E382 > ^:^T»^ A < o ^^-n^. . .'',/% •-^•° ^^'"^- "•'^^•" /\. •ap'.- ^*'' o V \p b .0 .^^ 'f^-. V 'V-. - ^ .0 -. rr. •' ,0 J , ;^ - '' ?:?, .•.^' ■:/ ^r>^ '0 . , * ' - "'b ^- ^^^ • aO ^J> - « o ^n. .•=;' '•> .0^ ■0^ 4 o ■(J? ^ c* ^^ % °- <;^ i SKETC.'a or THE IZTE OP GEN- ANDREW JACKSON. Ijfr.e I'residem of the Umted mates, INTEKSPERSED WITH NUMEROUS PERSONAL ANECDOTES, ILLUSTRATING HIS CHARACTER AND PUBLIC SERVICES. WORCESTER: y' PRINTED BY HENRY J. HOWLAnI/'' ^^ 1845. ■ V 'V. 3G3 l3 f ) J %y ciiiaiiH^^^ GENERAL ANDREW JACKSON, I^ate Presideut of the United States. His Birth and Parentage. General Andrew Jackson was born on the 15th of March, 1767, in Waxhaw settlement of South Carolina, where his parents had settled two years before. The family from which Jackson was descended, was original- ly from Scotland, and formed a part of one of those bands of colonists by which the policy of England endeavored to establish permanent rule in Ire- land after she had destroyed the national independence of that unhappy coun- try. His grandfather whose name was Hugh Jackson, was a linen draper, near Carrickfergus, and had four sons, of whom the youngest, Andrew, was the fatiier of the General. The oppression and misrule of the British govern- ment drove Andrew from his native country in 1765, and with his wife and two sons, Hugh and Robert, he sought an Asylum in the Waxhaw settlement, in South Carolina. There, on the 15lh of March, 1767, Andrew Jackson was born, his father dying shortly afterwards, leaving his mother possessed of a new farm, without slaves, and with three young sons to bring up and educate. With means so moderate, Mrs. Jackson aimed to give her two eldest sons only a common-school education, but ambitious to see Andrew in the church, she placeJ him at a proper age in the Waxhaw Academy, and he had made considerable progress in his studies when the ravages of the revolutionary war approached the settlement. The Jacksons and friends and neighbors named Crawford, who had emigrated with them from Ireland, though of Scot- tish descent, felt the wrongs of their country as keenly as the natives, and now that they found the same bloodthirsty tyranny that had driven them across the Atlantic, ruthlessly pursuing them to their new home in this wes- tern world, the spirit of resistance became overwhelming. They were thus fully prepared to unite in the sacred cause of American independence, and deserve honorable mention amongst the thousands of Irishmen who, accord- ing to the testimony of every historian contributed so materially by their zeal and valor to the separation of the colonies from the empire of Great Britain. His Services in the Revolutionary War. When tile war of the revolution first broke out in 1775, Jackson was but eight years old. It was only five years afterwards, on the 6th of August, 1780, that we find him and his brother Robert fighting under Sumpter in his valiant attack on the British garrison at Rocky Mc was then only thirteen years old, when he first raised his arm in de ^^'s country. From this period the youthful hero continued to tai e part in the early struggle for independence. Numerous incidents ^ed illustra- tive of the energy, courage and sagacity of young Jackst "'allowing, recorded in the Life published by the Harpers, is so intere.. e quote the passage ; " Boys big enough to carry muskets incurred the dangers oi ""rt and Andrew Jackson had their horses and their guns, and like i and neighbors, were almost constantly with some armed party, not, unguarded, sleep in their own houses without danger of surpi. murder. It was on such an occasion that Andrew Jackson gave the firs, lustration of that quickness of thought and promptitude of action which have since placed him among the first military commanders. A whig captain, nam- ed Lands, desired to spend a night with his family. Robert and Andrew Jackson, with one of the Crawfords, and five others, constituted his guard. There were nine men and only seven muskets. Having no special apprehen- sions of an attack, they laid down on their arms, and, with the exception of a British deserter, who was one of the party, went to sleep. Lands' house was in the centre of an enclosed yard, and had two doors, facing east and west. Before the east door stood a forked apple-tree. In the southwest corner of the yard were a corncrib and stable under one roof, ranging east and west. On the south was a wood, and through it passed the road by which the house was approached. " A party of tories became apprized of Lands' return, and determined to surprise and kill him. Approaching through the wood, and tying their horses behind the stable, they divided into two parties, one advancing round the east end of the stable towards the east door of the house, and the other round the west end towards the west door. At this moment, the wakeful soldier, hear- ing a noise in the direction of the stable, went out to see what was the mat- ter, and perceived the party which were entering the yard at the east end of the building. Running back in terror, he seized Andrew Jackson, who was nearest the door, by the hair, exclaiming, "the tories are upon us." Our young hero ran out, and putting his gun through the fork of the apple-tree, hailed the approaching band. Having repeated his hail without an answer, and perceiving the party rapidly advancing, and but a few rods distant, he fired. A volley was returned, which killed the soldier, who, having aroused the inmates of the house, had followed young Jackson, and was standing near him. The other band of tories had now emerged from the west end of the stable, and mistaking the discharge of the advance party, then nearly on a line between them and the apple-tree, for the fire of a sallying party from the house, commenced a sharp fire upon their own friends. Thus both par- ties were brought to a stand. Young Andrew, after discharging his gun, re- turned into the house; and, with two others, commenced a fire from the west door, where both of his companions were shot down, one of them