To James Madison from William G. Oliver, 12 January 1816

From William G. Oliver

“Knock and it shall be open’d unto You”

“Seek and you shall find”

“Ask and it shall be given unto you”1

Philadelphia, January 12th: 1816.

Dear Sir,

Thus I take the liberty of Knocking at your bountiful and generous Heart, hoping that it shall be Open’d unto me; who is sincerely Seeking your approbation in my behalf, at the same time wishing, that this Letter may find you in perfect health; but ⟨willin⟩g to comply with so small a request; ⟨S⟩ir—I Ask a Commission in the Army, ⟨whi⟩ch I hope shall be given me by your Order, through the Honorable Secretary of the War Department.2 With high Consideration, I have the honor to be, Dear Sir, Your very Obedt. and Humble Servt.

Wm: G: Oliver
Late Captain
U.S. Army

RC (DNA: RG 94, Letters Received, filed under “Oliver”). In an unidentified hand in the margin next to Oliver’s signature is the word “Frantic!!!”

1. Oliver adapted Matt. 7:7 (AV description begins The Bible. Authorized (King James) Version. description ends ).

2. Oliver was commissioned a second lieutenant in the Fifth Regiment of Infantry on 12 Nov. 1818 (Heitman, Historical Register, description begins Francis B. Heitman, Historical Register and Dictionary of the United States Army, from Its Organization, September 29, 1789, to March 2, 1903 (2 vols.; 1903; reprint, Baltimore, 1994). description ends 1:759).

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Source Project: Madison Papers
Title: To James Madison from William G. Oliver, 12 January 1816
Author: Oliver, William G.
Recipient: Madison, James
Date: 12 January 1816

Reference

Cite as: “To James Madison from William G. Oliver, 12 January 1816,” Founders Online, National Archives, https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Madison/03-10-02-0156. [Original source: The Papers of James Madison, Presidential Series, vol. 10, 13 October 1815–30 April 1816, ed. Angela Kreider, J. C. A. Stagg, Mary Parke Johnson, Katharine E. Harbury, and Anne Mandeville Colony. Charlottesville: University of Virginia Press, 2019, pp. 159–160.]