Detail of a painting by Mercer of the Battle of Princeton, painted shortly after the Dec. 26th, 1776 battle.

Artillery, such as seen in this detail from an earlier painting, was fired repeatedly against rebels at Springfield Arsenal, January 25th, 1787, killing four and wounding many.

In the words of those who were there . . ..

Documents from Shays’s Rebellion:

(The following gold-highlighted document catagories link to separate pages of these collected documents and are listed seperately as well:

 [I] Pro-government documents, [II] Proclamations, [III] Pro-Regulator accounts and witnesses to the suppression of the rebellion, and [IV] Related documents )

Documents listed below that are found in contemporary 1780s newspapers.

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Pro-government documents

Gen. William Shepard to Gov. James Bowdoin, Sept 4th, 1786

Satirical “petition” from newspaper, Sept 13th, 1786

Gen. William Shepard to Gov. James Bowdoin, Sept 17th, 1786

George Washington to William Triplett, Sept 25th, 1786

Gen. Shepard to 4th Division Massachusetts Militia, General Orders, Sept 26th, 1786

Henry Lee to George Washington, Oct 1st, 1786

Gen. Benjamin Lincoln’s address to Society of the Cincinnati, Boston, Oct 11th, 1786

Gen. Henry Knox to Continental Congress, Oct 18th, 1786

Henry Lee to James Madison, Oct 19th, 1786

Henry Lee to St. George Tucker in Congress, Oct 20th, 1786

Report of the Continental Congress, Oct 21st, 1786.

George Washington to David Humphreys, Oct 22, 1786

Rufus King to Daniel Kilham, Oct 29th, 1786

George Washington to Henry Lee, Oct 31st, 1786

George Washington to James Madison Jr., Nov 5th, 1786

Rufus King to Elbridge Gerry, Nov 5th, 1786

Gen. Parsons to Henry Knox, Nov 6th, 1786

Henry Lee to George Washington, Nov 11th, 1786

George Washington to Thomas Johnson, Nov 12th, 1786

George Washington to Bushrod Washington, Nov. 15th, 1786

William Blount to Richard Caswell, Nov 16th, 1786

William Grayson to James Monroe, Nov 22nd, 1786

Gen. William Shepard to Col. Gideon Burt, Dec 5th, 1786

Edward Carrington to Edmund Randolph, Dec 8th, 1786

Rufus King to Charles Thomson, Dec 10, 1786

Rufus King to Henry Knox, Dec 13th, 1786

Gen. William Shepard to Gen. Henry Knox, Dec 17th, 1786

George Washington to Henry Knox, Dec 26th, 1786

George Washington to David Humphreys, Dec 26th, 1786

Newspaper account of Shays, Dec 27th, 1786

Gen. William Shepard to Gen. Henry Knox, Jan 12th, 1787

Gen. William Shepard to Gen. Benjamin Lincoln, Jan 12th, 1787

Gen. William Shepard to Gov. James Bowdoin, Jan 19th, 1787

Gen. Henry Jackson to Gen. Henry Knox, Jan 21st, 1787

Gen. Henry Knox to Gen. William Shepard, Jan 21st, 1787

Gov. Bowdoin to Gen. Shepard, Jan 21st, 1787

New Braintree resident to The Worcester Magazine, Jan 24th, 1787

Gen. Benjamin Lincoln to Gov. James Bowdoin, Jan 24th, 1787

Shelburne Committee addresses Selectmen of Deerfield in Town Warrant, Jan 25, 1787

