In 1822 Cuthbert, a former U.S representative from Georgia, was elected to the Georgia house and appointed U.S. commissioner to the Creek and Cherokee. The group includes two letters from Cuthbert to Crawford, dated 6 and 7 August, and a retained draft of Crawford's reply (8 August). Cuthbert claims that stories harmful to his reputation are circulating, harking back to an 1820 incident in which he supposedly asked Crawford for a loan and was rebuffed. Crawford provides his recollection of the episode.