Correspondence of James K. Polk. Volume X: July-December 1845.

Correspondence of James K. Polk. Volume X: July-December 1845. Edited by Wayne Cutler, James L. Rogers II, Brian E. Crowson, and Cynthia J. Rogers. (Knoxville: University of Tennessee Press, 2004. Pp. xxviii, 551. $55.00, ISBN 1-57233-304-9.)

This latest installment of Correspondence of James K. Polk covers the last half of the first calendar year of the eleventh president's term in office. The editors have selected for publication about one quarter of the more than 1,160 items in Polk's papers for those months. As with the previous volumes, the printed letters are followed by a list of all of Polk's extant correspondence for this period, with brief precis of their contents.

For most of these months Polk still enjoyed a postinauguration honeymoon. Numerous letters deal with the early stages of the issues that would dominate his administration. Several writers acknowledged the difficulty surrounding Polk's plan to revise tariff policy, but foreign relations proved the most prominent topic. Polk expressed "little apprehension of War with Mexico," but he ordered troops to the disputed territory even as he tried to reopen diplomatic relations (p. 105). At the same time, he made few preparations for a possible war with Britain, though alter he withdrew his predecessor's offer to divide the Oregon territory he saw "no probability" that the issue could be "settled by negotiation" (p. 197). While he remained committed publicly to acquiring all of Oregon, he laid the groundwork for his ultimately sharing with the Senate the responsibility for compromise. Few correspondents, including Polk, expressed any concern that American expansion might provoke a sectional controversy over slavery.

Personal affairs needing Polk's attention at this time included the management of his Mississippi cotton plantation, the education of his nephew and ward and that of the grandson of his "early and constant patron and friend" Felix Grundy, and the debts of Polk's young brother William (p. 318). Yet politics were never far from the new president's mind. Associates kept him apprised of local factional battles and election results, and he bristled at the charge that he tried to use his influence to determine the outcome of a senate election in his home state. He became particularly concerned with finding a lost letter from Andrew Jackson--the last ever written by the Hero--after a fired officeholder published letters implying Jackson's displeasure with the administration. Although pleas for appointments had tapered off, patronage remained an annoyance. His decision not to honor recommendations from brothers-in-law William Rucker and James Walker strained relations with two longtime friends. Another refusal infuriated an uncle and led the relative to call in a substantial loan, the payment of which caused the president "considerable inconvenience" (p. 288).

As with previous volumes, the editors identify correspondents and persons mentioned in the letters but otherwise let the documents speak for themselves. Wayne Cutler, the senior editor, nicely sets up the volume in a preface that identifies the principal issues discussed in the correspondence. This introduction might have provided context on topics less familiar to casual users, such as Democratic factional divisions in Pennsylvania and New York. Some indication of the criteria used to select documents for publication also would have been helpful. Nevertheless, this volume is a quality addition to an indispensable series.

Berry College

JONATHAN M. ATKINS