New York State Provincial Congress Military Committee Correspondence and Administrative Papers

The Military Committee acted for or made recommendations to the Provincial Congress on matters relating to troops raised in New York. This series contains correspondence, rough minutes and resolutions, lists of officers, and accounts compiled by the Military Committee. Correspondence and other items were often read into the record of congressional proceedings.

Records concern: organization of the state's military force; raising and supplying troops; orders to military commanders; progress of the war, e.g. ships seized and troops killed, wounded, or taken prisoner; and accusations against persons suspected of loyalty to Great Britain.

Included is the "Friends of Liberty" letter written from White Plains on January 8, 1776, by the Westchester County Committee of Safety to assure the New York Provincial Committee of Safety of its loyal support.

Microfilm is available for use at the New York State Archives or through interlibrary loan.

Selected documents from the series were published in Calendar of Historical Manuscripts Relating to the War of the Revolution in the Office of the Secretary of State (Albany, 1868).

There are portions of a rough alphabetical name and subject index, including a list of correspondence.

These records were at one time bound by the Secretary of State's office as Volume 25 of a series titled "Papers Laid Before the Provincial Congress." The records suffered severe burn damage in the State Capitol fire in 1911.

Friends of Liberty letter. This item was removed from the series as part of the Freedom Train exhibit that traveled the state from January 1949 to February 1950 (L. 1948, Ch. 659).

Records are fragile due to burn damage. Use is restricted. Microfilm is first use copy.