with a mor- tal wound. The tories still kept up the fire on each other, as well as on the house, until, startled by the sound of a cavalry charge in the distance, they betook themselves to their horses and fled. The charge was sounded by Ma- jor Isbel, of the neighborhood, who had not a man with him ; but hearing the firing, and knowing that Lands was attacked, gave the blast upon his trum- pet to alarm the assailants. General Jackson was then scarcely fi)urteen years old. In the boy of 1781, who does not recognize the man of 1814 Y" Taken Prisoner by the British. Being informeu of the Waxhavv settlers' return, Lord Cornwallis despatch- ed Major Coffin, with a corps of light dragoons, a company of regular infantry, and a band of Tories, to capture or destroy them. At once the settlers re- solved to imbody and fight. The Waxhavv Meeting-house was designated as the point of rendezvous. The British Major received intelligence of the time and place, and determined, by a rapid march, to fall upon them before they could organize. On the day appointed, about forty, including Robert and Andrew Jackson, had collected, and were waiting for a friendly company, under Captain Nesbit. They saw, as they thought, the expected re-enforce- ment approaching, a,nd were not undeceived until a party of British dragoons rushed in among them. Putting his Tories in front, whose dress was that of the country, the British officer kept his dragoons out of sight until so near as to leave no time for the militia to recover from the surprise which their ap- pearance produced. Eleven of the little band were taken, and the rest, mounting their horses, dispersed and fled. Andrew Jackson was accompa- nied in his flight by Lieutenant Thomas Crawford, and they soon found them- selves pursued. Crossing a wet savanna, the horse of Crawford mired and fell Young Jackson reached dry land in safety, but instantly reined up, with the view of aiding, if he could, his unfortunate companion. He saw him un- der a black jack, maintaining a hopeless contest with his sword. Receiving a severe wound in the head, he soon surrendered to a British officer, upon a promise of quarter. Yo-jng Jackson continued his flight, and eluded pur- suit. Falling in with his brother, they remained together during the next night, and on the approach of morning concealed themselves in a thicket on the banks of a small creek, not far from the house of Lieutenant Crawford. Being within an enclosure where ihere was no path, they considered them- selves entirely secure. Becoming very hungry, they concluded to leave their horses and guns, and venture out to Mr. Crawford's in quest of food. Emerg- ing carefully from the thicket, and seeing no signs of an enemy, they ap- proached the house, and setting a boy to watch the road by which only dan- ger was apprehended, they entered and made their wants known to Mrs. Crawford. In the mean time a party of dragoons and Tories had traced out their retreat, seized their horses and guns, and, guided through the enclosure by a noted Tory, named Johnson, presented themselves at the door before the young Jacksons were aware of their approach. Resistance and flight were alike hopeless, and neither was attempted. Dauntless Spirit of Yoiin^ Jackson. No attempt was made by the British officer commanding, to arrest the de- struction of the household property of Mrs. Jackson. While it was in pro- gress, he ordered Andrew Jackson to clean his muddy boots. The young soldier refused, claiming to be treated with the respect due to a prisoner of war. Instead of admiring this manly spirit in one so young, the cowardly ruffian struck at his head with his sword ; but throwing up his left hand, the intended victim received a gash upon it, the scar of which he carried to the grave. Turning to Robert Jackson, the officer ordered him to perform the menial task, and, receiving a like refusal, aimed a furious blow at his head also, and inflicted a wound from which he never recovered. Jackson was now consigned to jail in Camden, where he continued until after the battle at that place, when he was exchanged through the exertions of his mother. This worthy woman, worn down by grief and the fatigues she 6 had undergone, in seeking to alleviate the sufferings o erican prisonerg at Charleston, expired shortly after in the neighborhoc city. At the period of her death, young Jackson was suffering froi s, the conse- quence of his imprisonment, and the small-pox succeedii. terminated his existence- A fine constitution, however, enabled hini i this com- plication of ills, and he soon recovered, and entered upon thi. t of his patrimony. This, though small, would have enabled him to l 's edu- cation on a liberal scale, but peace being again restored, and o. "sed to the management of pecuniary affairs, and surrounded by evil e^ "» went through his small inheritance- Hi S Education. " Books were thrown aside, schools were not thought of, and he gave him- self up to the amusements of the liour. When, after the evacuation of Charles- ton, his friends returned to their homes, he followed them on a fine mare which belonged to him. Finding some of them, in the tavern where he stopped, en- gaged in a game of dice called '•' Rattle and Snap," he staked his mare against a sum of money, and won. A sudden resolution seized him. He put the money in his pocket, paid his bill, and suddenly left for the Waxhaws. Deter- mined to change his course of life, he collected together the remains of his little property, bade adieu to his friends, and left for Salisbury, North Carolina, with the view of preparing himself, under the instruction of Spruce M'Cay, Esq., then an eminent counsellor, and subsequently a distinguished judge, for the practice of the law. This was in the winter of 1784, when he was between seventeen and eighteen years old.'' Kemoval to Tennessee. Jackson prosecuted his studies witli the utmost diligence and success, and in 17.87 he was appointed Solicitor for the Western District of North Carolina, embracing the present State of Tennessee. In 