Wilkinson, James, 1757-1825

James Wilkinson was born in Maryland and served as an officer in the American Revolution. In 1783 he settled in Kentucky, where he engaged in politics, land speculation, and trade. In 1805 he was appointed governor of Upper Louisiana. Wilkinson's activities in the West implicated him in the Spanish Conspiracy and the Burr Conspiracy; he was acquitted by a court of inquiry during the Burr investigation and by a court martial in 1811. He served as a military commander in the West during the War of 1812. An unsuccessful Canadian campaign in this war resulted in another court martial and acquittal. Wilkinson published Memoirs of My own Times in 1816. In 1821 he went to Mexico, where he attempted to obtain Texas lands. Wilkinson died in Mexico in 1825.

From the description of Letter : Mexico, to Syde Goodwin and George Winchester, Baltimore, Md., 1823 Mar. (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 78192675

From the description of James Wilkinson letters, 1815-1822. (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 82993322

From the description of Letter : Mexico, to Syde Goodwin and George Winchester, Baltimore, Md., 1823 Mar. (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 702150795

From the description of James Wilkinson letters, 1815-1822. (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 702150789

General James Wilkinson fought in the Revolutionary and Indian Wars and was a merchant, adventurer and politician. In 1803 he was appointed Commissioner of the United States in New Orleans.

From the description of James Wilkinson letter, circa 1812. (Louisiana State University). WorldCat record id: 259760774

General James Wilkinson fought in the Revolutionary and Indian Wars and was a merchant, adventurer, and politician. In 1803 he was appointed commissioner of the United States in New Orleans, and later served as governor of the Louisiana Territory. Wilkinson was implicated in Aaron Burr's alleged scheme to invite the western subjects of Spain to form an independent empire in the west with New Orleans as its capital.

From the description of James Wilkinson letter, 1799 June 24. (Louisiana State University). WorldCat record id: 170923784

James Wilkinson, soldier, political opportunist, and entrepreneur, was born in Calvert County, Maryland, in 1757. During the Revolutionary War, he served as staff officer for Gens. Nathanael Greene, Benedict Arnold, Arthur St. Clair, and Horatio Gates. Wilkinson was promoted by Congress to brigadier general and secretary of the Board of War on the recommendation of Gen. Gates. He resigned the post due to some controversy. In 1779, Wilkinson accepted Congress's appointment as clothier-general to the Continental Army, but resigned in 1781 amidst yet more controversy. Wilkinson moved to Kentucky in 1783 where he quickly became a frontier leader and businessman. In 1787, Wilkinson agreed with the Spanish governor of New Orleans, Esteban Miro, to represent Spanish interests in Kentucky. His relationship with Miro and his involvement in Kentucky's separation from Virginia and the Union of states under the Articles of Confederation, became known as the Spanish Conspiracy. After the new federal Constitution was ratified, Wilkinson lost interest in the separation movement. Conclusive evidence of his continued employment by the Spanish government was never gathered to convict him of any crime. After his finances were in ruin again, he sought and received a commission in the U.S. Army in 1791. Controversy continued to plague him as he disputed with his superior, Gen. Anthony Wayne. Later, as governor of the Louisiana Territory and military commander of the Southern Department during 1805-06, he was forced to defend his actions regarding land deals and government contracts. Between 1804 and 1806, he became involved with Vice-President Aaron Burr in the Burr Conspiracy, a nebulous western enterprise involving a possible invasion of Mexico. During the War of 1812, Wilkinson was promoted to major general and commanded the army for the invasion of Canada. He was relieved of command by President James Madison after the failure of the Montreal campaign in 1813. He moved back to New Orleans in 1817 and eventually moved to Mexico where he was an advisor to Emperor Agustin de Iturbide. He died and was buried in Mexico City in 1825.

From the description of James Wilkinson letters, 1784-1815. (Kentucky Historical Society). WorldCat record id: 39149198

Brigadier General, aide-de-camp to Gates. Governor of Louisiana Territory in 1805; implicated in Burr conspiracy.

From the description of ALS, [n.d.] : [s.l.], to James Brown, Attorney Advocate General, New Orleans. (Copley Press, J S Copley Library). WorldCat record id: 14283883

James Wilkinson was born in Maryland and served as an officer in the American Revolution. In 1783 he settled in Kentucky, where he engaged in politics, land speculation, and trade, and in 1805 he was appointed governor of Upper Louisiana. Wilkinson's activities in the West implicated him in the Spanish Conspiracy and, as governor of Upper Louisiana, in the Burr Conspiracy. He served as a military commander in the West during Indian wars and the War of 1812.

