William Paca on state of the militia, 1777

Contributed by Maine Historical Society

Description

William Paca (1740-1799) was a delegate from Maryland to the Continental Congress. Initially a lawyer in Annapolis, Paca led a large opposition to the 1765 Stamp Act and enacted the local chapter of the Sons of Liberty. He is most known In 1779, following a stint as on the Maryland legislature, he became Chief Justice of Maryland and a year later was elected to serve as a federal judge on the Court of Appeals. He then would act as governor of Maryland and then a judge on Maryland's United States District Court.

The letter is written to Thomas Johnson (1732-1819), who at the time was the first governor of the newly formed state of Maryland. He was a member of the first Continental Congress in 1774. He became a large contributor to the Maryland state constitution and served on the state assembly throughout the 1780's. In 1792 he was appointed by Washington as a Supreme Court Justice.

This letter, signed May 13, 1777, is an update from Paca to Governor Johnson regarding the state of the militia. He mentions a "heavy firing" that he heard and discusses the fact that many of the troops are sick from smallpox.

View/Add Comments

Transcription

Item has a transcription view a full transcription


About This Item

  • Title: William Paca on state of the militia, 1777
  • Creator: William Paca
  • Creation Date: 1777-05-13
  • Subject Date: 1777-05-13
  • Location: Maryland
  • Media: Ink on paper
  • Dimensions: 32 cm x 19.3 cm
  • Local Code: Coll. 420, Box 59/12
  • Collection: John S. H. Fogg autograph collection
  • Object Type: Text

Cross Reference Searches

Standardized Subject Headings

People

Other Keywords


For more information about this item, contact:

Maine Historical Society
485 Congress Street, Portland, ME 04101
(207) 774-1822 x230
Website

Use of this Item is not restricted by copyright and/or related rights, but the holding organization is contractually obligated to limit use. For more information, please contact the contributing organization. However, watermarked Maine Memory Network images may be used for educational purposes.

How to cite content on this site


Please post your comment below to share with others. If you'd like to privately share a comment or correction with MMN staff, please send us a message with this link.