To James Madison from Elbridge Gerry, 17 November 1814
From Elbridge Gerry
Washington 17th Novr 1814
Dear Sir,
I have the honor of enclosing a letter of the 10th, received from the Honble Aaron Hill of Boston, covering a copy of one dated the 3d (instead of the 2d,) from the British Captain Mounsey to the Selectmen of Camden, and of another of the 30th of October from Major General King, & also a letter & statement of the 4th from Colo Foot to Mr Hill, on the subject of the late events at Camden; all which communications may be relied on for precision, as I conceive, & correctness.1
The object of the enemy appears to be the recolonization of Maine; by taking possession of the different districts, as rapidly as he can spare troops to fortify & defend them, & by preparing thro the means of a corrupt traffick, the minds of the inhabitants not within his lines, for a voluntary submission.
Having ever rested with confidence on your wisdom & firmness, permit me to assure you, sir, that your acquiescence in a suggestion which I lately hinted, at the instance of a Gentleman of the Cabinet, when collected at your table, gave me great pleasure, & confirmed me in the belief, “that as Massachusetts had grounded her alarming & unconstitutional measures for a convention, principally on the pretended neglect of Government to protect her, she could have no objection to the raising forthwith 12, or 15,000 men, partly in Maine, for expelling the enemy from it; & that this would strengthen the hands & hearts of our friends, & by their cooperation, enable Government to overwhelm our enemies, in that quarter.” And further, “that a spirited manifesto, legislative or Executive or partaking of both, to accompany the army, taking a summary & correct veiw of the origin, progress & present state of our disputes with Great Britain, & with her white allies in the United States, would invigorate the steadfast, confirm the wavering, & overawe the disaffected.”
Permit me, Dear Sir, to present the situation of our Country, & particularly that part of it, which at a time like this renders indispensable the most unequivocal conduct, as an apology for the frankness of this letter; & to request, that on all occasions you will beleive me to be, with the highest consideration & respect, your unfeigned Friend, & obedt sert
E Gerry
RC and enclosures (DNA: RG 107, LRRS, G-75:8). RC docketed by James Monroe. For enclosures, see n. 1.
1. Capt. William Mounsey’s 3 Nov. 1814 letter to the selectmen of Camden (1 p.) stated that “a person by the name of Miller” had “piratically seized” a British sloop in violation of a nonaggression pact between the British forces and the selectmen of the American towns on the west side of the Penobscot River, and that he would “commence Hostilities” against them in one hour unless the sloop was returned. Massachusetts militia Maj. Gen. William King’s 30 Oct. letter to Hill (4 pp.) reported that defense of the Maine frontier was nearly nonexistent and that smuggling, fostered by the British, was rampant. He assured Hill that forces adequate to stop such offenses and “confine the British to Castine and Eastport” could quickly be raised in Maine if Congress would authorize it, and urged that JM’s administration be informed of the situation. Erastus Foote wrote Hill from Camden on 4 Nov. 1814 (1 p.), reporting that Mounsey’s demands had not been complied with, that the British had left Camden after realizing that an attempt to land would be too risky, and that “all that is infered as to the former agreement of the Select Men of this Town is totally without foundation” Foote enclosed his three-page statement of the same date recounting details of the Camden selectmen’s negotiations with Mounsey: the selectmen informed him that U.S. revenue officers had removed the captured sloop from Camden’s harbor, Mounsey thereupon demanded £20,000 in payment, and after various delaying tactics including an attempt to obtain the Maine district judge’s opinion on the legality of the capture, the British left the town with two of the selectmen on board. Foote also enclosed a copy of Mounsey’s 2 Nov. 1814 demand for two hostages to be held on board the British ship until the money was paid (1 p.). Hill’s covering letter to Gerry (2 pp.) attested to the accuracy of the enclosures and opined that Maine’s citizens were inclined to oppose the British but that since the state government would not support such pursuits, federal action was required. He requested that Gerry submit the information to JM.