Petition to the Judges of the Circuit Court by Oliver Patch         

This handwritten document tells the story of Oliver Patch, a sergeant in Colonel William Prescott’s company under Captain Asa Lawrence. On
June 17th, 1775, a musket ball struck Patch through the shoulder while he fought British forces at Charlestown and Cambridge. Patch states that this injury left him unfit for any service or employment, since the amount of blood he lost from the wound left him blind in one eye. In his petition, Patch advocates for the 18th century version of disability and unemployment aid.