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“The President is Worse Today:” Madison’s 1813 Illness

Quick Facts: Madison’s 1813 Illness

  • Madison fell seriously ill during the War of 1812, suffering from remittent bilious fever.
  • His condition worsened over several weeks, prompting national concern and political speculation.
  • Dolley Madison served as his primary caregiver, nursing him day and night.
  • Madison worked from his sickbed and continued presidential duties when possible.
  • He spent two months recovering at Montpelier before returning to Washington.

 

The illness of an American President is always cause for national concern. William Henry Harrison’s pneumonia in 1841 and Zachary Taylor’s “cholera morbus” (gastroenteritis) in 1850 led to their untimely deaths in office – and to the inauguration of new Presidents. Even non-fatal presidential illnesses have the potential to disrupt the process of governance. Woodrow Wilson’s 1919 stroke and Dwight D. Eisenhower’s 1955 heart attack raised worrisome questions. Was the President well enough to carry out his duties? Who was acting on the President’s behalf? (We’re looking at you, Edith Bolling Wilson.) How long would it be before things returned to normal in the White House?

President James Madison himself had a life-threatening bout of illness at a nationally-inconvenient time – during the War of 1812. Madison had been prone to various types of fever throughout his life, and tried to preserve his health by returning to the mountain climate of Montpelier each summer. However, Madison had worked relentlessly since the approach of the War of 1812. He had left Washington for only two weeks in almost two years. In the summer of 1813, he had a serious attack of remittent bilious fever – a term doctors used at the time for a recurring fever accompanied by diarrhea and/or vomiting of bile. Since the term is a simply a description of symptoms, it is difficult to say whether Madison’s symptoms were caused by malaria, typhoid, influenza, or another fever-inducing illness.1

Close-up of drafting tools inside a wooden desk drawer at Montpelier, including brass compasses, rulers, and measuring instruments.

The contents of a drawer at Montpelier suggest Madison working tirelessly at his desk.
Curatorial Collections photo, courtesy of Montpelier, a National Trust site.

“Sick in His Chamber”

The first indication that Madison was unwell came on June 14, 1813, when Dolley Madison told Vice President Elbridge Gerry that “the President was sick in his chamber & could not meet his friends that day.”2 Madison may have anticipated a quick recovery when he wrote to a Senate committee on June 15, proposing a meeting at the President’s House the following day to discuss diplomatic appointments.3 (Both the House and Senate had objected to Madison’s nomination of Jonathan Russell as minister to Sweden, as well as his nomination of Treasury Secretary Albert Gallatin to the commission that would negotiate with Great Britain to end the war.)4

Missed Meetings and Lingering Symptoms

Madison missed the June 16 meeting (blaming “the error of his watch, and the precipitancy of his servant”). His offer to reschedule to June 17 hinted that his symptoms lingered: “If the state of his health should not permit him to see the committee, he will apprize them of it in time.”5 (Madison likely dictated this message to a secretary, although he often wrote formal notes in the third person.) On June 17, the President sent a message that, “James Madison being too much indisposed to see the committee this morning, is obliged to postpone it until to-morrow, at 11 o’clock.”6 On June 18, the President gave up any attempt to reschedule:

“James Madison is sorry that a continuance of his indisposition will not permit him to see the committee of the Senate to-day, nor can he at present fix a day when it will be in his power.”7

Architect Benjamin Latrobe’s 1807 watercolor of the east front of the President’s House, showing the building’s neoclassical design with figures and a horse-drawn carriage in the foreground.

In mid-June 1813, Madison took to his bed at the President’s House, sick with a bilious fever.
Benjamin H. Latrobe, View of the east front of the President’s House, 1807, courtesy of the Library of Congress.

