Transcription
CATALOG NUMBER VC 19
OBJECT NAME Letter (unsigned, unsent?)
DATE June 21, 1812
AUTHOR Philip Van Cortlandt
RECIPIENT Pierre van Cortlandt (II)
MEDIUM paper, ink
PEOPLE Bonaparte, French Minister, Barlow, Governor Hull, Madison, Boyd
PLACES Washington DC, France, Great Britain, Canada, Detroit River, Fort
Malden,
KEYWORDS start of war of 1812, Declaration of War, reasons for war,
confiscation of vessels, [burning?] of vessels, war started to win
election, Boyds Regiment, attacking Fort Malden,
Washington June 20 [^ 1] 1812
Dr Brother
You will See before this reaches you / that A Declaration of War is proclaimed between / this Country and Great Britain; at the Com - / mencement of the Sefsion I was in favor of war / measures upon American ground against France / as well as England and that all the Restrictions/ [upon] our Commerce should be done away /
I thought it bout [^ in the first Instance] to grant Letters of [Marque?] + / [Reprisal?] against Both + let the Merchants [^ take care of of themselves in their own way] who / understand their Concerns better than Gentle= / men who live remote over the mountains / can _ The Restrictions were attempted to be / taken [^ off] and to cou[le France into the Declrations / of War, Both failed although we have the / fullest Afsurance of the continued French depre= / dations upon our Commerce + [bruning] our vefsels / contrary to all the [Ways] + Customs of Civilized nations / Besides I was opposed to War at this time even [with] / Both Bations from the unprepared State of our / defence; motions were made to depr [^ postpone] the Bill / indefinitely, to October and Partly until the first / Monday in July, but the Majority would not
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Consent [^ to] a day’s delay, notwithstanding it is well known / that from the great Number of vifsels which are at Sea / + which must be taken by the English that ruin / + Bankrupcy must befal the merchantile Interest / –
Besides there is another reason why we aught to / have gone to War with France as well as England / Bonaparte will not give us any satisfaction for / the confiscations [upon] our Commerce, we all excepted / a Treaty by the Hornet at least so said the Admi= / nistration + after Barlow’s detaining her in France / a long time, she was obliged to send her back without / getting an Answer from the french [^ Government] to his mul= / titude of Letters [unlef?] [^ it] be the day the Hornet sailed / The french Minister sends a Note to Barlow that / he would pay attention to his Letters _ Nothing / as Yet has been done nor will there be unlefs / we form a Treaty of Alliance, Offensive + defensive / as long as the french Crusade against National / Rights shall continue _ I shall be abused by / my Enemies and I beg my freind will not with - / draw their favorable Sentiments from me until / they shall See the whole of this [sefsion?] developed by / an abler pen than mine _ I have no doubt / the Country must [^ is to] be involved in [^ this] war not for / our Nations Rights + Honor or France / would also have been [conseled] but to
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Secure Madison’s Election to the Presidency. Thus / speak openly now + say this war secures the / Election; To what a State of things are we arrived / that the Nation shall be plunged into a destructive / war, its Citizens slaughtered + the Country impo= / verished to keep an Administration in power / whose weakness and filly not to say corruption / has nearly ruined the Nation __ They [^ have] talked / of taking upper Canada in a few weeks that the In= / habitants would rally around the American standard and / that there would be no opposition from the British Arms / to be dreaded, that Governor Hull had only to crofs the / Detroit River and mrarch to Fort Malden which would / immediately open its Gates + receive him with open / arms, Theri Tune is somewhat changed since hearing that / at least 3000 men Regular + [?-encibles?] will have as / many Militia with Boyds Regiment to attack them /
The attacking fort Malden was poken oft months ago / by our Government openly without keeping it a Secret / This I heard myself, and no doubt the British Minister / here was not ignorant of the intention, _ What effect / this premature declaration of War will have upon the / Eastern Section of the Nation is quite uncertain, but / I am fearful of the Consequences for they will be made / to feel their [??] and becoming desperate when they / cannot expect any protection for their communal
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Rights from the Government, that they entertain a wish to / difsolve the National Compact. That of all things is to / be dreaded, for in that Case a Civil War would ine= / vitably ensue which the Lord Forbid –
[END]Transcriber
Kathryn AlexanderLanguage
English
