Representative Smith of Maine, during Congressional debates…

Representative Smith of Maine, during Congressional debates in Washington concerning the current U.S.-Canada conflict on March 2, 1839, outlines the events and the various communications that had been sent and received since 1825, and declares that the primary responsibility of the Federal Government is to protect and defend its own territory and citizens but if the Government chooses to not live up to its obligations, Maine will defend its territory alone.

In response, Congress authorizes a force of fifty thousand men and appropriates ten million dollars to meet the emergency.

Maine commits somewhere between three thousand and ten thousand militia to the conflict.

General Winfield Scott, recently removed as commander of the Cherokee relocation, is assigned to the conflict area, arriving in Boston in early March.