Isaac Shelby letters
Abstract
Descriptive Summary
- Title
- Isaac Shelby letters
- Date
- 1796-1815 (inclusive)
- Creator
- Shelby, Isaac
- Extent
- 0.1 Cubic Feet
- Subjects
- Thames, Battle of the, Ont., 1813.
- Fort Meigs, Battle of, 1813.
- United States -- History -- War of 1812
- Chesapeake (Frigate)
- Shannon (Frigate)
- Preferred Citation
- 68m105: [identification of item], Isaac Shelby letters, 1796-1815, University of Kentucky Special Collections Research Center.
- Repository
- University of Kentucky
Collection Overview
- Biography / History
- Governor of Kentucky, soldier. Isaac Shelby was a militia officer, surveyor, Indian fighter, member of the Virginia legislature and member of the North Carolina legislature before removing to Kentucky in 1783, where, after participating in military affairs and in politics, including the first Kentucky Constitutional Convention, he was elected the newly-formed state's governor in 1792. During his administration some of Shelby's most important acts included stabilizing the government of the new state and lending support to General Anthony Wayne's campaigns in the Northwest Territory. Shelby declined to serve a second consecutive term, but was called from retirement in 1812 because of the war with Great Britain and was again elected governor.
- In his second term Shelby aided the federal government in its prosecution of the war and personally led the Kentucky Volunteers in General William Henry Harrison's invasion of Canada, which resulted in a victory for the United States in the Battle of the Thames in 1813. After his second term as governor, Shelby continued to serve on various boards and committees, including those of Transylvania Seminary (now University) in Lexington and Centre College in Danville. In 1817 Shelby declined President James Monroe's offer of serving as the Secretary of War. The following year he served with General Andrew Jackson on a commission to negotiate with the Chickasaw Indians concerning their lands west of the Tennessee River. Shelby died and was buried at his home, "Traveler's Rest," near Danville, in 1826.
- Scope and Content
- The Isaac Shelby letters (dated 1796-1815; 0.1 cubic feet; 5 items) comprises an artificially collection of five letters written by Kentucky governor Isaac Shelby. The earliest is a 1796 letter in which Shelby inquires about military lands for sale in the Barren and Green River areas of southwest Kentucky. Shelby writes at length to Henry Clay about the siege at Fort Meigs on the Maumee River in Ohio in a letter dated May 16, 1813. In two 1813 letters to his son, Thomas Hart Shelby, Governor Shelby mentions the encounter with the British frigate Shannon and the American frigate Chesapeake. He notes plans for a rendezvous at Newport, Ky. of volunteers who are to be marshalled to fight in the Canadian campaign at the Battle of the Thames. The final letter to Secretary of War William Harris Crawford deals with financial receipts for treasury notes deposited in Kentucky by the War Department for public purposes.
Restrictions on Access and Use
- Conditions Governing Access
- Collection is open to researchers by appointment.
- Use Restrictions
- Copyright has not been assigned to the University of Kentucky.
UK Libraries Special Collections Research Center is open Monday to Friday, 9:00am to 4:00pm. Appointments are encouraged but not required. Schedule an appointment here.
Researchers must have an SCRC Researcher Account to request materials. View account set-up and use instructions here.
Questions? Contact SCRC via our Contact Form.
Table of Contents
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UK Libraries Special Collections Research Center is open Monday to Friday, 9:00am to 4:00pm. Appointments are encouraged but not required. Schedule an appointment here.
Researchers must have an SCRC Researcher Account to request materials. View account set-up and use instructions here.
Questions? Contact SCRC via our Contact Form.
Requests
No items have been requested.
You may come across language in UK Libraries Special Collections Research Center collections and online resources that you find harmful or offensive. SCRC collects materials from different cultures and time periods to preserve and make available the historical record. These materials document the time period when they were created and the view of their creator. As a result, some may demonstrate racist and offensive views that do not reflect the values of UK Libraries.
If you find description with problematic language that you think SCRC should review, please contact us at SCRC@uky.edu.
