[4] To improve his health, Sanford went to New Orleans, then to Vicksburg, Mississippi, where he went into business, however, he lost everything in the panic of 1837, leading him to relocate to New York City in September 1842.
[5] He prospered and, not long after, he was put in charge of the company's business in Philadelphia which he expanded greatly into Baltimore and Pittsburgh.
[6] While vice-president of Adams Express, he was among the organizers of the American Telegraph Company, of which he became president in 1861,[7] four years after it was formed, succeeding Zenus Barnum.
In April 1861, the lines of the American Telegraph Company "were extended from their main office, 432 Pennsylvania avenue, Washington, D.C., to the War Department, Navy Yard, Arsenal, Chainbridge, and other outlying points.
There was no appropriation to meet the expenses of a government telegraph service, and for six months or more General Sanford paid all the bills, aggregating thousands of dollars, for poles, wires, instruments, salaries of operators, etc.