Existing comment:
"Estimate of Stores for the Armye––Estimate N3," July 1779
Manuscript
The Historical Society of Pennsylvania
Congress sent Franklin this detailed, 38-page list of supplies to acquire in France. It specified items essential to outfitting and sustaining the American troops, ranging from arms of all sorts to bolts of cloth for uniforms, cooking pots, fifes and drums, and goods for Indian allies -- all of which then had to be smuggled across the Atlantic, often via the Caribbean. The first ship, the "Marquis de Lafayette," was captured at sea by a British gun boat, the bounty sold at auction in London, and Franklin had to start all over again. Ultimately, however, Franklin succeeded, and the supplies made their way to America. |