1788 he crossed the mountains and took up his alx)de in Jonesborough, attending to his oifieial and profession- al duties and exploring the country. Indian depredations were then frequent on the Cumberland, and every man of necessity became a soldier. Unassisted by the Government, the hardy settlers were forced to rely for security on their own bravery and exertions. Although young, no person was more distinguish- ed than Jackson in defending the settlements from the attacks of the savages. He aided alike in garrisoning the forts, and in pursuing and chastising the savage enemy. Not considering himself so competent to lead and direct in those expeditions, as older settlers and more experienced Indian fighters, he never, however, aspired to the command, but with characteristic modesty and discretion in every instance acted as a private. By his gallantry in those af- fairs. General Jackson liad so acquired the respect of tlie savages that they called him " Sharp Knife," and " Pointed Arrow." AVhen Jackson commenced the practice of tlie law in West Tennessee, the debtors then a powerful class of the population had, in the absence of an agent of the law, conspired to set their creditors at defiance. Jackson was crowded with api)licati(iiis for his services, by the creditors, and on tlie morning after his arrival he issued seventy writs. The debtors very naturally alarmed, sought to drive him from the ))lacc by all sorts of efforts, to get him involved in broils and quarrels, but they were soon convinced that they had mistaken their man. Disregarding the opposition made to him, he continued with great diligence and success, to pursue his professional career, and soon obtained a large antl profitable j>ractice. Chosen to high Pnblic Offices* In the year 1796 he was chosen one of the members of the convention for establishing a constitution for the State, and in the same year, (December 5th) he took his seat as a member of the House of Representatives. Next year he was chosen Senator, and on the 22d of November took his seat in^the United States Senate Chamber. He was at this time Scarcely thirty years of age. This post, however, he resigned in the year 1799. He was distinguished during his career in Congress, not so much for his oratorical ability, as for the soundness of his understanding and the moderation of his demeanour. During tne'time he was acting as Senator, he was chosen by the field officers of the Tennessee militia, major-general of their division. This was done without consultation with him. • However he accepted the appointment, which he continued to hold until 1814, when he took the same rank in the regular army of the United States. After his resignation as Senator, he was appointed one of the Judges of the Supreme Court of Tennessee, which office he accepted with reluctance. His first court was held at Jonesborough, and the following curious incident is recorded in the " Life " : — " A man named Russell Bean was indicted for cutting ofTthe ears of his infant child in a drunken frolic. He was in the courtyard ; but such was his strength and ferocity, that the Sheriff, not daring to approach him, made a return to the court that ' Russel Bean will not be taken." Judge Jackson, with his peculiar emphasis, said that such a return was an absurdity, and could not be received. '* He must be taken" said the judge, " and if nec- essary, you must summon IhejJosse comitatms.^^ The mortified sherifTretired, and waiting until the court adjourned ^u dinner, summoned the judges themselves as part of the posse. Conce^ng that the object of the sheriff was to avoid a dangerous service under ^he cover of the judges refusal to obey the summons. Judge Jackson instantly replied, " Yes, sir, 1 will at- tend you, and see that you do your duty." Learning that Bean was armed, he requested a loaded pistol, which was put into his hand. He then said to the sheriff, " advance and arrest him ; I will protect you from harm." Bean, armed with a dirk and a brace of pistols, assumed an attitude of de- fiance and desperation. But when the judge drew near, he began to retreat. " Stop and submit to the law," cried the judge. The culprit stopped, threw down his pistols, and replied. "I will surrender to you, sir, but to no one else." No man dared thenceforth to treat with contempt the author- ity of the court ; and the effect was most salutary upon the turbulent spirits which then abounded. Sensibly alive to the difficult duties of this station, distrusting his legal acquirements, and impressed with the great injury he might produce to suit- ors by erroneous decisions, 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 honors, which young men are usually proud to possess, and finding too that his circumstances and condition in fife were not such as to permit his time and attention to be d'^voted to public matters, he determined to yield them into other 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 seve- eral years, he enjoyed all the comforts of domestic and social intercourse. Abstracted from the busy scenes of public life, pleased with retirement, sur- rounded by friends whom he loved, and who entertained for him the highest veneration and respect, and blessed with an amiable and obedient wife, 8 nothing seemed wanting to the completion of that happin 'ch he so anxiously desired while in office. Rebukes the Insolence of i^n Indian Agen In 1811 he had occasion to visit Natchez, in the Mississipp ory, for the purpose of bringing up a number of blacks, apart of whc be- come his property in consequence of having been security for a fi id the remainder were hands which had been employed by a nephe -> neighborhood of that place. The road led through the Chickasa Choctaw nations of Indians, and the station of the Indian agent i Choctaws was upon it. On reaching the agency, he found seven or t families of emigrants and two members of the Mississippi Legislative Coi. cil detained by the agent, under the pretence that it was necessary for then, to have passports from the Governor of