Letters

These letters from various sources describe the political origins of the detachment, the planning of emigration, and the logistics of the route. Letters include those written by Bell Detachment leaders as well as their rivals as they prepared for emigration. Several letters are written by Lieutenant Edward Deas, who supervised the Bell Detachment. Deas also kept other records which have since been lost, including a journal. Therefore, these letters offer some of the best available evidence on the Bell Route itself.