Membership Certificate for Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry Company, drawn and engraved by J[oseph] Yeager, R.L. Dickson, calligrapher, ca. 1815.
In the spring of 1814, Philadelphia buzzed with the news that British troops were in the Chesapeake Bay area burning and plundering American ships and towns. Fearing an imminent attack at Dupont's powder mills near Wilmington, Philadelphia volunteer militia units poured into Delaware. This blank membership certificate shows the bustling activity at Camp Dupont as the military drilled and prepared for a possible battle. The British troops, however, stalled at Baltimore and a battle never took place.
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Joseph Yeager, the engraver of this certificate, served as a private in the Pennsylvania militia during the Campaign of 1814. From 1809 through the mid 1840s Yeager worked as an engraver in Philadelphia. Our collection includes his engraving, Battle of New Orleans, ca. 1815 and numerous books with his engraved illustrations. He also worked as a print seller and children's book publisher in partnership with William H. Morgan. In 1848 he became president of the Harrisburg and Lancaster Railroad Company.
The flurry of military activity at Camp Dupont during the Campaign of 1814 inspired Philadelphia music publisher George Blake to issue The Martial Music of Camp Dupont dedicated to the Volunteers of Pennsylvania, a copy of which was also recently acquired by the Library Company. According to Blake's introduction, about 3,500 volunteers served at Camp Dupont under the command of Brigadier General Thomas Cadwalader, who subscribed for five copies of the music. The work contained music for almost all camp activities including waking up, eating meals, marching, cleaning, and attending church.