In a letter dated November 25, 1832, Joel Roberts Poinsett warned the then-U.S. President, Andrew Jackson, about Great Britain aligning itself with South Carolina if successionists in South Carolina were to be successful (cf. D&C 87:3):
These men look forward with
certainty to the assistance of Great Britain in any contest they may have with
the general government, and some persons believe that they have held
communication with and had assurances from that government of succour and protection.
. . . If this State is allowed to secede and as a sovereign state shall form an
intimate alliance with Great Britain, as she most certainly would do, she would
have British ships of war constantly in the harbour and in case of any quarrel
between the States and Great Britain would allow that nation to make Carolina a
place d'armes, or in any difference between her and the rest of the
States might deliver up the forts to British force, and defy the utmost power
of the Union. The safety of the whole nation requires therefore, that South
Carolina should not be allowed to carry her factious resolutions into effect.
It is a very different case as the matter now stands. Great Britain would
certainly not interfere in the domestic quarrel as long as it were such, but if
by common consent South Carolina is permitted to secede from the Union and
Great Britain were to form an intimate alliance with her, which there are many
motives to incude that nation to do, then it would be a peaceful and legal act
and she might bind herself to defend South Carolina against the rest of the
Union whenever the causus federis required it. To this no reasonable
objection could be taken, and South Carolina would be at once converted into a
smuggling mart from whence to deluge the States with british manufactures. But
if the Government of the union determines to prevent South Carolina from
committing this rash act and at once ruining the prosperity of this Republic,
no foreign power would have a pretext for interfering and sure I am that no
foreign power would interfere. Indeed it would be easy to put these men down in
one little month, so that there would be no time for any such application to be
made. Now in my opinion the threats which have been made and so frequently
repeated of calling in the aid of Great Britain, the expectation which is
openly entertained that the british fleet will be at our doors to raise the
blockade of the port, the certainty that these men would at once deliver up the
forts to such a force, if it were to appear, to be held against the United
States render it imperative upon you to put these forts in complete repair and
so to garrison them as to prevent their being taken by the forces of any
foreign or domestic enemy. For this purpose more men are required and two
vessels of war and I do think they ought to be sent without delay. (Joel
Roberts Poinsett, Letter
to Andrew Jackson, November 25, 1832)
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