To James Madison from Henry Lee, 27 February 1812
From Henry Lee
Washington 27h. feby. [1812]
Dear Sir
I came here to see the S of war on army appointments & was obliged to wait till late in the evening before I could see him which detained me the night.
This day I met G. W1 who urged me to his house & then ask⟨ed⟩ me to deliver the enclosed.
On my way just now to do so, I learnt that yr. dinner company had assembled & I of course returned.
I will stay this night in town & will wait on you before breakfeast in the morning, unless by a note sent to Mr Jones’s2 for me, you should tell me that you was satisfied with the letter without farther explanation. Most respectfy & truely I am ever your friend & most ob: ser
HL
RC (DLC). Year in the dateline added later by JM as part of his docket.
1. At a later date JM inserted an asterisk here and interlined “Wilkinson.” He also wrote in the margin, “*see his letter of this date.”
2. Lee was probably referring to the inn on Pennsylvania Avenue that had been established by Charles Jones (Records of the Columbia Historical Society, 7 [1904]: 103).