1826 John Quincy Adams - The James Barbour Controversy

In Adams's 1826 State of the Union Address, Adams introduced a report on cavalry tactics and field artillery instructions reported to Congress from a "board of distinguished officers of the Army". At first read, the paragraph seems quite harmless and without any controversy.  It looks to be nothing more than the introduction of a report being delivered to Congress, but the memoirs of John Quincy Adams tells a much different story.  It is a story of a Secretary of War who is anxious about his assembling of a board of Officers perhaps without proper authority, and a report that is sure to be contentious in Congress.  It is a story of a Secretary of War and President trying to find a way to introduce the report without making the newspaper headlines of the day.

Following his inauguration on March 4, 1825 President John Quincy Adams nominated Virginia Governor James Barbour as his Secretary of War and the Senate readily confirmed him.  Barbour served as Governor of Virginia from 1812 until 1814 and then in the United States Senate from 1815 until 1825. Even while serving as secretary of War, Adams still referred to James Barbour as Governor Barbour in his memoirs.   President Monroe wrote daily in his memoirs, and this gives us an inside look at his presidency and the white house.  Our story starts on November 25th (10 days before the President is to deliver his Annual Message to Congress) when the President meets with his Sec retry of the Treasury Richard Rush and Secretary of War, James Barbour.  In his diary, Adams noted that on this day "Mr. Rush and Governor Barbour were here, both convalescent from severe bilious fevers".  Perhaps it was the flu, Adams doesn't give us more details but they both must have looked a bit nautilus.  Maybe this was Adams way of telling his readers that these guys were "worried sick".  After reading parts of his current draft of the annual message to congress concerning the Treasury, War, and Navy Departments, Gov. Barbour gave Adams the report from the Quartermaster-General and additional reports from some Indian Treaties.  The Secretary of War also shared an editorial he planned to submit to the National Intelligencer which included some passages from the 1825 State of the Union Address.   Adams remarked that the "governor's intentions are kind and friendly, and a great part of his essay was very good."  Apparently, there were a few that Adams thought could be improved, but he thought it was best "not to object to them." Adams doesn't say, but perhaps Barbour was trying to butter up the president and get on his good side.  Three days later, Governor Barbour visited Adams in his home to deliver his report for the State of the Union Message and a rough sketch of the report delivered to him from the Board of Army and Militia Officers he assembled to prepare a "system of artillery instruction and of cavalry tactics".   Barbour handed him the report, and praised to come back at 11:00 the next day to hear the first reading of the message. 

On November 29th,  Adams held his cabinet meeting to read the first draft of the annual message to Congress.   Adams received little feedback from his cabinet, other than that from his Attorney General William Wirt, who said that "he did not see what thee was for the Richmond Enquirer to take hold of".  By this, I think he meant that the address did not contain any controversial messages or hidden bombs that the newspapers could exploit.  Nevertheless, Adams handed the draft to Governor Barbour to meet with the War Department and examine the message among themselves to determine if there is anything objectionable.  Adams wrote that he "consented to this mode of scrutinizing the message, because I wish to have the benefit of every objection that can be made by every member of the Administration".   Adams explained that unlike in England where the speech or message is delivered by a person with no real responsibility, in America the president delivers the message and is alone is responsible for it's contents.   In contrast, the cabinet members who advise have no responsibility at all, and it is dangerous placing so much of the composition under the control of the Cabinet members.

On the following day, November 30th Henry Clay and Governor Barbour had many discussions on the annual message and Adams reported that "Governor Barbour coincided much with these views of Mr. Clay".   Also on this day, Barbour once again as eked if Adams had prepared the paragraph about the report of the Board of Officers, proposing a new organization of the militia.   Adams responded that he had not, and expressed his view that after reviewing the report, he was not satisfied that the project would be expedient and did not think that Congress would approve it.   Adams felt that the request for two or three hundred thousand dollars required for instructing the militia officers would not obtain favor with Congress.  Barbour replied that he abstained from any recommendation of the plan himself, and did not wish to include any such recommendation in the message.  Here we start to see why Barbour is so nervous, he is recommending a new very expensive reorganization of the Militia from a board of officers that he himself put together. One can only imagine the accusations of corruption that might have been flying around at that time.  On December 1st, just four days before the report was to be delivered, Adams wrote that Governor Barbour became anxious over the missing paragraph.  Adams read to him a paragraph that he had prepared "pointing out some of the most striking defects of the present system", but Barbour responded that he thought it would be best to simply state the objectives of the report and that it would be laid before congress, nothing more.   Barbour then shared with President Adams that he was attacked in the Georgia newspapers for simply assembling the Board of Officers without any authority.  This was despite the fact, that in May of 1826, Congress authorized the Board to be created as I explain in this report on the Barbour Report.   Nevertheless, Barbour clearly wanted as little attention placed on this report as possible. 

Finally, on December 5th, Adams reported that the annual message was delivered to both Housed of Congress at 12:00.  The Message included the paragraph as Secretary of War James Barbour wanted it, stating only the objectives of the Board of Officers's report and nothing more.  Today, a casual reading of this paragraph would completely miss the controversy of the Board that was appointed, and all the surrounding discussions, but I suspect many senators and representatives at the time were able to easily read between the lines. 

"Under the resolution of Congress authorizing the Secretary of War to have prepared a complete system of cavalry tactics, and a system of exercise and instruction of field artillery, for the use of the militia of the US, to be reported to Congress at the present session, a board of distinguished officers of the Army and of the militia has been convened, whose report will be submitted to you with that of the Secretary of War. The occasion was thought favorable for consulting the same board, aided by the results of a correspondence with the governors of the several States and Territories and other citizens of intelligence and experience, upon the acknowledged defective condition of our militia system, and of the improvements of which it is susceptible. The report of the board upon this subject is also submitted for your consideration."

References

Presidency.ucsb.edu. (2018). John Quincy Adams: Second Annual Message. [online] Available at: http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/index.php?pid=29468 [Accessed 27 Mar. 2018].

Adams, J. (1875). Memoirs of John Quincy Adams: Comprising Portions of His Diary from 1795 to 1848 Volume 7. Lippincot, pp.[gs 189-197.

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