To James Madison from Benjamin Wailes, 5 January 1815

From Benjamin Wailes

Salisbury Maryland 5th Jany. 1815

Sir,

I have taken the Liberty (though an unknown private Citizen now nearely sixty years of age who bore his part in, and now bares in mind our Revolutionery troubles in Seventy Six[)] to address this to you with a fi[r]m and manly confidence makeing known that there are Certin Caractors in this place who are constantly trading with our Enemy now at Tangers,1 they openly go Down and have purchased Several Vessels from them which is now in our river, whether aney Merchandize as yet have not come to my knowledge but the presumtion is much against thim such Conduct in our American Revolution by aney Citzen then would Subjected the Villians to Instantly being hung to the first tree or wellswe[e]p they were met at, without a Judge or Jurey but our Civil, and I am Sorrey to say Military in this quarter of the World Lacks pluck in a Certain Janusqua2 over comes thim which I cant Account for, to you I appeal for Instructions and I will warrent to Convict the Villians for their Conduct if in my Power. I am Respect your fellow Citzen

Benjamin Wailes

RC (DNA: RG 59, ML). RC addressed to JM. Cover addressed to James Monroe; postmarked Salisbury, 10 Jan. 1815.

1. For the British camp at Tangier Island in Chesapeake Bay, see Thomas M. Bayly to JM, 11 June 1814, and Notes on the British Force at Tangier Island, ca. 12 June 1814, PJM-PS, description begins Robert A. Rutland et al., eds., The Papers of James Madison: Presidential Series (8 vols. to date; Charlottesville, Va., 1984–). description ends 7:554 and n., 555 and n. 1).

2. Wailes probably meant “Je ne sais quoi” (I don’t know what).

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Source Project: Madison Papers
Title: To James Madison from Benjamin Wailes, 5 January 1815
Author: Wailes, Benjamin
Recipient: Madison, James
Date: 5 January 1815

Reference

Cite as: “To James Madison from Benjamin Wailes, 5 January 1815,” Founders Online, National Archives, https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Madison/03-08-02-0428. [Original source: The Papers of James Madison, Presidential Series, vol. 8, July 1814–18 February 1815 and supplement December 1779–18 April 1814, ed. Angela Kreider, J. C. A. Stagg, Mary Parke Johnson, Anne Mandeville Colony, and Katherine E. Harbury. Charlottesville: University of Virginia Press, 2015, pp. 490–491.]