Papers of the War Department, 1784-1800
Access: Publicly available resource
Description: The database contains 55,000 documents covering the Early Republic, from the handling of Indian affairs, pensions and procurement to the nature of the first American citizens’ relationship with their new Federal government. During this time period the War Department was responsible for Indian affairs, veteran affairs, and naval affairs (until 1798), as well as militia and army matters.
The War Office did business with commercial firms and merchants all across the nation; it was the nation’s largest single consumer of fabric, clothing, shoes, food, medicine, building materials, and weapons of all kinds. The War Department also operated the nation’s only federal social welfare program, providing veterans’ benefits (including payments to widows and orphans) to more than 4,000 persons. It also provided internal security, governance, and diplomacy on the vast frontier, and it was the instrument that shaped relations with Native Americans.
Coverage: Eighteenth & Nineteenth Centuries
Subject(s):
Digital Archives & Collections
History, Genealogy & Archives
Military Science & National Security
Publicly Available Resources
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