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| Field name | Value |
|---|---|
| Collection Reference Number | GLC02437.00344 |
| From Archive Folder | The Henry Knox Papers [0013] May-June 1776 |
| Title | David Mason to Henry Knox informing him of traitors within the American army |
| Date | 22 June 1776 |
| Author | Mason, David (1726-1794) |
| Recipient | Knox, Henry |
| Document Type | Correspondence; Military document |
| Content Description | Lieutenant Colonel Mason relates intelligence from a private in the General's Guard named Lara Fraga, who claims several men in Captain Alexander Hamilton's company have enlisted in the "minesterall troops," meaning the Ministerial or British army. The currently detained private volunteered to identify them. This was part of the Continental Army's successful efforts to foil a Tory plot to capture or assassinate George Washington. The conspiracy was believed to have been organized by New York's governor, William Tryon, and the mayor of New York City, David Matthews. As many as eight of the conspirators were members of George Washington's personal guard, and one, Thomas Hickey, was hanged. |
| Subjects | Military History President Revolutionary War Spying Global History and Civics Assassination Loyalist Treason Continental Army Prisoner |
| People | Mason, David (1726-1794) Knox, Henry (1750-1806) Washington, George (1732-1799) Hamilton, Alexander (ca. 1757-1804) Fraga, Lara (fl. 1776) Tryon, William (1729-1788) Mathews, David, (d. 1800) |
| Place written | New York, New York |
| Theme | The American Revolution; The Presidency |
| Sub-collection | The Henry Knox Papers |
| Copyright | The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History |
| Module | Settlement, Commerce, Revolution and Reform: 1493-1859 |
| Transcript | Show/hide Download PDF |