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The 1840 Presidential campaign was in full swing when Augustus Fuller wrote this letter to his brother, George, and sister, Elizabeth in October. One of the main campaign issues was the economy. The effects of the panic of 1837-- the nation's first serious depression-- were still being felt across the country. Approximately eight hundred banks closed in 1837, bankrupting many businesses and causing widespread unemployment. President Martin Van Buren, a Democrat, held office at that time and many Americans blamed him for the economic upheaval that resulted in the depression. There had also been diplomatic trouble with Great Britain over Canadian secession and the Maine-Canada border. This is most likely what Augustus refers to in writing about war. Daniel Webster was a leader of the Whig party who had run for president in 1836. He did not have a lot of popular support, so the Whig party nominated William Henry Harrison. Harrison was the general who, in November 1811, had won the Battle of Tippecanoe over the Native people led by Tecumsuh.

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