Newburgh Letters

E55345

The Newburgh Letters are a series of anonymous 1783 writings by John Armstrong Jr. that stirred discontent among Continental Army officers and helped precipitate the Newburgh Conspiracy near the end of the American Revolutionary War.


Statements (45)
Predicate Object
instanceOf historical document
series of political writings
addressesIssue arrears of pay for officers
commutation of half-pay pensions
treatment of officers by the Continental Congress
archivalStatus preserved in collections of Revolutionary War documents
associatedWithEvent Newburgh Conspiracy
associatedWithGovernmentBody Continental Congress
author John Armstrong Jr.
authorshipStatusAtTime anonymous
countryOfOrigin United States
distributionMethod circulated among officers at Newburgh cantonment
effect helped precipitate the Newburgh Conspiracy
stirred discontent among Continental Army officers
fieldOfStudy American Revolutionary history
military history of the United States
political history of the early United States
genre anonymous letter
political pamphlet
historicalPeriod late 18th century
historicalSignificance important example of officer unrest in the Continental Army
key source for understanding the Newburgh Conspiracy
influenced sentiment in the officer corps
influencedBy financial distress of Continental Army officers
intendedAudience Continental Army officers
language English
laterAttributedTo John Armstrong Jr.
locationContext Newburgh, New York
medium printed circular letters
politicalContext post-war financial crisis of the United States
politicalStance critical of Congress's failure to meet financial obligations
primaryTheme civil-military relations
military discontent
officers' grievances over pay
publicationYear 1783
relatedEvent George Washington's Newburgh speech
Newburgh Address
relatedToOrganization Continental Army
relatedToPerson George Washington
relatedToPlace Newburgh army cantonment
subjectMatter loyalty of officers to the republican cause
potential military pressure on civil authority
timeContext final months of the Continental Army's encampment at Newburgh
writtenDuring American Revolutionary War
writtenNearEndOf American Revolutionary War

Referenced by (2)
Subject (surface form when different) Predicate
Newburgh, New York ("Newburgh Conspiracy context during the American Revolutionary War vicinity")
hasHistoricEvent
John Armstrong Jr.
notableWork

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