Colleagues Express Concern

Congressman Daniel Webster noted Madison’s condition in his letters. “Madison has been several days quite sick – is no better – has not been well enough to read the resolutions [of] the Senate,” he reported on June 19. Madison was “still sick” on June 24 when Webster took the House resolutions to him in person: “the President was in his bed, sick of a fever – his night cap on his head – his wife attending him.”8

Secretary of State James Monroe described Madison’s situation to their mutual friend Jefferson on June 28: “the President has been ill of a bilious fever, of that kind called the remittent. It has perhaps never left him, even for an hour, and occasionally the simptoms have been unfavorable. This is I think the 15th day. … [The doctors] think he will recover. … [Dr. Elzey] reports that he had a good night, & is in a state to take the bark, which indeed he has done on his best day, for nearly a week.”9 Peruvian bark, a source of quinine, was commonly used for recurring fevers. It apparently provided insufficient relief at this point, however, for on June 29 Webster observed:

“the President is worse today.”10

Rumors, Plans, and Plots

The National Intelligencer newspaper published regular bulletins on Madison’s condition, but speculation still abounded. John Adams reported hearing a rumor that Madison “lives by laudanum and could not hold out for four months.”11 Comte Louis Barbe Sérurier, the French minister to the United States, wrote:

“The thought of [his] possible loss strikes everybody with consternation. His death, in the circumstances in which the Republic is placed, would be a veritable national calamity.”12

“Doing All the Mischief They Can”

James Monroe was well aware that plans were being made in the event that Madison died. Monroe wrote to Jefferson in late June, “The federalists aided by the Malcontents have done, and are doing, all the mischief that they can. … These men have begun to make calculations, & plans, founded on the presum’d deaths of the President & Vice President, & it has been suggested to me that [William Branch] Giles, is thought of to take the place of the President of the Senate, as soon as the Vice President with draws.”13

It may seem alarmist to imagine that Vice President Gerry might also die, but it was not entirely unrealistic. Gerry was in poor health at age 69, and only 16 months later, would suffer a fatal heart attack while in office. Gerry, however, made his own plan to thwart the Federalists and malcontents. Although it was customary for the vice president to withdraw as the presiding officer of the Senate during the summer recess, Gerry deliberately decided not to step down. In case both Madison and Gerry died, Gerry did not intend to leave the “malcontent” Senator Giles next in line for the Presidency.14

The Turning Point

By early July, after three weeks of nearly constant fever, Madison seemed to have passed the crisis. Dolley Madison wrote to Edward Coles, her cousin who served as Madison’s private secretary, “I have the happiness to assure you my dear Cousin that Mr Madison recovers. for the last 3 days, his fever has been so slight as to permit him to take bark every hour, & with good effect. it has been three weeks since I have nursed him night & day – sometimes in dispair!” Dolley then confessed to feeling the stress of being a caregiver: “now that I see he will get well I feel as if I should die myself, with fatigue.”15

Madison began to resume presidential business from his sickroom. On July 6 he dictated a letter expressing his views on Jonathan Russell’s contested nomination. Madison later noted on the draft letter: “written down by J.G. Jackson as dictated by J.M. sick in bed in 1813.” 16

Handwritten draft letter by James Madison, noting at the top that he dictated it while sick in bed in 1813, with visible edits on the page.

Madison noted in the top line on this draft letter that he had dictated it to his brother-in-law, Congressman John G. Jackson while “sick in bed in 1813”.
James Madison to U.S. Senate, July 6, 1813, courtesy of Library of Congress, James Madison Papers.

Madison wrote a note to Monroe on July 19, remarking that “I am going forward, but very slowly in my return to health.”17 Dolley Madison also commented on the slowness of her husband’s recuperation in a letter to her friend Hannah Gallatin (wife of the Treasury Secretary): “You have heared no doubt, of the illness of my Husband but can have no idea of its extent, and the dispair, in which I attended his bed for nearly five weeks! even now, I watch over him, as I would an infant, so precarious is his convalessence – added to this, the disappointments & vexations, heaped upon him by party spirit.”18

