Revolutionary War
1776 Superb 5 Item Archive Defense of Boston!

[REVOLUTIONARY WAR], Archive of five documents related to British blockade of Boston, Massachusetts, March-May 1776. 9 pp. Expected folds; some chips and discoloration on edges.

“...several whom I applied to, to Charter Vessels, declare they would sooner burn them than in any way contribute to the Relief of His Majesty's Forces now employed against Boston.”

“nothing but a Concurrence of Misfortunes....”

This archive contains letters to and by Vice Admiral Molyneux Shuldman, who commanded the British Royal Navy in North America for the first half of 1776, related to the provisioning of the navy during that critical period.

Highlights and Excerpts:


Molyneux Shuldham to Commissioners for Victualling, Royal Navy, Manuscript Letter Signed, March 22, 1776, HMS Chatham, Boston. 2 pp., 8" x 12.75", with enclosure, 1 p., 12.25" x 14.5".


“I acquaint you that the Sloop Princess Augusta...with Sour Krout for the use of His Majesty's Ships under my Command, arrived here yesterday, and on our arrival at Halifax, for which place we shall sail in a day or two, I shall agreeable to your request signified, in your Letter to Vice Admiral Graves...give directions for receipts to be given to the Master of Her, for the Sour Krout he shall deliver, and as soon as she is cleared, Order him to return home....”

“I also received by the said Sloop, Duplicate of your Letter to Vice Admiral Graves of the 8th of November last signifying your having, with the approbation of the Right Honble the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty, agreed with a Mr Blackburn for furnishing Fresh Beef to His Majesty's Ships at New York, and North Carolina; and Sea Provisions to His Majesty's Ships at South Carolina, upon Commission, and also at New York, provided the Executors of the late Mr Kelley, Contractor there, should decline, or be unable to furnish the same.”

“An Account of the Remains of Provisions on board the Victuallers in Nantucket Road Boston the 22d March 1776.” This table provides the amount of bread, brandy, vinegar, beef, pork, flour, raisins, peas, oatmeal, butter, oil, and sauerkraut on each of the ships King George, Hellespont, British Queen, Joseph, Saville, and Princess Augusta.

The British navy used sauerkraut to prevent scurvy, a disease caused by an extreme deficiency of vitamin C. Although raw cabbage contains a moderate level of vitamin C, the process of fermentation to make sauerkraut raises the level of vitamin C considerably. Captain James Cook discovered the benefits of sauerkraut in preventing scurvy during his voyages in the South Pacific in the late 1760s.

Molyneux Shuldham to Commissioners for Victualling, Royal Navy, Manuscript Letter Signed, April 17, 1776, HMS Chatham, Halifax Harbor. 1 p., 8.25" x 12.75".

“...the Sloop Princess Augusta...which you sent to me with Sour Kraut for the use of His Majesty's Squadron under my Command, being cleared of her Loading, I have Ordered the Agent Victualler to put on board the said Sloop such Cask, Staves, Hoops have been returned to him, and directed the Master of her, by whom you will receive this, to proceed forthwith to London.”

Molyneux Shuldham to Commissioners for Victualling, Royal Navy, Manuscript Letter Signed, April 17, 1776, HMS Chatham, Halifax Harbor. 2 pp., 8" x 12.75".

“I have received your Letter of the 8th November 1775 informing me that…you had sent out in the Ship Albion, Potatoes and other Vegetables for the use of His Majesty's Ships under my Command....”


“by information I have received from Admiral Young, the Albion was at Antigua, to which place she was driven by stress of Weather, and that she was expected to leave that place with several other Vessels bound to American about the 1st March under Convoy of the Experiment.”

Vice-Admiral James Young (1717-1789) served as British naval commander-in-chief in the Leeward Islands Station from April 1775 to July 1778. During his tenure, his squadron captured 205 American merchant ships and captured or destroyed 17 American privateers and warships.

The HMS Experiment was a 50-gun fourth rate ship launched in 1774. The French captured it off the North American coast in September 1779, along with three merchant vessels.

Alexander Brymer to Molyneux Shuldham, Copy of Autograph Letter Signed, April 30, 1776, Halifax. 2 pp., 8" x 12.75".

“When Robert Grant of London Esqr entered into Contract with the Honorable Board of Commissioners for Victualling His Majesty's Navy, namely for 35,000 Gallons of Rum deliverable on or before the 30th October last, and 42,000 Gallons Ditto on or before the 31st January last, he was not aware, nor was it possible for any man to be, of the Difficulties he had to Surmount. Immediately on entering into the above Contracts he ordered Mr Nicholas Taylor of Antigua to Charter two or three Vessels to Load them with Rum and Molasses and consign them to me for the purpose of fulfilling his Engagements....”