From the description of James Wilkinson letters to Esteban Miró, and related documents, 1788-1793. (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 702150338

From the description of James Wilkinson letters to Esteban Miró, and related documents, 1788-1793. (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 77634521

Army officer, governor of Louisiana.

From the description of Letter, 1804 September 8. (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 122379194

From the description of Letter, 1804 June 9. (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 145407706

Commissioned major-general in the War of 1812. Assigned to the St. Lawrence River sector after the reassignment of Henry Dearborn. He led two failed campaigns in 1814, was court martialed, but cleared by a military inquiry.

From the description of James Wilkinson letters to Col. Solomon Van Rensselaer, Albany, 1813 Sept. 22 and Oct. 20. (Buffalo History Museum). WorldCat record id: 180690646

Born in Calvert County, Maryland., son of Joseph Wilkinson; studied medicine; colonel in Gate's army during the Revolution; commander-in-chief of the Army, December 15, 1796 - July 13, 1789, and June 15, 1800, to January 27, 1812; honorably discharged, June 15, 1815. "Intrigue with his ruling passion, and drinking too often his nemesis. Married Ann Biddle; and Celestine Laveau Trudeau on March 5, 1810. His activities and schemes touched many fields, and in July, 1811, he was court martialed, received the verdict of "not guilty", December 25. He died December 28, 1825. (blue index cards)

From the description of James Wilkinson papers, 1792-1797. (Detroit Public Library). WorldCat record id: 403813223

Epithet: Captain; RN

British Library Archives and Manuscripts Catalogue : Person : Description : ark:/81055/vdc_100000000212.0x000166

Army general.

From the description of Letter and clipping, 1810-1814. (Filson Historical Society, The). WorldCat record id: 49378797

General James Wilkinson fought in the Revolutionary and Indian Wars and was a merchant, adventurer and politician. In 1803 he was appointed Commissioner of the United States in New Orleans. Wilkinson was implicated in Aaron Burr's alleged scheme to invite the western subjects of Spain to form an independent empire in the west, with it's capital being New Orleans.

From the description of James Wilkinson letters, 1810, 1812. (Louisiana State University). WorldCat record id: 259760775

Wilkinson was an American officer during the Revolutionary War. He was involved in early Kentucky politics and early relations with the Spanish. Wilkinson was investigated and brought up on charges in military courts a number of times. During the War of 1812 Wilkinson served at New Orleans and was a major general in command of the St. Lawrence frontier.

From the description of Letter, 1814 May 12. (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 122601408

Born 1757 in Calvert County (Md.), soldier, Revolutionary War veteran, founder of Frankfort (Ky.), governor of the Louisiana Territory, and implicated in the Burr Conspiracy.

From the description of Wilkinson, James : Letter, 24 June 1810. (Filson Historical Society, The). WorldCat record id: 49479311

Born 1757 in Calvert County (Md.), soldier, Revolutionary War veteran, founder of Frankfort (Ky.), governor of Louisiana Territory, and implicated in the Burr Conspiracy.

From the description of Wilkinson, James : Letter, 17 March 1803. (Filson Historical Society, The). WorldCat record id: 49378798

Soldier, politician, and entrepreneur.

From the description of James Wilkinson : miscellaneous papers, 1786-1819. (Filson Historical Society, The). WorldCat record id: 49378795

While James Wilkinson was embroiled in various scandals and plots, such as the Aaron Burr conspiracy, he managed to attain prominent military and government posts. Eventually, at the height of his military career, Wilkinson would rise to the position of commander in chief of the Army of the United States. Wilkinson was born in Benedict, Maryland, in 1757, and died in Mexico City, Mexico, on December 28, 1825. He married Ann Biddle of Philadelphia on November 12, 1778, and they had four children. After her death in 1810, Wilkinson married Celestine Laveau Trudeau, with whom he had twin daughters. Enrolled at the University of Pennsylvania, Wilkinson's studies in medicine ended in 1775 when he joined Thompson's Pennsylvania rifle battalion to fight in the Revolutionary War. Wilkinson served under Colonel Benedict Arnold, General George Washington, as an aide to General Horatio Gates, and was eventually brevetted as a major general from November 1777 to March 1778. He also served as secretary to the board of war from January to March 1778. Forced to resign his positions as major general and secretary in 1778, due to his participation in the Conway Cabal, a conspiracy to replace George Washington as commander in chief of the Continental Army with Horatio Gates, he served as clothier general of the army from 1779 to 1781. In 1803, Wilkinson and Governor William C. C. Claiborne took possession of the Louisiana Territory on behalf of the United States, and in 1805 Wilkinson was appointed the first governor of the territory by Thomas Jefferson. That same year, Wilkinson came under suspicion of being a co-conspirator of Aaron Burr in a treasonous plot to separate the western states from the Union. After receiving Burr's notorious ciphered letter in October of 1806, Wilkinson informed President Jefferson of Burr's plan and claimed no knowledge of the conspiracy. In 1811, Wilkinson was court-martialed for taking payment from Spain while serving as general of the United States Army. Though he was acquitted, after his death it was revealed that he had, in fact, drawn a regular pension from Spain for his work to separate the western areas from the United States. He served as a senior officer in the United States Army for over a decade and was commissioned a major general in the War of 1812. After leading two failed campaigns, the Battle of Crysler's Farm and the Second Battle of La Colle Mills, Wilkinson was relieved of his military duties and went on to publish his autobiography, Memoirs of My Own Times, in 1816. Intending to settle a colony in Texas, he was awaiting approval from the Mexican government when he died in 1825.

