Adams Papers Digital Edition

Papers of John Adams, volume 6

The Commissioners to J. D. Schweighauser

C. W. F. Dumas to the Commissioners
Marine Committee to the Commissioners, 10 June 1778 Continental Congress, Marine Committee Lee, Richard Henry First Joint Commission at Paris JA Marine Committee to the Commissioners, 10 June 1778 Continental Congress, Marine Committee Lee, Richard Henry First Joint Commission at Paris Adams, John
Marine Committee to the Commissioners
Honorable Gentn York in Penna June 10th 1778

There is wanted for A fifty Six Gun Ship now building at Portsmouth in the State of New Hampshire, Twenty eight 24 pounders Cannon and Twenty eight 18 Pounders which We request you will order to be shipped for that Port or the Port of Boston by the first Opportunity.1 Should the Continental Frigates Boston and Providence be in France when this gets to hand they may take in those Cannon and in that case you will please to ship an equal number of each Size Sufficient to Ballast Said Frigates, as we shall have Occasion for more than will be wanted for the 56 Gun ship. We request your attention to this business and are Honorable Gentn with great respect Your very Obedt. servants,

Richard Henry Lee. C.M.

RC (PPAmP: Franklin Papers); addressed: “The Honorable the Commissioners of the United States of North America at Paris”; docketed: “Letter Marine Comtee. June 10 1778. for 28. 24 Pounders and 28 18s.”; in an unknown hand: “Order for Cannon”; calculations, perhaps by JA:

3000 1680
56 24
18000 6720
15000 3360
168000 40320.
The first calculation may be the weight of 56 twenty-four-pounders; the second may be the total weight of the ammunition for them at 30 twenty-four-pound-shot per gun.

 1.

These cannon were for the ship of the line America. In a letter of 19 Aug. the Commissioners ordered John Bondfield to procure the needed cannon (LbC, Adams Papers, Microfilms, Reel No. 92). Bondfield reported his progress in letters to the Commissioners dated 29 Aug. (below) and 12 Sept. (PPAmP: Franklin Papers).