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Correspondence, between the late Commodore Stephen Decatur and Commodore James Barron, which led to the unfortunate meeting of the twenty-second of MarchDecatur, Stephen

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Correspondence, between the late Commodore Stephen Decatur and Commodore James Barron, which led to the unfortunate meeting of the twenty-second of March

Name: Correspondence, between the late Commodore Stephen Decatur and Commodore James Barron, which led to the unfortunate meeting of the twenty-second of March
Author: Decatur, Stephen

Decatur, Stephen

Barron, James, 1769-1851 -- Correspondence; Decatur, Stephen, 1779-1820 -- Correspondence

Whatever I may have _thought, or said, in the very frequent and free
conversation I have had respecting you and your conduct_, I feel a
thorough conviction that I never could have been guilty of so much
egotism as to say that "_I_ could insult you" (or any other man) "with
impunity."

                    I am, sir, your obedient servant,
                                                        STEPHEN DECATUR.

To Commodore JAMES BARRON,
    _Hampton, Virginia_.

                   *       *       *       *       *

                                 No. 3.

                                           HAMPTON, (VA.) JUNE 25, 1819.

SIR: Your communication of the 17th instant, in answer to mine of the
13th, I have received.

The circumstances that urged me to call on you for the information
requested in my letter, would, I presume, have instigated you, or any
other person, to the same conduct that I pursued. Several gentlemen in
Norfolk, not your enemies, nor actuated by any malicious motive, told me
that such a report was in circulation, but could not now be traced to
its origin. I, therefore, concluded to appeal to you, supposing, under
such circumstances, that I could not outrage any rule of decorum or
candor. This, I trust, will be considered as a just motive for the
course I have pursued. Your declaration, if I understand it correctly,
relieves my mind from the apprehension that you had so degraded my
character, as I had been induced to allege.

                    I am, sir, your obedient servant,
                                                           JAMES BARRON.

To Commodore STEPHEN DECATUR,
    _Washington_.

                   *       *       *       *       *

                                 No. 4.

                                              WASHINGTON, JUNE 29, 1819.

SIR: I have received your communication of the 25th, in answer to mine
of the 17th, and, as you have expressed yourself doubtfully, as to your
correct understanding of my letter of the aforesaid date, I have now to
state, and I request you to understand distinctly, that I meant _no
more_ than to disclaim the _specific_ and _particular_ expression to
which your inquiry was directed, to wit: that I had said that _I_ could
insult you with impunity. As to the motives of the "several gentlemen in
Norfolk," your informants, or the rumors which "cannot be traced to
their origin," on which their information was founded, or who they are,
is a matter of perfect indifference to me, as is also your motives in
making such an inquiry upon such information.

                    Your obedient servant,
                                                        STEPHEN DECATUR.

To Commodore JAMES BARRON,
    _Hampton, Virginia_.


                   *       *       *       *       *

                                 No. 5.

                                              HAMPTON, OCTOBER 23, 1819.

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Correspondence, between the late Commodore Stephen Decatur and Commodore James Barron, which led to the unfortunate meeting of the twenty-second of March

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