George Washington's Nephew Bushrod, SC Justice, After Burning of D.C. War 1812, From Mt. Vernon

[WAR OF 1812.] Bushrod Washington, Autograph Letter Signed, to Robert Morris, September 24, 1814, Mount Vernon, Virginia. 1 p., 8" x 10". Small hole affecting one word; partially repaired edge tear from breaking seal on opening, not affecting text; general toning; very good.

One month after British troops burned Washington in the District of Columbia, Associate Justice Bushrod Washington, the nephew of George Washington, writes from Mount Vernon to federal District Judge Robert Morris in New Jersey, informing him that he cannot attend an upcoming court session in Trenton, New Jersey. He expected the British to return to Alexandria, Virginia, which had surrendered to the British a few days after the burning of Washington, to seize any remaining flour. From 1789 to 1911, U.S. Supreme Court Justices rode a circuit, convening U.S. Circuit Courts in districts throughout the United States, in conjunction with local federal district judges like Morris.

Complete Transcript
Mount Vernon Septr 24, 1814
Dear Sir
The initial situation of this part of the Country from the proximity of the enemy will render it very imprudent in me to leave home in time to attend the Trenton Court. We have strong ground for believing that their shipping will again ascend the river for the purpose of taking away the flour yet remaining at Alexandria, in which event my presence at home will be absolutely necessary. I hope your health will be such as to enable you to hold the Court, if indeed it will be practicable to do business at this time of general alarm.
I am Dr Sir
Very respectfully yr ob. Servt
Bush. Washington

Historical Background
Although the British had declared a blockade of the American coast early in the War of 1812, most of the first two years of fighting took place along the American-Canadian border. In mid-1814, the British shifted their attention southward and sent an expeditionary force into the Chesapeake Bay.

Led by Major General Robert Ross (1766-1814) and Admiral Alexander Cochrane (1758-1832), the British moved up the Patuxent River and landed at Benedict on August 19, 1814. They began marching upstream the following day, reaching Nottingham on August 21, and forcing American defenders to destroy the gunboats of the Chesapeake Bay Flotilla on August 22. Ross proceeded up the Patuxent to Upper Marlboro, from which he could threaten either Washington or Baltimore.

On August 24, 1814, the British force of 1,500 army regulars and Royal Marines faced a combined force of nearly 7,000 Regular Army and state militia troops at Bladensburg, Maryland. The British routed the American defenders, clearing the way to the capital, only eight miles away. Later that day, the British entered Washington, D.C. and burned most government buildings to the ground, including the Executive Mansion and the Capitol. (Fortunately, President James Madison had heeded James Monroe's advice; at the last minute, clerks at the State Department stuffed the records of the Confederation and Continental Congresses, George Washington's papers as Commander of the Continental Army, the Declaration of Independence, and the Constitution into coarse linen sacks and carted them to Virginia, out of harm's way.) Although Rear Admiral George Cockburn (1772-1853) wanted to burn the entire city of Washington, Major General Ross refused and prohibited his soldiers from destroying private property. A few days later, Alexandria, Virginia, a major port on the Potomac River, surrendered without a fight.

The British forces left Washington and sailed up the Chesapeake Bay toward Baltimore. On September 12, they attempted a combined assault with army troops landing at North Point and a naval force proceeding up the Patapsco River. The Americans met them with well-organized resistance and strong fortifications. A sniper killed General Ross early in the engagement, and the bombardment of Fort McHenry in Baltimore harbor was a failure. The British retreated, providing the Americans with a victory and a powerful boost to morale after the destruction of Washington.

Bushrod Washington (1762-1829) was born in Virginia, a son of John Augustine Washington (1736-1787), the younger brother of George Washington. He graduated from the College of William & Mary in 1778, when only 16 years old. In 1780, he returned to Williamsburg to study law under George Wythe. He joined a cavalry unit of the Continental Army in 1781, seeing action at the Battle of Green Spring and witnessing General Cornwallis's surrender at Yorktown. In 1784, after additional legal study in Philadelphia with James Wilson, Washington opened a law practice in Westmoreland County, Virginia, where he practiced until 1798. In September 1798, President John Adams appointed Washington as an Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, a position he held until his death. He generally supported the views of John Marshall, after Marshall became Chief Justice in 1801. When George Washington died in 1799, Bushrod Washington inherited Mount Vernon and served as one of the executors of the former President's will. In 1802, when Martha Washington died, Bushrod Washington inherited all of George Washington's papers and the majority of his estate. Bushrod Washington and his wife moved to Mount Vernon in 1802, bringing his slaves with him. In 1816, he helped to found the American Colonization Society and served as its first president until his death.

Robert Morris (1745-1815) was born in the province of New Jersey, the son of former Chief Justice of New Jersey Robert Hunter Morris (1700-1764) and the grandson of former New Jersey Governor Lewis Morris (1671-1746). He read law, gained admission to the bar in 1770, and established a private practice in New Brunswick, New Jersey. From 1777 to 1779, he served as the first Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of New Jersey under its 1776 Constitution. He resumed his private practice in New Brunswick from 1779 to 1790. In August 1790. President George Washington appointed him as judge of the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey, a position he held until his death in June 1815.

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