To Thomas Jefferson from John D. Wyndham, 24 May 1805
From John D. Wyndham
May 24, 1805
Sir,
In obedience to your Excellency’s instructions, I attended at the Office of General Dearborn nearly the whole of the Time allotted to Business on Tuesday … and having again called yesterday—without seeing him; I am therefore induced once more to trouble your Excellency, relying on your usual goodness to pardon this liberty I have taken.—
Possibly I might long attend at the War Office before I was fortunate enough to see the General; and even then be unsuccessful, should there be no Vacancies—perhaps your Excellency would do me the Honor to say, whether or not ’tis possible for my application to succeed?—
With the most profound respect I remain your Excellency’s very obedient Servant
J. D. Wyndham
RC (DNA: RG 59, LAR); ellipses in original; at foot of text: “His Excellency Thomas Jefferson, &c. &c.”; endorsed by TJ as received 24 May and “emploimt.” and so recorded in SJL.
John D. Wyndham (ca. 1783-1813) had been an officer in the British army before becoming a cadet in the U.S. Military Academy from 27 May 1805 to 14 Nov. 1806, when he became an artillerist with the rank of second lieutenant. He was promoted to first lieutenant in January 1811, but was dismissed a year later for “drunkenness on duty” (George W. Cullum, Biographical Register of the Officers and Graduates of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, N.Y., 3d ed., 5 vols. [Boston, 1891], 1:76).