Letter to Rev. Erza Stiles on Shays’ Rebellion reprinted in “The New-Haven Gazette and The Connecticut Magazine”

To view or search transcription, use the button to open the sidebar. To search, use the button in the sidebar.

From the collections of PVMA • Digital image © Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Assoc. • Image use information


About this item

Reverend Ezra Stiles was the president of Yale College in New Haven, Connecticut. He had followed the events of Shays’ Rebellion in Western Massachusetts during late 1786, and early 1787 with great interest. This letter to the Gazette describes the last encounter between the Regulators and the government militia which occurred in Sheffield, Massachusetts. The Regulators had attacked and looted the town of Stockbridge, taking prisoners of some of the townspeople. The writer of this letter accuses the Regulators of using their prisoners as a front line of defense. He relates the extent of the injuries of Mr. Burghardt, who was hit with a musket ball as well as three pieces of swan-shot, and who was the only man wounded fighting with the government militia. Swan-shot is made by melting lead and pouring it through a mesh or screen into a bucket of water. It is very irregular in shape and would cause more injury.

Related Items

Details

Item typeLetter
PublisherNew-Haven Gazette and Connecticut Magazine
Date1878-03-03
TopicMilitary, Wars, Battles
EraThe New Nation, 1784–1815
EventShays’ Rebellion. 1786–1787
MaterialPaper
Process/FormatPrinting
Dimension detailsProcess Material: printed paper, ink Height: 3.00 in Width: 2.50 in Height: 8.50 in Width: 2.50 in Height: 3.50 in Width: 2.50 in
Catalog #L07.056
View this item in our curatorial database →
[Letter to Rev. Erza Stiles on Shays’ Rebellion reprinted in “The New-Haven Gazette and The Connecticut Magazine”.] New-Haven Gazette and Connecticut Magazine, March 3, 1878. Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Association, American Centuries. https://americancenturies.org/collection/l07-056/. Accessed on November 5, 2024.

Please note: Citations are generated automatically from bibliographic data as a convenience, and may not be complete or accurate.