J. H. Bastide Letter, May 13, 1743

Collection

Identifier: MS 0120

Staff Only

Finding aid note: Stored on-site at the Woodson Research Center.

Scope and Contents

This is a handwritten letter dated May 13, 1743 and signed by J. H. Bastide. The letter is addressed to an "My Lord Duke." Bastide, self-described as "the second Lieutenant in General Cornwallis's regiment," states that he has received advice that he is to be exchanged from his regiment to one in Nova Scotia. He does not wish to be transferred and begs leave to resign his Lieutenancy to his son or permission to sell it in order to provide some security for his family. This letter consist of one sheet of paper measuring 36.5 cm by 22 cm.

Dates

Creation: 1743-05-13

Creator

Bastide, John Henry (Person)

Access Restrictions

This material is open for research.

Conditions Governing Access

Stored onsite at the Woodson Research Center.

Use Restrictions

Permission to publish from the J. H. Bastide Letter, May 13, 1743 must be obtained from the Woodson Research Center, Fondren Library, Rice University.

Biographical Sketch

J.H. Bastide, is probably John Henry Bastide, a British army officer and military engineer. In 1711, while still a boy, he was commissioned an ensign. He remained a lieutenant for well over 20 years, perhaps in part because of his decision to serve as a military engineer. At the time of this letter (May 1743), he was in Boston, aiding Governor William Shirley of Massachusetts in the construction of local fortifications. During the Seven Years War, he assisted in the defense of the fortress Louisbourg located at the site of a French settlement in Nova Scotia on Ile Royale now known as Cape Breton Island. He went on to become a lieutenant-general in April 1770. His name does not appear on the 1771 War Office list of officers, so he may have died in 1770. Retrieved from the Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online on November 14, 2007 from http://www.biographi.ca