THOMAS'S MASSACHUSETTS SPY OR WORCESTER GAZETTE, Nov. 11, 1812 Over 1 1/2 columns on the front page contain: "Copies of Letters from Major General Van Rennselaer...to Major General Dearborn...". Over half of page 2 (and a bit of pg. 3) are taken up with the "President's Message" to Congress in which he reports much on the War of 1812. It is signed in type: James Madison.
Also inside: "Another Gallant Achievement" "Battle Of Queenstown" "Important!" and other items.
Four pages, never bound nor trimmed, great condition.

Background: The November 11, 1812 issue of Thomas’s Massachusetts Spy captures a pivotal, fragile moment in early American history, documenting the fallout of the Battle of Queenston Heights (October 13, 1812)—the first major land battle of the War of 1812—alongside President James Madison’s grim address to Congress. The newspaper's front-page correspondence between Major Generals Van Rensselaer and Dearborn exposes the stark military incompetence, logistical chaos, and constitutional crises that doomed the Niagara campaign, notably when American militia refused to cross the Canadian border on the grounds that they were only legally obligated to defend their home states. This humiliating tactical disaster resulted in heavy American casualties and the surrender of nearly a thousand men, yet it simultaneously resulted in the death of the brilliant British Major General Isaac Brock, fundamentally altering the defense of Upper Canada. Published by legendary Patriot printer Isaiah Thomas, this specific issue serves as a vital historical record, illustrating a young United States grappling with national division, the harsh realities of an ill-prepared army, and President Madison’s urgent political maneuvering to maintain public morale by balancing devastating frontier losses with early American naval triumphs.