November 8, 2009

Special Collections recently cataloged a collection of records from Fort Constitution left behind by Ordnance Sergeant James Davidson from his time in service there in the middle of the nineteenth century. The records contain correspondence (including circulars and invitations), personnel records (such as muster rolls, orders, court proceedings, and reports), inventories and requisitions for fuel, food, clothing, ordnance, and other provisions, and financial records (such as payrolls, expenditures, and invoices).

Fort Constitution, originally known as Fort William and Mary (or Castle William and Mary), was built in 1632 on the island of New Castle, New Hampshire, at the mouth of the Piscataqua River, to protect and defend Portsmouth Harbor. It became a center of rebellion several months before the battles of Lexington and Concord ushered in the American Revolution. Read more