Letter Home by Soldier William Duncan

William Duncan, a Baltimore cooper-turned-soldier, wrote to his “D[ea]r Rebecah” on Oct. 7, 1777, three days after fighting in the “very hot” Battle of Germantown near British-occupied Philadelphia. Duncan recalled that he and his fellow Maryland militiamen began fighting early in the morning, with the battle lasting well into the afternoon. He mentioned men who were killed and wounded but pointed out that he and others “are all in good health.” Ending his letter, he begged Rebecah to “remember me to…all friends” and that he “remains as before your loving husband to death.”

Object Details

• Letter
  Written by William Duncan
  Bucks County, Pennsylvania
  1777
  Ink on Paper
  Museum of the American Revolution, 2003.01.270