Papers : 1777 - 1781.

            James Pattison was the son of a London merchant. He received his first commission as a lieutenant in the Royal Regiment of Artillery in 1740 and remained an army officer for the rest of his life, being promoted through the ranks until he became a full general in 1797. He married the daughter of Albert Borgard, principal founder of the artillery service in Britain. In 1762, he was placed in command of the Royal Artillery companies that were sent to Portugal, and in 1769 went to Venice to supervise the organization of a Venetian artillery. By September 1777, James Pattison had become colonel commandant of the 4th Battalion, Royal Regiment of Artillery, and arrived in New York to take command of the Royal Artillery in America with the rank of brigadier-general. He was actively engaged with the main British army in several campaigns including the capture of Verplanks Point and Forts Clinton and Montgomery on the Hudson River in October of 1777. He remained in command of the artillery in the field until Sir Henry Clinton, the British Commander-in-Chief, withdrew the army to New York in 1778. The remainder of his service in America was spent at army headquarters in New York where he held overall command of the artillery while subordinate officers carried on limited expeditions with small detachments of artillery. Added to these duties was his appointment as military commandant of the City of New York, which made him responsible for the militia and for the city's fortifications. In September of 1780, James Pattison returned to England because of ill health and did not return to active service, although on two occasions he served as commandant of the Woolwich Garrison. He died at his home in London on 1 March 1805 at the age of 81.            

            The Pattison Papers contain the official records of British General James Pattison in his roles as commander of the Royal Artillery in America and commandant of the city and garrison of New York at the time of the American Revolution. Records include register of brigade orders, register of general orders, day book of the Commandant's Office at New York, letter books of Pattison's official military correspondence and material relating to the military government of British-occupied New York.

A brief description of each item follows: Royal Artillery Brigade Orders, 28 September 1777 - 21 February 1778; General Orders, 27 September 1777 - 21 February 1778, issued by James Pattison and similar in content to the first item; five folio registers which include: a register of appointments of warrant officers in the artillery in America, copies of bills of lading for stores of army and navy ordnance sent to America, a record of commissions, warrants and appointments issued by Major-General James Pattison while military commandant of New York, a day book of the commandant's office in New York, and copies of orders for the administration of the City issued by Major-General Jones, James Pattison's predecessor; two letter books kept by Pattison's aid-de-camp, Captain Stephen Payne Adye, containing copies of Pattison's official military correspondence, October 1777 - January 1781; and a letter book kept by Captain Adye containing copies of Pattison's official correspondence as military commandant of New York City, July 1779 - August 1780. The collection adds significantly to the body of documents for the study of the military side of the American Revolution. James Pattison was a well-qualified soldier and an astute observer of the military situation in America. His letters and records, some containing information available nowhere else, contain details of military operations, the strength and disposition of troops, promotions, discipline, and a wealth of information and insight into the situation in New York during the war.            

            An Introduction which includes sections on provenance, biographical information, content of the Papers, and a bibliography, has been prepared by I. F. Burton, Department of History, Bedford College, London. The Introduction is microfilmed at the beginning of the reel and is available as a PDF in the electronic finding aids section.