Scope and Content Note
The Samuel Smith Family Papers consist primarily of correspondence, letterbooks, and political and military papers of Samuel Smith (1752-1839) and his son, John Spear Smith (ca. 1790-1866), and to a lesser extent papers of Robert Smith (1757-1842) and other family members. The major part of the collection documents the life of Samuel Smith, who through more than six decades of public service as a soldier and statesman contributed to the shaping of the new republic. The collection covers the period 1772-1911 with the bulk of the material concentrated in the years 1777-1865. An addition of one item consists of a letter written by Samuel Smith in 1794.
After entering his father's mercantile business as a young man, Smith went to Europe as the company's agent in 1772. A letterbook from this period records Smith's observations and highlights the company's commercial transactions overseas. Further documentation can be found in general correspondence, such as letters from Robert Morris concerning commercial dealings in 1786 and 1787.
First elected to Congress in 1793, Smith served continuously as a United States representative and senator for the next forty years and served as chairman of the finance committees of both houses. Letters between Smith and other important political figures, particularly William Harris Crawford, treasury secretary under James Madison and James Monroe, involve such issues as the national debt and rechartering the Bank of the United States. Other material pertaining to public finance is located in the political papers. The letterbooks and general correspondence also provide information on affairs of state and partisan political activities. Smith's letterbook during his first two years as president pro tempore of the Senate, 1805-1807, details the legislative agenda process.
Although Smith held several posts during his long military career, the collection most fully documents his defense of Baltimore as major general of the Third Division of the Maryland Militia during the War of 1812. Several of his letterbooks contain copies of letters and reports detailing plans for the preparation and fortification of Fort McHenry, accounts of British troop and ship movements, and reports on the bombardment of the fort, 13-14 September 1814. Smith's involvement in the Battle of Baltimore is documented in the military papers, letterbooks, and general correspondence. The military papers also include retrospective accounts of Revolutionary War battles.
Correspondence with secretaries of state Henry Clay, James Monroe, and Martin Van Buren, as well as James Brown, minister to France, Christopher Hughes, charge d'affaires in the Netherlands and Sweden, and Louis McLane, treasury secretary and minister to Great Britain, reveals the government's desire after the War of 1812 to implement tariffs and trade agreements which would protect and strengthen the nation's emerging industries. This developing American foreign policy, particularly with Great Britain and France, is reflected in general correspondence and the political papers. The general and special correspondence files also include observations by Smith and his son on contemporary European affairs.
Although the collection contains little material from Smith's years as mayor of Baltimore, 1835-1838, there are nevertheless items of historical interest for the city as well as the state of Maryland. Such topics as the defense of Fort McHenry, the construction of the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal, and the establishment of the United States Naval Academy at Annapolis are discussed in Smith's correspondence with prominent political figures from Maryland, including Joseph Kent, John Montgomery, and John Nelson. The collection also contains several letters exchanged by Smith with presidents John Quincy Adams, Andrew Jackson, Thomas Jefferson, and James Madison. Other correspondents include Nicholas Biddle, John Caldwell Calhoun, Churchill Caldom Cambreleng, Albert Gallatin, Edward Livingston, Robert Carter Nicholas, Wilson Cary Nicholas, William Pinkney, Thomas Jefferson Randolph, Richard Rush, Jonathan Russell, Robert Carter Smith, Aaron Vail, James Wilkinson, and Levin Winder.
John Spear Smith Papers
The John Spear Smith Papers contain diaries chronicling Smith's service in John Quincy Adams's diplomatic mission to Russia in 1809 as well as Smith's duties as charge d'affaires in Great Britain in 1811. Later entries recount events during the Civil War, particularly Confederate military activities in Virginia. Smith's letters to his father, included in the special correspondence in the Samuel Smith papers, provide detailed observations on political, social, and cultural events noted by Smith while in Europe. Two letterbooks contain copies of letters and dispatches by Smith while charge d'affaires in London. In them he comments upon political and military crises on the Continent and their effect upon American foreign policy, trade, and tariff legislation. Additional topics include war preparations in Britain, detainment and confiscation of American ships, and political intrigue surrounding France's revocation of the Berlin and Milan decrees.
Robert Smith Papers, Other Family Papers, and Addition
Samuel Smith's brother, Robert, served as secretary of the navy under Thomas Jefferson and secretary of state under James Madison. The Robert Smith Papers contain a small amount of correspondence documenting his resignation as secretary of state, return to private life in Baltimore, and participation in family real estate activities. A series titled Other Family Papers reflects the personal affairs and business concerns of various Smith family members and also contains descriptive accounts of the Battle of Bull Run, July 1861. The Addition consists of a letter written by Samuel Smith in 1794 while serving in Congress.