On This Day in History -
November 8, 1800

Fire destroys Revolutionary War records
in War Department

Secretary of War William Belknap

On this day in history, November 8, 1800, a fire destroys the Revolutionary War records in the War Department building in Washington DC. Most other records of the war were lost during the British invasion of Washington DC during the War of 1812.

Because of the fire, few records from the Revolution were in federal custody until 1873 when Secretary of War William Belknap purchased records from several private collections, including those of Timothy Pickering, who had been a member of the Board of War between 1777 and 1785 and Adjutant General and Quartermaster General of the Continental Army, and those of Samuel Hodgdon, who served as Commissary General of Military Stores during some of the war years. In addition, Secretary Belknap purchased several minor collections and individual items from various people.

Over the next several decades, records of the American Revolution held by other departments were consolidated and all were transferred to the Department of State. In 1914 and 1915, the War Department made photocopies of Revolutionary War records held in various institutions in North Carolina, Virginia and Massachusetts. The whole collection was transferred to the National Archives in 1938.

Read what happened on other days in American history at our On This Day in History section here.

This Week in History

• November 8, 1776 - Fire destroys Revolutionary War records in the War Department
• November 9, 1780 - General Thomas Sumter wins the Battle of Fishdam Ford
• November 10, 1782 - Last battle of the American Revolution is fought
• November 11, 1779 - Joseph Hewes funeral at Christ Church
• November 12, 1775 - Abigail Adams reveals anger toward Great Britain
• November 13, 1775 - General Richard Montgomery takes Montreal
• November 14, 1754 - Mercy Otis and James Warren are married
  

Revolutionary War and Beyond Home

This book is as exact a reproduction of this wonderful little book     published in 1895 as we could produce.  You will find words spelled and hyphenated the way they are in the original. 

Our goal at Battle Road Books is to keep the history of the Revolutionary War alive and vibrant and easily accessible.  We also don’t think you should pay an arm and a leg just to read these old books.

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