1790s US military questions.

by Archmage_Zalmek

What were "gold sheets" used for soldiers' pay? Was that a slang term used during the 1790's or just an actual sheet of gold?

Where would be the best place to go for military maps from the 1790's from my local area?

Thanks in advance and any link/pics would be appreciated!

Bodark43

Do you have the original quote for your question about "gold sheets"? It's a bit confusing. But it might possibly refer to something earlier. To raise money to pay for the Revolutionary War, there was quite a lot of borrowing by both the states and the Continental Congress. Part of that borrowing was to issue paper money. Continental paper currency would typically promise it could be redeemed for gold or silver, and soldiers were often paid in Continental. The promise of repayment was not kept, however, until the 1790's, after a federal US government had formed under the Constitution, and under the prodding of Alexander Hamilton it began to pay off those war debts.

As for maps, I'm also not sure what you mean. Some states have collections of old maps online- for example, Maryland's is at the University of Maryland site But a military map from the 1790's could be something extremely simple, if done in the field- perhaps nothing more than a few doodles showing rivers, streams, roads, fences and other obstacles and key parts of a battlefield. But if you mean a map that someone has done of a battle or campaign of 1792, showing the various armies etc over time, you'd have to search under the name of a specific battle.