Thomas Jefferson Papers
Documents filtered by: Date="1813-02-21"
sorted by: date (ascending)
Permanent link for this document:
https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Jefferson/03-05-02-0537

Anonymous to Thomas Jefferson, 21 February 1813

From Anonymous

Feby. 21. 181 3.1

The enclosed was written by Judge Innis—after perusing the dispatches of genl Harrison to gov. Shelby. Does your successor pursue your policy? For Gods sake send your mantle to him—or your party here, is ruinedgone. Our best friends are slain; men who would adorn any situation in life:—Impart if possible some little of that energy to Mr Madison, for which you have been so distinguished—or—the consequences, cannot be forseen.

If Harrison had conquered Michigan & Malden, instead of meeting with disasters & defeat, what good would have resulted from the campaign? Many valuable lives would have been lost—and there were no priparations made to hold the country after it was conquered. Imbecility marks every step taken by2 the administration

RC (DLC); dateline at foot of first paragraph; addressed: “The Honourable Thomas Jefferson Monticello Virginia” and “Via Marietta”; franked; postmarked Lexington, Kentucky, 22 Feb.; endorsed by TJ as an “Anon.” letter received 5 Mar. 1813, “postmark Lexington (the war),” and so recorded in SJL. Enclosure not found.

The dispatches of Brigadier General William Henry Harrison to Kentucky governor Isaac Shelby blamed his difficulties in pursuing the war in the northwest theater on impediments to obtaining and retaining troops, obstacles to receiving necessary supplies, and lack of support from the Department of War (Logan Esarey, ed., Messages and Letters of William Henry Harrison … [1922; repr. 1975], 2:192–3, 224, 341–6; Beverley W. Bond Jr., “William Henry Harrison in the War of 1812,” Mississippi Valley Historical Review 13 [1927]: 504, 508).

1Date reworked from “Feby 22. 1812.”

2Preceding two words interlined in place of “of.”

Index Entries

  • anonymous correspondence; letters from search
  • Canada; Upper search
  • Fort Malden (Upper Canada) search
  • Harrison, William Henry; War of1812service of search
  • Innes, Harry search
  • Michigan Territory; and War of1812 search
  • Shelby, Isaac search