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Daniel Chamier Revolutionary War Financial Documents
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Held at: Princeton University Library: Manuscripts Division [Contact Us]
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The Chamiers were from a Huguenot family, descended from Protestant ministers of the Reformed Church of France who eventually sought refuge in London. Daniel Chamier (d. 1778) was the Commissary General of the British Army in North America during the American Revolutionary War. Chamier lived for several years in Maryland, holding public offices in the colony and accumulating a sizeable personal fortune. Before the outbreak of fighting during the American Revolution, Chamier offered his services to the British Army and became Commissary General of the Army in North America. He served in that position from February 1774 to February 1777, and then as Auditor General from March 1777 until his death a year later on November 27, 1778. While Chamier's headquarters were in New York, he sometimes accompanied the army in the field. He was the husband of Achsah Chamier and the brother of Anthony Chamier (1725-1780), a financier and friend of Samuel Johnson. Daniel Chamier's son Daniel Chamier Jr. and nephew John Chamier managed his estate following his death. John Chamier was the Secretary at War in Madras, India, as well as Secretary to the Military Department at Fort St. George on the coast of Coromandel, New Zealand.
Consists of a collection of financial documents and letters recording the accounts of Daniel Chamier, the Commissary General of the British Army in North America during the Revolutionary War, and demonstrating how British forces in America were provisioned from 1774 to 1777. The collection documents Chamier's efforts to provision British forces in America from Nova Scotia to Florida, including logistical aspects of how supplies were paid for, arranged, and disbursed, as well as the efforts of Chamier's heirs to be compensated for the monies he personally spent during the war. Materials are dated from 1777 to 1798, though their contents largely pertain to the period from May 25, 1774, to May 24, 1777, during Chamier's tenure as Commissary General. Most of these materials were created and assembled by Chamier's heirs and family members after his death in an effort to gain reimbursement for the thousands of pounds sterling from his personal fortune that Chamier expended during his service.
The accounts of Daniel Chamier's service provide very detailed information about how the British Army was provisioned in the early years of the war, and include expenses for forces under the command of General William Howe, as well as generals Charles Cornwallis, Henry Clinton, Thomas Gage, Frederick Haldimand, Eyre Massey, and Hugh Percy. The most detailed documents in the collection are two primary accounts of Chamier's work as Commissary General, both covering the period from May 25, 1774, to May 24, 1777, one in the form of a parchment roll made up of fourteen membranes (skins), totaling 43 feet in length, completed in 1794-1795, and the other a fifty-seven-page manuscript register of expenses, completed in 1798. There are also two letters of Daniel Chamier during his service as Auditor General, as well as eighteen additional documents, calculations, and letters describing the efforts made by Chamier's heirs to clear up his accounts with the British government after his death. Family members involved in settling Chamier's accounts include his son Daniel Chamier Jr. and nephew John Chamier, along with Edward Smith, an attorney for the Chamier family.
The role of the Commissary General was central to the functioning of the British Army in North America since the availability of supplies influenced military strategy. Chamier was responsible for receiving provisions sent from Britain and then distributing them to British troops in America, as well as for securing provisions in America as he could. The accounts in this collection detailing Chamier's total disbursements indicate that his Commissary General office made payments in the amount of more than 300,000 pounds. They record the names of hundreds of provisioners who were paid hundreds of thousands of pounds for their services to the British Army in America, as it grew from a relatively small force to an army that controlled large parts of the American colonies by the end of 1777. Chamier was assisted in his duties as Commissary General by a number of deputies, with specific assistants in charge of provisions, fuel, cattle, forage, and other supplies. Of primary importance with regard to Chamier's career, and to the materials in this collection, is the issue of funding and the expenditure of funds. The state of accounts of the British Army was complex, and commissaries general were often accused of corruption. Chamier and his assistants were paid a small salary, and Chamier was often required to use his own considerable fortune to secure necessities such as flour, rice, beef, and other provisions, as well as for rents, postage, travel charges, books and stationery, and other expenses, further complicating the process of accounting for funds.
Upon Daniel Chamier's death in 1778, his estate was held by the Chancery Court, and a final settlement was not made until 1794. Amounts paid out by him during the war for which there were no vouchers were charged against his estate, and his heirs were left with 2000 pounds out of an estate valued at approximately 1 million pounds.
Arranged chronologically.
Purchase, 2017 (AM 2017-122).
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Box 2 contains a long parchment scroll which requires special handling. Please consult with Public Services staff.
This collection was processed by Kelly Bolding in April 2017. Finding aid written by Kelly Bolding in April 2017.
During 2022, restrictions on access to a large parchment scroll were lifted as part of a restrictions review project.
No materials were separated during 2017 processing.
