Lynchburg Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1829-185?, 1831-02-24
WA.ansoros. 18th May, 1890


Sin Agreeably TO your request, J herewith
return III, copy OF n letter signed WlllI,m ~
Crawford, which | received under cover al your
note OF this instant, handed IN me ths morning
by MI D0n"l,on, of which l have retained
cory, m conformity with your PERMISSION
A. soon as my leisure will permit you shall
receive communication rom me on mo sno
Jet 10 which II refers. In the mean time.
cannot repreK the expression oil my indigna.
ton nj tue afai,, while nj the same tlmo can
not but express my qualification that the secret
and NY stcriuos attempts winch have been ma
KING hy false ns'nua'ions, for years for poiit-
cal Pn' poses. 10 tJare my character, are At
ienglh brought TO Light.
&c CALHOUN.
10 the Pre-. DnNT Of The UnprH s5,les
WAsnNGr. TN. Of Maf 1880.
SIR In answering Ynur ictet Il the 18Th
INST, wish 10 he distinctly Understood. that
however nigh nv rosprstt +, f,t your personal
| character, and the eI4l.cf aIatan Which you
occupy canuot 100 &B't the ps't OF your
part Ia call 10 question: u' conduct au the IN.
iereStug occasion to ~hIoh ,oar Ittrr reGrt.
| Ncted, On thd occasinn, n the d, charge Ola
hIgh nthct4t duty, aud rnstst r,spunsihllty 10
my con Ieuce aud my county Onlv In IL
plv'ng then 10 your letter, | 10 not place m,-
sell III the attitude OF apoloe sing Tor abe IRr
may have acted on Of pnllatnS nay cnndDt ~
The accusation OF Nj. Crawford. Wy con- ..
trust. requires no apology. AID II II did, have
too much self RESPECT - MAX" II - any nnc n
a case touching the discharge o. my orca
conduct. stand very different ground
| embrace tie opportunity which you letter
offers ut fnr the purpose Of making excuses,
but n, suitable occasion 10 plae" my conenet
IN relation 20 an interesting public uausac,i=n
in lis proper light : aud am graz Fl i til
Mr.. Cra~fnrd though far from innn .taf
me n kindness, has afforded me such au oprot-
tuntJ
In undertaking To place my conduct in Il,
proper light, deem II IraPrr To ptemf- lint
/ il IS very far from my mtentlOn 10 defend min,
! by imprdchigg yours. Where "" have dtn b.
ed | have no Doubt that we differed bon, tIy ;
nrd cIalming To ret ON honorabl c and patIiati,
motives my self | chrerluly accord The same Ia
you
know not that correctly under.tood your
mpa nlng, but aftera careful petsual, would
infer from your litter that you bad lear ed foI
the fist time by Mr.. CraHiord's letter, TINT
| Won aud placed different CONS ructIOns on the
order under which you ected IA the Seminole
war AID that you had been y 10 b'ieYr, pir
viously. by my lrtlsr oypnrsdf aud Go,
erpoT Bib, that conGurred With sou ~ think
| ny that your orders we're int Ddod to Ralbotz,
,onr atlack on the Spanish posts IN Florl q.
| Under these imprt ssion', you would seem to
| impute TO me some degrce OF dupIIoity, 81 at
! least concealmeni. which required Oh my part
explanation | hope that my Conception OF
your meaning Is erroneous, but II II be not and
! your meaning be such Ms suppose, must f,
! permitted 10 express my SURPRISE at the misa,-
| prchension, which, | feel confident It viii be
| IN my power TO correct bs the most decisive
| pIoof, drawn from tue pub &c documents and
! the correspondence betNetl Mr., Monroe and
Yourself, gro" ing "ut OF me decision OF thr
! cabinet on the seminole affair, which passed
through nv hands at the time aud which | nov
have his permission 10 u-e, as explanatory OF
nv opinion, rs well lis, aud the other mem
| bers of ms administration. 10 save you The
| uOable oil turning 10 the lie OF our COIrcspon-
dence | have enclosed extracts from the let
! ters which clearly prove tint the decision Of
! the cabinet on the point that your Orders did
! not authorize the occupation OF 81. Marks Bnd
Pensacola was early and fully made known to
| you, aud that J. III particular concuIT.d III The
/ dc cision.
! Mi. Monrpe'3 letter of the loh July, 1878,
| the fl st Of the series, and written Immediate
| ly after the decision OF the cabinet aud from
which have given cOplaus ehraCt, enters
/ fully INTO the views taken by the Executive OF
the whole subject. In your reply Of the l9lh
OF August, 1915, you Object to the Consifu cllon
which the administration had Ilaced on yonr
orders, dnO you assign your reasons III IdIBf,
| why you conceived mat the orders under
which you acted authorized your operations in
Florids. MIR Monroe replied on he 20 Ia DC
to0eT, 1918, and, after expressing his regret
that you Tad placed a Construction on our al
ders d lflei eal from what was intended, he IN
yltcd you TO open n correspondence with me,
/ that your conception Of the meaning OF your
orders, aud That OF tue sdmnsti alton, mig hi he
/ placed, with the reasons on both sides, on The
/ files OF the War Department. Your letter OF
! the 10 II Of November, IN answer, agrees TO the
correspondence as proposed, but declines con-
tnenclng It, to which ~. Monroe replied by a
letter OF the 2lst December, stating his reasons
for suggesting the correspondence, aud Why
! he thought II ought to commence with you.
TO these. have added an extract from your
letter OF tue 18th December, approving hr.
Monroes message at the opening Of Congress,
which though not constituting part Of the
corresro ldence from which have extracted
so cOpiously, is intimately connected with the
subject under considerable
! But i, was 0oI by prisnte correspondence
only I'd at the view which the executive took
of ysur orders was made known. Ia his mes
! -
See appendix from A to inclusive, being
an extract from private correspondence be-
| ween MI. Monroe and Gen. jackson in The
! cmmole campaign,