The Lyman Copeland Draper Manuscript Collection, when it came to the Wisconsin Historical Society, was like the working files of many scholars, a mass of partially sorted papers. They were organized by Society staff into 491 volumes divided into 50 series of varying lengths, arranged by geographic area, subject and individual. This work, "Volume I of the Draper Series," is a history of Dunmore's War of 1774, a precursor to the American Revolutionary War, and is presented using documents and material contained in the Draper Collection, located at the Wisconsin Historical Society. The documents and material include contemporary reports, journals, memoranda, manuscripts, notes, muster rolls, lists of participants, interviews, and more. The authors make extensive use of footnotes to provide biographical and source information, as well as explanation.