Gen. Henry Knox to Gouverneur Morris, Jan 25th, 1787

Gen. Henry Jackson to Gen. Henry Knox, Jan 28th, 1787

Newspaper report of Shays march on Springfield Arsenal, Jan. 31st, 1787

Gen. Henry Knox to the Continental Congress, Feb 3rd, 1787

Gov. Bowdoin to the Continental Congress, Feb 3rd, 1787

Massachusetts commendation of William Shephard, Feb 5th, 1787

Rufus King to John Adams, Feb 10th, 1787

Rufus King to Henry Lee, Feb 10th, 1787

Gen. Henry Knox to the Continental Congress, Feb 12th, 1787

James Madison's Notes of Debates, Feb 19th, 1787

James Madison to Edmund Pendleton, Feb 24th, 1787

James Madison to James Madison, Sr., Feb 25th, 1787

William Irvine to Josiah Harmar, Feb 27th, 1787

Massachusetts Delegates to James Bowdoin, Mar 4th, 1787

William Irvine of Virginia to Edmund Randolph in Congress, Mar 6th, 1787

Massachusetts delegates to the Continental Congress, Mar 9th, 1787

Benjamin Franklin, Pennsylvania proclamation, Mar 10th, 1787

James Madison to Edmund Randolph, Mar 11th, 1787

Gen. Henry Knox report to the Continental Congress, Mar 13th, 1787

James Madison to George Washington, Mar 18th, 1787

James Madison to Thomas Jefferson, Mar 19th, 1787

James Madison to Thomas Jefferson, Apr 23rd, 1787

Supreme Judicial Court sentences on rebels, Apr 25th, 1787

William Irvine to Gustavus de Rosenthal, Sept 1st, 1787

Thomas Jefferson to James Madison, Dec 20th, 1787

James Madison to Tench Coxe, Jan 20th, 1788

James Madison to George Washington, Jan 20th, 1788

James Madison to George Washington, Feb 3rd, 1788

Proclamations

Gov. Bowdoin mobilizing Militia, Jan 12, 1787

Massachusetts Disqualification Act, Feb 16th, 1787

Gov. Bowdoin offering pardons, Feb 17th, 1787

Massachusetts Disqualification of Jurors Act, Feb 26th, 1787

Massachusetts Oath Act, Mar 10th, 1787

Gov. Bowdoin establishing Oath Commissioners, Mar 17th, 1787

Proclamation of Clemency, Massachusetts, June 15th, 1787

Pro-Regulator accounts and witnesses to the suppression of the rebellion

Daniel Shays to Selectmen of South Hadley, Oct 23rd, 1786

Capt. Thomas Grover and Lieut. Elisha Pondell to Capt. Harvey requesting assistance, Dec 2, 1786

John Powers to People of Deerfield, Dec 9th, 1786

Letter from Cynthia Williams to Mary (Polly) Ashley, Dec 18, 1786

Luke Day and Daniel Shays to Springfield Court, Dec 26th, 1786

Shays, Powers, Dickinson, Bordwell, and Billings to Capt. John Brown, Whately, Jan 15th, 1787.

Israel Williams to his son William, Jan 15th, 1787

Newspaper report of Militia and rebel movements, Jan 24th, 1787

Capt. Luke Day to Gen. William Shepard, Jan 25th, 1787

Capt. Luke Day to Capt. Daniel Shays, Jan 25th, 1787

Capt. Shays to Gen. Lincoln, Jan. 25th, 1787

Capt. Daniel Shays to Gen. William Shepard, Jan. 26th, 1787

David Hoyt to his father David Hoyt, Jan. 26th, 1787

General Shepard to Governor Bowdoin, Jan. 26th, 1787

Provision Return of Col. Joseph Stebbin's Regiment, Jan. 24th, 25th, & 26th, 1787

Capt. Shays to Gen. Shepard, Jan. 27th, 1787

Gen. Benjamin Lincoln to Gov. Bowdoin, Jan. 27th, 1787

Gen. Benjamin Lincoln to Gen. Henry Knox, Jan. 28th, 1787

Gen. Benjamin Lincoln to Gov. James Bowdoin, Jan. 28th, 1787

James Jarvis to Gen. Henry Knox, Jan. 29th, 1787

Gen. Lincoln to insurgents, Jan. 29th, 1787

Anonymous letter from a gentleman in Gen. Lincoln’s army, with correspondence between Shays and Lincoln, Jan. 30th-31st, 1787

Town of Granby to Gen. Benjamin Lincoln, Jan. 31st, 1787

Gen. Benjamin Lincoln to Town of Granby, Feb. 1st, 1787

Capt. Samuel Buffington testimony, Feb. 1st, 1787

Joshua Woodbridge testimony, Feb. 1st, 1787

Doc. W. Suttler to Gen. Benjamin Lincoln, Feb. 1st, 1787

“Massachusetts Soldiery” response to Lincoln’s address to Soc of Cincinnati (of Oct 11, 1786), published Feb 1787

Capt. William Lyman testimony, Feb. 6th, 1787

Capt. Eli Parsons to populace in Berkshires, Feb. 13th, 1787

Judah Marsh confession, Feb. 14th, 1787

Gen. William Shepard to Selectmen of Colrain, Feb. 15th, 1787

Rubin Graves’s Oath of Allegiance, Feb. 17th, 1787

Seth Catlin to Lt. James Stewart, Colrain, Feb. 20th, 1787

List of Colrain rebels 1786 & 1787

John Chaloner to the Massachusetts Senate and House of Representatives, Feb. 21st, 1787.

Ballad of Pegasus of Apollo, March 1787

Bill from Deerfield Selectmen for Military Supplies used in Shays' Rebellion, Mar. 12th, 1787

Oath of Allegiance [Faith], Apr. 8th, 1787

Gen. William Shepard pay-roll report for 4th Division, Massachusetts Militia, April 23, 1787

Gen. William Shepard to Gov. John Hancock, July 2nd, 1787

Receipt of Caleb Phillips for his firearm, Dec. 4, 1787

Military Firearm Log for Shays' Rebellion, Feb. 24, 1788

Daniel Stebbins reminisces of Shays’s Rebellion, written 1845

Related documents

Gen. William Shepard summons to Court of Common Pleas, Jan. 31st, 1786

Massachusetts Militia Adjutant-General orders Returns, Mar. 27th, 1787.

Gen. Porter to Gen. Shepard, Militia Elections, Dec. 17th, 1787

Gen. William Shepard to Gen. Henry Knox, 1790 or later