A Call for Supplies in 1775

This year marks the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, and in celebration of that anniversary, the State Library launched the exhibit Raising the Alarm: Revolutionary Broadsides at the State Library. Using broadsides from 1773 through 1779, the exhibit tells part of the story of the American Revolution in Massachusetts while also highlighting a significant primary source resource in our collection. Due to the nature of the cases, the exhibit utilizes facsimiles, but each month for the duration of the exhibit, one featured broadside will be on display in our Collection Spotlight – this month we’re sharing a broadside notice issued by the Provincial Congress on July 9, 1775 that calls for towns within Massachusetts to provide articles of clothing for the newly formed Continental Army.

By the time this broadside was issued, the first major battles of the Revolutionary War had already been waged – Lexington and Concord in April and Bunker Hill in June. You are likely familiar with “minutemen” which were locally organized and trained militia members that would be ready on a minute’s notice, and it was these individuals who engaged in the battles at Lexington and Concord. In the immediate aftermath of Lexington and Concord, the Provincial Congress had authorized the raising of a colonial army in Massachusetts. In June 1775 in Philadelphia, the Second Continental Congress followed suit, establishing the Continental Army under the command of General George Washington. It was in the following month that this notice was issued by Massachusetts’ Provincial Congress, seeking supplies for the newly formed Continental Army and asking towns within Massachusetts to contribute.

In this notice, towns are tasked with supplying a specific number of shirts, breeches, stockings, and shoes for the soldiers. Urgency is stressed, and individuals are instructed to provide these items to a town representative, who would then supply them with a receipt for the item and an agreed upon sum which would be dispersed within forty days. Individuals from each county are selected as the receivers of the garments, and the bottom portion of the notice lists the towns and the quantity of articles they are responsible for supplying. The garments were then to be transferred to Watertown, where the Provincial Congress was based, where they would be exchanged for payment from the public treasury to reimburse the townspeople.

While this is possibly one of the earliest calls for supplies to be issued to local communities, it is a practice that would continue throughout the war. Towns were asked to provide clothing, shoes, blankets, food rations, and more. It emphasizes the many ways that individuals supported the war efforts, even if they were not a “Founding Father” or actively engaging in battles.

Step back into summer 1775 by visiting us from August 4 through September 2 to see this broadside on display. Click here to read about the Oath of Allegiance broadside shared last month.


Elizabeth Roscio
Preservation Librarian