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THE MERCHANTS OF BALTIMORE. 437
in office, Dr. McHenry put the country in a state of readiness for war by
building and equipping powerful frigates, by erecting armories and arsenals,
and by establishing the Military Academy at West Point. On May 21, 1798,
Benjamin Stoddert was appointed secretary of the newly constituted department of the navy, which, up to this time, had been conducted by the
Secretaries of the War and the Treasury.x After his retirement from the
War Department, Dr. McHenry appears to have taken little or no part in
public life. In 1807, he published a directory of Baltimore City, and wrote
in 1811, a political pamphlet entitled, " The Three Patriots," the characters
portrayed being Jefferson, Madison and Monroe. In 1813, he was President
of the Maryland Bible Society, and on the 3d of May, 1816, he died, at his
home in Baltimore, in the 63d year of his age. Fort McHenry, which is at
the entrance of "the harbor of Baltimore, preserves his name. He had married
January 8th, 1784, Margaret, daughter of David Caldwell, of Philadelphia,
and at his death he left surviving him his wife and two children—his son
John and daughter Anna, who married James Pillar Boyd.3
On the 6th of March, 1781, Major McHenry wrote the following letter to
the merchants of Baltimore for aid to transport Lafayette and his army to the
South.
" On joining Major General the Marquis de la Fayette, I was convinced of what I
had before suspected, that his enterprise wanted all your assistance. He has been greatly
disappointed; and of course it has stood still for some days; and without any general
exertions may be defeated in its commencement. Such is the deranged state of our
treasury affairs, that public officers find a thousand inconveniencies and obstacles in the
execution of their duty. Scarce a wagon can be put in motion without adding to the
powers of government that of private assistance. In such a situation, it becomes the
duty of individuals, and of particular societies of men, to contribute a certain support
beyond what may be considered their proper proportion. This is looked for under all
governments, but expected more particularly in the republican. I need not select as an
instance, the Philadelphia merchants who have so long kept the northern army supplied
with provisions.
" You will be surprised that a sufficient number of vessels for the transport of the
troops have not yet arrived. But there are other matters a? necessary to the enterprise
which, without your interposition, may not be provided.
"I do not intend, from this representation, that the merchants should furnish the
enterprise with everything that is to be procured from Baltimore, at their private expense.
I would only propose to your consideration, the propriety of forming a committee out of
your body for the purpose of giving effect and furtherance to the measure taken by the
public, to such a point as you may judge proper, or as may be done without material
injury to yourselves.
1 Benjamin Stoddert, the first secretary of the navy until January 26, 1802. His father,
the United States navy, was born in Maryland, Captain Stoddert, was an old Indian fighter in
in 1751, and died at Bladensburg on the 17th of Western Maryland, and gave his name to Fort
December, 1813. He was a captain at the battle Stoddert in the West before the Revolution,
of Brandywine, and afterwards major in the 2 Sketch of the Life of Dr. James McHenry, by
Revolutionary army. For many years, he was Frederick J. Brown, Maryland Historical So-
extensively engaged in mercantile pursuits in ciety Fund, Publication No. 10.
Georgetown, D. C. He continued secretary of
| Title | History of Maryland - 2 |
| Creator | Scharf, J. Thomas (John Thomas) |
| Publisher | J. B. Piet |
| Place of Publication | Baltimore |
| Date | 1879 |
| Language | eng |
| Type | Books/Pamphlets |
| Title | 00000480 |
| Type | Books/Pamphlets |
| Transcript | THE MERCHANTS OF BALTIMORE. 437 in office, Dr. McHenry put the country in a state of readiness for war by building and equipping powerful frigates, by erecting armories and arsenals, and by establishing the Military Academy at West Point. On May 21, 1798, Benjamin Stoddert was appointed secretary of the newly constituted department of the navy, which, up to this time, had been conducted by the Secretaries of the War and the Treasury.x After his retirement from the War Department, Dr. McHenry appears to have taken little or no part in public life. In 1807, he published a directory of Baltimore City, and wrote in 1811, a political pamphlet entitled, " The Three Patriots," the characters portrayed being Jefferson, Madison and Monroe. In 1813, he was President of the Maryland Bible Society, and on the 3d of May, 1816, he died, at his home in Baltimore, in the 63d year of his age. Fort McHenry, which is at the entrance of "the harbor of Baltimore, preserves his name. He had married January 8th, 1784, Margaret, daughter of David Caldwell, of Philadelphia, and at his death he left surviving him his wife and two children—his son John and daughter Anna, who married James Pillar Boyd.3 On the 6th of March, 1781, Major McHenry wrote the following letter to the merchants of Baltimore for aid to transport Lafayette and his army to the South. " On joining Major General the Marquis de la Fayette, I was convinced of what I had before suspected, that his enterprise wanted all your assistance. He has been greatly disappointed; and of course it has stood still for some days; and without any general exertions may be defeated in its commencement. Such is the deranged state of our treasury affairs, that public officers find a thousand inconveniencies and obstacles in the execution of their duty. Scarce a wagon can be put in motion without adding to the powers of government that of private assistance. In such a situation, it becomes the duty of individuals, and of particular societies of men, to contribute a certain support beyond what may be considered their proper proportion. This is looked for under all governments, but expected more particularly in the republican. I need not select as an instance, the Philadelphia merchants who have so long kept the northern army supplied with provisions. " You will be surprised that a sufficient number of vessels for the transport of the troops have not yet arrived. But there are other matters a? necessary to the enterprise which, without your interposition, may not be provided. "I do not intend, from this representation, that the merchants should furnish the enterprise with everything that is to be procured from Baltimore, at their private expense. I would only propose to your consideration, the propriety of forming a committee out of your body for the purpose of giving effect and furtherance to the measure taken by the public, to such a point as you may judge proper, or as may be done without material injury to yourselves. 1 Benjamin Stoddert, the first secretary of the navy until January 26, 1802. His father, the United States navy, was born in Maryland, Captain Stoddert, was an old Indian fighter in in 1751, and died at Bladensburg on the 17th of Western Maryland, and gave his name to Fort December, 1813. He was a captain at the battle Stoddert in the West before the Revolution, of Brandywine, and afterwards major in the 2 Sketch of the Life of Dr. James McHenry, by Revolutionary army. For many years, he was Frederick J. Brown, Maryland Historical So- extensively engaged in mercantile pursuits in ciety Fund, Publication No. 10. Georgetown, D. C. He continued secretary of |
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