Henry Hamilton Journal, 1778-1779 | Illinois History and Lincoln Collections

Scope and Contents:

This collection consists of photocopies of a journal kept by British Lieut. Gov. Henry Hamilton of Detroit in which he recorded an account of his capture by Virginian George Rogers Clark, and his subsequent experiences as a prisoner. The bulk of the journal is printed in Henry Hamilton and George Rogers Clark in the American Revolution, with the Unpublished Journal of Lieut. Gov. Henry Hamilton, ed. by John D. Barnhart (1951). This journal, however, contains some notes not in the published version, including comments on Native Americans, the weather during the Vincennes campaign, and copies of letters and royal proclamations.

Acquisition Source: The Library acquired a photocopy of the journal from Houghton Library, Harvard University, in 1980.