Thomas Jefferson Papers

To Thomas Jefferson from Henry Dearborn, 20 March 1804

From Henry Dearborn

War Department March 20th. 1804

Sir,

I have herewith the honor of presenting a General Return of the Militia of the United States—excepting the States of Delaware, Maryland & Tennessee, from which no returns have been received.

Accept, Sir, the assurances of my high respect & consederation—

H. Dearborn

RC (DLC); at foot of text: “The President of the United States”; endorsed by TJ as received from the War Department on 20 Mch. and “roll of Militia” and so recorded in SJL. FC (Lb in DNA: RG 107, LSP); in a clerk’s hand. Enclosure: “Return of the Militia of the United States,” dated War Department, 20 Mch. 1804, compiling into tables returns made by each state and territory for general and field staff, field officers and regimental staff, artillery, cavalry, grenadiers, light infantry, riflemen, infantry, “Catawbaw Warriors” (from South Carolina), and arms, ammunition, and accoutrements; returns from New York, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Kentucky are for 1802, the remaining returns for 1803; returns from Delaware, Maryland, and Tennessee are blank and marked with an asterisk connecting them to the following statement: “By direction of the President of the United States, Letters were written by the Secretary of War, to the Governors of each State on the 8th day of December 1802 requesting their attention to the 10th Section of the Law of Congress, respecting Annual Returns of the Militia being made to the President of the United States, passed on the 8th day of May 1792, and on the 31st day of December 1803 similar letters were written to the Governors of the States of Delaware, Maryland and Tennessee, but no Returns of the Militia of the last mentioned States have been Received at this Office” (MS in DNA: RG 233, PM, 8th Cong., 1st sess., in a clerk’s hand, signed by Dearborn; ASP description begins American State Papers: Documents, Legislative and Executive, of the Congress of the United States, Washington, D.C., 1832-61, 38 vols. description ends , Military Affairs, 1:168-72; Message from the President of the United States, Transmitting to Congress the Last Returns of the Militia of the United States. 22d March, 1804 [Washington, D.C., 1804]).

In a circular letter dated 31 Dec. 1803 and written by direction of the president, Dearborn reminded governors David Hall of delaware, Robert Bowie of maryland, John Sevier of tennessee, and Edward Tiffin of Ohio of the 1792 act requiring each state to send a militia return annually to the president. He requested that each governor submit a return “as early as convenient” (FC in Lb in DNA: RG 107, MLS).

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