To James Madison from James Simrall, 29 July 1812 (Abstract)
§ From James Simrall1
29 July 1812, Shelbyville, Kentucky. Is authorized by the Kentucky volunteer cavalry regiment to offer their services to march as soon as possible “to Canada or any other point where our Services may be wanting.” This regiment “is upwards of 400 strong they are well acquipt in everry thing but arms.” Has been informed by Col. John Allen that his regiment was named in Allen’s letter to JM.2 He and Allen have communicated with JM “in consiquen[ce] of letters being recev’d by his Excellen[c]y Govr. Scott from the War department, to furnish aid to the Governors of the Territoreys with Men … Which from t[he] present Situation of the Indians their is but little probability of being calld for on that service.”3 Will call upon Governor Scott to request that he provide JM with information concerning the cavalry.
RC (DNA: RG 107, LRRS, S-309:6). 2 pp.; docketed as received in the War Department on 18 Aug. 1812.
1. James Simrall (1781–1823) of Pennsylvania relocated to Virginia and then to Kentucky in 1792. Simrall’s Kentucky volunteers participated in the Mississinewa expedition of December 1812 before the regiment was disbanded. Simrall formed another regiment in 1813 and participated in the Battle of the Thames, where it fell to him to supervise British prisoners (Esarey, Messages and Letters of William Henry Harrison, Indiana Historical Collections, 2:145 n. 3, 253–62).
3. On 9 July 1812 William Eustis informed Scott that if an emergency arose “requiring an additional Military force on the frontiers of the Indiana & Illinois Territories,” Eustis was authorized by the president to request detachments of Kentucky militia (DNA: RG 107, LSMA).