To James Madison from Thomas White, 11 November 1814
From Thomas White
Philadelphia November 11th. 1814
Desirous of being appointed a Cadet, in the service of the United States; and to be placed as a Student in the Military Academy, under the authority of the United States: being of the age of seventeen years. I respectfully Pray, an appointment to that station; and should the honor be conferred on me, I hope & intend, by due dilligence, to avail myself, of the distinguished advantages, to be derived from that Institution, and by my future conduct, & services to my Country, to evince that they have not been bestowed on me in vain.
Thomas White
RC (DNA: RG 94, U.S. Military Academy Cadet Application Papers, 1814/88). Appended to the RC are four undated statements (2 pp.), the first signed by Thomas White’s father, William White, and the others by a total of twenty federal, state, and city officials and prominent Philadelphia citizens, supporting Thomas White’s application. Filed with the RC is a list (2 pp.) of the names and positions of these supporters, and of two others, Tench Coxe and Samuel Carswell, who wrote separate letters. Thomas White was not admitted as a cadet (W. C. Brown and William Ward, comps., List of Cadets Admitted into the United States Military Academy, West Point, N. Y., from Its Origin till September 1, 1886. . . . [Washington, 1887], 67).