Correspondence with private citizens and government officials generally concerns the Governor's civil and military responsibilities. Typical discussions of the former concern law enforcement, local politics, and expenses of the territorial government. Letters handled by the Governor as commander-in-chief of the militia cover the period from June 18, 1811 to September 12, 1812. These letters, many of which were written by traders, primarily report information about Indian affairs, especially hostile activities such as murders in Chicago during 1812. Letters mention nearly all Indian tribes living in the Illinois Territory during the early nineteenth century, particularly the Potawatomis, Ottawas, Delawares, Shawnees, Cherokees, Osages, and Kickapoos. Other military topics in the correspondence include the War of 1812, construction of a chain of forts, cooperation with the militia of the Michigan Territory, and the Fort Wayne Expedition. Also preserved in the series are copies of military orders issued by the Governor and receipts for weapons that he had sent to militia units. Most outgoing letters concerning military matters were sent to the U.S. Secretary of War; other letters were addressed to such officials as Illinois militia officers, the U.S. President, the Indiana Governor, the Secretary of the U.S. Treasury, and the principal chiefs of the Kickapoo and Potawatomi tribes. Some incoming correspondence is addressed to the Secretary of the Territory. The series also contains circulars sent to the territorial delegate to the U.S. House of Representatives. The U.S. Secretary of State and the President signed these circulars which announced a special session of Congress.

Illinois Territory, "Correspondence," Record Series 100.001, Illinois State Archives

Some of these letters have been published by Clarence Edwin Carter, ed., The Territory of Illinois, 1809-1814, in The Territorial Papers of the United States, XVI (Washington, D.C., 1948).