September 21st, 2023
After a brief and dramatic prologue about the burning of Washington that leads Monroe to be Secretary of War, the book opens with the Munro/Monroe family history from Scots battling Edward II down to Scots battling Cromwell. After losing there, they were exiled to America and had a modest plot in Virginia. A few generations go by and James is the 2nd of 4 or 5, born in 1750 give or take few. Typical plantation owner life, his father had a handful of slaves and also worked as a carpenter. Once James was old enough, he went to school and did well, a studious and quiet kid. Then his mom died birthing another child and his father died shortly after. James, a teenager, now owned the farm. His mother’s brother was a childless lawyer, a member of the House, and decided to help his family so that James could continue school. He and his wife essentially became parents to these kids, though maybe James’ sister was now more the mother figure than a sister figure. Anyway, he went to William and Mary.
September 22nd, 2023
During this time the situation with Britain was deteriorating. Most of the staff were Tories, and young men, being rebellious, tended to be rebels. Monroe was one of these rebels. They’d drill in the square He was one of the guys who “stormed” Lord Dunmore’s empty mansion. He joined the Third Virginia and was officially an officer. His younger brother also joined up, but he was a frail and sickly kid and died in camp. The Third did not see much action until after Long Island when they were joined the Continental Army to defend Manhattan. Then it just follows the narrative of the war until Trenton.
September 26th, 2023
Monroe was part of a volunteer group led by a Captain Washington (a cousin) who crossed the Delaware first, north of Trenton or something, and block the road into town. The miserable conditions are famous. In the middle of the night at their checkpoint, a man from a nearby house came to yell, thinking them robbers. Finding them Continentals, he was very hospitable and told Monroe he would tag along as a doctor. Then the battle. Captain Washington’s men were at the forefront. During a charge on the Hessian guns, Washington went down wounded. Monroe quickly took his place, but was severely wounded soon after with a musket ball to the chest/shoulder. A severed artery was closed by the doctor friend from the checkpoint. The battle was won while Monroe was out for surgery. He recovered a few days in Newtown and then was promoted. Sent to Virginia to fill a new company, the patriotism had run dry. With no company, he joined General Lord Stirling as and aide-de-camp. Somehow in Reading he was involved with the Conway Cabal, tangentially hearing about it or something. Then it’s Valley Forge and all the officers lived comfortably.
September 28th, 2023
Not much of interest until Monmouth Courthouse which went well for the Continentals. I think this was Monroe’s last battle. An ambitious young man, he wanted a command of his own. With none available, he went to Congress and elsewhere to get one. He tried to raise a regiment in Virginia and around there, even volunteering to work with someone trying to raise a slave unit (which failed to come about). Hopeless, he went to Governor Jefferson. They took a liking to each other and Jefferson took him under his wing to teach him and a few others law. As the war headed southward, Jefferson then moved the capital to up to Richmond, and Monroe followed along.
September 29th, 2023
Monroe ran some defenses for Jefferson and, as a volunteer, was at Yorktown. He couldn’t get passage to Europe to study law, so he just finished it in the states. He sold his farm and ran for election and was elected to the state legislature. Pretty boring stuff, then he was elected to the Continental Congress. We know how successful they were.
October 2nd, 2023
Monroe takes a trip “out west”, which really meant western New York. He went to Fort Stanwix to observe a treaty with Joesph Brant and the Mohawks. The American government was so powerless that New York was making its own treaties while the Federal government was also trying to make a treaty. Monroe and Brant strike up some sort of friendship as they both travelled from Fort Niagara to Montreal or somewhere. Monroe returns to the capital, currently Trenton, for the session but very few of his fellow congressmen show up. He works hard to try to show the others how it is supposed to be done. Jefferson is sent to Paris and he hooks up Monroe and Madison, who become friends. Monroe has some forward thinking ideas, like a federal city outside Georgetown and the federal government controlling interstate and international trade treaties. Both ideas fail now. The capital moves to NYC, Monroe meets a rich girl and marries.
