Benjamin Lincoln

General Benjamin Lincoln was in a good position to describe the outcome of Shays's Rebellion because he was the commander of the Massachusetts militia responsible for defeating Daniel Shays and his followers. General Lincoln may not, however, be the most unbiased source of information about the rebels' demands. He, like many prominent and wealthy citizens of Massachusetts (and elsewhere), believes that Shays's Rebellion was primarily a way for lazy farmers to avoid paying their fair share of taxes and to get their debts wiped away by force. In these two letters to George Washington, General Lincoln gives his analysis of the causes of Shays's Rebellion as well as a description of how the rebellion was put down. The first letter was written on December 4, 1786, during the middle of the crisis; the second letter was written on February 22, 1787, after...