Mississippi. One of their number had been sent forward to procure them. In the meantime, the emigrants were buying corn from the agent at an extravagant price, and splitting rails for him at a very moderate one. Indignant at the wrongs inflicted on the emigrants, he reproached the members of the Council for submitting to the detention, and asked the agent how he dared to demand a pass from a free American travelling on a public road. The agent replied by inquiring with much temper, whether he had a pass. "Yes sir," rejoined the General, " I always carry mine with me. I am a free born American citizen ; and thai, under the Constitution and laws, is my passport to go wherever my business calls me." He told the emigrants to gear up their wagons, and if any one attempted to obstruct them to shoot him down as a highway robber. Setting them the example, he continued lb journey, regardless of the threats of the agent. JP Before he had concluded his bWiness, he was informed that the agent had collected about fifty white men and one hundred Indians to stop him on his return, unless he produced a passport. Though advised to procure one, he refused to do so, stating that the American citizen should never in his per- son be subjected to the insult and indignity of procuring a pass to enable him to travel a public highway in his own country. Like all travellers at that time through the Indian nations, he was armed with a brace of pistols, and having added a rifle and a another pistol, he commenced his return journey. By a friend, who had gone forward to reconnoitre, he was in- formed, when within a few miles of the agency, that the agent had his force in readiness to stop him. He bade his friend advance, and tell the agent, that if he attempted to stop him it would be at the peril of his life. He then put his blacks in order, armed with their axes and clubs, told them not to stop until directed by him, and if any one oficred to oppose them, to cut him down at his order. Riding by their side, he approached the agency, when the agent appeared, and asked him if he would stop. " That," replied the general, " depends on circumstances, I have been informed that you prepared to prevent my passing here by force. I intend to pass ; and who- ever attempts to ])revcnt me, shall lay low :" and, with a look not to be mis- taken he grasped his rifle with a firmer grip. The agent said he had no such design, and did not attempt to interuipt him. Seeing the Indians, whose chief was acquainted with him, approaching with every sign of amity, he directed his negroes to stop by the roadside, after passing the agency, and reined up his horse to shake hands with his savage friends. So deep was the impression made by his boldness on these sons of the forest, added to the respect they already entertained for him, that if it had been necessary, they would have scalped the agent instead of obeying his com- 9 mands to ar ""^st the Goneral. When he reached home, he reported the con- duct of th'6 agent to the President, and he was immediately dismissed. Volunteers in the War of 1812. Qer'. Jackson was not, suffered long to enjoy his retirement. On the declriration of war in 181^2, the Congress of the United States passed an act authorising the President to receive the services of fifty thousand vol- unt-6ers. Jackson immediately addressed the citizens of his division, and tw'O thousand five hundred flocked at once to his standard, and in November, '1 8 12, he received orders to place himself at their head and descend the Mississippi for the defence ot the lower country. The order issued by Jackson prescribing the uniform of the volunteers is very interesting. We annex it ; — " The respective companies which form the detachment will appear in uniform. Dark blue or brown has been prescribed for service, of homespun or not, at the election of the wearer, hunting shirts or coats, at the option of the different companies, with pantaloons and dark colored socks. White pantaloons, vests, ^c, may be worn upon parade. As the expedition will not terminate under five or six months, and will include the winter and the spring, the volunteers will see the propriety of adapting their clothing in quantity and quality to both seasons. The field ofiicers will wear the uni- form which is precribed for officers of the same grade in the army of the United States. Company officers will conform to the same regulations if convenient ; otherwise they will conftirm to the uniform oftheir companies." Nothing could exceed the patriotic zial and firmness of these troops. In the very midst of an unu?ually rigorous wintek they proceeded to their rendez- vous at Natchez. Here it was that Jackson g^ave that memorable illustration of his inflexibility of purpose, and pre-eminer^y discreet judgment, which were afterwards so conspicuously displayed in his distinguished career. Circumstan- ces not requiring the continued presence, at Natchez, of the volunteers under Jackson, orders were issued by the then Secretary of War, General Armstrong, for their disbandment, and the delivery over to Brigadier-General Wilkinson, of every article of public property in the possession of General Jackson. This was justly regarded as altogether inexpedient, and unjust by Jackson — inexpe- dient, because he had many sick, and many destitute of the means of returning to their homes ; and unjust, because utterly inconsistent with the terms on which the troops had volunteered. Jackson, therefore, disobeyed the order, and despite of the opposition of his field officers, and the duplicity of his quar- ter-master, who treacherously endeavored to embarrass him by defeating his arrangements for carrying the sick, he marched the whole of his division to the section of the country ^vhence they had been drawn, and then dismissed them from the service, as he had been instructed. In this arduous march, Jackson cheerfully gave up his own horse and trudged on foot, sharing all the privations of the humblest soldier. His conduct was approved by the govern- ment, and all the