Two Months on the Mountain

The next phase of Madison’s recovery would take place at Montpelier, once Madison was well enough to travel. Madison wrote to Albert Gallatin on August 2, “I have just recovered strength enough, after a severe and tedious attack of bilious fever, to bear a journey to the mountains whither I am about setting out. The Physicians prescribe it as essential to my thorough recovery and security against a relapse at the present season.”19 The Madisons started the four-day journey on August 10. Madison wrote to Monroe from the road, “I bear the journey as well as I expected, tho’ my influenza is no better.”20 Arriving home, Madison wrote to Secretary of the Navy William Jones, “I gained strength on the road, notwithstanding its fatiguing badness, and the continuance of my influenza, from which I am not yet entirely freed.”21

”Washington-City, August 18. By letters received in the city from Orange County, we learn that the President had arrived at Montpelier from this city, without prejudice to his health from his journey, and that his health continued daily to improve.”

Poulson’s American Daily Advertiser, a Philadelphia newspaper, reprinted a Washington DC news item regarding Madison’s arrival at Montpelier.
MRD-S 39657, Montpelier Research Database.

“Back, and as Game as Ever”

Congress had recessed shortly before Madison left for Montpelier. Madison had few presidential duties to attend to while at home, other than corresponding with his Cabinet members and staying abreast of war news. By the end of August, Madison found that his health was “greatly advanced towards its usual standard,” but continued:

“I am reminded however by occassional touches of fever, produced I believe by the dregs of the Influenza, that some precautionary attentions continue to be proper.”22

Dolley Madison seemed to agree, writing to Hannah Gallatin on August 30, “Mr. M is now perfectly well but will be the better for another Month on the Mountain.”23 By September, Vice President Gerry was glad to hear that Madison’s “health was restored in so great a degree, as to enable you to mount a gay saddle horse, & to veiw your Plantation.”24

Madison left for Washington around October 20. Richard Rush wrote, “The little President is back, and as game as ever,” reporting with pleasure that Madison had ridden his own horse to watch a horse race at the race course with Monroe and others.25

Madison’s personal health crisis was resolved, as was the challenge to his Presidency. Both he and Vice President Gerry had survived the summer, and no change of administration was necessary. Madison would not be the last President to face a life-threatening illness, but thanks to the Constitution which he helped to create, the United States would be prepared to meet the challenge of any future Presidential health crisis.

