Archive · With the French army and fleet, 1781 to 1782
July 29 to September 24, 1782
Bob: a recovery at Baltimore, in six letters
How a Virginia family got back a man who had joined the French army on its march north: an overseer sent to Baltimore, a lieutenant’s tent, twenty dollars, a pair of handcuffs, and the Baltimore jail.
What it says, in plain language
Edmund Pendleton, the Virginia judge, asks James Madison in Congress to help his nephew recover Bob, about 22, who had been whipped so badly by a party of troops that “he lay up for two Months” and still carried the marks, and who had twice been reclaimed from the French as they marched through. Madison agrees, though he notes that bringing Bob into Pennsylvania might free him under that state’s law. The nephew’s overseer finds Bob in Baltimore in a French officer’s tent, “emploied him as a Servant”; a Baltimore friend, probably Colonel Darby Lux, gets him released for twenty dollars; Bob, left “tied & handcuff’d,” escapes again; he is retaken and put in the Baltimore jail, and a messenger is sent to bring him back to Virginia. Pendleton wants him sold rather than brought home. Madison, who had asked the French legation and an army officer to look for him, writes that the recovery “hath at length been accomplished.”
What it adds to the boards
This is the case a visitor may half-remember as a “Lee family” recovery with a man sent to Baltimore. No such Lee letter has been found. The asker was Edmund Pendleton, the man in Philadelphia was Madison, and the army was French, not British. Arthur Lee was Madison’s fellow Virginia delegate that summer and seconded Madison’s motion of September 10, 1782 (Board 2), which is probably how the name attached itself to the story.
Read beside Board 2, the letters show what the treaty clause was meant to accomplish: the same seizures, lists, jails, and payments, applied to the British as they had been to the French. Pendleton himself says “a number of other people here have lost their slaves in the same manner.”
No image of the original is shown here yet. No manuscript of Pendleton’s side survives; the texts come from nineteenth-century transcripts.
Transcription
Edmund Pendleton to James Madison, Caroline County, July 29, 1782
Caroline July 29th 1782
Dear Sir
[Opening paragraphs on the mail robbers, Charleston, and the Asgill affair:] I am sorry to find by yr favr of the 16th that the Robbers of the Mail seem to be a regular train'd band, who may probably return to their Station on this side Philada to divert the Attention of those who may seek them; should this be the case, they will have a bad bargain in mine, not worth the trouble of reading. The report of the burning and evacuation of Charles Town had reached Us, before Yours came to hand, but I believe it came from the Northward, Accounts from No Carolina speak of it as a thing in Agitation rather than done. I mean the evacuation, for they say nothing of the burning, which I hope is not true.
I am sorry poor Asgil is at last likely to suffer for another's crime; however the sacrifice is necessary, and just on our part, let them answer for the misapplication of the punishment, who alone might have saddled the right horse.
The introduction of Genl Carlton's maxim at this time probably looks forward to an important event, in which I always supposed the Interest of American Loialists would make a considerable point of discussion. I wish he may prove prophetic in the period in which that event will take place, tho' perhaps we may differ widely in the grounds of his hopes. I am sorry for his proposition for exchanging Prisoners in a mode which would enable them to employ them agt our Allies, & appropriate others to the War here, as it betrays an Opinion on their part that they may still Insult our understandings with impunity, if not wth hopes of Success.
My Nephew Mr. Edmund Pendleton jr has lately lost a young negroe man about 22 yrs old, five feet eight inches high, rather thin made, is a little bow legged, and has a down look when spoke to. he run away last summer & having plunder'd a party of Troops, they whip'd him so severely that he lay up for two Months & reclaims the apparent Marks of it on each shoulder. He reclaim'd him twice from the French Troops as they Passed, & therefore suspects that he finally rode ahead of them to join them in Maryland & Pennsylvania, He stole a fine horse belonging to a Mr Allan & a valuable Mare from a Neighbour, but I can discribe neither. Will you do me the favour by application to Count Rochambeau or other French officers, to endeavour to recover him if he should have joined them, & in case you succeed, to have him confined in Goal 'til my nephew can send for him, unless you can sell him for £100 specie, which tho' much less than he would sell for here, my Nephew would rather take than be further troubled with him. The fellow's name is Bob. I have not described his dress, as he stole variety of Cloaths from different people. I would not have troubled you with this request, but knew not how otherwise to get the application made.
I am as usual My Dr Sr Yr very Affe friend
Edmd Pendleton
Madison to Pendleton, Philadelphia, August 6, 1782
I shall pay due attention to the request contained in your favor of the 29th. relative to the slave of your nephew. Should I however be so fortunate as to recover him, the price of slaves here leaves no hope that a purchaser will be found on the terms demanded. […] PS. Upon recollection, it will be impossible to dispose of the Slave in this State, there being a legal prohibition agst. it. Even his coming into [it] will operate as a manumission, unless the case of runaways be provided for which I believe is the fact. I will enquire more exactly into [the] matter.