pecuniary responsibilities incurred were discharged. In this march the following interesting incident occurred : — " Among the sick Avas a young man reported by the surgeon to be in a dy- ing condition, whom it was useless to remove : " Not a man shall be left who has life in him," said the General. The young man was lifted into a wagon in a state of torpor, and wholly insensible. The melancholy march commenc- ed ; and the General, with parental solicitude, passed along the train, taking special care that the invalids should, in position and appliances, have every comfort of which their situation was susceptible. With peculiar anxiety he watched the apparently dying youth, as he was jostled by the movements of "V 10 the wagon. At length the young man opened his eyes, and thi instant exclaimed, " Where am I ?" " On your way home, my good feh ?plied the general, in a cheering tone. The effect was electric ; he imj, ^rom that moment, and in a few weeks the general had the pleasure of res im, in good health, to his family and friends." On his arrival at Nashville, he wrote to the President what he h. and the reasons of his action. His conduct was approved of at Wasl, and the expenses he had incurred were ordered to be paid. Jackson was not allowed to remain long in idleness. The Creek natit Indians, excited by the celebrated warrior Tecuraseh, and by British emii. ries, had committed several barbarous outrages on the frontier settlements the South-AVest. A band of ^six or seven hundred warriors assaulted For. Mirams, situated in the Tensaw settlement, in the Mississippi Territory, and carrying the fort, butchered its inmates, men, women and children, to the num- ber of three hundred persons. Only seventeen out of the whole number es- caped to tell the dreadful catastrophe. The news produced the greatest ex- citement in Tennessee, and all eyes were turned upon Jackson. The legislature of the State immediately called into service 3,500 troops, and Jackson became their leader. In the beginning ot October, 1813, he was on his way to the scene of action. Our space will not permit us to follow him through the intricacies of his campaign, in which he exhibited unusual energy, fortitude, and military skill. It is not courage alone that makes the general ; yet even if it were, no man possessed this quality in a greater degree than An- drew Jackson ; but here he had to contend not only with a formidable enemy, but with raw and mutinous soldiers, and with the severest personal hardships. Prolonged and [)erilous marches — an almost total want of food in consequence of the failure of contractors, lon^ absence from home, rendered his soldiers al- most ungovernable; yet still did|^this resolute man persevere until he accom- plished the object for which his government had deputed him. His first en* gagement witli the enemy was at Talladega, an Indian fort, on the Coosa river. Here he routed the savages with the loss of 299 of their warriors ; 15 killed and eighty wounded was the loss upon the side of the Americans. General Jackson Eating Acorns with a Soldier. When General Jackson started on the Talladega expedition, he had on hand scarcely one day's provisions. It was his expectation to collect supplies from the Indian couiitry ahead; but the failure of General White to occupy Fort Slrother made an instant retreat absokitely necessary. Already had his forag- in"- parties gleaned up everything in the shape of food for man and horse which could be found in the vicinity of the fort; and it was with a starving army that he turned back from the field of victory, after burying his dead and providing transportation for the wounded. From the occupants of the relieved fort he purchased a small quantity of provisions* being all they had to spare; but they were not a meal for his army. The general and his men were equally desti- tute, and with eagerness seized on any thing which the forest i)resented to grati- fy the cravings of hunger. While marching with the van of his army. Gener- al Jackson observed under an oak tree a quantity of acorns, Avhich tempted his appetite. Dismounting, he gathered some liandfuls of them inio his pocket, and, holding his bridle in one hand, sat down on the roots of a tree to enjoy his repast, while the rear came up. A soUlier observing him in the act of eat- in"', and supi)osing that he had taken care to provide fur himself while his men were starving, ai)proached and demanded something to eat. "I never turn away the hungry," said tlie general, " while I have any thing to give theUi." Thrusting his hand into his pocket and offering the soldier a few acorns, he 11 added, " I w ill most cheerfully divide with you such food as I have." Struck with surpri se, the soldier reported the incident to his companions, who, for tho time, cheerfully submitted to privations which they knew were sharedin com- mon by t'tiem and their commander. After the battle of Talladega, Jackson, for want of supplies, was compelled to lead back his army to the camp which he had established, about 30 miles distant. Here he remained undergoing every hardship for want of provisions, and suppressing mutiny after mutiny in his army, by exhibitions of the most uud.aunted coui'age alone. When no supplies arrived, however, he reluctantly cc'-nsented to the return of his troops, remaining himself with a few faithful ad- 'iierents, until fresh troops should arrive. In the month of January, 1814, a small reinforcement having reached him, he determined to attack the enemy at a place called Emuckfaw, on the Tallapoosa river. On the 22d, he routed the enemy and killed many of their warriors ; but being unable to bring them to any general engagement, and his provisions failing, he was forced to com- mence a retreat to fort Strother (his former encampment.) On crossing a creek called Enotochopco, he was attacked in the rear by a large body of sav- ages, and his army thrown into some confusion ; but being rallied by the bra- very of Jackson and several other officers, the enemy were put to flight and dispersed, about 