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Thomas S. Jesup collection, 1812-1917 (majority within 1812-1858)

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Summary

Creator:
William L. Clements Library
Abstract:
The Thomas S. Jesup collection contains official letters of Jesup, a major during the War of 1812 and later quartermaster general of the United States Army. The letters relate to his career as adjunct to General William Hull at Detroit and to his time stationed in New Orleans.
Extent:
0.25 linear feet
Language:
English
Authors:
Collection processed and finding aid created by Philip Heslip, December 2009

Background

Scope and Content:

The Thomas S. Jesup collection (46 items) contains the official correspondence of Jesup, who was a major during the War of 1812 and later quartermaster general of the United States Army. The early letters relate to his career as adjunct to General William Hull at Detroit. These six items document Jesup's parole and exchange after being taken prisoner in the War of 1812. They include communications with British Major General Isaac Brock (1769-1813); John Mason (1766-1849), the American company general of prisoners; Thomas Barclay (1753-1830), agent of the British government; Lewis Cass (1782-1866), Brigadier General of the American Army; and Major General Andrew Jackson (1867-1845).

The remainder of the items relate to Jesup's work as quartermaster general and military leader. The collection holds two notable post-war letters from the period when Jesup was stationed in New Orleans. These are addressed to Secretary of State James Monroe, and concern hostile Spanish maneuverings in the West Indies in the summer and fall of 1816. Jesup also received an invitation to William Henry Harrison's inauguration ball (March 4, 1841), and a letter from Lewis Cass (February 20, 1850). A printed general order dated May 1, 1817, documents Jesup's promotion from major of the 1st Infantry to lieutenant colonel of the 3rd Infantry. Another important item written by Jesup is his March 11, 1822, letter to William McRee, in which he described his reorganization of the military in Washington. Other notable letters include a William H. Winder letter of May 16, 1849, which concerns the 1814 Battle of Bladensburg; and an undated six-page letter written by Jesup giving a firsthand account of the capture of the Seminole Indian chief Osceola (1804-1838), who was captured on October 21, 1837, on Jesup's order when he arrived at Fort Payton for truce negotiations.

Documents in this collection include a receipt of shares for the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal Company, bought by Jesup (1830 and 1832), and two documents that are dated after Thomas Jesup's death. One is Jesup's daughter Jane Jesup Nicholson's 1881 passport, which includes a physical description of her. The other item is a 1917 check in payment to Julia Clark Jesup, another of Jesup's daughters.

Biographical / Historical:

Thomas Sydney Jesup (1788-1860) was born in Virginia to Ann O'Neill and James Edward Jesup. Shortly after his birth, his family moved to Kentucky, where they rented a farm. His father died four years later, leaving the family in poverty. Thomas Jesup began his military career in 1808 as a second lieutenant in the 7th Infantry. At the beginning of the War of 1812, he served as adjutant general to Brigadier General William Hull, commander of the northwestern army. He was taken prisoner at the surrender of Detroit, but was exchanged shortly after and served with distinction as a major in the battles of Chippewa, Niagara, and Lundy's Lane, where he was wounded. In 1818, President Monroe appointed Jesup quartermaster general with the rank of brigadier general, a position he held for 42 years. Jesup was an able administrator, who instituted a number of important reforms in the quartermaster department during his tenure and is credited with making military management more systematic and coordinated throughout the army. He was also in charge of procurements, supply transportation, and construction of roads, posts, and military buildings, for which he instituted strict systems of accountability.

Jesup lead an offensive against a faction of Creek Indians on the Georgia-Alabama border in 1836. Because of his success there, President Andrew Jackson gave him command of the United States troops during the Second Seminole War. Frustrated with the developments of the Van Buren Indian removal policy, Jesup resigned his position and was replaced by Colonel Zachary Taylor. Jesup returned to Washington, where he resumed his duties as quartermaster. He organized supply lines for the war with Mexico and made a number of trips to the battlefront in 1846 to ensure that his plans were followed. Jesup continued to supervise the army's supply operations closely, until his death in 1860.

Jesup married Ann Heron Croghan in 1822; they had 8 children: Charles Edward, Lucy Ann, Eliza Hancock, Mary Serena Eliza, Jane Findlay (later wife to A.S. Nicholson), Elizabeth Croghan, William Croghan, and Julia Clark.

Acquisition Information:
1936-1998. M-288, M-290, M-545, M-763, M-1363, M-1368, M-1438, M-1610, M-1662, M-1665, M-3474 .
Processing information:

Cataloging funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) and the "We the People" project.

Arrangement:

This collection is organized chronologically with undated items at the end.

Rules or Conventions:
Finding aid prepared using Describing Archives: A Content Standard (DACS)

Contents

Using These Materials

Info for Visitors

How to Request

Ordering Reproductions

Download PDF Finding Aid
RESTRICTIONS:

The collection is open for research.

USE & PERMISSIONS:

Copyright status is unknown

PREFERRED CITATION:

Thomas S. Jesup Collection, William L. Clements Library, The University of Michigan

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Collection

Thomas S. Jesup collection, 1812-1917 (majority within 1812-1858)
Total components 8
Last indexed 2025-02-09