Gadsden, James (1788-1858) to John Cripps
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Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC03587.18 Author/Creator: Gadsden, James (1788-1858) Place Written: Washington, D.C. Type: Autograph letter signed Date: 22 June 1856 Pagination: 3 p. ; 26.9 x 20.6 cm. Order a Copy
Gadsden writes to his Secretary about an upcoming meeting with President Pierce where Secretary of State Marcy "may find himself impeached." Discusses the deception in Washington and is wary of nearly everyone. Imprint in upper left corner is illegible.
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.
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