The complete memoirs of Andrew Jackson, seventh president of the United States

Chapter I

His Hrtn, parentage, family, and education. —Engages m the American Revolution, and is shortly after, with his brotner made a prisoner.— Their treatment and sufferings.— Commence* the study of law.— His removal to the Western country —Anecdote —Becomes a member of the Tennessee Convention, and afterwards a Senator in the United States' Congress.— Retires, and is appointed a Judge of the State Courts.— Declaration of war.— Tenders the se 'ices of 2500 vcunteers to die President.— Ordered to the lower country.— His descent and return, and discluxrge of tlie troops.

Andrew Jackson was born on th? 15th day of March, 1767. His father, (Andrew,) the youngest son of his family, emigrated to America from Ireland during the year 1765, bringing with him two sons, Hugh and Robert, both very young. Landing at Charleston, in South Carolina, ho afterward^ purchased a tract of land, in what wa? then called the Waxsaw settlement, about forty-five miles above Camden ; at which place the subject of ♦.his history was born. Shortly after his birth, hi* father died, leaving three sons to be provided for by their mother. She appears to have been an exemplary woman, anu to have executed the arduous duties which had devolved on her, with great 2 faithfulness and success. To the lessons she in culcated on the youthful minds of her sons, was no doubt, owing, in a great measure, that fixed exposition to British oppression, which afterwards so much distinguished them. Often would she spend the winter's evenings in recounting to them the sufferings of their grandfather at the siege of Carrickfergus, and the oppression exercised by the nobility of Ireland over the labouring poor ; impressing it upon them, as a first duty, to expend their xives, if it should become necessary, in defending and supporting the rights of man.

Inheriting but a small patrimony from their father, it was impossible that all the sons could receive an expensive education. The two eldest were, therefore, only taught the rudiments of their mother tongue, at a common country school. But Andrew, being intended by his mother for the ministry, was sent to a flourishing academy at the Waxsaw meeting-house, superintended by Mr. Humphries. Here he was placed on the study of the dead languages, and continued until the revolutionary war, extending its ravages into that section of South Carolina where he then was, rendered it necessary that very one should betake himself to the American standard, seek protection with the enemy, or flee his country. It w r as not an alternative that admitted of tedious deliberation. The natural ardour of his temper, deriving encouragement from the recommendations of his mother, whose feelings were excited by those sentiments in favour of liberty, with which, by her conversation, his mind had been early imbued, quickly deter mined him in the course to be pursued ; and, at the tender age o r fourteen, accompanied by his brother

LIFE OF GENERAL JACKSON. ]A

Robert, he hastened to the American camp, and engaged actively in the service of his country His eldest brother, who had previously joined the army, had lost his life at the battle of Stono, from 'he excessive heat of the weather, and the fatigues )f the day.

Both Andrew and Robert were, at this period, pretty well acquainted with the manual exercise, ind had some idea of the different evolutions of the field, having been indulged by their mother in attending the drill and general musters of the neighbourhood.

The Americans being unequal, as well from the iferiority of their numbers, as their discipline, to ngage the British army in battle, had retired be- >re it into the interior of North Carolina ; but, when they learned that Lord Cormvallis had crossed the Yadkin, they returned in small detachrr.ents to their native state. On their arrival, they found Lord Rawdon in possession of Camden, and the whole country around in a state of desolation. The British commander being advised of the return of the settlers of Waxsaw, Major Coffin was immediately despatched thither, with a corps of light dragoons, a company of infantry, and a considerable number of tories, for their capture and destruction. Hearing of their approach, the settlers, without delay, appointed the Waxsaw meeting-house as a place of rendezvous, that they might the better collect their scattered strength, and concert some system of operations. About forty of them had accordingly assembled at this point, when the enemy approached, keeping the tories, who were dressed in the common garb of the country, in front, whereby this little band of patriots was completely ileceivcd, having taken them for Captain Nisbet's company, in expectation of which they had been waiting. Eleven of them were taken prison ers ; the rest with difficulty fled, betaking them selves to the woods for concealment. Of those who thus escaped, though closely pursued, were Andrew Jackson and his brother, who, entering a secret bend in a creek, that was close at hand, obtained a momentary respite from danger, and avoided, for the night, the pursuit of the enemy.

