1812-1884; bulk: 1812-1827
Guide to the Collection
Restrictions on Access
The Jacob Brown papers are available on microfilm, P-302 (8 reels). See Reel List below.
Abstract
This collection consists primarily of the military correspondence of Major General Jacob Brown during and after the War of 1812.
Biographical Sketch
Jacob Brown was born in 1775 in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, into a Quaker family. He worked briefly as a teacher before moving to upstate New York, settling an area of the Black River now known as Brownville on ancestral Onondaga Haudenosaunee land.
While establishing himself as a farmer, Brown joined the New York militia, rising steadily through the ranks before being named brigadier general in 1811. When the War of 1812 broke out, his successful defense of Sackets Harbor on Lake Ontario brought both national recognition and a commission as brigadier general in the regular army. Brown commanded his troops to subsequent victories at Fort Erie and at the Battle of Chippawa over British forces. He was severely wounded at the Battle of Lundy's Lane, which ended in a stalemate.
After the war, Brown, as the most senior member of the U.S. Army, was named commanding general by President James Monroe. He worked to reform and reorganize the Army until his death in 1828.
Brown's marriage to Pamelia Brown in 1802 produced five daughters and four sons. Nathan Williams Brown, the only son to reach full adulthood, would become Brigadier General and Chief Paymaster of the Army, retiring in 1882.
Collection Description
This collection consists of letters of Major General Jacob Brown, 1813-1849. Subjects include troop movements, regimental orders, battlefield assignments, naval operations on the Great Lakes, requests for equipment and supplies, hospitals, prisoners, and prisons. Of note in the correspondence are Major General Brown's letters after the battles of Chippawa, Ontario, July 1813, and Lundy's Lane, Ontario, 25 July 1814, where he was wounded twice. Brown also led troops and New York militia into battle at Sackets Harbor and captured Fort Erie in 1813. Correspondents include John Armstrong, William Harris Crawford, Andrew Jackson, Alexander Macomb, James Wilkinson, Winfield Scott, and John C. Calhoun.
The collection also contains two historical manuscripts related to Brown, both in unidentified handwriting. The first is called "Major-Gen. Brown's recollections concerning despatch of troops on August 7, 1814 so far as Major-Gen. Ripley's conduct was concerned." The second, apparently written in 1884, is called "The Campaign of the Niagara 1814" and includes hand-drawn and colored maps.
Acquisition Information
Deposited by William Allen Hayes, March 1910.
Restrictions on Access
The Jacob Brown papers are available on microfilm, P-302 (8 reels). See Reel List below.
Reel List
15 March 1812-31 December 1814
1815-17 March 1816
May? 1816-30 December 1817
2 January 1818-[25] December 1815
January 1819-14 July 1821
16 July 1820-29 December 1823
1824-4 July 1838
Undated, 1884
Box List
1812-June 1815
July 1815-March 1816
May 1816-1817
1818
April 1819-1821
May 1821-June 1822
July 1822-August 1825
September 1825-1849
Undated papers
Miscellaneous writings
"Major-Gen. Brown's recollections...," undated
"The Campaign of the Niagara 1814" Part I, [1884]
"The Campaign of the Niagara 1814" Part II, [1884]
Unidentified notes
Oversize papers
Preferred Citation
Jacob Brown papers, Massachusetts Historical Society.
Access Terms
This collection is indexed under the following headings in ABIGAIL, the online catalog of the Massachusetts Historical Society. Researchers desiring materials about related persons, organizations, or subjects should search the catalog using these headings.