Battle for Legacy: War of 1812 Negotiator Jonathan Russell Enlists William H. Crawford In His Heart-felt Defense Against Attacks by John Quincy Adams

On August 8, 1814, talks began at Ghent, Belgium, that would ultimately result in a treaty ending the War of 1812. The head of the American negotiating team was John Quincy Adams, the U.S.’s most experienced diplomat. The four men who served with him were carefully selected by President Madison to reflect the varieties of political sentiment in the United States. Foremost among them was Henry Clay, Speaker of the House of Representatives, and a noted War Hawk. Albert Gallatin had served as Secretary of the Treasury for both Thomas Jefferson and James Madison. James Bayard was a U.S. Senator belonging to the Federalist Party who had been an opponent of the war, and was one of the 13 Senators to vote against declaring it. However, once the war began he supported the war effort. Jonathan Russell was acting U.S. ambassador to Britain when war was declared. Sent to Ghent as a negotiator, he was also serving as ambassador to Sweden and Norway.

William H. Crawford was U.S. ambassador to France during the negotiations, and was responsible for superintending the American consuls in Europe and keeping them informed of developments. More than that, he was an advisor to the President on the happenings on the Continent. As Ambassador to the Court of one of the two major adversaries in the conflicts in Europe, he was also actively involved in the Ghent negotiation process, advising the negotiators and responding to their confidential communiqués. He would later serve as Secretary of War and Secretary of the Treasury under Presidents Madison and Monroe. He proved instrumental in achieving the final peace terms.

One of the key issues facing the negotiators was navigation of the Mississippi. In 1822, Russell authored a pamphlet accusing John Quincy Adams, Russell’s former fellow-negotiators at Ghent in 1814, of having favored British interests in those treaty talks. Russell intended the pamphlet to further Henry Clay’s presidential candidacy against Adams in the 1824 election. Adams’ responsive pamphlets were so devastating in impugning Russell’s veracity that they engendered the phrase “to Jonathan Russell” someone, meaning to refute an attacker’s falsehoods so effectively that it destroys the attacker’s reputation.

In 1822, Russell, recognizing the devastating impact of these attacks, reached out to William Crawford for support.

Autograph letter signed, Massachusetts, June 5, 1822. “I take the liberty to send you herewith copies of two letters, one of the 4th and the other of the 24th of November 1814, which I addressed to you from Ghent when you were at Paris. My object, in now sending them to you, is to give you an opportunity, by comparing them with the originals or by recollection to ascertain their authenticity and be able to confirm it accordingly. I wish you, as early as your convenience may permit, to apprize me of your ability and disposition to afford that confirmation. Some part of these letters are of the highest importance to me as evidence to remove, at once, most of the gross misrepresentation and illiberal insinuations of Mr. Adams in the late undignified and malignant remarks on my letters, which he, at last, procured to be published for the sole purpose of abusing me. I shall of course make no discovery of the assurance which you may previously give me of your willingness to confirm the authenticity of the above letters from Ghent but merely rely on it to present the pertinent extracts with the more confidence.

“I should like also to be permitted to appeal to you for the date of my opinion relative to the cause why the British government rejected our proposition concerning the fishing privilege and the navigation of the Mississippi – and the sanguine expectation of the success of the expedition against New Orleans – You informed, when I last saw you, that you remembered my suggesting this opinion to you at Paris. I mean merely to appeal to you, without saying it is by your permission or that I have recently conversed with you on the subject. You will readily perceive how important, to my vindication, is the favor I now ask of you, and for its accordance it being strictly resonant with truth, I confidently rely on our magnanimity and friendship.”