The next day, however, having gone to a neighbouring house, for the purpose of procuring something to eat, they were broken in upon, and made prisoners, by Coffin's dragoons, and a party of tones who accompanied them. Those young men, with a view to security, had placed their horses in the wood, on the margin of a small creek, and posted, on the road which led by the house, a sentinel, thai they might have information of any approach, and in time to be able to elude it. But the tories, who were well acquainted with the country and the passes through the forest, had, unfortunately, passed the creek at the very pcint where the horses and baggage of our young soldiers were deposited, and taken possession of them. Having done this, they approached, cautiously, the house, and were almost at the door before they were discovered. To escape was impossible, and both were made prisoners. Being placed under guard, Andrew was ordered, in a very imperious tone, by a British officer, to clean his boots. This order he Dositively and peremptorily refused to obey ; alleg ing that he looked for such treatment as a pris oner of wai had a right to expect. Incensed at his refusal, the officer aimed a Mow at his hrad with a drawn sword, which would, very probably have terminated his existence, had he not parried its effects by throwing up his left hand, on which he received a severe wound, the mark of which he bears to this hour. His brother, at the same time, for a similar offence, received a deep cut on the head, which subsequently occasioned his death. They were both now taken to jail, where, sepa rated and confined, they were treated with marked severity, until a few days after the battle before Camden, when, in consequence of a partial exchange, effected by the intercessions and exertions of their mother, and Captain Walker, of the militia, they were both released from confinement Robert, during his confinement in prison, had suffered greatly ; the wound on his head, all this time, having never been dressed, was followed by an inflammation cf the brain, which, in a few days after his liberation, brought him to the grave. To add to the afflictions of Andrew, his mother, worn down by grief, and her incessant exertions to pro vide clothing and other comforts for the suffering prisoners, who had been taken from her neighbourhood, expired in a few weeks after her son, near the lines of the enemy, in the vicinity of Charleston. Andrew, the last and only surviving child, confined to a bed of sickness, occasioned by the sufferings he had been compelled to undergo whilst a prisoner, and by getting wet, on his return from captivity, was thus left in the wide world, without a human being with whom he could claim a near relationship. The small pox, about the same time, having made its appearance upon him. had well nigh terminated his sorrows and his ex istence.

2*

Having at length recovered from his complicated afflictions, he entered upon the enjoyment of his estate, which, although small, would have been sufficient, under prudent management, to have completed his education, on the liberal scale which his mother had designed. Unfortunately, however, he, like too many young men, sacrificing future prospects to present gratification, expended it with rather too profuse a hand. Foreseeing that he should be finally obliged to rely on his own exertions, for support and success in life, he again betook himself to his studies with increased industry. He recommenced under Mr. M'Culloch, in that part of Carolina which was then called the New Acquisition, near Hill's iron works. Here he revised the languages, devoting a portion of his time to a desultory course of studies.

His education being now completed, so far as his wasted patrimony, and the limited opportunities then afforded in that section of the country, would permit, at the age of eighteen, he turned his attention to acquiring a profession, and in preparing himself to enter on the busy scenes of life. The pulpit, for which he had been designed by his mother, was now abandoned for the bar ; and, in the winter of 1784, he repaired to Salisbury, in North Carolina, and commenced the study of law under Spruce M'Cay, Esq., (afterwards one of the pidges of that state,) and subsequently continued it under Colonel John Stokes. Having remained at Salisoury until the winter of 1786, he obtained a license from the judges to practise law, and continued in the state until the spring of 1783.

