General Benjamin Lincoln was one of an outstanding few whose personal papers provide special insight into the military history of the Revolutionary War, the suppression of Shays's Rebellion, and the problems of establishing the Federal Government during the 1790s. General Lincoln was described by George Washington as "...having prov'd himself on all occasions an active, spirited, sensible Man."

This collection also includes supplemental materials, such as Dr. Clifford K. Shipton's sketch of Lincoln, which appeared in Sibley's Harvard Graduate.