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Lt. Col. John Graves Simcoe Papers(ca. 1776–1806)

  • MS 1930.6
  • Microfilm: M-1552
  • 41 items

Papers of Lt. Col. John Graves Simcoe (1752–1806), commander of the Queen’s Rangers—an American corps of hussars, or light cavalry, loyal to the British crown—during the Revolutionary War, and later first lieutenant governor of Upper Canada. Included are eighteen manuscript maps—many executed in watercolor—of military actions in Virginia; printed maps similar to those appearing in Simcoe’s book A Journal of the Operation of the Queen’s Rangers (Exeter, 1787); map showing the principal streets and buildings of Williamsburg, Va; watercolor view of Yorktown, VA during the siege; copies of letters regarding the Journal and political and military affairs; reminiscences and memorabilia on Simcoe and his father; and two watercolors depicting soldiers of the Queen’s Rangers.

The manuscript maps and drawings were probably made by military personnel under Simcoe’s command. A copy of Simcoe’s Journal, given by him to a friend and later returned to Simcoe’s daughter, is available in Special Collections.

Inventory

Date Description
Folder 1
[1776–1777] Letter. [John Graves Simcoe] to [Sir William Howe] re use of Rangers in back country.
30 October 1781 Letter. Cornwallis, York, to Henry Clinton. In French. 1X Oversize
2 December 1789 Letter. J.G. Simcoe, Wolford Lodge, to General Grant re his Journal.
2 December 1789 Letter. J.G. Simcoe, Wolford Lodge, to the Bishop of Lichfield re Journal.
12 August 1789 Letter. H.D. Vincent to [J.G. Simcoe] re acceptance of his Journal by HRH the Duke of Gloucester.
8 December 1789 Letter. [Jeffery, Lord] Amherst, Montreal, to [J.G. Simcoe] re Journal.
16 January 1790 Letter. C[harles] Grey, Falladon, to [J.G. Simcoe] re Journal.
1789–1790 List of names of people to whom Simcoe sent copies of his Journal of the Queen’s Rangers.
ca. 3 September 1794 [Newspaper] Edmund Randolph, sec. of state, to George Hammond, British minister in New York, re Gov. Simcoe’s incursions south of Lake Ontario.
28 February 1796 Letter. Mrs. [Elizabeth] Simcoe, York [Toronto] to Mrs. Hunt, Wolford Lodge, Devonshire, England re imminent return.
8 October 1800 Letter. J.G. Simcoe, Wolford Lodge, to Captain Markham, Admiralty, re Journal.
11 August 1804 Letter. J.G. Simcoe, Wolford Lodge, to William Walcot.
Folder 2
22 July 1806 Letter. Viscount Howick, HMS Hibernia in the Tagus, to Lord St. Vincent re Bonaparte’s attack on Portugal and return of Simcoe to England.
15–24 August 1806 Memorandum re Simcoe’s voyage to Portugal. Page 1, covering 15–19 August 1806, is on the verso of an account of Simcoe as Governor of Canada (#10 piece in this folder).
1806 Memorandum re Simcoe’s death and monument by Flaxman. Copy.
18 April 1803 Letter. Lord Nelson to General Simcoe. Copy.
1806 Extract from John Baily’s Journal with an account of Simcoe’s funeral.
n.d. Reminiscences of John Graves Simcoe by H.D. Simcoe. (2 pp.).
May 1803 Statement of H. Caldwell, Belmont, about John Graves Simcoe.
n.d. Extract from Mr. Redhead Yorke’s weekly Political Review, No. 33.
n.d. Memoir of John Graves Simcoe. [Similar to the published memoir at back of Simcoe’s Journal, printed in New York by Bartlett & Welford in 1844.] 5 pp.
n.d. [post 1840] Sketch of Simcoe as Governor of Canada. (Verso of page one contains the first page of a memorandum re Simcoe’s voyage to Portugal, 15–19 August 1806.) 2 pp.
n.d. Another memoir of John Graves Simcoe mentioning André and Williams.
n.d. Note re disbanding of Rangers.
Folder 3
n.d. Watercolor: Mounted officer and foot soldier of the Queen’s Rangers by Captain Murray.
n.d. Watercolor: Rifleman of the Queen’s Rangers by Captain Murray.

2X Oversize: Simcoe Maps

  1. Miscellaneous sketch maps with notes.
  2. Two printed maps of the action at Spencer’s Ordinary, June 26, 1781.
  3. Manuscript map of #2, action at Spencer’s Ordinary
  4. Two manuscript maps of action at Spencer’s Plantation.
  5. Two manuscript maps of Great Bridge Post.
  6. Two manuscript and printed maps of skirmish at Richmond, January 5, 1781.
  7. Sketch of #5.
  8. Two manuscript maps of naval action on the James River at Osburns.
  9. Manuscript map of the action at Osburns (larger than #8).
  10. Two manuscript maps of the action at Williamsburg Landing.
  11. Manuscript map showing principal buildings of Williamsburg; and, View towards Yorktown from Gloucester Point.
  12. Manuscript map of the action at Point of Fork on the James River (Columbia, VA where Rivanna River enters James).
  13. Larger version of #12.
  14. Printed map of skirmish at Petersburg, April 25, 1781.
  15. Nine small manuscript maps: Osburns (April 27, 1781), Kingsbridge (August 31, 1778), Burrells (April 17, 1781), Spencer’s Ordinary (June 26, 1781), Point of Fork, Richmond (January 5, 1781), North Rivber, Quintin’s Bridge (March 18, 1778).
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