Sources

  1. Ralph Ketchum, James Madison: A Biography (Charlottesville: University of Virginia Press, 1990), 560-565.
    ↩
  2. Elbridge Gerry to Ann Gerry, June 15, 1813, Morristown National Historic Park, Morristown, NJ, quoted in The Papers of James Madison Digital Edition, J. C. A. Stagg, editor (Charlottesville: University of Virginia Press, Rotunda, 2010.)
    ↩
  3. James Madison to William Hill Wells, June 15, 1813, Unlocated, accessed October 3, 2020, MRD-S 33274, Montpelier Research Database.
    ↩
  4. Ralph Ketchum, James Madison: A Biography (Charlottesville: University of Virginia Press, 1990), 560.
    ↩
  5. James Madison to William Hill Wells, June 16, 1813, Unlocated, accessed October 3, 2020, MRD-S 33276, Montpelier Research Database.
    ↩
  6. James Madison to William Hill Wells, June 17, 1813, Unlocated, accessed October 3, 2020, MRD-S 33278, Montpelier Research Database.
    ↩
  7. James Madison to William Hill Wells, June 18, 1813, Unlocated, accessed October 3, 2020, MRD-S 33280, Montpelier Research Database.
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  8. Daniel Webster to C. March, June 19 and 24, 1813, Webster and March Papers, New Hampshire Historical Society, Concord, New Hampshire, quoted in Ralph Ketchum, James Madison: A Biography (Charlottesville: University of Virginia Press, 1990), 560.
    ↩
  9. James Monroe to Thomas Jefferson, June 28, 1813, Thomas Jefferson Papers, Library of Congress, accessed October 3, 2020, MRD-S 41687, Montpelier Research Database.
    ↩
  10. Daniel Webster to C. March, June 29, 1813, Webster and March Papers, New Hampshire Historical Society, Concord, New Hampshire, quoted in Ralph Ketchum, James Madison: A Biography (Charlottesville: University of Virginia Press, 1990), 560.
    ↩
  11. John Adams to Richard Rush, September 6, 1813, PMHB, LX (1936), p. 449, quoted in Ralph Ketchum, James Madison: A Biography (Charlottesville: University of Virginia Press, 1990), p. 561.
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  12. Sérurier to Bassano, June 21, 1813, quoted in Ralph Ketchum, James Madison: A Biography (Charlottesville: University of Virginia Press, 1990), p. 561.
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  13. James Monroe to Thomas Jefferson, June 28, 1813, Thomas Jefferson Papers, Library of Congress, Washington, DC, accessed October 3, 2020, MRD-S 41787, Montpelier Research Database.
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  14. David S. Heidler & Jeanne T. Heidler, eds., Encyclopedia of the War of 1812 (Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press, 1997), 208.
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  15. Dolley Payne Todd Madison to Edward Coles, July 2, 1813, box 1, folder 13, Edward Coles Papers, MS C0037, Princeton University Library, Princeton, New Jersey, accessed October 3, 2020, MRD-S 24485, Montpelier Research Database.
    ↩
  16. James Madison to U. S. Senate, July 6, 1813, James Madison Papers, Library of Congress, Washington, DC, accessed October 7, 2020, MRD-S 15041, Montpelier Research Database.
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  17. James Madison to James Monroe, July 19, 1813, Monroe Papers, Library of Congress, Washington, DC., accessed October 3, 2020, MRD-S 33363, Montpelier Research Database.
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  18. Dolley Payne Todd Madison to Hannah Nicholson Gallatin, July 29, 1813, Gallatin Papers, The New-York Historical Society, New York, New York, accessed October 3, 2020, MRD-S 22877, Montpelier Research Database.
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  19. James Madison to Albert Gallatin, August 2, 1813, James Madison Papers, Library of Congress, Washington, DC, accessed October 7, 2020, MRD-S 15053, Montpelier Research Database.
    ↩
  20. James Madison to James Monroe, August 10, 1813, RG 59; Miscellaneous Letters, United States National Archives and Records Administration, Washington, DC, accessed October 7, 2020, MRD-S 33380, Montpelier Research Database.
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  21. James Madison to William Jones, August 14, 1813, William Jones Papers, Historical Society of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, accessed October 7, 2020, MRD-S 33383, Montpelier Research Database.
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  22. James Madison to William Jones, August 29, 1813, William Jones Papers, Historical Society of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, accessed October 7, 2020, MRD-S 33396, Montpelier Research Database.
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  23. Dolley Payne Todd Madison to Hannah Nicholson Gallatin, August 30, 1813, Gallatin Papers, The New-York Historical Society, New York, New York, MRD-S 22878.
    ↩
  24. Elbridge Gerry to James Madison, September 10, 1813, James Madison Papers, Library of Congress, Washington, DC, accessed October 7, 2020, MRD-S 15099, Montpelier Research Database.
    ↩
  25. Richard Rush to Charles J. Ingersoll, October 20, 1818, Historical Society of Pennsylvania, cited in Ralph Ketchum, James Madison: A Biography (Charlottesville: University of Virginia Press, 1990), 565.
    ↩

Why did James Madison have a temple in his front yard? He didn’t come here to pray– it wasn’t that kind of temple. Maybe it reminded him of the ancient Roman temple where the “flame of Liberty” was kept burning. But what does “liberty” mean? Does it mean that you can do anything you want? Whenever you want? Of course not! Can you imagine a whole country of people doing whatever they want? Imagine how quickly things would get out of control!

Things were getting out of control after the colonies broke away from the King of England during the American Revolution. The new states didn’t have a good system to govern themselves. They needed a rulebook. They needed a constitution.

Enter James Madison. He read lots of books right here at Montpelier that gave him ideas about the rules that other countries played by, if they didn’t have a king. Madison went to Philadelphia and worked with people from many different states to write a Constitution. His ideas were so helpful that now he is known as the “Father of the Constitution.”

