May 3 1812: Foster writes to Castlereagh

On May 3, 1812, Sir Augustus Foster, the British Minister Plenipotentiary to the United States, wrote to British Foreign Secretary Lord Castlereagh that he thought that political divisions in the Republican Democrat party were threatening to develop into an open schism between those who supported war and those who did not.  He wrote, in part, as follows:  

The reason why there has been no nomination made in caucus yet, by the Democratic members, of Mr. Madison as candidate for the Presidency is, as I am assured in confidence, because the war party have suspected him not to have been serious in his late hostile measures, and wish previously to ascertain his real sentiments. I have been endeavoring to put the Federalists upon insinuating that they will support him, if he will agree to give up the advocates for war.

Foster's machinations came to nothing. Foster miscalculated. The Federalists were simply too weak and embittered against Madison to prove useful. The Republicans were to nominate Madison, as their candidate for the presidency, on May 18. War would soon follow.