30 of their warriors being left dead upon the field. Battle of Tohopcka. On his return to the encampment at Fort Strother, Jackson was shortly after joined by a fresh army of nearly 3000 men. AVith these he proceeded in the month of March to Tohopeka or Horse Shoe, a bend in the Tallapoosa river, where the Indians had collected all their strength, determined to make a last stand. They had fortified the bend with a breastwork of logs, eight feet high- On the morning of the 27th, Jackson attacked the fortification. For several hours the enemy defended their breastworks ; but the soldiers having scaled their ramparts, they were at last compelled to yield. Out of 1100 Indians who had been in the bend, hardly 200 escaped, the rest having fallen by the rifles of the militia or were taken prisoners. The loss upon the side of the victors was about 50 killed and 150 wounded. The battle of Tohopeka completely broke the spirit of the Indians, and they shortly afterward sued for peace. The campaign being now ended, Jackson issued orders for the disbanding the troops, which was accordingly done. The successful issue of this Indian campaign, turned the attention of the general government to the victorious commander, and he was appointed a Ma- jor-General in the U. S. army. He was also appointed Commissioner to ne- gotiate with the Creeks a treaty of peace and alliance. During these transac- tions, his attention was called to the protection and encouragement which the hostile Indians had received, and were still continuing to receive from the Spanish Governor of Pensacola. He also despatched a commissioner to this functionary, which commissioner on his return reported that he had seen 200 British soldiers with. Indian allies drilling at Pensacola. Jackson urged on his government the necessity of dismantling this fortress. This British force soon after made an attack on Fort Bowyer, an American post, and when repulsed, retreated back to the protection of the Governor of Pensacola. General Cof- fee having arrived with 2000 volunteers from Tennessee, General Jackson de- termined to put an end to the duplicity of the Spanish Governor, on his own responsibility. He accordingly entered the town of Pensacola, reduced the fort, and the Governor to submission. Having driven out the hostile Creeks, and sent detachments in pursuit of them, he prepared to depart for New Or- 12 leans, where an attack was meditated by the British. He i "\is place on the 1st of December, 1814, and immediately set about t.ing an army for its defence. Defence of New Orleans, There is not, perhaps, on the records of history an instance in whu fence of a city has been undertaken under more discouraging circum,. Louisiana was but ill supplied with arms — its motley French and Spanish | lation only lately brought under the United States government, did not lu. zeal enough in the cause to fight very hard for its safety. British emissarie. had been at work among them, and the city was filled with traitors. Add to this that a large and well-appointed force was expected, and from that very army who were still exulting in the victories they had just obtained over the French. In spite of all these gloomy pi'ospects, General Jackson continued to make his preparations for defence. On the 14th of December a large British force entered the lake Boi-gne and captured the American flotilla there stationed. It was now expected that they would make a speedy attack on the city. On the 22d, the British troops were accidentally discovered making a landing about seven miles below the city, and through a kind of natural canal which runs from the lakes into the swamp, called Bayou Bienvenu. On the 23d, certain information of this having reach- ed Jackson, he determined to attack them that night. About 3,000 of the ene- my had landed, and they were constantly receiving reinforcements ; Jackson accordingly marched out of the city and reached the enemy's bivouack at dusk. He immediately attacked them, and after several hours of hard fighting, drove them from their position, and forced them farther down ihe river. It became impossible however to act with advantage in the darkness, and he was compel- led to retire some distance and await the morning. To this prompt night at- tack, however, may be attributed the safety of New Orleans. Had the enemy not been awed by such a spirited reception, which they least of all expected, they would upon the next day have marched upon the city with an overwhelm- ing force ; and without the advantage of the fortifications which its defenders now acquired time to erect. New Orleans must have fallen. We cannot enter into a detail of the operations at New Orleans between the 23d December and the 8th of January ; but we will endeavor to present the reader with as clear a compend as is in our power. New Orleans is situated on a narrow strip of land, over one hundred miles in length, fronting on the Mississippi river and backed by an interminable Avooded swamp. This strip at the point where the British had landed, is not over four hundred yards in width. On the morning of the 24th, Jackson, learning that the British force had increased so as far to outnumber him, resolved to throw a breastwork across the narrowest part of the dry ground, and thus act on the defensive. A canal which had been already cut from the swamp to the river, favored the idea, and he accordingly commenced the arduous undertaking. The British remained quietly in their encampment for several days, allowing him what he most desired, time to complete this breastwork. On the 28th, they made an unsuccessful attack upon the fortifications, and another upon the 1st of Janua- ry, in which they were also repulsed. The 8th of January, however, was fixed upon for the decisive movement. Accordingly on the morning of the 8th, the signals, intended for attack, were descried in the enemy's lines, and shortly af- terwards, the whole British force were seen advancing toward the breastwork. They were received with a thick volley of musketry and