People
Organization
Subject
Place
- Publisher
- Manuscripts Division
- Finding Aid Author
- Kelly Bolding
- Finding Aid Date
- 2017
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Collection Inventory
Manuscript copy of a certificate signed by Daniel Chamier in New York, certifying that in his capacity as Commissary General he had appointed Samuel Rogers as Deputy Commissary of Stores and Provisions at Perth Amboy beginning in December 1776 and continuing until the following May, "during which time the great Number of Troops in Garrison there and at Brunswick being upwards of Ten Thousand Men, rendered it necessary to place very large Quantities of Provisions in his care." Chamier praises the work done by Rogers but notes that bad weather had brought on a "Rheumatic Complaint" that would require him to be relieved of his duties.
Physical Description1 folder
Two-page letter from Deputy Commissary John Morrison in Newport, Rhode Island, to Auditor General Daniel Chamier, in which Morrison asks Chamier to receive General William Howe's approval of several warrants he had paid for personally. He then goes on to describe his efforts to provide bread for General Henry Clinton's army: "With the consent of Genl. Clinton I baked, for the Army, on the same footing the Bakers at N. York did, that was to deliver a pound of Bread, for every pound of Flower; and had Mr. Fraser been the man I took him for, great advantages might have been made, without the Crown's being in the least injured, and it is very immaterial to the public, whether a Commissary or a Baker receives the profit."
Physical Description1 folder
Manuscript eulogy for Daniel Chamier sent by an anonymous author to the printer of the Morning Post. The eulogy may have been written by Daniel Chamier's brother, Anthony Chamier (1725-1780), a financier and friend of Samuel Johnson.
Physical Description1 folder
Notarized manuscript document from the County of Baltimore, Maryland, signed by the widow of Daniel Chamier.
Physical Description1 folder
Three letters, along with two accounts containing calculations, from Daniel Chamier Jr. in London to John Chamier in India and New Zealand regarding the state of the Daniel Chamier accounts. In a three-page letter (January 10, 1787) to John Chamier, then Secretary at War in Madras, India, Daniel Chamier Jr. apprises his relative of the steps he has taken with the Office for Auditing the Public Accounts in clearing up the accounts of his father. He includes the text of a letter from Jonathan Wigglesworth in the Public Accounts Office. A later letter (January 22, 1789) discusses his examination of vouchers and progress toward settling the accounts and also mentions reports of King George III's deteriorating health and mental capacity, as well as the potential political implications. In another letter (May 25, 1790), Daniel Chamier Jr. asks if John Chamier will authorize his attorneys to provide a salary of one guinea per week for the work he has been undertaking on settling the estate, noting that his request for compensation from the government has been rejected. There are also two enclosures prepared by Daniel Chamier Jr., likely both included with the 1789 letter. One, dated January 1789, is an exact calculation of the pay due to Daniel Chamier on his last two commissions during his service as Commissary General and Auditor General from April 1776 through his death in November 1778. Chamier was paid 2 pounds per day through January 1777, and 3 pounds per day after that, for a total salary owed him of 2610 pounds. The second enclosure tallies the accounts of monies in the warrants issued to Daniel Chamier by generals Frederick Haldimand, William Howe, and Thomas Gage during the American Revolution, totaling some 175,000 pounds. Tallies on the following two pages show "A List of Accounts delivered into the Auditor's Office supported by Vouchers," as well as a brief register of the "Personal Estate of the Deceased."
Physical Description1 folder
Letter from Jonathan Wigglesworth in the Office for Auditing the Public Accounts to Edward Smith, attorney for John Chamier, in which Wigglesworth writes: "In answer to your letter of the 11th of February, desiring to be informed as to the length of time it may probably take to examine the Accounts of Danl. Chamier Esquire, late Commissary General in North America, I am directed by the Commissioners for Auditing the Public Accounts to acquaint you, that there is no general State of the Account delivered, that it appears by the Army Accounts that Mr. Chamier stands In Super for £175,644.8.9'2, and that it cannot at present be ascertained what part of that sum is properly Accounted for but by an accurate examination, which from the magnitude of the Sum and nature of the Service, will take up a considerable length of time."
Physical Description1 folder
Manuscript draft (along with a copy) of a letter from Chamier family lawyer Edward Smith in London to the Board for Auditing Public Accounts regarding the accounts of Daniel Chamier, in which Smith sends an updated statement of the charges on the account of Daniel Chamier in his service as Commissary General, begs the Board to accept this further evidence, and asks them to forgive certain unaccounted for expenses. Also present is Smith's supporting evidence, a document titled "Statement of Surcharges in the Accounts of Mr. D. Chamier...", giving further details on the amounts owed to the Chamier estate. Smith admits that most of the amounts listed in this detailed report have no supporting vouchers. This statement is accompanied by a more detailed 7-page document that appears to be a rough draft of the statement of surcharges Smith sent to the Board for Auditing the Public Accounts.