The western parts of the state of Tennessee were, about this time, often spoken of, as presenting flattering prospects to adventurers. He immediately determined to accompany Judge M'Nairy thither, who had been appointed, and was going out to hold the first supreme court that had ever 6at in the state. Having reached the Holston, they ascertained it would be impossible to arrive at the time appointed for the session of the court ; and therefore determined to remain in that section of country until fall. They reached Nashville in October. It had not been Jackson s intention, certainly, to make Tennessee the place of his future residence ; his visit was merely experimental, and his stay remained to be determined by the advantages that might be disclosed ; but finding, soon after his arrival, that a considerable opening was offered for the success of a young attorney, he determined to remain, though the prospect before him was, certainly, not of an encouraging cast. As in all newly settled countries must be the case, society was loosely formed, and united by but few of those ties which have a tendency to enforce the performance of moral duty, and the right execution of justice. The young men of the place, adventurers from different sections of the country, had become indebted to the merchants; there was but one lawyer in the country, and they had so contrived,* as to retain him in their business ; the consequence was, that the merchants were entirely deprived of the means of enforcing against those gentlemen the execution of their contracts. In this state of things Jackson made his appearance at Nashville, and while the creditor class looked to it with great satisfaction, the debtors were sorely displeased. Applications were immediately made to him for his professional services, and on the morning after his arrival he issued seventy writs. To those prodigal gentlemen, it was an alarming circumstance ; their former security was impaired ; but, that it might not wholly depart, they determined to force him, in some way or other, to leave the country ; and, to effect this, broils and quarrels with him were to be resorted to. This, however, was soon abandoned, satisfied by the first controversy in which they had involved him, that his decision and firmness were such as to leave no hope of effecting any thing through this channel. Disregarding the opposition raised to him, he continued, with care and industry, to press forward in his professional course, and his attention soon brought him forward, and introduced him to a profitable practice. He was subsequently appointed attorney-general for the district, in which capacity he continued to act for several years.

Indian depredations being then frequent on the Cumberland, every man, of necessity, became a soldier Unassisted by the government, the settlers were forced to rely for security on their own bravery and exertions. Although young, no per son was more distinguished than Andrew Jackson, in defending the country against these predatory incursions of the savages, who continually harassed the frontiers, and not unfrequently approached the heart of the settlements, which were thin, but not widely extended. He aided alike in garrisoning the forts, and in pursuing and chastising the enemy.

In the year 1796, having, by his patriotism, firmness, and talents, secured to himself a distinguished standing, he was chosen one of the members of the convention for establishmaf a constitution for the

MFB OF GENERAL JACKSON. 21

state. His good conduct and zeal brought him more prominently to view; and, without proposing or soliciting, he was, in the same year, elected a member of the house of representatives, in congress, for the state of Tennessee. The following year, his reputation continuing to increase, he was chosen a senator of the United States' congress, and took his seat on the 22d day of November, 1797. About the middle of April, business of an important and private nature imposed on him the necessity of asking leave of absence, and returning home. Leave was granted, and before the next session he resigned his seat. He was but a little more than thirty years of age, and hence, scarcely eligible, by the constitution, at the time he was elected. The sedition law was introduced into the senate, by Mr. Lloyd, of Maryland, in June, and passed that body on the 4th of July following ; hence the name of Jackson, owing to the leave of absence which had been granted him in April, does not appear on the journals. On the alien law, however, and the effort to repeal the stamp act, he was present, resting in the minority.

The state of Tennessee, on its admission into the Union, comprising but one military division, and General Conway, who commanded it, as major-general, dying about this time, Jackson, without being consulted on the subject, was, as the constitution of the state directs, chosen by the field officers to succeed him ; which appointment he continued to hold until May, 1814, when he was con stituted a major-general in the United States' service.