What does the Constitution say about who makes the rules? Instead of a king, it’s “We The People.” The Constitution gives citizens the FREEDOM to govern themselves, to choose their own leaders, and to make their own laws and rules. The Constitution also protects the people’s rights like freedom of speech, freedom of religion, and freedom of the press.

At first the Constitution didn’t allow everyone to participate in government, but over the past 240 years, Americans have made changes — things called Amendments– that let more people have rights, and vote, and run for office. Now “We the People” means just about “All the People!”

The United States Constitution is the modern world’s longest lasting Constitution, and many countries have used it as a model when they wrote their own Constitutions . And just think: it all began right here, on this plantation, Montpelier. That’s how Montpelier made its mark on the world!

Madison was the 4th President, but can you guess six other Presidents who came to Montpelier?

Madison’s best friends were Presidents 3 and 5. Maybe you’ll visit their homes, Monticello and Highland. Who were they? … Thomas Jefferson and James Monroe!

President Number 7 visited Montpelier in 1832. Someone in your family might have his picture right now – he’s on the $20 bill. Who was he? … Andrew Jackson!

Three other Presidents visited Montpelier after Madison’s lifetime. They might be harder to guess, but let’s give it a try.

President Number 19 came in 1878, and gave a speech in praise of Madison and the Constitution. In fact, his last name rhymes with “praise.” Any guesses?… Rutherford B. Hayes!

President Number 26 came to Montpelier on Thanksgiving Day 1907, when the duPonts lived here. A toy bear is named for him. Who was he? … Teddy Roosevelt!

And finally, President Number 41 came here in 1991 for the 200th anniversary of the Bill of Rights. His son was a President too. Can you guess? … George H. W. Bush!

That’s a lot of Presidents who made their mark on Montpelier. And today you’re here! Now you’re part of Montpelier’s story too.

Sometimes the people who lived at Montpelier chose to make their mark, but other times they were forced to make their mark. From the time President Madison’s grandparents came to Montpelier, it was a plantation––a huge farm–where enslaved people of African descent grew crops like tobacco, wheat, and corn and did many other jobs to make money for the Madison family. People who were enslaved had many skills and worked hard, but they didn’t get the benefit.

It was not only enslaved adults that labored for the Madisons, but enslaved children were also forced to do a lot of different tasks such as gathering firewood, helping in the kitchens, hauling water, cleaning stables, and… making bricks. Look at this huge house in front of you— each and every one of these bricks was made one at a time, by hand. On plantations, brick-making was often a task given to enslaved children. They pressed wet clay into rectangular-shaped molds. Then the bricks were left in the sun to “bake,” and once enough bricks were made they “fired” them to harden them. Have you ever pressed your fingers into wet clay? What happens when you do that? Your fingerprints make a mark. That’s exactly what happened here when enslaved people were making bricks to build this house. As you walk around the house, see if you can find any fingerprints in the bricks. These fingerprints remind us that nearly 300 enslaved people, of all ages, made their mark on Montpelier.

Since enslaved adults and children did most of the work at Montpelier, they didn’t have a lot of time for fun. What did they do when they did have a little time to themselves? Archaeologists found artifacts – marbles, doll parts, and toy wagon wheels – that tell us that enslaved children sometimes played with toys. Other artifacts, like musical instruments called jaw harps, tell us that enslaved people made music. Many of the activities that enslaved people probably enjoyed, like storytelling or dancing, didn’t leave artifacts in the ground.

The Madisons had much more time to themselves. Written records describe one of their favorite ways to have fun: parties.

Dolley Madison wrote about a barbecue picnic that she and James hosted on the 4th of July 1816. Ninety guests sat at tables set up on the lawn by enslaved people. Enslaved waiters served them roasted meats and punch, and most likely, fresh vegetables from the garden.

