Autograph letter signed by Private John Patterson. Fort George, Quebec, 20 June 1813. 2 pages, 13 1/4 x 8in. 

Penned by Private John Patterson to his wife Nancy from the captured British post at Fort George in Upper Canada, this gripping four-page letter delivers a vivid, firsthand chronicle of the Niagara campaign, written just weeks after the Americans’ hard-won victory at York during the War of 1812.

Patterson opens with the stark admission that he has "lost my health intirely [sic] but still I keep up my spirits as well as I can, I am losing the power of my left arm," before adding that his regiment now lies "betwixt two fires—that is, between the Indians and the British… We are now in the enemie's [sic] country." The tone of the letter moves swiftly between tenderness and fury. He pleads with Nancy to care for their children if he "dies in the field of battle," then abruptly proceeds to condemn a "Lieutenant Gill" as "a Raskil, a Villian and Liar," vowing, "If God spare me life and health and get my Discharge I will slash his blubber head for him."

Patterson anticipates imminent battle in stark terms: "Our Army hear is 6 Thousand men, We expect an ingagement[sic] every moment, Wee[sic] have to lay on our Guns Knight and Day." He criticizes Native allies of the British—declaring, "the Indians is Greatest Cowards I ever saw in my life, they cant stand the baynet[sic]"—and expresses deep frustration with his commanding officers, who "turned Cowards and would not let the Men fire on the British when Wee[sic] had it in our power." Yet despite his anger, Patterson’s letter remains deeply personal, underscored by paternal care: "Dear William and James my good boys, take care of yourselves and keep out of bad company… Write to me directly."

Manuscripts from the War of 1812 rarely preserve such a candid combination of strategic detail and heartfelt emotion. 

[War of 1812, James Madison, Battle of Lake Erie, Battle of Plattsburgh, Fort McHenry, Battle of New Orleans, Treaty of Ghent, Andrew Jackson] [Manuscripts, Documents, Letters, Ephemera, Signatures, Autographs]

Tears at the creases.