The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1875-09-10
How the Declaration Was Saved.

The Declaration Of Independence
hung for many years in frame i'm the
State Department, in the room occu-
pied by the late Hon. stephen Pleason-
ton, who moved 10 Washington in 1900
with the Government. He was at that
time in the State Department. Mr..
Monroe, while President, created a
new office, which was conferred upon
Mr.. PleasantOn-thato Of Chief Of the
Lighthouse Establishment, 10 which
was added the auditing Of the minister
al and consular accounts. This Office
he retained under all Administrations
until his death, in 1855.
In August, 1874, when the British
were daily expected in Washington,
Mr.. Monroe, then Secretary of State !,
ordered that all the papers belonging
10 the Department should be packed
up and carried To a place Of safety
Mr.. Pleasanton had them all put into
linen bags, and was just leaving his
room, when, turning back suddenly To
see whether any thing had been left be-
hind, he espied the Declaration of indie
pendence, which had been overlooked
in the hurry, hanging upon the wall.
As quick as thought he cut il out of the
frame, and carried il away with the
other valuable papers. But we will let
him relate the story in his own way, a.
contained in an appendix to a small
work written by the Hon. Edward ID.
Ingraham, of Philadelphia. To Mr.,
William III. Winder, Of Philadelphia,
Mr.. Pleasanton writes:
WASHINGTON CITY, Aug. Z 1873.
:SIR: | have had the honor to re-
ceive Your letter of the 9Th instant, re-
questing to be informed Of the reasons
for, and the circumstances attending,
the removal of the books and papers Of
the Department of State 10 place of
security in August, 1914, while Brit
ish fleet and army, then in the Chesa-
peake Bay, Were menacing an attack on
this city. After lapse of thirty-four
years | may not be perfectly accurate in
my recollection Of all the circumstances
attending the transaction referred to,
but | will, with great pleasure, state
them as they now occur TO my memory.
81 have no knowledge of information
having been received by the Govern
ment from Messrs. Bayard and Gallatin
(then ministers in Europe for adjusting
peace with Great Brittany Of a pro-
posed attack on Washington City by the
British forces, but | remember TO have
seen i'm some Of the British newspapers
received from Mr.. Beaseley (the com
missary Vt prisoners Of war in London,
who was i'm the habit Of forwarding to
the Department London newspapers by
the cartels) a statement that the fleet
and transports were receiving troops on
board at Bordeaux, i'm France, with the
view Of operating against Washington
and Baltimore, and that il was their in
tention TO retaliate the outrages alleged
to have been committed by our
forces under General Dearborn at
York, in Upper Canada, some time
previously. This allegation was denied
and refuted by General Dearborn, as
will appear by reference 10 Niles :
Register. vol. tx, page l59.
'.Soon after learning that the British
fleet were in the Chesapeake, we learn
ed also, that they were ascending the
Patuxent, evidently with the view Of at
lacking this city. Upon receiving this
Information, which was about week
before the enemy entered Washington,
Colonel Monroe, then Secretary IF
State, mounted his horse and proceed
ed To Benedict, a small village on the
Patuxent. where the British forces were
being landed. From an eminencc with
i'm quarter Of mile from the village
Colonel Monroe could distinctly see the
number and kind of troops Of which
their army was composed; and, recol-
Letting the threats held out in the
British papers, and believing that we
had no force which could successfully
resist them. he sent note either
to MIR. John Graham, the chief
clerk of the Office, or myself q do
not remember which) by yidette,
advising Ia 10 take the best care Of
the books and papers Of the Office which
might be in our power. Nhereupon
proceeded 10 purchase coarse linen and
cause il 10 Ice made into bags Of convcn-
lent size, in which the gentlemen of the
office, assisted by me placed the books
and other papers, after which obtained
carts and had them conveyed 10 a gri-t-
mill, then moccupied, belonging to Mr..
Edgar Patterson, situated short dis
tance on the Virginia side Of the Poto-
mae, beyond the Chain Bridge, SO
called. two miles above Georgetown.
.While engaged in the passage-way
of the building with the papers. the De
partment of state being on one side and
the War Department ON the other side
Of the passage, General Armstrong.
then Secretary of War, on his way to
his own room, stopped short time,
and observed to me that he thought we
were under unnecessary alarm as he
did not think the British were serious
in their intentions If coming Ia Wash
ington. replied that we We're under a
different belief; and let their intentions
be what they might, il was the part Of