Background note
Lambert Cadwalader, born in Trenton New Jersey in 1743, was the son of Hannah Lambert and Thomas Cadwalader, a physician.
He attended the College of Philadelphia and then remained in Philadelphia to establish a business with his brother, John Cadwalader.
Their business was a success, which perhaps encouraged an interest in politics. Merchant Cadwalader was a vocal supporter
of independence and responded to the Stamp Act in 1765 by agreeing to boycott English merchants. In 1774, he was appointed
a member of the Philadelphia Committee of Superintendence and Correspondence; in 1775, elected a member of the Pennsylvania
Provincial Assembly and in 1776, he attended the Pennsylvania State constitutional convention.
Military service was pursued during this time as well. In 1775 Cadwalader was appointed captain of one of four Philadelphia
companies called "the Greens." In January of 1776 he was promoted to lieutenant colonel of the Third Pennsylvania Battalion
and six months later assisted in the construction of Fort Washington which was intended to inhibit enemy shipping. In August
of that summer he and his men gamely committed to assisting George Washington at the battle of Long Island but they arrived
too late: the British had won. They did, however, provide reinforcement in Brooklyn Heights until a few days later when Cadwalader
and his men were moved south of Fort Washington. In September of 1776 took command of the Third Pennsylvania Battalion and
was promoted to colonel.
The General Howe and his British troops captured Cadwalader in November of that year while he and his men were defending Fort
Washington. Cadwalader was released by Howe and in early 1777 was appointed commander of the newly formed Fourth Pennsylvania
Regiment. Cadwalader, however, refused to take command as he was only paroled by General Howe and not exchanged for an officer
of equal rank; after struggling with the decision, he consulted George Washington who acted by issuing a general order that
no enemy officers of field grade were to be release. Although Washington acted in retaliation for the alleged unfair treatment
of General Charles Lee, he effectively ended Cadwalader's military career. Cadwalader resigned his commission on January
29, 1779 and reentered politics.
Cadwalader worked with other Pennsylvanians to try to amend the state's constitution of 1776, which they thought too liberal
but they were unsuccessful. In 1784, he was elected a delegate to the Continental Congress, an office he held for two years.
He served two terms as a Federalist in the House of Representatives, 1789-1791 and 1793-1795.
In 1793 Cadwalader married Mary McCall; two years later when his second term in the House of Representatives concluded, he
retired from public service and spent his last years on an estate near Trenton, New Jersey called "Greenwood."
Scope and content
This collection of seven letters consists solely of exchanges between Lambert Cadwalader and Samuel Meredith, a fellow revolutionary
soldier. Dated from 1779 to 1798, the first letter was written the same year that Cadwalader had resigned from the military
and the last was penned six years after he'd retired from politics.
Although Cadwalader ostensibly wrote to Meredith to discuss real estate, the letters are valuable because he also communicated
news about the war and current political situation and also a little bit about life in Philadelphia in the latter part of
the eighteenth century. A letter written on October 5, 1779, for example, requests information about military operations
in Georgia, shares news about blocked British fleets in Torbay and the activities of the Marquis of Fayette, and asks for
reports about "the Assembly with Respect to the Encouragement of Trade and Navigation." In the same letter, Cadwalader expresses optimism for resolution: "I cannot help entertaining very sanguine hopes of a
peace this winter-nothing can in my opinion prevent it..."
In a letter dated later that month, Cadwalader writes to Meredith about his father's property in Philadelphia and the soon
to be crippling tax "on real estates in Pennsylvania"; he also speculates about "D'Estaign's Movement" (Charles Henri, comte
d'Estaing, 1729-1794) and the rumors surrounding his plan of action.
Almost ten years later in a letter dated September 10, 1788, Cadwalader comments on recent political news including troops
marshaled in the Southern States and the future of the "Ordinance," a "most serious consideration and requires the particular
attention of Congress." Cadwalader also wrote about government proceedings: "'I observed by the Journals of on a Motion
of Tucker seconded by H. Lee that the "the city of N York in the State of N York be the place for commencing Proceedings under
the I Constitution". & that the Preamble Resolve was also agreed to-So, however, I approached-this is quite new to me.'"
Lambert Cadwalader did most likely not write one of the letters. Dated March 9, 1798 the letter is addressed to "Peggy" and
not signed. The subject matter is an appeal to Peggy to procure a smallpox inoculation for "Tom" from "Dr. Rush" as none
is available in Trenton. The writer of the letter asks Peggy's opinion of the "hostile Intentions of the French Government
towards this Country?" and goes on to remind her of the "mournful Reverse of Fortune" that Louis 14th lived to witness.
The remaining letter, undated, is about financial matters--the rent of a meadow--and reports that the health of his daughter
Margaret is much improved. Again, although the collection is very small, it potentially has value for one interested in
a small glimpse into everyday life in 18th century Philadelphia and the current political atmosphere.
Administrative information
Restrictions
None.
Provenance
Accessioned 1947.
Preferred citation
Cite as: Lambert Cadwalader Papers, American Philosophical Society.
Processing information
Recatalogued by Anne Harney, 2002.
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