From the description of Papers of James Wilkinson, 1790-1818. (University of Pittsburgh). WorldCat record id: 173643104

From the description of Papers of James Wilkinson, 1790-1818 [electronic resource]. (University of Pittsburgh). WorldCat record id: 671395912

A lawyer in New Orleans, Louisiana, Edward Alexander Parsons (1878-1962) married and had at least one daughter. A bibliophile, he briefly worked for the New Orleans Public Library in the 1930s and over a period of sixty years built a private collection, known as the Bibliotheca Parsoniana, with over 8,000 manuscripts and 40,000 publications on the American South, which was acquired by the University of Texas at Austin in 1958. An avid researcher and amateur historian, Parsons published numerous articles, pamphlets, and books, such as The Noble Art of Printing: An Exposition, with Some Account of Johann Gutenberg, the Father of Printing (1940), The Letters of Robert R. Livingston: The Diplomatic Story of the Louisiana Purchase (1943), The Alexandrian Library, Glory of the Hellenic World: Its Rise, Antiquities, and Destructions (1952), and The Wonder and the Glory: Confessions of a Southern Bibliophile (1962).

Source:

Lentz, Lamar. The Parsons Collection Revisited. The Library Chronicle of the University of Texas at Austin, No. 30, 1985: pp. 70-81.

From the guide to the Parsons, Edward Alexander, collection 93-492; 2009-324; 2012-099., 1678-1928, 1951, (Dolph Briscoe Center for American History, The University of Texas at Austin)

Politician, soldier

James Wilkinson, a soldier and politician during the American Revolution and the early Republic, was born in Maryland in 1757. He studied medicine in Philadelphia when the Revolutionary War began and after joining the Continental Army he obtained a captain's commission. He later served under Generals Benedict Arnold, Horatio Gates and George Washington. After being promoted to brigadier general, he served as secretary of the board of war and clothier-general. In 1784 Wilkinson came to Kentucky and served with George Rogers Clark. Wilkinson became an advocate of Kentucky's separation from Virginia in hopes of securing better trade opportunities for himself through the Spanish authorities in New Orleans. He secured a personal loan from Spanish Governor Esteban Miro and held a monopoly on trade with the Spanish. After leaving his messy business affairs he reentered military life in 1791 and served under General Anthony Wayne.

After Wayne's death, he was transferred to the Southern frontier and became closely involved with Aaron Burr while serving as Governor of the newly purchased Louisiana territory. At Burr's trial, Wilkinson barely escaped indictment. A congressional inquiry, concerning Wilkinson's whole career, was held in 1809 and in 1811 President James Madison requested a court martial and later approved the "not guilty" verdict "with regret". After a disastrous campaign in Canada during the War of 1812, Wilkinson was ordered back to Washington for another inquiry and acquittal.

In 1816, he published "MEMOIRS OF MY OWN TIMES" and lived quietly for a number of years on a plantation near New Orleans. Before he died he went to Mexico attempting to obtain a land grant in Texas, but never fulfilled the conditions on the option which he had obtained.

From the description of James Wilkinson papers, 1784-1824 1794-1817 (bulk dates) (University of Kentucky Libraries). WorldCat record id: 15287586

Holograph, signed.

Soldier.

From the description of Letter, ca. 1792, Ft. Washington [Ohio?], to Charles Scott. (Boston Athenaeum). WorldCat record id: 174144850

James Wilkinson, military officer, western land speculator, and governor of Louisiana, was born in Calvert County, Maryland in 1757.

During the 1790's Wilkinson served in the military operations against Indians in the Northwest Territory. In 1805 he was appointed governor of Louisiana where became involved in the Aaron Burr conspiracy to create a southwestern empire. Although Wilkinson was acquitted of the charges, his reputation was permanently tarnished. Following the War of 1812, he was discharged from the military and moved to Mexico where he died in 1825.

From the description of James Wilkinson letters, 1792-1818. (Newberry Library). WorldCat record id: 41079114