Washington, George, 1732-1799 to Henry Knox
Order a pdf of this item here.
Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC02862 Author/Creator: Washington, George, 1732-1799 Place Written: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Type: Autograph letter signed Date: February 15, 1794 Pagination: 1 p. : address : docket Height: 22.8 cm, Width: 18.5 cm Order a Copy
Marked private. Washington as President to Knox as Secretary of War. John Jay, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, and Rufus King, a Senator from New York, wrote a newspaper article they uncharacteristically signed with their own names decrying the actions of Edmond Charles Genet, the French Minister to America. Genet was trying to outfit privateers to support the French revolutionary government, and Washington refused to support this breach of neutrality. Genet threatened to go over Washington's head to the American public, which had given Genet a warm welcome. Jay and King published this threat in their article, sparking an anti-French backlash. Washington attempted to act even-handedly, which offended Jay and King, who saw Genet as a real threat. They sent an angry letter to Washington, which he references in this letter to Knox. Washington asks Knox to be the go-between. Knox's efforts led to a reconciliation, and the offensive letters were burned.
Citation Guidelines for Online Resources
The copyright law of the United States (title 17, United States Code) governs the making of photocopies or other reproductions of copyrighted material. Under certain conditions specified in the law, libraries and archives are authorized to furnish a photocopy or other reproduction. One of these specific conditions is that the photocopy or reproduction is not to be “used for any purpose other than private study, scholarship, or research.” If a user makes a request for, or later uses, a photocopy or reproduction for purposes in excess of “fair use,” that user may be liable for copyright infringement. This institution reserves the right to refuse to accept a copying order if, in its judgment, fulfillment of the order would involve violation of copyright law.