FEDERAL GAZETTE & BALTIMORE DAILY ADVERTISER, Aug. 8, 1798  Page 3 has the: "Answer of  the President...to the Address of  the Young Men of Charleston, S.C." signed: John Adams. This is followed by a report of a visit to the Constellation frigate docked at Charleston, noting: "...got on board the frigate...were politely received...represented to be a very complete and formidable vessel, mounting 28 24 pounders, and ten 12 pounders; sails remarkably fast, is well manned...The crew are active, well disciplined..." and more.
Four pages, handsome masthead, nice condition.

Background: This 1798 newspaper marks a pivotal moment in the birth of American naval power and national identity during the Quasi-War with France, capturing a fractured young republic rapidly uniting against foreign aggression. Following the diplomatic outrage of the XYZ Affair, the "Address of the Young Men of Charleston" and President John Adams’s signed response reflect a sweeping, grassroots patriotic movement that Adams strategically leveraged to mobilize public support and justify building a standing military. The accompanying firsthand account of the Baltimore-built USS Constellation offers a remarkably precise window into the infancy of the permanent United States Navy, specifically documenting her legendary speed—which earned her the moniker "The Yankee Racehorse"—and her initial, problematic armament of twenty-eight 24-pounder guns. Because these heavy cannons destabilized the ship and were famously stripped and replaced with 18-pounders by Captain Thomas Truxtun just months later, this specific text serves as a rare, real-time chronicle of the original six U.S. frigates adjusting for battle just weeks before the Constellation achieved historic glory by defeating the French warships L'Insurgente and La Vengeance.