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

Redwood Library and Athenaeum
50 Bellevue Avenue
Newport, RI 02840
Tel: (401) 847-0292
Fax: (401) 841-5680
email: redwood@redwoodlibrary.org

Published in 2015

Collection Overview

Title:	Account of the destruction of the British armed sloop Liberty at Newport, Rhode Island
Date range:	1769 and undated
Creator:
Extent:	0.2 linear feet
Abstract:	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 (1775-1783).
Language of materials:	English
Repository:	Redwood Library and Athenaeum
Collection number:	RLC.Ms.591

Scope & content

This collection includes an anonymous letter, dated July 21, 1769, written to Benjamin Edes (1732-1803) and John Gill (1732-1825), 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 (1727-1820), signer of the Declaration of Independence for Rhode Island.

Access Points

Subject Names

• Packwood, Joseph
• Reid, William

Subject Organizations

• Edes and Gill.
• Liberty (Sloop).

Subject Topics

• Customs administration--Rhode Island
• Marine protests--Rhode Island--Newport
• Mobs--Rhode Island--Newport
• Riots--Rhode Island--Newport

Geographical Names

• Great Britain--Colonies--Administration
• Newport (R.I.)--History
• United States--History--Revolution, 1775-1783--Causes

Document Types

• Letters (correspondence)

Subject Topics

• Rhode Island/Local Interest

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 (1775-1783).

Access & Use

Access to the collection:	Access is open to members and researchers at the Redwood Library and Athenaeum.
Use of the materials:	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 Redwood Library and Athenaeum.
Alternate form:	A transcription of this letter is printed in: Newport history 45, no. 146 (Spring 1972): 36-40.
Preferred citation:	Account of the destruction of the British armed sloop Liberty at Newport, Rhode Island, RLC.Ms.591, Redwood Library and Athenaeum.
Contact information:	Redwood Library and Athenaeum 50 Bellevue Avenue Newport, RI 02840 Tel: (401) 847-0292 Fax: (401) 841-5680 email: redwood@redwoodlibrary.org

Administrative Information

ABOUT THE COLLECTION
Acquisition:	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, 2015-07-25.
Encoding:	This finding aid was produced using the Archivists' Toolkit 2015-07-25
Descriptive rules:	Finding aid based on Describing Archives: A Content Standard (DACS)

Additional Information

Location/Existence of copies:	A transcription of this letter is printed in: Newport history 45, no. 146 (Spring 1972): 36-40.
Bibliography:	Author unknown. "The first overt act of the Revolution." Newport history 45, no. 146 (Spring 1972): 36-40.

Inventory

---

Manuscripts Oversize Box 1

Letter to Mister Edes and Gill (includes typewritten transcription)

1769 Jul 21 and undated