Gadsden, James (1788-1858) to John Cripps
High-resolution images are available to schools and libraries via subscription to American History, 1493-1943. Check to see if your school or library already has a subscription. Or click here for more information. You may also order a pdf of the image from us here.
Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC03587.22 Author/Creator: Gadsden, James (1788-1858) Place Written: Mexico Type: Autograph letter signed Date: 1 November 1856 Pagination: 4 p. ; 25.1 x 19.7 cm. Order a Copy
Upset with his Secretary because he has not returned to Mexico to surrender their posts. Adds that Mrs. Monk (Cripps' mother) is beside herself and that he has offered to be her protector in Mexico and will not abandon her. Writes that he has had to deal with his personal business on his own and reports having to wrestle his furniture away from Mr. Baranda, who Gadsden claims was trying to rob him. Discusses the process of surrendering documents and the sale of his possessions. Discusses learning of his wife's death on 8 October, just after he had sent her a letter describing how liberating it was to be free of government work. Actual place written is illegible. Imprint in upper left corner reads "[illegible] Mayor, MGB, en Mexico."
Gadsden was a railroad promoter and advocated a Southern rail system, the purpose of which would be to control the trade of the South and the West, thereby freeing those regions from their dependency on the North. To further this end he promoted Southern commercial conventions, and at a convention in 1845 he boldly urged the construction of a railroad to the Pacific. In 1853, when Jefferson Davis was Secretary of War in Pierce's cabinet, Gadsden was appointed minister to Mexico to negotiate for territory along the border. The result was the Gadsden Purchase. He was recalled in 1856 for exceeding his instructions. Cripps was General Gadsden's Secretary and a sawyer by profession.
Citation Guidelines for Online Resources
The copyright law of the United States (title 17, United States Code) governs the making of photocopies or other reproductions of copyrighted material. Under certain conditions specified in the law, libraries and archives are authorized to furnish a photocopy or other reproduction. One of these specific conditions is that the photocopy or reproduction is not to be “used for any purpose other than private study, scholarship, or research.” If a user makes a request for, or later uses, a photocopy or reproduction for purposes in excess of “fair use,” that user may be liable for copyright infringement. This institution reserves the right to refuse to accept a copying order if, in its judgment, fulfillment of the order would involve violation of copyright law.