We don’t have a written account of what enslaved people had to do to get ready for that party, but historians found one written account that gives us a clue. In 1824, the famous General Lafayette visited Montpelier. A young enslaved maid named Ailsey Payne was there. Years later, she gave a newspaper reporter her eyewitness account. She saw so many horse drawn carriages she could hardly count them. Young enslaved men rode and led the horses. Enslaved people stored all kinds of food and meat in the icehouse. Ailsey Payne helped clean every inch of the House and shined all of the glass, silver, and china.

Ailsey Payne left her mark on Montpelier by telling her story! Will you tell someone about your visit?

Have you ever been asked to “sweep the floor?” Maybe it’s your chore to sweep up the crumbs that fall to the floor after dinner (if you don’t have a dog to do it for you). But have you ever been asked to “sweep the yard?” Archaeologists at Montpelier believe that enslaved people who lived here did just that! They used brooms to sweep away all of the grass and weeds. The ground would have been like a smooth, hard, clay floor.

Sweeping the yard cut down pests and unwanted creatures like ticks, mice, and snakes. It was a natural way of getting rid of pests that ruined food or caused disease.

The building in front of you was once a kitchen. Enslaved cooks labored here from long before sunup to long after sundown to prepare meals for the Madison family and their guests. They could build their hot cooking fires outside in the swept yard so that the work was more tolerable.

Except for the two smokehouses, the buildings here were homes for enslaved families who mostly worked inside the Madisons’ House. Their homes could be crowded, dark, and unbearably hot in summer. Having a smooth, swept yard allowed them to move many of their indoor activities outdoors. Imagine how busy this place would have been!

The ancestors of enslaved people at Montpelier had also swept their yards in Africa.They passed their wisdom along to their descendants. This is just one example of how enslaved people and their ancestors left their mark on Montpelier.

Do you have pets?

The Madisons had a pet parrot named Polly, but most of the animals at Montpelier weren’t pets – they were working animals. Horses pulled plows that made the ground ready for planting wheat or corn. Horses also pulled wagons, loaded with barrels of Montpelier tobaccos or wheat flour, to market in Fredericksburg and Richmond, and brought supplies back. Aleck was an enslaved wagoner who drove and cared for the horses. On one trip to Fredericksburg, Aleck had to borrow 50 cents to go to the blacksmith for new horseshoes so the horses could make the trip back.

Besides horses, there were cows and sheep and pigs at Montpelier. Some animals were raised for food. Sheep were also raised for their woolly coats. Enslaved women spun the wool into yarn or thread, and weavers like Reuben, Amy, and Harriet wove it into cloth.

James Madison wanted to improve the American breeds of cows and sheep. He bought some Merino sheep, because their wool was so good. A friend gave him some Devon calves as a gift, because they were a better breed of cows.

Animals made their mark at Montpelier – and so did the people who worked with them and took care of them!

How do we know what we know about the past? We can’t ask the people who used to live here— they’re long gone. We have to piece together clues from “primary sources”— letters, journals, diaries, paintings, and newspapers. History is kind of like a giant jigsaw puzzle— as we put the pieces together, a picture of the past emerges!

The very first people to live at Montpelier were Native Americans, or Indigenous people. They didn’t leave written records behind, but they did leave artifacts– objects that were made or shaped or used with their own hands. People who study artifacts are called archaeologists. Montpelier’s archaeologists have discovered artifacts that are about 2000 years old. That tells us that Indigenous people were here, thousands of years before the Madisons, or enslaved people, ever set foot on this land.

The Manahoac tribe were the native people living on this land just before the Madisons arrived here. Artifacts show us that the Manahoac made their mark by making their homes here for periods of time. The artifacts found near President Madison’s house, and near his grandparent’s house at Mount Pleasant–objects such as ceramics, stone tools, and projectile points— show us that the Manahoac thought these were good places to live too.

Did you know that there are descendants of Manahoac people living and making their mark in Virginia today? They are now part of the Monocan tribe, one of the 7 Federally recognized tribes in Virginia.

