The portions of TJ’s notes relating to Louisiana were gleaned from a series of letters written by William C. C. Claiborne in December 1804 and January 1805, all of which were received by the State Department on 21 Feb. Turner to Claiborne: in a 31 Dec. letter to Madison, Claiborne enclosed reports received from Edward D. Turner, the U.S. commander at Natchitoches, that provided information on Spanish and Native American movements and activities west of the Mississippi River. On 21 Nov., Turner wrote that he had given small presents to visiting Indian chiefs. A Caddo chief asked Turner for an American flag to hoist in his village, while a message from the Pawnees expressed a wish “to be well with the U States” and asked that a trader be sent to them. Turner also briefly described a small Spanish military force recently established at “Lanana” (Bayou La Nana) to halt contraband trade, and a nearby Spanish settlement at Bayou Pierre, about 70 miles up the Red River from Natchitoches. Writing to Claiborne on 8 Dec., Turner forwarded reports that two regiments of Spanish troops were to be established at Matagorda Bay, that “a Governor with Three Thousand Troops” was on the way from San Antonio to Nacogdoches, and that the commandant at Nacogdoches was to take charge of the post at Los Adaes. Another report claimed that a new governor had been ordered to San Antonio, where “a great number of Troops, Cavalry & Infantry” were expected to arrive from Mexico City. Writing to Madison on 13 Jan., Claiborne enclosed a 27 Dec. letter from Turner that showed “the great increase of the Spanish force” in Texas. Turner learned from “Recent arrivals from the Spanish Country” that a thousand families were relocating from the populous parts of the territory to the frontier, that troops from Havana were to garrison Matagorda, and that four regiments were to be stationed on the frontier in the vicinity of Nacogdoches. Another report claimed that John Walker, formerly of Natchez and now in the service of Spain, accompanied by a lieutenant and 100 dragoons, had been “surveying and taking a plan” of the Rio Grande and the Guadalupe River (RCs in DNA: RG 59, TP, Orleans; Madison, Papers description begins William T. Hutchinson, Robert A. Rutland, J. C. A. Stagg, and others, eds., The Papers of James Madison, Chicago and Charlottesville, 1962- , 41 vols.; Sec. of State Ser., 1986- , 11 vols.; Pres. Ser., 1984- , 10 vols.; Ret. Ser., 2009- , 3 vols. description ends , Sec. of State Ser., 8:434-5, 472).

Casa Calvo & his guard: letters from Claiborne to Madison dated 31 Dec. and 5 Jan. enclosed papers concerning the Marqués de Casa Calvo’s personal guard. The squad consisting of only one corporal and three soldiers, Claiborne had not deemed it a serious concern. Residents had complained, however, about the conduct of some of the men, and a resolution introduced in the territorial legislative council criticized the presence of armed Spanish soldiers in New Orleans. After an exchange of letters with Claiborne on the subject, Casa Calvo agreed to discontinue the guard (same, 435-6, 452-3).

Louisiana bank: in letters of 1, 6, and 13 Jan., Claiborne informed Madison of the “exertions of a few individuals” to revive the charter of the Louisiana Bank, despite the administration’s disapproval of the institution. On 13 Jan., Claiborne reported that the “Incipient Capital” of the bank had been subscribed and a board of directors elected (same, 441-2, 459, 472).

Chambers’s lre: Joseph Chambers, agent to the Choctaws, wrote to Dearborn on 12 Dec. 1804 regarding the duties Spanish officials at Mobile placed on American goods. He enclosed a recent exchange of letters with the Spanish collector at Mobile on the subject. Chambers asked for instructions on how to proceed in the matter. The War Department received the letter and its enclosures on 20 Feb. (DNA: RG 107, RLRMS; 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 , Foreign Relations, 2:679-80).

Nannahubba isld is ours: located at the confluence of the Tombigbee and Alabama Rivers, Nanna Hubba Island had been occupied under British and Spanish jurisdiction. In 1804, however, the Choctaws claimed the island, arguing that they had never relinquished their right to it. Writing to Gallatin on 3 Aug. 1804, land office commissioners Ephraim Kirby and Joseph Chambers stated their understanding that the British had extinguished Indian title to the land and reported that General James Wilkinson believed the island belonged to the United States. Kirby and Chambers observed, however, that they could not confirm land titles based “on such loose grounds” and recommended that the U.S. government furnish “such official documents and other evidence” as would allow the commissioners to make proper determinations of ownership. On 2 Mch. 1805, Congress authorized the commissioners for lands east of Pearl River to grant certificates for locations on Nanna Hubba Island. Persons claiming land on the island or east of the Tombigbee and Alabama Rivers would have until 1 May 1805 to file their claims with the register of the land office (Terr. Papers description begins Clarence E. Carter and John Porter Bloom, eds., The Territorial Papers of the United States, Washington, D.C., 1934-75, 28 vols. description ends , 5:330-1; U.S. Statutes at Large description begins Richard Peters, ed., The Public Statutes at Large of the United States … 1789 to March 3, 1845, Boston, 1855-56, 8 vols. description ends , 2:323).