October 3rd, 2023
Monroe got some heat when John Jay was negotiating a treaty with Spain. Spain essentially claimed the Mississippi due to it owning Louisiana Territory, and they did not want American settlers using it. They didn’t even want them coming west. Congress ordered Jay to negotiate in order to guarantee the right to the river. The Spanish minister offered some trade deals that would benefit the north and aid with Libyan pirates while not budging on the Mississippi. Jay wanted to do it, a commission was sent, and the northerners wanted to do it, but Monroe did not. This turned into a heated debate in Congress, which Monroe lost, but there was not enough states (need 9/13) to ratify anything. The useless Congress strikes again. Monroe returns to Virginia after the session, hoping to win a seat in the House of Delegates. His wife is very pregnant and shortly after gives birth to a daughter. The Monroes are broke, so they live with uncle Jones in Fredericksburg, where Monroe tries his hand at law. He seems to do alright. He is a bit upset at Madison and Governor Edmond Randolph or Rudolph, who fail to send Monroe to the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia. Monroe seems to have forgotten that he has no money to spend a summer in Philadelphia. At least it looks like he will be on the committee for Virginia’s ratification.
October 4th, 2023
I didn’t realize that Monroe debated on the Anti-Federalist side. He wasn’t against strong central government; he’d be advocating for it when he saw how useless the Articles were. He wanted a Bill of Rights. No matter how many good points he made, Madison had an answer and Virginia ratified, with not much margin. Patrick Henry, a hater of Madison and the Constitution, saw that Madison would lose the Senate race (he came in 3rd) and Gerrymandered the Congressional districts so that he could pit Monroe against Madison. They went on a debate tour and remained friendly, and Monroe lost the election. He settled back to law and farming and his errant brother returned from Scotland broke and dropped out/expelled from school. He decided to teach him law. Jefferson returned home to be Secretary of State. Early in the new government, the capital moved to Philadelphia while D.C. was being built. William Grayson, Monroe’s cousin, was senator, but sadly took ill and died. Monroe was almost chosen to replace him. But Grayson had a 2 year term, and Monroe ran for it when it was due. He won and his family moved to the capital. His wife was thrilled to go to NYC as soon as possible to visit family. Monroe was looking forward to his new role.
October 6th, 2023
Forgot to write, I guess. To be honest, Monroe’s senator years are kind of boring. He doesn’t come across as the most likable guy, either. He’s an extreme partisan, deep in the Jefferson-Madison Republican party. He gets pulled on some secret investigation into Hamilton taking money, but it turns out the accuser was blackmailing Hamilton for banging his wife. Pretty embarrassing. Lots of classic newspaper wars from this era. Everyone is writing articles under different false names. I think Monroe chose not to run for Senate again, but probably will get some job under Washington.
October 11th, 2023
Turns out Monroe is going to Paris. Nobody is happy with Federalist Gouverneur Morris’ performance, especially the French. Washington needs a new minister, and Madison declined, so Monroe was next in line. Simultaneously, Monroe’s nemesis John Jay is going to England to negotiate with them. They’re not happy with America’s trading with France and are impressing any sailors they find. Monroe accepts the job, tells his wife in New York, and tells Jefferson to look after his place. They have an easy passage across the ocean, but receive a strange welcome in France. It is almost one of utter indifference. Robespierre was recently killed, so the Thermidorians are in power. I think this is pre-Directorship still. The Committee of Public Safety is still sort of in charge de facto, so Monroe, instead of sitting idly, goes to the House or whoever is de jure in charge of the government. He talks to the Speaker or whoever and they have an understanding. The Frenchman suggests that Monroe deliver a speech the next day to the House. With his aid in translation, Monroe writes and delivers a speech that the French go crazy for. Monroe himself is very pro-France, but he may be crossing some lines of Washington’s neutrality.
October 13th, 2023
Now that Monroe is a star, he tries to get some work done. Some big issues are that Thomas Paine and Madame Lafayette are stuck in prison. Paine is both a French and an American citizen, so Monroe has some ease getting him out. Paine, very ill from his imprisonment, stays with the Monroes while he recovers. The Madame is different. Her husband is in prison in Austria and considered a traitor. Elizabeth Monroe takes it in her hands to see the Madame on a humanitarian visit. It makes a big impression on the French and over time their opinions on Madame soften. Somehow she gets released and Monroe helps her get to a passport to Austria. His speech from before pissed off the Federalists and English and leaked back to the US through British papers. Monroe received some scathing letters from Randolph and Monroe suspects he was only sent to please the French to force the British into US arms. John Jay gives Monroe no information on the treaty he is working on and it is an embarrassment with the French. Monroe can’t trust his own government.
