Independence War Diplomacy

[1Timothy115]

Did you ever wonder what it would have been like to meet our founding fathers? The knowledge of the following was never provided to me by any of my teachers or professors. Through these letters I feel a greater understnading of nation's framers. I've copied out an excerpt below as an example. Franklin writing to Hancock from Nantes, France.

THE DIPLOMATIC CORRESPONDENCE OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION. VOL. III.
ED. Jared Sparks, 1829

THE CORRESPONDENCE OF BENJAMIN FRANKLIN.
TO JOHN HANCOCK, PRESIDENT OF CONGRESS.
Nantes, December 8th, 1776

"Our voyage, though not long, was rough, and I feel myself weakened by it, but I now recover strength daily, and in a few days shall be able to undertake the journey to Paris. I have not yet taken any public character, thinking it prudent first to know whether the Court is ready and willing to receive Ministers publicly from the Congress, that we may neither embarrass her on the one hand, nor subject ourselves to the hazard of a disgraceful refusal on the other."

"I find several vessels here laden with military stores for America, just ready to sail; on the whole, there is the greatest prospect that we shall be well provided for another campaign, and much stronger than we were last."

The correspondence is free for downloading from Project Gutenberg.