Physical Description1 folder
Two documents that were likely prepared by Chamier family lawyer Edward Smith, considering several aspects of the settlement of Daniel Chamier's estate. One includes an extract from Chamier's will, dated 1774, and the other contains a four-page manuscript addendum detailing some of the Chamier accounts.
Physical Description1 folder
The document begins with a letter from Jonathan Wigglesworth in the Office for Auditing Public Accounts to Chamier family lawyer Edward Smith and also includes the office's register of the surcharges on the account of Daniel Chamier, showing that there is a balance due from him of 17,608.13.11 pounds in "New York currency." The document provides details about various sums reimbursed to Chamier in his duties, with information on amounts, dates, and who delivered the services or goods.
Physical Description1 folder
Consists of a letter (August 14, 1793) from Charles Long (Secretary to the Treasury, and later, Baron Farnborough) to Edward Smith, requesting a meeting with him prior to delivering the report of the Commissioners for Auditing Public Accounts to the Lords of the Treasury, along with Smith's retained draft of his reply (August 16, 1793). In his reply, Smith informs Long that he is not in London but in the country due to issues of health, and asks Smith to meet with Jonathan Wigglesworth of the Office for Auditing Public Accounts to discuss the Chamier case. Smith discusses certain aspects of the case, including the particular circumstances that resulted in relatively slight record-keeping and paucity of vouchers, and begs the Treasury Board to have faith in the verity of the claims of the Chamier estate.
Physical Description1 folder
Four-page letter from Edward Smith in London to the Lords of the Treasury regarding the "final adjustment of the Accts. of the late Mr. D. Chamier," in which he encloses more supporting material on Chamier's expenditures while Commissary General in North America.
Physical Description1 folder
Printed form letter, completed by hand by Jonathan Wigglesworth of the Office for Auditing Public Accounts, to Edward Smith, documenting the final resolution of the accounts of Daniel Chamier. Wigglesworth writes that "the account of the late Dan'l. Chamier Esqr. Commissary General in North America between 25 May 1774 and 24 May 1777 was this day declared by the Chancellor of His Majesty's Exchequer, with a Balance due to the public of £9,467.10.4." The letter goes on to inform Smith that "it may be proper to apprize you that the said Account cannot be finally settled until it is lodged in the Pipe Office where the Quietus must be made out...."
Physical Description1 folder
Consists of a detailed register of Daniel Chamier's expenditures as Commissary General for the period from May 25, 1774, to May 24, 1777, recorded on a vellum scroll made up of fourteen joined skins and measuring forty-three feet in length. The expenditures include provisions for forces under a number of British generals, including William Howe, Charles Cornwallis, Henry Clinton, Thomas Gage, Frederick Haldimand, Eyre Massey, and Hugh Percy. The total payments recorded on the scroll amount to more than 307,409 pounds and comprise hundreds of payments to various assistants, deputies, and suppliers. The account covers a wide geographic area from Nova Scotia to Florida and includes New York, Detroit, Fort Erie, Crown Point, Boston, Charlestown, Albany, Ticonderoga, Flushing, Brooklyn, Staten Island, Savannah, St. Augustine, Rhode Island, and many others. Payments span a variety of costs for many different types of provisions, including beef, pork, flour, rum, vinegar, rice, potatoes, turnips, corn, and butter, as well as costs for transport of provisions, slaughtering cattle, printing stationery and advertisements (including work done by New York Loyalist printers Hugh Gaine and James Rivington), postage, laborers, coopers, storage, and the costs involved in building a brewery.
This document was prepared in the 1790s by Chamier's heirs and descendants, led by John Chamier, in an attempt to gain compensation for what they asserted to be more than 300,000 pounds of expenses paid personally by Daniel Chamier in the course of his duties as Commissary General. The text of the document is dated July 16, 1794. The document was also signed on August 14, 1795, by Deputy Clerk of the Pipe Thomas Lowten, a solicitor who was contracted to verify the accuracy of the accounts.
The scroll is referred to in other documents in the collection as the "Quietus."
Physical Description1 boxParchment scroll made up of fourteen membranes (skins), totaling 43 feet in length516 x 11.5 inches
Consists of a lengthy and detailed register of Chamier's expenses in the form of a fifty-seven-page manuscript. Thirty-eight pages contain the amounts paid out to various deputies, assistants, provisioners, and others, over the period from May 25, 1774, to May 24, 1777, giving the names of those paid, the amounts paid, and the particulars of the transaction, whether for goods or for labor. There are also seven supplementary accounts that provide additional information about Chamier's estate, including pay and stocks. Bound inside is a draft notice and list of surcharges from Jonathan Wigglesworth of the Office for Auditing Public Accounts to Edward Smith, dated June 1793. At the conclusion of this document is the copied declaration of John Chamier, dated 1798, accepting the final settlement offered by the British government.
Physical Description1 folder