Seeking records of naval agents during American Revolution

Dear Bryna O'Sullivan,

Thank you for posting your request on History Hub!

The National Archives has limited records concerning Revolutionary War era Naval matters, in part because of the disbanding of the Navy after the War, and in part because of fires at the War Department in 1800, and partially because of the burning of Washington DC during the War of 1812.

We searched the National Archives Catalog and located Letters Sent by Robert Morris as Agent of Marine in the Naval Records Collection of the Office of Naval Records and Library (Record Group 45) and Index to Agent of Marines Ledger, ca. 1782 - ca. 1787 in the Records of the Accounting Officers of the Department of the Treasury (Record Group 217). For more information about these records and other 18th Century Navy records, please contact the National Archives in Washington, DC - Textual Reference (RDT1) at archives1reference@nara.gov.

You may experience a delay in receiving an initial acknowledgment as well as a substantive response to your reference request from RDT1. We apologize for this inconvenience and appreciate your understanding and patience as we balance mission-critical work and the safety of our staff during the pandemic. Please check NARA’s web page about COVID-19 updates for the latest information.

We hope this is helpful. Best of luck with your research!

Thank you!

Hi Bryna,

I'd also suggest reaching out to the Naval History and Heritage Command- their archives staff might have some excellent recommendations for sources, as well: https://www.history.navy.mil/research/archives/about-the-navy-archives.html 

The resource guide Manuscript sources in the Library of Congress for research on the American Revolution, compiled by John R. Sellers and available on HathiTrust, might also help direct you to some related resources. Feel free to send us an Ask A Librarian if anything strikes your fancy in there!

Manuscript Division
Library of Congress

Thank you!