Printed Material

Luke Day to Daniel Shays Printed in the Gazette Re: Rendezvous

Date:	February 14, 1787
Creator:	Luke Day
Publisher:	Hampshire Gazette

About this artifact

This is one of two letters that originally appeared together in the Hampshire Gazette. The wording of this letter from Day to Shays on January 25 is rather vague. Day may have meant that if Shepard did not comply with the terms he (Day) had sent that same day (January 25), then Shays should expect Day's troops at 4 pm that day as planned. The last line, however, suggests that Day thought the negotiations would extend long enough so that there would be "no action" on January 25. The accepted interpretation of this letter seems to be that Day was telling Shays they'd meet at 4 pm the next day (January 26.) As things turned out, Day did not rendezvous with Shays, perhaps because Day decided not to march until he heard from Shepard concerning his demands, or perhaps for other reasons. We can only guess as to why. In any case, Day's message was intercepted, so Shays was still operating under the assumption that Parsons, Day and Shays men would meet at 4:00 on January 25, when fatefully, Day and his men did not show up. William Butler began publication of the Hampshire Gazette on September 6, 1786, in Northampton, Massachusetts. The mission of the newspaper was to inform the public about the issues pertaining to the ongoing conflicts. Butler was decidedly on the government side of the issues.