Becoming tired of political life, for the intrigues of which he declared himself unqualified, and having for two years voted in the minority in congresa, he resigned, after the first session, his seat in the senate. To this measure he was strongly induced, from a desire to make way for General Smith, who, he conjectured, would, in that capacity, be able to render more important services to the government than himself. His country, unwilling that his talents should remain inactive and unemployed, again demanded his services. Immediately after his resignation, he was appointed one of the judges of the supreme court of the state. He advanced to the office with reluctance, and in a short time resigned, leaving it open for those, who, he believed, were better qualified than himself, to discharge its intricate and important duties. Unambitious of those distinctions and honours which young men are usually proud to possess ; finding, too, that his circumstances and condition in life were not such as to permit his time and attention to be devoted to public matters, he determined to yield them into others' hands, and to devote himself to agricultural pursuits ; and accordingly settled himself on an excellent farm, ten miles from Nashville, on the Cumberland river ; where, for several years, he enjoyed all the comforts of domestic and social intercourse. Abstracted from the busy scenes of public life, pleased with retirement, surrounded by friends whom he loved, and who entertained for him the highest veneration and respect, and blessed with an amiable and affectionate consort, nothing seemed wanting to the completion of that happiness' which he so anxiously desired whilst in office.

Great Britain, by multiplied outrages on our rights, as an independent and neutral nation, liaa provoked from our government a declaration of war against her. This measure, though founded in abundant cause, had been long forborne, and every attempt at reconciliation made, without effect ; when, at length, it was resorted to, as the only alternative that could preserve the honour and dignity of the nation, General Jackson, ever devoted to the interests of his country, from the moment of the declaration, knew no wish so strong as that of entering into her service, against a power, which, independent of public considerations, he had many private reasons for disliking. In her, he could trace sufferings and injuries received, and the efficient cause, why, in early life, he had been left forlorn and wretched, without a single relation in the world. His proud and inflexible mind, however, could not venture to solicit an appointment in the army, which was about to be raised. He accordingly remained wholly unknown, until, at the head of the militia, employed against the Creek Indians, his constant vigilance, and the splendour of his victories, apprized the general government of those great military talents which he so eminently possessed, and conspicuously displayed, when opportunities for exerting them were afforded.

The acts of congress of the 6th of February and July, 1812, afforded the means of bringing in to view a display of those powers, which, being amcnown, under other circumstances, unfortunate ly, might have slumbered in inaction. Under the authority of these acts, authorizing the president to accept the services of fifty thousand volunteers, he addressed the citizens of his division, and twenty-five hundred flocked to his standard. A

24 LfFE OF GENERAL JACKSON.

tender of them having been made, and the offer accepted, in November he received orders to place Himself at their head and to descend the Mississippi, for the defence of the lower country, which was then supposed to be in danger. On the 10th of December, those troops rendezvoused at Nashville, prepared to advance to the place of their destination; and, although the weather was then excessively severe, and the ground covered with snow, no troops could have displayed greater firmness. The general was every where with them, inspiring them with the ardour that animated his own bosom.

Having procured supplies, and made the necessary arrangements for an active campaign, they proceeded, the 7th of January, on their journey ; and, descending the Ohio and Mississippi, through cold and ice, arrived, and halted at Natchez. Here Jackson had been instructed to remain, until he should receive further orders. Having chosen a healthy site for the encampment of his troops, about two miles from Washington, he devoted his time, with the utmost industry, to training and preparing them for active service. The clouds of war, however, in that quarter, having blown over, an order was received from the secretary of war, dated the 5th of January, directing him, on the receipt thereof, to dismiss those under his command from service, and to take measures for delivering over every article of public property, in his pos session, to Brigadier-General Wilkinson. When this order reached his camp, there were one hundred and fifty on the sick report, fifty-six of whom were unable to raise their heads, and almost the whole of them destitute of the means of defraving the expenses of their return. The consequence of a strict compliance with the secretary's order inevitably would have been, that many of the sick must have perished, whilst most of the others, from their destitute condition, would, of necessity, have been compelled to enlist in the regular army, under General Wilkinson. Such alternatives were neither congenial with their general's wishes, nor such as they had expected, on adventuring with him in the service of their country ; he had carried them from home, and, the fate of war and disease apart, it was his duty, he believed, to bring them back. To have abandoned them, therefore, at such a time, and under such circumstances, would have drawn on him the merited censure of the most deserving part of his fellow-citizens, and sensibly wounded his own generous feelings. Add to this, those young men who were confined by sickness, learning the nature of the order he had received , implored him, with tears in their eyes, not to abandon them in so great an extremity, reminding him, at the same time, of his assurances, that he would be to them as a father, and of the implicit confidence they had placed in his word. This was an appeal, which it would have been difficult for the feelings of Jackson to have resisted, had it been without the support of other weighty considerations ; but, influenced by them all, Jie had no hesitation in coining to a determination.