October 17th, 2023
The Jay treaty becomes public knowledge, though not with anyone in the government letting Monroe know. It causes a big stir because it is a basic trade agreement that does nothing about impressing American sailors. Somehow it gets ratified and then France ends its relations with France. Washington and the government then disapprove of some of Monroe’s correspondences, and to be fair, he did send something to Benjamin Franklin Bache to publish publicly. In Monroe’s short couple years, he improved relations with France just to see them crash again. I forgot to mention that by this time there is a new constitution after some bread riots and the Directorship is in charge. The government recalls Monroe, who will arrive to a mild reception after Adams’ election.
October 24th, 2023
I think I skipped an entry or two, but they probably weren’t significant. There’s lots of drama. These founding fathers are partisan little girls. Very catty and obnoxious. Hamilton has beef with Monroe because someone leaked his affair to the public. It wasn’t Monroe, but probably the guy he trusted the documents to. Lots of letters. Monroe gets nothing from the Washington administration and his and Washington’s mutual respect is dead. Adams is elected, Jefferson is VP, but Monroe and Madison take a break from politics. Monroe is broke but has a son. He and Madison can’t stay out of politics, however. Madison is elected to the VA House of Delegates, who then elect the governor. Who do they elect? Monroe. Shortly after this, Washington dies.
October 25th, 2023
The next chapter opens up about a slave named Gabriel who was taught how to read at the same time as his master’s son. He learned blacksmithing from his father and thus, being intelligent and with a trade, was pretty much allowed to roam town on his own. Being educated, he read the news when in town. He became very interested in emancipation and came to the conclusion that it will only be achieved by force. He assumed that the whites were disunited and thought the Republicans his friends. He planned an uprising in various towns with weapons supplied by some former Rochambeau men. All this will come to a head under the governorship of Monroe. Obviously it will not succeed, unfortunately.
October 26th, 2023
Some slaves who heard of the insurrection warned their master and the word was out. A heavy rain also ruined any chance of this happening. A decent number of slaves were hanged. Gabriel was on the run for weeks, but was caught and hanged. Monroe did very little to change this outcome, being a part of the slave-supporting system. All he could ask is how many executions is too many. Around this time, Monroe’s son died. Jefferson won the election of 1800 and Monroe was reelected governor.
October 27th, 2023
As the year passes, there are more rumored (and real) slave rebellions. More blacks are hanged for trying to get freedom. Monroe is accused by Federalists of “leniency”, but the Republicans elect him for a third and final term. Monroe wants to promote state funded education, a militia, and road building, but no one will give him a budget. He has a baby daughter. Napoleon is now in power in France as First Consul and world affairs take an odd turn. The French reinvade Haiti and, from an alliance treaty with Spain, reclaimed Louisiana. Even the Republicans worry about the French army having a presence in New Orleans. The only way to secure the Mississippi is to own the land. Jefferson decides to send Monroe to negotiate a purchase from Napoleon. If things go sour, he also has authorization to go to Spain and Britain. After only 5 years at home, he’s back across the ocean.
October 30th, 2023
Spain had traded Louisiana back to France until the stipulation that France would not sell it. Promises never held Napoleon back. After the French failures in Haiti, he decided to dump the land and get some money to start fighting England again. Robert Livingston had been in Spain and France negotiating of the Mississippi and New Orleans to no avail. Tallyrand was not interested. Livingston was livid that Monroe was sent to trump him. Once Napoleon decided to personally sell the land, without consulting the “senate” and despite protests from his brothers, Tallyrand decided to try to make the deal and profit. Napoleon had another minister negotiate, since nobody trusts Tallyrand, but Tallyrand tried nonetheless. Livingston tried to work around Monroe’s back to get all the credit. Despite all these personal issues, the agreement was made and sent home. They failed to negotiate of Florida as the French refused. I didn’t realize Monroe had anything to do with the purchase.
