Gadsden, James (1788-1858) to John Cripps
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Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC03587.19 Author/Creator: Gadsden, James (1788-1858) Place Written: Washington, D.C. Type: Letter Date: 23 June 1856 Pagination: 3 p. ; 20.5 x 16 cm. Order a Copy
Written in the hand of John T. Pickett. Gadsden writes to his Secretary to promptly fix what will become Gadsden's recall. He writes that his recall is wanted by Hargous, Aspinwall, and Marcy so they may plunder Mexico without being watched. Postscript discusses a letter from ex-consul Forbes to Secretary of State Marcy that was printed in the New Orleans Picayune regarding the "lawless enterprises" lead by Gadsden. Imprint in upper left corner from Willard's Washington, D.C. Hotel.
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. Pickett was the U.S. Consul at Vera Cruz, Mexico.
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