James Monroe Sanderson: A Soldier of Honor and Hospitality

In this installment of ‘Profiles in History,’ a hotelkeeper leads the Union subsistence department, combats a false accusation, and manages London’s best hotel.

Lt. Col. James M. Sanderson wrote an account of his attempts to clear accusations that caused his dismissal from service, in "My Record in Rebeldom." Library of Congress. Public Domain

James Monroe Sanderson (1817–1871) was born to successful hotel owner, Joseph M. Sanderson. The elder Sanderson ran Merchant’s Hotel in Philadelphia, one of the finest hotels in the city. The hotel was frequented by the wealthy and powerful, including numerous presidents. Its reputation was only bolstered in 1856 when James Buchanan used it as his presidential campaign headquarters. It was here that the younger Sanderson honed his skills in hospitality, a gift that would serve him well in career, war, and during an unfortunate military tribunal.

Sanderson was born in Baltimore before moving with his family to Philadelphia. From an 1838 lithograph of the hotel, it can be surmised that the hotel, which was destroyed by fire in 1966, was built sometime in the 1830s, if not before.