Peak season notice: Shipping for this category may take 14–21 business days after cleared payment. Thanks for your patience.
John Caldwell Manuscript Document ...
Description
A French Tradesman Stokes Fear among the Seneca Nation of British Invasion after The Seven Years War: "Where I live is my ground, French Ground and I will not be turned off it by any man."
John Caldwell Manuscript Document (unsigned). One page of a
bifolium, 7 1/2 x 12 inches; [Fort Niagara]; September 29, 1774.
Hinge mounted to a larger sheet to an overall size of 9 3/4 x 13
1/8 inches.A contemporary account from Lieutenant Colonel John Caldwell of Niagara, relaying a message delivered by Lang Blanc, a Frenchman trading among the Senecas, in the winter of 1773 regarding forthcoming assistance to that nation from France and Spain against the British army. In part:
"This speech (tho' the Indian himself said he did not believe it) had such an effect upon him that he immediately returned home to guard his family. The same Indian and many others have since reported that the sick Lang Blanc has often begun the War Dance and invited the Senecas to join the Shawanesees against the Virginians, and that he would go with him..."
Lang Blanc, an individual without historical record, delivered this unfounded threat at a time of great tension and transition; the Indian who chose to document his words and share them with the officers at Fort Niagara, did not believe them, but still chose to move his family to safety as a result. Fort Niagara, a significant loyalist strongpoint during the revolution, was, in 1773, held by Butler's Rangers, the unit to which the present John Caldwell was assigned. Shortly after this message was delivered, the Seneca tribe would break from the Iroquois Nation, siding with the British during the Revolutionary War, the Rangers' having played an important role in securing their trust.
The present manuscript document shows the significant role new and past alliances between Britain and France among the Seneca and other tribes played in the years following the Seven Years War and leading up to the American Revolution.
Condition: Overall very good. Flattened folds. Small crease to upper left corner and pinhole in left margin. Light toning along the bottom edge.
Auction Info
Buyer's Premium per Lot:
25% of the successful bid (minimum $49) per lot.
This lot is in: 1 -
Signature® Floor Session (Live Floor, Live Phone, Mail, Fax, Internet, and Heritage Live):
(Lots 42001-42298) - 11:00 AM Central Time, Friday, June 19, 2026.
[Proxy bidding ends ten minutes prior to the session start time. Live Proxy bidding on Heritage Live now starts within 2 hours of when the auction opens for proxy bidding and continues through the live session.]
Exhibition Viewing Times, Title Page, Floor Session and License Information
Additional Location Info:
Heritage Auctions - Dallas
2801 W. Airport Freeway
Dallas, TX 75261
Terms and Conditions | Bidding Guidelines and Bid Increments | Glossary of Terms