Guide to the Account of the destruction of the British armed sloop Liberty at Newport, Rhode Island 1769 and undated

Transcription

1 Page 1 of 6 Guide to the Account of the destruction of the British armed sloop Liberty at Newport, Rhode Island 1769 and undated 50 Bellevue Avenue Newport, RI Tel: (401) Fax: (401) redwood@redwoodlibrary.org Published in 2015

2 Page 2 of 6 Collection overview Title: Date range: Account of the destruction of the British armed sloop Liberty at Newport, Rhode Island 1769 and undated Creator: Extent: Abstract: Language of materials: Repository: Collection number: 0.2 linear feet Anonymous letter written to Edes and Gill, printers of the Boston Gazette, describing the destruction of the Sloop Liberty by townspeople and makes plain the high tensions that preceded the American Revolutionary War ( ). English Scope & content This collection includes an anonymous letter, dated July 21, 1769, written to Benjamin Edes ( ) and John Gill ( ), printers of the Boston Gazette. This letter describes the destruction of the Sloop Liberty by the townspeople and makes plain the high tensions that preceded the American Revolution. At the head of the letter: "Please to insert the following in your next Gazette and you'll oblige." This letter was not published in the Boston Gazette and was most likely returned to its writer. Also included in this collection are a typewritten transcription of the letter and commentary regarding the historic event described within the letter. According to an article published in Newport history in Spring 1976, it was suggested that this letter was actually written by William Ellery ( ), signer of the Declaration of Independence for Rhode Island.

3 Page 3 of 6 Arrangement This collection is arranged in chronological order. Historical note On July 19, 1769, the crew of the H.M.S. Liberty, a customs parcel ship under Captain William Reid, accosted Joseph Packwood, a New London brigantine captain, and seized and towed his and another New London sloop into Newport Harbor, Rhode Island. In retribution, Packwood and a mob of Newport citizens confronted Reid, then boarded, dismantled, and burned the ship on the north end of Goat Island in Newport Harbor. This was one of the first acts of open defiance against the British crown leading up to the American Revolutionary War ( ). Access & use Access to the collection: Use of materials: Alternate form: Preferred citation: Contact information: Access is open to members and researchers at the. This collection is owned by the Redwood Library and Athenaeum. Permission to publish materials must be obtained in writing from the Special Collections Librarian of the. A transcription of this letter is printed in: Newport history 45, no. 146 (Spring 1972): Account of the destruction of the British armed sloop Liberty at Newport, Rhode Island,, Redwood Library and Athenaeum 50 Bellevue Avenue Newport, RI Tel: (401) Fax: (401) redwood@redwoodlibrary.org

4 Page 4 of 6 Administrative information About the collection Aquisition: Gift of Roderick Terry, Jr., 1937 Jul 8. Processing information: Prior to processing in 2014, this collection was classified as mrquy/l61a. At an unknown time, this letter was bound together with the transcription in a pamphlet binder. About the finding aid Author: Finding aid prepared by Elizabeth Delmage, Encoding: Descriptive rules: Additional information Bibliography: This finding aid was produced using the Archivists' Toolkit Finding aid based on Describing Archives: A Content Standard (DACS) Author unknown. "The first overt act of the Revolution." Newport history 45, no. 146 (Spring 1972): Search terms Names: Subjects: Edes and Gill. Liberty (Sloop). Packwood, Joseph Reid, William Customs administration--rhode Island Great Britain--Colonies--Administration Marine protests--rhode Island--Newport Mobs--Rhode Island--Newport Newport (R.I.)--History Riots--Rhode Island--Newport United States--History--Revolution, Causes

5 Page 5 of 6 Types of materials: Letters (correspondence)

6 Page 6 of 6 Inventory