Some of the people that left their mark on Montpelier are buried here in the Madison family Cemetery. Can you guess which of these gravestones marks the final resting place of James Madison? It’s the tallest monument, and it’s called an obelisk. Today it’s easy to spot Madison’s grave, but if you visited Montpelier in the first 20 years after his death, you wouldn’t know where he was buried unless you were a member of his family. James Madison passed away on June 28, 1836, and two days later, he was buried here, in an unmarked grave.

Why would a president of the United States be buried in an unmarked grave? Today we usually place a marker at the head of a grave, but in the 1700s and 1800s people didn’t always do that, especially in a family cemetery where everyone knew where their family members were buried. If you count the gravestones you’ll find that there are about 30, but we know there are about 100 Madison family members buried here.

It wasn’t until 20 years later that people, outside of the Madison family, decided to place the large gravestone to honor the “Father of the Constitution.” Now, ready for a creepy story? Before placing the gravestone, a deep foundation had to be dug to a depth below James Madison’s coffin. “The boards placed above the coffin had decayed…and the coffin lid was slightly out of place…” so the men digging the foundation opened the coffin lid and “looked in upon the remains…” of James Madison!

Some people made their mark at Montpelier by leaving it.

Anthony was just 17 years old when he decided to make his escape from Montpelier. He had been enslaved here all his life, working in the Madisons’ house, and he was ready to take a big risk for freedom. James Madison’s father placed an ad in the newspaper to say that Anthony had escaped. The ad said that Anthony had light hair and gray eyes, and it described his coats, pants, striped overalls, hat, and buckled shoes. The ad offered a reward for capturing Anthony.

Anthony didn’t want to be caught, so he told people his name was Robert Jones. But one year after he escaped, Anthony was found, about 70 miles from Montpelier. He told the men who captured him that he had traveled to port cities in Virginia, to Philadelphia, and even the West Indies.

But the very next day, Anthony escaped again. He managed to get papers that said he was a free man named Billy Willis. There was a rumor that he was heading to Philadelphia. The Madisons never heard from him again. What happened next is a mystery. But Anthony left his mark by taking a big risk for freedom.

The duPont Family bought Montpelier in 1901 and made many changes to the House and the property. Did you see the racetrack on your way in today? You might even have seen some horses!

Marion duPont Scott loved horses and horse racing. She helped make Montpelier one of the most important horse training centers in America. When three of her favorite horses passed away, she had them buried here and put up these markers to remember them.

Perhaps her favorite horse was Battleship. He was so small that people called him the “American Pony,” but Marion DuPont Scott knew that he had big talent. She sent him across the ocean to race in the British “Grand National,” an important steeplechase race that is still run today. The race is over 4 miles long, and the horses have to jump 30 fences! Many people thought that a small horse like Battleship couldn’t possibly win, but in 1938 he surprised them all! To this day, he is still the smallest horse ever to win the British Grand National. You might say that Battleship left his hoofprints on the history of horse racing!

Marion duPont Scott left another mark on Montpelier. She wanted to share Montpelier and its story with everyone. Thanks to her, you can visit Montpelier today!

Lots of people made their mark on Montpelier. But there are two people you might already know: James and Dolley Madison!

How did James Madison make his mark? He was a Virginia lawmaker, a US Congressman, the Secretary of State, and our 4th President! (Not all at the same time.)

But most importantly, Madison was “Father of the Constitution” and “Architect of the Bill of Rights.” He didn’t write those documents all by himself, but he shared lots of good ideas that still help us govern our country. Madison got his ideas from reading books right here at Montpelier, and he made notes to take to the Constitutional Convention.

Madison could spend so much time in public service because his family had money from owning this plantation. The Madisons enslaved people who grew crops and tended animals. The enslaved people didn’t have much choice about being here, but their hard work made Madison’s career possible. The enslaved people made their mark as the “invisible Founders” of our country.

Dolley Madison made her mark too. James was shy and quiet, but Dolley liked to bring people together for dinners and parties, especially in Washington, DC. That made it easier for James to connect with other people in government.

As you explore Montpelier, see what else you’ll find out about people making their mark!

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