November 1st, 2023
Yesterday all I remember is Congress approving the treaty. There were very few Federalists in the Senate. Monroe was then sent to London to work out a treaty but the government was not very interested. George III was very receptive to Monroe. King George seemed to have a way with people. Every American who fought against him ended up liking him after meeting him. Monroe gets nowhere in London and it even gets worse after some Brits are offended by Jefferson’s rustic approach to the presidency. Monroe goes back to France to work on West Florida and gets nowhere, though he does get a bad seat at Napoleon’s coronation. Somewhere in all this he learns about Hamilton’s death. Then Monroe goes to Spain on a very uncomfortable and slightly dangerous journey to discuss Florida. This is another failure, so he is sent back to London. There is new government under Pitt the Younger, and they’re Tories who have no interest in Monroe. Maybe the government change was before he left; doesn’t matter.
November 2nd, 2023
While in London, Monroe learns that his uncle and father-figure Joseph Jones has died. This is a big tragedy for the family. Around this time, Prime Minister Pitt dies and the Tories are unable to form a new government. The Whigs then form a sort of bipartisan government, with a Whig PM, and the Whig Fox as foreign minister. Monroe knows and likes Fox, so this is good. However, Fox moves slowly since he knows it is difficult to convince his colleagues to support US causes. Another blow later comes when Fox dies. He is replaced by two young men, one of whom is Fox’s nephew, and both are open-minded towards America. Due to the lack of results, Pinkney is sent to aid Monroe, much to Monroe’s chagrin. He is offended by this lack of faith from Madison and Jefferson. These four, nevertheless, work well together. Still, the British will not budge on impressment. They come up with a treaty and send it home, but Jefferson won’t even entertain it without impressment on the table. He tells them to cease negotiations. With machinations by King George, this government collapses and a Tory government takes over. Monroe feels misused and I believe he is going to go home. Neither Britain nor France want to deal with America as a neutral country and Monroe’s hands are tied by all three governments.
November 6th, 2023
I didn’t write on Friday and now I mostly forget it. This next bit covers like 4 years. Monroe comes home. There is a rift in the Republican party and some “true” Republicans support Monroe over Madison, though Madison wins by a landslide. Monroe focuses on his home, his daughter gets married and has a kid. Joseph Jones Jr, Monroe’s young cousin who accompanied him to Revolutionary France, died. Monroe then becomes the heir to the Jones lands. Monroe gets another term as governor of Virginia. Madison’s first term is pretty bad and his cabinet mostly not on his side. He eventually kicks out his Secretary of State and brings in Monroe. Now they are reconciled. Monroe becomes a real hardass with the British and French ministers, though still tries to be fair. Congress is filling with War Hawks like John Calhoun and Henry Clay. England and France are still preying on American ships. Harrison fights the Shawnee under the Prophet at Tippecanoe. War seems inevitable as 1812 comes.
November 7th, 2023
Madison tries to avoid war a little longer, but in June requests Congress to declare war. It passes essentially along party lines. There are some wins and some losses, but Madison wins reelection. There are some shifts in the cabinet and the Secretary of War is on the outs. Monroe takes up the position temporarily and would like it permanently. He wants a field commission but a decent number of people tell him that’s a bad idea. In the UK, the PM is assassinated and a new government is in power. This government abolishes the hated act which allowed the seizure of ships. But it was too late. The Federalists and “real” Republicans did not allow Monroe to be confirmed Secretary of War. Low on Madison’s list, the New Yorker John Armstrong was voted in.
November 9th, 2023
I didn’t realize I skipped a day. I guess there’s not much to talk about other than the war. It’s a pretty uninteresting war for the most part. You have Jackson committing his massacres against Natives. Tecumseh was killed. All invasions into Canada are a bust and most generals hate Armstrong, who gets some sort of field commission. Once Napoleon is defeated after the Russia debacle, the English focus on the war in America. Some peace negotiations begin, but the British don’t want to talk about impressment. All this time Monroe had been riding around looking at British ships that are coming up the Chesapeake or whatever river. Now the veterans from Spain are arriving. Armstrong refuses to believe DC is the target, but Monroe is convinced. Scattered militias try to put up a defense. Monroe and Madison go to the battle and Monroe makes some troops move around, creating a hole in the line. None of the general fix it. The defenders inflict more casualties than they receive, but they break and run. DC has to be evacuated.
