Revolutionary War-dated manuscript document, one page, 6 x 3.5, November 16, 1781. Receipt from West Point, New York, noting that Colonel Luke Drury's regiment received “fourteen Camp Kittles and one Narrow ax Public property.” In fine condition, with some light staining.
Luke Drury (1737-1811) was a farmer and gristmill operator from Grafton, Massachusetts, who was first appointed militia captain for Grafton in 1773. His minuteman company was one of the first mustered out on the day of the Lexington alarm. Drury successfully raised his company as ordered by Joseph Warren, received his commission, and joined Patriot forces at Cambridge in the regiment of Colonel Jonathan Ward. His men fought at Bunker Hill and participated in the siege of Boston. He was subsequently commissioned a lieutenant colonel and served throughout the war. His papers indicate that toward the end of the war in 1781, his company was posted to West Point and was active in maintaining the Great Chain laid across the Hudson to hinder British traffic on the river. Perhaps because of his military career, Drury was later accused of participating in Shay's Rebellion, for which he was arrested and imprisoned. His name was cleared, but he resigned his commission. He later became a state representative, constable, deputy sheriff, and selectman of Grafton.
