From the first shots in Lexington, Massachusetts until its conclusion in late 1783, the American Revolution was fought by Massachusetts soldiers and sailors. They participated in campaigns and privateer voyages all throughout the United States and the Atlantic Ocean, creating a record of their time at war through letters, journals, and other records.

 

This digital collection contains letters, journals, ships’ logbooks, government, and military records, as well as newspaper articles taken from the Phillips Library’s Revolutionary War Collection. These records were created by or address the role of Massachusetts soldiers, sailors, and officials during the American Revolution. The digital collection also aggregates Revolutionary War-era broadsides taken from the print collection of the Phillips Library.

 

For an inventory of our Revolutionary War Collection, including listings of archival materials not available online, view the collection’s finding aid.

Printed broadsides, military records and government records.

Broadsides

Ballads, news and propaganda related to the American Revolution.

Military Records

Orders, muster rolls, pension records, oaths, promissory notes and more, related to the Continental Army.

Government Records

Letters to and from the Committee of Safety, the Commitee of Correspondence and the Massachusetts General Assembly

Correspondences written by American soldiers to family and friends as well as journals kept by American servicemen and Privateers.

Correspondences

Journals

Massachusetts made a key contribution to the American Revolution. In addition to fighting on land, many sailors turned to privateering to combat the British Navy and profit from the spoils. This collection includes papers relating to the American Brig, Tyrannicide. Besides swashbuckling, the collection also includes the intriguing papers related to Benjamin Church, a spy for the British army, and coded messages yet to be deciphered.

Privateering

Espionage

Correspondences to and from General George Washington and his secretaries and letters from Colonel (land later General) John Glover.

John Glover

George Washington

Broadside used in the website banner

Broadside above The New England Timeline

Broadside above the New York and New Jersey Timeline

Broadside above the Mid-Atlantic Timeline

“Massachusetts Regiments in the Continental Army - Revolutionary War.” n.d. Accessed August 12, 2026. https://revolutionarywar.us/continental-army/massachusetts/.

“Orderly Books of Massachusetts Regiments in Continental Service.” 2021. Revwar75.Com. 2021. https://revwar75.com/ob/ma2.htm.

“Soldiers and Sailors – MASSAR.” 2017. Massar.Org. https://massar.org/soldiers-and-sailors/.