Having made known his resolution to the field-officers of his division, it met, apparently, their ap probation ; but, after retiring from his presence, they assembled late at night, in secret caucus, and proceeded to recommend to him an abandonment of his purpose, and an immediate discharge of his 3

2G LIFE OF GENERAL JACKSON.

troops. Great as was the astonishment, which this measure excited in the genera], it produced a still higher sentiment of indignation. In reply, he urged the duplicity of their conduct, and reminded them, that, although, to those who possessed funds and health, such a course could produce no inconvenience, yet to the unfortunate soldier, who was alike destitute of both, no measure could be more calamitous. He concluded by telling them, that his resolution, not having been hastily concluded on, nor bottomed on light considerations, was unalterably fixed ; and that immediate preparations must be made for carrying into execution the determination he had formed.

He lost no time in making known to the secretary of war the resolution he had adopted ; to disregard the order he had given, and to return his army to the place where he had received it. He painted in strong terms the evils which the course pursued by the government was calculated to produce, and expressed the astonishment he felt, that it should have originated with the famous author of the " Newburg Letters," the once redoubted advocate of soldiers' rights.

General Wilkinson, to whom the public property was directed to be delivered, learning the determination which had been taken by Jackson, to march his troops back, and to take with them so much of that property as should be necessary to their return, in a letter of solemn and mysterious inport, admonished him of the consequences which were before him, and of the awful and dangerous responsibility he was taking on himself, by so bold a measure. General Jackson replied, that his conduct, and the consequences to which it might lead.

had been well considered, and that he was prepared to abide the result, whatever it might be. Wilkinson had previously given orders to his officers to recruit from Jackson's army ; they were advised, however, on their first appearance, that those troops were already in the service of the United States, and that, thus situated, they should not be enlisted ; and that he would arrest and confine the first officer who dared to enter his encampment with any such object in view.

The quarter-master, having been ordered tc furnish the necessary transports tion for the con veyance of the sick and the baggage to Tennes see, immediately set about the performance of the task ; but, as the event proved, with not the least intention of executing it. Still, he continued to keep up the semblance of exertion ; and, the better to deceive, the very day before that which had been appointed for breaking up the encampment, and commencing the return march, eleven wagons arrived there by his order. The next morning, however, when every thing was about to be packed up, acting doubtless from orders, and intending to produce embarrassment, the quarter-master entered the encampment, and discharged the whole. He was grossly mistaken in the man he had to deal with, and had now played his tricks too far to be able to accomplish the object which he had, no doubt, been instructed to effect. Disregarding their dismissal, so evidently designed to prevent his marching back his men, General Jackson seized upon these wagons, yet within his lines, and compelled them to proceed to the transportation of his sick. It deserves to be recollected, that this quarter-master, so soon as he received directions fo r

2 s * L.1FE OF GEMiRAl I IvSON.

furnishing transportation, had despatched an express to General Wilkinson ; and there can be but little doubt, that the course of duplicity he afterwards pursued, was a concerted plan between him and that general, to defeat the design of Jackson ; compel him to abandon the course he had adopted ; nd, in this way, draw to the regular army many of the soldiers, who, from necessity, would be driven to enlist. In this attempt they were fortunately disappointed. Adhering to his original purpose he successfully resisted every stratagem of Wilkinson, and marched the whole of his division to the section of country whence they had been drawn, and dismissed them from service, as he had been instructed.

