Lot 287
Monroe, James (1758-1831) 5th President of the U.S. (1817-25). Autograph Letter Signed ("Jas Monroe") as President, no place, April 14, 1819, 1 page, 7¾ x 7¾ in. Archival fold repair on verso; chip at right edge affects one letter of text, else very fine. Boldly penned and signed.
Monroe writes to an unidentified correspondent, probably Judge George Hay, Monroe's son-in-law and adviser, regarding a letter that was to be sent to Andrew Jackson and Winfield Scott. At a dinner party in New York, Scott had made comments criticizing Jackson for his incursion into Florida, capturing Spanish forts and appointing one of his colonels as military governor, thereby causing an international incident. Word got back to Jackson and heated letters were exchanged between Scott and Jackson. The dispute became public when Scott had the letters published in the newspapers. Monroe wanted to cool the situation down and since Secretary of War John Calhoun was on vacation, Hay was probably called upon to draft an order telling the two generals to behave. Twice, on April 11 and April 14, Judge Hay corresponded with the President about the situation.
When Monroe saw the draft, he wrote this letter: " In the last paragh. it occurs to me that it would be well to say that 'The President requests that a conciliatory deportment be observed towards &c.', instead of recommending it. you write from the war dept., when orders, in cases not doubtful, suit better than my attention. Every other part of the letter; appears, to me to be strictly proper."
What the draft said, we don't know, because the letter was never sent. By the end of the summer, the matter had blown over.
Estimated Value $2,500 - 3,000.
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