James Madison Papers
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https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Madison/03-11-02-0268

To James Madison from George Graham, 1 August 1816

From George Graham

August 1st 1816

Dear Sir

I return you the Letter from Mr. Garrard; he is an unfortunate young man who belonged formerly to the marine Corps, & was compelled to resign in consequence of intemperance, & which intemperance it would seem has produced another evil propensity, for I believe that none of the circumstances stated in his Letter are true, except so far as they relate to his Family.1 Mr. Franklin has accepted his appointment as Commissioner to treat with the Chickasaws & no Letter has yet been received from Genl. Meriwether, & nothing further from Genl. Jackson. The day fixed for holding the treaty is the first of Sepr. & if I do not hear from these gentlemen previous to the 15th of this month, I shall be much embarrassed, as the Commissions ought to be filled up & sent off by that time, & the difficulty we experienced, in relation to the Commissioners for running the Creek lines, warns us not to depend too much on contingencies.

I return Mr. Rea’s Letter, together with the last Letter which has been received from Mr. McKee.2 With the most sincere respect yr. obt. Sert

Geo: Graham

The two blank Commissions have not been returned.

RC (DLC). Docketed by JM: “Aug. 1. 1814.” Dated 11 Aug. 1814 in the Index to the James Madison Papers.

1The letter has not been found, but it may have been from William C. Garrard who was appointed as a midshipman in the navy in 1808. JM commissioned him as a second lieutenant in the Marine Corps in February 1815 (Callahan, List of Officers of the Navy description begins Edward W. Callahan, List of Officers of the Navy of the United States and of the Marine Corps from 1775 to 1900 (New York, 1901). description ends , 212; PJM-PS description begins Robert A. Rutland et al., eds., The Papers of James Madison: Presidential Series (10 vols. to date; Charlottesville, Va., 1984–). description ends 8:31, 32 n. 1).

2Graham probably returned the 14 July 1816 letter JM had received from John Rhea in Nashville, stating that he had information from the Choctaw agent John McKee that treaty talks with that nation “would not be far distant.” McKee’s 13 July 1816 letter to the War Department reported, however, that goods and presents for the treaty talks would not be ready before 15 Oct. and that McKee would travel to New Orleans to make the necessary purchases (DNA: RG 75, LRIA).

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