48 Facts About James Wilkinson

James Wilkinson was an American army officer and politician who was associated with multiple scandals and controversies during his life, including the Burr conspiracy.

James Wilkinson served in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War, but he was twice compelled to resign.

James Wilkinson died while seeking to serve as an envoy diplomat in Mexico City, the capital of the newly declared independent Mexico.

James Wilkinson's birthplace was about three miles northeast of Benedict, Charles County, Maryland, on a farm south of Hunting Creek in Calvert County.

James Wilkinson's grandfather had been sufficiently wealthy to buy a large property known as Stoakley Manor in Calvert County.

James Wilkinson's father inherited Stoakley Manor, but by then the family was in debt.

Joseph James Wilkinson died in 1763, and in 1764 Stoakley Manor was broken up and sold.

James Wilkinson was a first cousin of Charles Biddle, an associate of Aaron Burr, and Wilkinson's marriage to the dynamic Biddle helped his career as a politician and general.

On March 5,1810, James Wilkinson married Celestine Laveau Trudeau, widow of Thomas Urquhart and daughter of Charles Laveau Trudeau.

Elizabeth Stephanie James Wilkinson married Professor Toussaint Francois Bigot in 1833.

James Wilkinson first served in a Maryland militia unit in the summer of 1775.

James Wilkinson became aide to Arnold just prior to the final retreat and left Canada with Arnold on the very last boat out.

When Gates sent him to Congress with official dispatches about the victory at the Battle of Saratoga in 1777, James Wilkinson kept the Continental Congress waiting while he attended to personal affairs.

James Wilkinson moved to Kentucky in 1784, and he was active there in efforts to achieve independence from Virginia.

James Wilkinson advocated for Kentucky to seek independence from Virginia first, and then to consider joining the Union of states as a second step.

Unable to gather enough support for his position at the convention, James Wilkinson then approached Spanish Governor Esteban Rodriguez Miro with a proposal.

James Wilkinson's intention was to obtain a grant of 60,000 acres in the Yazoo lands, at the junction of the Yazoo River and the Mississippi.

James Wilkinson asked for and received a pension of $7,000 from Miro, while requesting pensions on behalf of several prominent Kentuckians, including Harry Innes, Benjamin Sebastian, John Brown, Caleb Wallace, Benjamin Logan, Isaac Shelby, George Muter, George Nicholas, and even Humphrey Marshall.

Nevertheless, James Wilkinson continued to secretly receive funds from Spain for many years.

Many of the confederation leaders were considering terms of peace to present to the United States, but when they received news of James Wilkinson's raid, they readied for war.

James Wilkinson's raid thus had an effect opposite its intended one, uniting the tribes against St Clair instead of distracting them.

James Wilkinson developed a jealousy of Wayne, but he maintained an ostensible respect toward the general.

James Wilkinson wrote anonymous negative letters to local newspapers about Wayne and spent years writing negative letters to politicians in Wahington, DC James Wilkinson urged contractors not to perform, in the hope that Wayne's campaign would fail and that he would be appointed to replace Wayne.

Wayne eventually developed a full-fledged hatred for James Wilkinson, after receiving a tip from Henry Knox.

James Wilkinson proceeded to file formal complaints against Wayne and his decisions to President Washington.

James Wilkinson continued to pass on intelligence to the Spanish in return for large sums in gold, but most of his information was of little value.

James Wilkinson claimed credit for undermining George Rogers Clark's plan to become "Major General in the Armies of France and Commander-in-chief of the French Revolutionary Legion on the Mississippi River" and for preventing supplies from being shipped down the Ohio River.

James Wilkinson submitted receipts of $8,640 to the Spanish governor Carondelet for his efforts.

James Wilkinson served his second, longer term as Senior Officer of the Army from June 15,1800, until January 27,1812, when former Secretary of War Henry Dearborn was promoted to major general over James Wilkinson.

On 30 April 1801, James Wilkinson issued an order to remove all queues or pigtails, which had been worn in the army since the Revolution.

Andrew Jackson, who "loathed James Wilkinson", took up Butler's cause and sent a series of letters on the matter to Thomas Jefferson, who ultimately declined to intervene.

James Wilkinson remained senior officer of the United States Army under President Thomas Jefferson.

Claiborne, James Wilkinson shared the honor of taking possession of the Louisiana Purchase on behalf of the United States on December 20,1803.

James Wilkinson provided advice to the Spanish on how to intercept at least two other Jefferson-sponsored expeditions to explore the Louisiana Purchase.

James Wilkinson served as the designated United States Indian agent in the south at this time and negotiated the Treaty of Chickasaw Bluffs with the Chickasaw, signed October 24,1801, and the Treaty of Fort Adams with the Choctaw, signed December 17,1801, as well as the Treaty of Fort Confederation in 1802 and the Treaty of Hoe Buckintoopa.

James Wilkinson was appointed by President Jefferson to be the first governor of Louisiana Territory in the spring of 1805, with an additional salary of $2,000.

Since James Wilkinson was both the senior brigadier general of the United States Army and the Louisiana governor, Burr cultivated his support.

In 1806 Burr is supposed to have sent a coded, unsigned letter to James Wilkinson, which stated that he was ready to commence his movement to Texas.

In October 1806 James Wilkinson sent to President Jefferson a letter in which he painted Burr's actions in the worst possible light, while portraying himself as innocent of any involvement.

James Wilkinson testified at Burr's trial, and the documents presented as evidence included the "cipher letter", which James Wilkinson had given the prosecution.

James Wilkinson was removed from the territorial governor's office after being publicly criticized for heavy-handed administration and abuse of power and was replaced with Meriwether Lewis.

On March 2,1813, James Wilkinson was commissioned a major general during the War of 1812 with Britain, with whom Spain was allied.

James Wilkinson was then assigned to the St Lawrence River theater of war, following Henry Dearborn's reassignment.

James Wilkinson was relieved from active duty and court-martialed in early 1815, but he was ultimately cleared.

James Wilkinson was discharged from the Army on June 15,1815.

In 1816, James Wilkinson published Memoirs of My Own Times, in a final attempt to clear his name.

James Wilkinson met with Spanish Governor Esteban Rodriguez Miro and managed to convince him to allow Kentucky to have a trading monopoly on the river; in return, he promised to promote Spanish interests in the west.

James Wilkinson is documented secretly undermining him throughout his later career, benefited from his death, and would replace him as commander after his death.