This collection is made up of 3 letters that Lieutenant Peter Pelham received from "M. B. S.," a woman in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, while he served in the United States Army during the War of 1812. The first letter ([November 6, 1812]) concerns the author's emotional distress after Pelham's departure for the army; she wrote at length about the perceived injustice and his broken promise. In her second letter (December 26, 1812), M. B. S. expressed her great alarm after hearing of unsanitary conditions at Burlington, Vermont, where Pelham was stationed at the time. She urged Pelham to send her a detailed report about the number of casualties and the state of affairs, offering to circulate his letter should it contain good news. The third letter (May 7, 1814) reflects on Pelham's most recent visit; though she initially remained in bed, distraught, she later socialized with her mother and other acquaintances.
The donor has collected, arranged, transcribed, and annotated each document and has written a well-researched collection description.
Kentucky native Peter Pelham (1785-1826) served as a lieutenant and, later, captain in the United States Army's 21st Infantry, 28th Infantry, and 5th Infantry between 1812 and 1821; he spent much of the war near Lake Champlain and was temporarily held as a prisoner of war after being wounded during the Battle of Crysler's Farm. After leaving the army, he served as an Indian agent in Florida, though ill health led him to seek refuge in Philadelphia in early 1822. There, Pelham met and fell in love with Martha Coffin, a Quaker woman who later became a prominent figure in the early women's rights movement. They married in November 1824, despite her mother's longstanding objections due to their different religious faiths, and moved to Tampa Bay, Florida, where Pelham was to be a sutler. Martha returned to Philadelphia while pregnant with their only daughter, Mariana (or Mary Anna), who was born on August 26, 1825. Following Peter's death, Martha and Mariana, who had since rejoined Peter in Florida, returned again to Philadelphia.