To present an example that might buoy up the sinking spirits of his troops in the arduous march, he yielded up his horses to the sick, and, trudging on foot, encountered all the hardships that were met by the soldiers. It was at a time cf the yeai, when the roads were extremely bad, and the swamps, lying in their passage, deep and full ; yet, under these circumstances, he placed before his troops an example of patience and hardship, that lulled to silence all complaints, and won to him, still stronger than before, the esteem and respect of every one. On arriving at Nashville, he communicated to the president of the United States the course he had pursued, and the reasons that had induced it. If it had become necessary, he had sufficient grounds on which he could have justified his conduct. Had he suffered General Wilkinson to have accomplished what was clearly his intention, although it was an event which might, at the moment, ha; e benefited the service, by add ing an increased strength to the army, yet the example would have been of so serious and exceptionable a character, that injury would have been the final and unavoidable result. His conduct, ter rible as it first appeared, was in the end approved, and the expenses incurred directed to be paid by Ihe government. 3*

Chapter II

Indian preparation for hostilities. — Teatmseh arrives amongst the. soidliern tribes ; his intrigues. — Civil wars of the Creeks. — Destruction of, and butchery at Fort Mimms. — Expedition against the Luiians. — Jackson unites with tlie army, and enters the enemy's country. — Scarcity of supplies in his camp. — Learns the savages are imbodied. — Seeks to form a function witJi the East Tennessee division. — Detaclies General Coffee across tlie Coosa. — Battle of T'alluslwichee.

The volunteers, who had descended the river, having been discharged early in May, there was little expectation that they would again be called for. Tennessee was too remotely situated in the interior of the country to expect their services would be required for her defence, and hitherto the British had discovered no serious intention of waging operations against any part of Louisiana. Their repose, however, was not of long duration. The Creek Indians, inhabiting the country lying between the Chatahochee and Tombigbee, and extending from the Tennessee River to the Florida line, had lately manifested strong symptoms of hostility towards the United States, from which they had received yearly pensions, and every assistance which the most liberal policy could bestow. This disposition was greatly strengthened, through means used by the northern Indians, who were then making preparations for a war against the United States, and who wished to engage the southern tribes in the same enterprise.

An artful impostor had, about this time, sprung up amongst the Shawnees, who, by passing for a prophet, commissioned by the u Great Spirit" to communicate his mandates to his red children, had acquired, among his own and the neighbouring tribes, astonishing influence. Clothed, as thoy believed him to be, with such high powers, they listened to his extravagant doctrines, and in them fully confided. He succeeded in kindling a rage against the Anglo-Americans, which soon after burst forth in acts of destructive violence. His brother, Tecumseh, who became so famous during the war, and who was killed subsequently, at the battle of the Thames, was despatched to the southern tribes, to excite in them the same temper. To the Creeks, by far the most numerous and powerful, he directed his principal attention. Having entered their nation, some tune in the spring of 1812, he repaired to Tookaubatcha, where he had repeated conferences with the chiefs; but, not meeting with the encouragement he expected, returned to the Alabama, which he had previously visited, and there commenced operations.

Finding there several leaders of great influence, who entered into his views, he was enabled to carry on his schemes with greater success. Deriving his powers from his brother, the Prophet, whose extraordinary commission and endowments were well understood by all the neighbouring tribes in the south, bis authority was regarded with the highest veneration. He strongly interdicted all intercourse with the whites, and prevailed on the greater part of the Alabama Indians to throw aside the implements and clothing which that intercourse had furnished, and return again to their savage state, from which he represented them as highly culpable for having suffered themselves to be estranged. In a word, no moans were left untried to excite them to the most deadly animosity and cruel war. To afford additional weight to his councils, this designing missionary gave assurances of aid and support from Great Britain ; whose power and riches he represented as almost without limits, and quite sufficient for the subjugation of the United States. So considerable an influence did his intrigues and discourses obtain over the minds of many, that it was with difficulty the most turbulent of them could be restrained from running immediately to arms, and committing depredations on the exposed frontiers. This hasty measure, however, he represented as calculated to defeat the great plan of operations which he was labouring to concert; and enjoined the utmost secrecy and quietness, until the moment should arrive, when, all their preparations being ready, they might be able to strike a decisive blow ; in the mean time, they were to be industriously employed in collecting arms and ammunition, and other necessary implements of war.