Pendleton to Madison, August 19, 1782
I thank you for yr favr of the 6th & for your promise to endeavour to reclaim my nephew’s runaway slave; the circumstance you mention will probably prevent the sale of him if recovered, unless any of the French officers should take a fancy to him & purchase. I am told the Pennsylvania law has guarded against runaway slaves claiming the benefit of manumission by coming into that State. […] We have heard the slave was with the French Army at Baltimore, & a man is gone thither after him; if they had removed before he reach’d that Town, he would pursue them, & I doubt not if he came to Philadelphia, and applied, but he had yr assistance.
Pendleton to Madison, September 2, 1782
Virga. Sepr 2d 1782.
Dear Sir
[Opening paragraph on news of the peace talks:] I was disappointed in not receiving by yr last favr of the 20th past, some Intelligence from our foreign Ministers respecting the great Object which at present Occupys all our thoughts. their silence at such a crisis cannot be supposed, and therefore we must charge it to the Capture of the Vessels by which their letters were forwarded. Some of our Fat Tories say there is a Suspension of Hostilities in Europe, and I am told there are some Irish Cutters arrived here with Cargoes, who report the same thing. If this be true I should suppose it to be in consequence of the signing of preliminaries to Peace; I wish the good work compleated.
I wrote you my Nephew had sent his oversr to Baltimore after his runaway slave. he concealed himself for two or three days, but made a friend amongst the Attendants of the French Army who at length discover'd the slave & the Oversr took him in an Officer's tent who had emploied him as a Servant. They attempted to rescue the fellow & threaten'd the Overseer with sending him to the guard house, but as I had written to my friend Mr Lux requesting his Assistance, he interposed and procured the release of the Oversr & delivery of the slave, not however 'til he agreed to pay 20 dollars for his maint[en]ance under pretence of an Order of our Governor & Council, allowing them to demand of the owners of all runaway slaves, a reasonable sum for their provisions. I never heard of such an Order, but if there was such, I am persuaded it related only to those taken from the British at the seige of York, and not to such as run away and join them on their March, & are encouraged to do so by their secreting & Protecting them from their Masters. The oversr. had lost his horse & went in pursuit of him, leavg the slave tied & handcuff'd at Mr Lux's, from whence he escaped & must have had some Assistance. after two days fruitless search, he was obliged to return without him, having added to the loss of him that of a valuable horse, the 20 Dollars & other considerable expences. The[re] are a number of other people here have lost their slaves in the same manner, and are in a very ill humor on the Occasion; And as I am persuaded the principal officers in that Army are no ways privy or consenting to such Plundering, I have no doubt but that upon Application, they would all be delivered up, when they might be confined, & on public Notice the Owners get them again, otherwise I expect that application will be made to Our Assembly, & Probably from them to Congress, which might lay the foundation of Bickerings with our good friends, that would give me more concern than even the loss of my nephew's slave, tho' his circumstances do not make that a very light one, with the accumulated expences which have been consequent upon it. The Overseer cannot tel, nor does Mr Lux mention the name of the officer who extorted the 20 Dollars, & had emploied the slave as a servant. they only say he was a Lieutn. I wish I knew his name that you might point him out to the General. In the mean time it is possible the slave may have fallen into your hands, tho' he has practiced every Stratagem to conceal himself by denying his Master's name, & changing his own & his dialect; but the marks on his shoulders cannot be removed. If you have got, or shall get him, tho' I suppose a Citizen of Pennsylva. can't purchase him by their laws, yet perhaps some transient persons, of whom there are many in the City, may do so, as he is stout and young, & until last year, behaved very well, and my Nephew will thank you to sell him for what you can get above £50, as he neither wishes to se him again, or to risque a further Loss in his conveyance to Virga. Our friend Mr Jones is again returned to Philada & will I hope again releive you from half the burthen of corresponding with
Dr Sr Yr affec & obt Servt
Edmd. Pendleton
Madison to Pendleton, September 3, 1782
I have seen nothing of the man in pursuit of your Nephews slave, from which as the French troops are now passing thro’ this place, I infer that he has fulfilled his mission & returned. […] I have however made application to Mr. de Marbois for his advice as to the most proper Course to be pursued; and he thinks it will be best to postpone a search under the orders of the Commanders till the army shall be stationary again. […] The implication which the frequent applications of this sort carry of at least a defect of vigilan[c]e against an illicit resort of slaves to the army renders them I believe rather unpleasant. If the overseer should not have recovered the slave & you have no acquaintances where the Army may finally halt, I will take every step in my power to have him found out & secured.
Pendleton to Madison, September 9, 1782
Since my last we have Intelligence that my nephew’s slave was recovered & confined in Baltimore Goal. A Messenger is gone for him, who I hope will be more successful in getting him home than former ones were. I fear my last may have given you some unnecessary trouble as to him, tho’ Yr Interposition may have proved serviceable to others.
Madison to Pendleton, September 24, 1782
I am very glad to find that the recovery of Mr. Pendleton’s slave hath at length been accomplished. I shall immediately relieve Col: Jameson from the task I had consigned to him.
Text from Founders Online (Papers of James Madison). Original spelling kept; the writers’ long dashes are shown as commas; bracketed summaries replace unrelated paragraphs; modern editorial notes are not reproduced.