artillery. Hundreds fell at each discharge from the American lines. They wavered, retreated, were rallied and advanced again — and again were they shot down in whole 13 columns, by the unen-ing bullets of the riflemen. Their General, Sir Edward Packenlian i fell at the head of his troops, and several other officei'S of distinc- tion were also killed while attempting to rally their men. It was in vain to urge ther. i on in the face of death — nearly three thousand of their comrades had aire ady fallen, — and at length. Gen. Keane gave the order to retreat. Had* the troops under Jackson been armed and equipped for pursuit, the wholo! British army of 10,000 men might have been captured on that day. Jack son, however, knowing the weakness of his soldiers in this respect, wisely forb ade pursuit and the enemy were permitted to escape. They re-embarked on the 18th of January. After the battle of the 8th, General Jackson remained at New Orleans until the news arrived of peace with England, when he retired once more to his peaceful abode of the " Hermitage." Here he remained for the space of two years indulging in rural pleasures and amusements, at the end of which time he was once more called out in the service of his country. His Services in Florida. Florida was still in the hands of the Spaniards ; and for some time after the battle of New Oi'leans, hostile incursions were made upon the frontier settle- ments of the United States, by bands of Seminoles, Creeks, and runaway ne- groes, who found a fit asylum in this neutral territory. The government of the United States, therefore, in December, 1819, ordered Jackson to this place, with a sufficient force to suppress these incursions, giving him leave, if necessa- ry, to cross the Spanish line and punish the savages wherever he might find them. He accordingly repaired ^o the scene of action, and after having routed the Indians in several engagements, and executed two British subjects whom he found acting as instigators to the hostile savages, he put a speedy termina- tion to the campaign, and was about to return to Nashville when he ascertained that Callava, the Governor of Pensacola, had been aflTording protection to the enemy; he, therefore, at the head of 1200 men marrched against this place and f ccupied it with United States soldiers. For these acts he was attacked by some of the journals of the country, and for the purpose of fully explaining his transactions in person, he repaired to Washington, and thence to Philadel- phia, Baltimore and New York, in all of which places he was received with marks of the highest distinction. In 1821, Jackson was again called upon to serve his country in the capacity of Commissioner and Governor of the Floridas, which provinces were at this period ceded to the United States. In July he reached the scene of his ad- ministration and after several vigorous measures by which he properly organ- ized the territory of Florida, he returned to Nashville in the month of October. Gen. Jackson as President of the United States, In 1824, General Jackson was nominated for the Presidency, but in conse- quence of the number of candidates — four — no election was effi^cted by the people ; and the choice reverting to the House of Representatives, the selec- tion fell upon John duincy Adams. In 1828, General Jackson was again placed in nomination, and was elected to the Chief Magistracy of the repub- lic, which he held for the double term of eight years. The following notice of his Administi-ation, and of the close of his life, is from the funeral Oration of Hon. George Bancroft. From his home in Tennessee, Jackson came to the Presidency resolved to lift American legislation out of the forms of English legislation, and to place ^' 14 our laws on the currency in harmony with the principles of gc .. He came to the Presidency of the United States, resolved to deli Gov- ernment from the Bank of the United States,, and to restore the n of exchanges to the rightful depository of that power — the commerce n- try. He had designed to declare his views on this subject in his in dress, but was persuaded to relinquish that purpose, on the ground longed rather to a legislative message. When the period for address gress drew near, it was still urged, that to attack the bank would foi popularity and secure his future defeat. " It is not," he answered, "It. for myself that I care." It was urged that haste was unnecessary, as the be had still six unexpended years of chartered existence. "I may die," he re plied, " before another Congress comes together, and I could not rest quietly in my grave, if I failed to do what I hold so essential to the liberty of my coun- try." And his first annual message announced to the country that the bank was neither constitutional nor expedient. In this he was in advance of the friends about him, in advance of Congress, and in advance of his party. This is no time for the analysis of measures or the discussion of questions of politi- cal economy : on the present occasion, we have to contemplate the character of the man. Never, from the first moment of his administration to the last, was there a calm in the strife of parties on the subject of the currency ; and never, during the whole period, did he recede or falter. Always in advance of his party — always having near him friends who cowered before the hardihood of courage — he himself, throughout all the contest, was unmoved, from the first suggest- ion of the unconstitutionality of the bank to the moment when he himself, first of all, reasoning from the certain tendency of its policy, with singular sagacity predicted to unbelieving friends the coming insolvency of the institution. The storm throughout the country rose with unexampled vehemence ; his opponents were not satisfiied with addressing the public, or Congress, or his cabinet; these threw their whole force personally on him. From all parts men pressed around him, urging him, entreating him to bend. Congress was flexible : many of his personal friends faltered ; the impetuous swelling