road
San Marino, CA 91108, US
Contact:
(626) 405-2191
reference@huntington.org
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