November 14th, 2023
The Americans blow up their stockpiles and flee the city. The British meet some resistance but easily put government buildings to the torch. The mayor convinces them to spare the patent building, but the Library of Congress gets no sympathy. After this, many citizens of DC and nearby Baltimore want to surrender and make peace. James Monroe, interim Secretary of War after Armstrong is AWOL, refuses the notion. Armstrong appears and is scolded by Madison for his failures. Armstrong offers is resignation, but Madison needs a New Yorker and gives him leave. Armstrong then sends his resignation to a Baltimore newspaper. The burning of DC is the nadir for the Americans. They start to fix-up the city and plan to remove the British war ships from the river. Monroe warns Jackson, in Mobile, that the West Indies fleet may be heading for New Orleans.
November 16th, 2023
Essentially the war becomes a stalemate. Monroe essentially demands that Madison make him permanent Secretary of War. The Duke of Wellington tells the PM that the war is a waste and the PM changes his tune. John Quincy is already working for status quo ante bellum, and finally the British agree. The war is over, though we all know about the Battle of New Orleans. Monroe tries to create a standing army with volunteers and conscription, but Congress balks at conscription. As they should. Then by 1816 there’s another election and Madison doesn’t run per tradition. It’s essentially a single party race. The Federalists are a zombie party with barely any support outside New York and maybe a New England state or two. The real fight is the Republican nomination, which Monroe does not necessarily have in the bag. People are sick of Virginia running the country. Luckily for Monroe, there is only one serious contender: something Crawford. He’s a Virginian by birth, but New Yorker by choice. There’s all sorts of political shenanigans, but Monroe takes the nomination by a decent majority. He easily wins the election against Rufus King.
November 17th, 2023
Monroe gets sworn in and all is dandy. He keeps the useful guys of Madison’s cabinet, but struggles to find a secretary of war. He eventually asks John C. Calhoun, who, though it was thought to be beneath him, accepts. For State, he chooses John Quincy Adams, who is still in London and has no idea of his nomination. In the summer when Congress is at recess, Monroe decides to something no president has done since Washington: he’s going to tour the United States. Nominally it is to be a discrete affair and to inspect forts and other installations, but it becomes a national ordeal. The president gets all sorts of pomp and circumstance from Baltimore to Boston. He visits Philadelphia, former capitol and home of his congressional years. He visits Trenton, where he took a bullet and nearly died. He visits Peacefield, the home of John Adams and Abigail Adams, who have become friendly with Monroe after their initial partisan bickering. They appreciate what Monroe sees in their son. New England is still rather federalist, but it was a Boston paper that described Monroe’s trip as the beginning of the Era of Good Feelings.
November 20th, 2023
Monroe’s trip continues through New England, to Buffalo, into Canada, and then to Detroit. He goes through Ohio and Western PA to head home. It was a long trip, but mostly successful and well received. Back in DC he anticipates the return of John Quincy. With Congress in recess, there’s not much to do. Monroe then goes home for a bit and hires his wayward brother as private secretary. The Monroes then move into the still incomplete White House. Once he gets his cabinet together, they get to work. Monroe’s goal is to form a consensus on issues and avoid a divided and malicious cabinet. Monroe and Quincy see eye to eye on many subjects. The main issue at hand is how to handle the South American revolutions, on which they decide neutrality. There are others, like some smugglers in Galveston or something like that, where they decide to send military force. Monroe then delivers his state of the union to Congress and it is received well.
November 21st, 2023
Not a lot happens at first. Speaker of the House Calhoun is a thorn in Monroe’s side, partly because he was not chosen for State. The main issue is Andrew Jackson. I forget the name of the other general, but he was to be sent to Florida to stop Seminole raids but was instead sent to clear out one of those pirate islands. His instructions were to stop short of attacking any Spanish forts or holdings that the raiders may use. In his absence, Andrew Jackson was to go to Florida, though his instructions seemed to have missed this key command. Then AJ sent some letters to Quincy and someone else, maybe the Secretary of War, which were alarming. They claim that they told Monroe immediately, though Monroe claims he had flu and never saw the letters. Very fishy. But AJ is killing Seminole POWs and attacking Spanish forts and executed two British citizens. It’s a big blow-up. Meanwhile, Quincy is trying to negotiate with the Spanish to buy Florida outright.
November 22nd, 2023
I don’t really remember what happened. The whole Andrew Jackson business really came to nothing. The Americans got the deal for Florida. That’s about it.
