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| 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. |
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In the words of those who were there . . ..
Documents from Shays’s Rebellion:
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 Governiever 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
Accounts by those at the scene of the march on Springfield Arsenal, January 25th, 1787, and in the days following
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
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