William Gilmore Simms collection of Henry and John Laurens papers
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Abstract
Transcriptions of correspondence and other documents of onetime Continental Congress president Henry Laurens (1724-1792) and his son John Laurens (1754-1782) who served as military secretary to George Washington during the Revolutionary War. The papers were collected by Southern historian William Gilmore Simms (1806-1870).
Biographical note
Henry Laurens (1724-1792) was born in Charleston, South Carolina. Laurens served as President of the Continental Congress from 1777 to 1778. He was elected Minister to Holland by the Continental Congress in 1779. When he sailed for that post in 1780, he was captured on the voyage and held a prisoner in the Tower of London. He was released in 1781 in exchange for Lord Cornwallis. Thereafter, he was appointed one of the peace commissioners and signed the preliminary treaty of Paris in 1782, returning to the United States in 1784.
John Laurens (1754-1782), the eldest surviving son of Henry Laurens and Eleanor Ball, was also born in Charleston. He was educated in England. Against his father's wishes, John Laurens joined the Continental Army under George Washington in 1777. He served as aide-de-camp to Washington. He was captured during the fall of Charleston in May 1780 but was freed as part of a prisoner exchange in November of that year. After his release, he was selected by Washington to serve as a special envoy to King Louis XVI of France. After negotiating for relief supplies for the American army, he rejoined the war. Laurens was killed in a British ambush in August 1782.
William Gilmore Simms (1806-1870) was an author and historian known for his knowledge of the American South. He edited several Southern newspapers and journals, and also served in the South Carolina legislature from 1844-1846. During his lifetime, he accumulated one of the largest collections of Revolutionary War manuscripts in the country, much of which was lost when his home was burned during the Civil War. The manuscripts of which this collection are transcriptions survived, and were sold to the Long Island Historical Society in 1868.
Sources
- Biographical Dictionary of the United States Congress. "Laurens, Henry, (1724-1792)." Accessed February 24, 2011. http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=L000121
- "John Laurens". Encyclopedia Britannica. Accessed January 26, 2026. https://www.britannica.com/biography/John-Laurens
- "William Gilmore Simms, 1806-1870." Encyclopedia of Southern Culture. Wilson, Charles Reagan and William Ferris, eds. University of North Carolina Press, 1989. Accessed January 26, 2026 via Documenting the American South. https://docsouth.unc.edu/southlit/simms1/bio.html
- Busick, Sean R. A Sober Desire for History: William Gilmore Simms as Historian. Univ. of South Carolina Press, 2005.
Scope and Contents
Transcriptions of correspondence and other documents of Henry Laurens and his son John Laurens, taken from the originals collected by writer and historian William Gilmore Simms. The original documents were acquired by the Long Island Historical Society in 1868 and these transcriptions were presumably created sometime between that acquisition and the originals' sale at auction in 1960. The transcriptions are typed but also have handwritten notes regarding the condition or notable aspects of the original documents.
A large portion of the correspondence originates from Richard Henry Lee, Rawlins Lowndes, Baron DeKalb, John Lewis Gervais, General Lachlan McIntosh, Jonathan Trumbull, John Wells, Jr., and David Hartley. Historically significant correspondents include John Adams, General Robert Howe, John Jay, and Thomas Paine. The correspondence and reports contain discussion of civil matters of the southern states and military activity during the Revolutionary War period. An index of correspondents and subjects covered in the papers is also included.
The collection also includes a set of black and white printed portraits of Henry Laurens and a black and white engraving of Charleston, South Carolina.
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Conditions Governing Access
Open to researchers without restriction.
Conditions Governing Use
The materials in this collection are in the public domain.
While many items at the Center for Brooklyn History are unrestricted, we do not own reproduction rights to all materials. Be aware of the several kinds of rights that might apply: copyright, licensing and trademarks. The borrower assumes all responsibility for copyright questions.
Preferred Citation
Identification of item, date (if known); William Gilmore Simms collection of Henry and John Laurens papers, 1974.119, Box and Folder number; Brooklyn Public Library, Center for Brooklyn History.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Purchase from William Gilmore Simms, 1868.
Funds for the purchase were the gift of J. Carson Brevoort, Simeon B. Chittenden, A.A. Low, George S. Stephenson, Henry Sheldon, Frederick R. Fowler, J.P. Robinson, F. Woodruff, C.D. Wood, Milan Hulbert, Charles Storrs, James Prentice, John C. Barnes, Joseph Battell, Henry Sanger, Alfred S. Barnes, Henry E. Pierrepont, and Charles J. Lowrey.
Custodial History
This collection was purchased from William Gilmore Simms of South Carolina by the Long Island Historical Society in 1868. After being transcribed, the papers were sold in 1960.
About this Guide
Processing Information
Originally minimally processed to the collection level, this collection was reprocessed by Dee Bowers in January 2026.