Taylor wrote to Brymer on October 30, 1775, “the greatest Difficulty is the procuring Vessels: Party matters run so high among us that several whom I applied to, to Charter Vessels, declare they would sooner burn them than in any way contribute to the Relief of His Majesty's Forces now employed against Boston.”

“Notwithstanding this difficulty he however fulfilled his Orders, but unfortunately the Vessels and Cargoes were taken by the Rebel Privateers; this is well known to every man in Boston.... On his entering into the second Contract he repeated his Orders, but I have hitherto only received a Cargo of Molasses. I have a Brig that would carry about 40,000 Gallons which I sent Six Months ago to the West Indies on account of Mr Grant and a ship that would carry about 50,000 Gallons both of which I have an undoubted right to expect daily.”

“I flatter myself that from the best information, you can bear Testimony of nothing having been wanting on Mr Grant's or my part to fulfill his Contracts, and that nothing but a Concurrence of Misfortunes could have prevented it.”

Alexander Brymer (ca. 1745-1822) was a Scottish merchant and agent who emigrated to Boston as a young man. He later moved to Halifax, Nova Scotia. He served as an agent for London merchants Robert Grant and William Brymer (Alexander's uncle), who held the navy victualling contract for North America. In 1779, he owned a privateer of his own, which preyed on American merchant vessels in the West Indies.

Molyneux Shuldham to Commissioners for Victualling, Royal Navy, Manuscript Letter Signed, April 17, 1776, HMS Chatham, Halifax Harbor. 1 p., 8" x 12.75".

“Herewith I transmit to you a Copy of a Letter to me, from Mr Alexander Brymer, Agent to the Contractor for Supplying His Majesty's Ships on this Station with Rum, on my application to him for a Supply; the disappointment of which has laid me under the necessity of Borrowing Ten thousand Gallons from General Howe.”

General William Howe (1729-1814) was commander-in-chief of British forces in North America from September 1775 to May 1778. After leading British troops to victory at the Battle of Bunker Hill in June 1775, Howe took command of all British forces in America from Thomas Gage. His tenure as commander-in-chief was marked by the British capture of both New York City and Philadelphia.

In response to the Boston Tea Party of December 1773, in which patriots boarded three ships and destroyed tea sent by the East India Company to Boston, Parliament passed a series of five acts in 1774 that colonists described as the Intolerable Acts. One of the laws, the Boston Port Act, closed the port of Boston until the colonists paid for the destroyed tea. Other laws took away the Massachusetts charter and placed the royal governor in charge of all governmental appointments and the administration of justice.

As these documents make clear, many ship owners and captains throughout the North American colonies and in the Caribbean resented British treatment of Boston, making the transportation of supplies for the British army and navy from the West Indies difficult. Further complicating British supplies were the policies of both state governments and the Continental Congress to encourage American privateers to prey upon British vessels, especially those bringing provisions to British forces in North America. These governments issued letters of marque, authorizing armed merchant ships to challenge and seize enemy vessels. Throughout the American Revolution, approximately 1,700 letters of marque were granted, on a per-voyage basis. Nearly 800 privateer vessels captured or destroyed approximately 600 British ships, inflicting damage of about $18 million (more than $300 million in today's dollars).

Molyneux Shuldham (1717-1798) was born in Ireland and entered the Royal Navy in 1732. Shuldman received promotion to lieutenant in 1739 and to captain in 1746. He commanded several ships, including the HMS Warwick, which in 1756 was captured by the French in the West Indies at the beginning of the Seven Years' War. Shuldman was kept a prisoner in France for two years until exchanged in 1758, when he was appointed to command the HMS Panther in the West Indies. He commanded a variety of ships until 1763, then was ashore on half-pay until 1766, when he was again appointed to command. In 1772, he was appointed commodore and commander of the Newfoundland station, where he remained for three years. On March 31, 1775, Shuldman was promoted to rear-admiral of the white. Later that year, he was elected to the House of Commons and then appointed as commander-in-chief on the coast of North America. He arrived in Boston on his flagship HMS Chatham on December 30, 1775, having been promoted to vice-admiral of the blue on his voyage. His primary mission was to cover the operation of troops and to prevent colonial trade. In July 1776, he escorted Admiral Richard Howe (1726-1799) into New York Harbor, and Howe replaced him in command. Shuldman was created a peer of Ireland with the title of Baron Shuldman in July 1776, and returned to England early in 1777. From 1778 to 1783, he was commander-in-chief at Plymouth, England. He was promoted to admiral of the blue in 1787 and to admiral of the white in 1793.

This item comes with a Certificate from John Reznikoff, a premier authenticator for both major 3rd party authentication services, PSA and JSA (James Spence Authentications), as well as numerous auction houses.

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