December 4th, 2023
Forgot to write a few times. Monroe made a tour of the South and West, but this coincided with the depression of 1819. Land speculation caused a lot of loss and Indian cotton sank Southern prices. The whole country was a mess, but these were not the days of FDR. Congress and the President did nothing. Another issue, possibly bigger, was the debate over Missouri and Maine’s admission as states. The debate nearly led to the dissolution of the Union. The anti-slavery crowd wanted to admit Missouri with the clause that it would wind down slavery overtime. This caused an outrage and the southern states would not admit Maine as a free state. Monroe tried to intervene behind the scenes but it kind of blew up in his face. It didn’t matter much since there were no other good Republican candidates. After lots of debate and ideas that no one could agree on, the vote to allow Missouri as a slave state and ban slavery above whatever latitude passed. Monroe considered the veto, but let it go. There was also a revolt in Spain and the new government finally agreed to the Florida deal.
December 12th, 2023
Been busy and not writing, though I’m reading it. There’s a whole lot of chapters on the presidential years. That’s probably in part due to Quincy’s meticulous diary. Most of the day to day things are not all that interesting. The thorn in Monroe’s cabinet, Crawford, suffers an illness and then has a stroke. I’m surprised by this since he’s part of the drama of the 1824 election. There’s a lot of build up to the Monroe Doctrine. America is very slow to do anything about the South American republics. There is some real worry over the Holy Alliance and the revival of monarchism and absolutism in Europe. The French invaded Spain to help their Bourbon king and succeeded. The Greeks also are rebelling against the Ottomans, but the Americans can only send verbal support. The Russians are digging deeper into the Northwest and it’s worrisome. The British Minister actually brought up acknowledging the new republics to Rush, but the Americans sat on it for too long and he withdrew the offer. This actually allowed Monroe and Adams to make it their own grand standing thing instead of being a junior partner in it. Guess it worked out.
December 14th, 2023
This penultimate chapter winds down Monroe’s presidency. Not much newsworthy usually happens in the final days. Most people are looking to the future and the 1824 election. This is an infamous and very interesting election. Now that America is a one-party country, that party is split into factions. 1824 sees at least 5 people with aspirations for the presidency. Calhoun is the first out, yet in turn gets the meager nomination for VP. The remaining candidates, that is Adams, Clay, Jackson, and Crawford, divide the nation geographically and not one gets the needed electoral vote minimum to win. Jackson gets the plurality, with Adams in second. I wonder if the election were by RCV, with Clay eliminated, would someone had won in the second round? Would Crawford need to be eliminated? Would Adams had gotten the majority or Jackson? I like to think Adams would have won, and his reputation would not have been tainted with the rumors of the Corrupt Bargain. Back in the real world, the Constitution sends the election to the House, where each state casts a vote for one of the top 3 candidates. This was pure politics. Allegedly, Clay made a deal with Adams to get State if he worked his magic. If so, it worked and Adams got a majority of the House votes. Monroe waited out the days until he could retire. I forgot the other big event: the return of Lafayette to America. There’s not much to say about his tour from NYC down to DC, but he made quite the spectacle as thousands of people came to cheer him and greet him. Finally, he came to his old friend sitting in the White House. A nice moment before the veterans of ‘76 start kicking the bucket en masse.
December 15th, 2023
Read the last chapter and epilogue today. Like most biographies, the chapter ends with Monroe’s death and the epilogue traces some threads left by his life. After the presidency, Monroe went back to Virginia and his financial woes. He struggled for the rest of his days trying to get Congress to compensate him for the money he spent while in public service, some $60k including interest. One by one, the people around him die. Both his brothers died. In 1826, he lost Jefferson. He worked a bit for Virginia University or something with Madison and also chaired a convention to amend the Virginia Constitution (which failed), but he became too ill for both. In 1830, both his son-in-law George Hay and his wife died. This was the end for Monroe. He made one final journey to live with his daughter Maria in New York, but was too ill to ever leave. On the 4th of July, 1831, Monroe died. He lived long enough to see his single party system fall apart to the Jacksonian takeover. His daughters lived relatively short lives. His nephew James Monroe Jr. became a successful politician, while his own grandchildren seemed to follow their parents. Monroe has a pretty great political legacy.