Gadsden, James (1788-1858) to Esthur Monk
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Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC03587.31 Author/Creator: Gadsden, James (1788-1858) Place Written: Charleston, South Carolina Type: Autograph letter signed Date: 2 October 1857 Pagination: 4 p. ; 27.5 x 21.4 cm. Order a Copy
Writes to John Cripps' mother about his trip in the French Broad and describes the beauty of the land and the kindness of the people. Discusses the deaths of a friend and his wife. Includes news.
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. Monk was Cripps' mother.
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