wave rolled on, without one sufficient obstacle, till it reached his presence ; but, as it dashed in its highest fury at its feet, it broke before his firmness. The com- manding majesty of his will appalled his opponents and revived his friends. He, himself, had a proud consciousness that his will was indomitable. Stand- ing over the rocks of the Rip Raps, and looking out upon the ocean, " Provi- dence," said he to a friend, ** Providence may change my determination ; but man no more can do it, than lie can remove these Rip Raps, which have re- sisted the rolling ocean from the begining of time." And though a panic was spreading through the land, and the whole credit system, as it then existed, was crumbling to pieces, and crushing around him, he stood erect, like a massive column, which the heaps of falling ruins could not break, nor bend, nor sway from its fixed foundation. The Close of Ins Life. Behold the warrior and statesman, his work well done, retired to the Her- mitage, to hold converse with his forests ; to cultivate his farm, to gather around him hospitably his friends ! Who was like him ? He was still the load-star of the American peo|)le. His fervid thoughts, frankly uttered, still sjn-ead the flame of patriotism through the American breast ; his counsels were still listen- ed to with reverence ; and, almost alone among statesmen, he in his retirement was in harmony with every onward movement of iiis time. » * * 15 Age had v/bitened his locks, and dimmed his eye, and spread around him the infirmities a^nd venerable emblems of many years of toilsome service ; but his heart beat as warmly as in his youth, and his courage was as firm as it had c ir been in the day of battle. But while his affections were still for his friends arid his country, his thoughts were already in a better world. That ex- alted mind, which in active life had always had unity of perception, and will, which in action had never faltered from doubt, and which in council had always revert ed to first principles and general laws, now gave itself up to communing with the Infinite. He w^as a Believer : from feeling, from experience, from* conviction. Not a shadow of scepticism ever dimmed the lustre of his mirJd. Proud Philosopher ! will you smile to know that Andrew Jackson pe- r'Jsed reverently his Psalter, and Prayei'«book, and Bible ? Know that An- drew Jackson had faith in the eternity of truth, in the imperishable power of, popular freedom, in the destinies of humanity, in the virtues and capacity of the people, in his country's institutions, in the being and overruling providence of a merciful and ever-living God. The last moment of his life is at hand. It is the Sabhath of the Lord ; the brightness and beauty of susnmer clothe the fields around him : nature is in her glory ; but the sublimest spectacle on that day, on earth, was the victory of his unblenching spirit over death itself. When he first felt the hand of death upon him, ''May my enemies," he cried, "find peace ; may the liberties of my country endure forever. When his exhausted system under the excess of pain, sunk, for a mo- ment, from debility, " Do not weep," said he to his adopted daughter, '• my sufferings are less than those of Christ upon the cross ;" for he, too, as a disciple of the cross, could have devoted himself, in sorrow, for mankind, Feeling his end near, he would see all his family once more ; and he spoke to them , one by one, in words of tenderness and affection. Flis two little grand-children were absent at Sunday school. He asked for them ; and as they came, he prayed for them, and kissed them, and blessed them. His servants were then admitted : they gathered, some in his room, and some on the outside of the house, clinging to the windows that they might see and hear. And that dying man, thus surrounded, in a gush of fervid eloquence, spoke with inspiration of God, of the Redeemer, of salvation through the atonement, of immortality, of heaven. For he ever thought that pure and undefiled religion was the foundation of private happiness, and (he bulwark of republican institutions. Having spoken of immortality in perfect con- sciousness of his own approaching end, he bade them all farewell. " Dear children," such were his final words, " dear children, servants, and friends, I trust to meet you all in heaven, both white and black — all, both white and black." And having borne his testimony to immortality, he bowed his mighty head, and without a groan, the spirit of the greatest man of his age escaped to the bosom of his God. \ His Death and Burial. The following account of the death and burial of Gen. Jackson is from the pen of one of his neighbors — His death took place on Sunday evening June 8th about 6 o'ctock. He was fully prepared and resigned to the great change, having within him a peace above all earthly dignities, a still and quiet conscience. For many weeks past, he was aware of his approaching dissolution, and conversed calmly and collectedly upon the subject. The evening before his death he. was occupied in writing letters to one or two of his oldest and dearest 16 friends. He failed gradually, still retaining full and entire of his senses up to the very last moment, meeting death as becam f his firmness and integrity of character. A privilege that is, in> w d few of us. '^^ As nearly as I could calculate the number of persons present a '1, I should suppose that they amounted to about six thousand. T> Edgar, of Nashville, preached the funeral sermon from the porch of the coffin containing the body having been brought in sight of the peo^ Edgar (although Avarmly opposed to him in politics) did ample justic- stern integrity of his character ; admited his merit of having been in ah "•uided in his action by the purest dictates of his conscience, and spoke oi patriotic devotion to his country, his untiring perseverance in Avhatever . considered to be the line of his duty, his humility as a Christian, and the grcai importance he attached to an interest in the divine promises. He had made a friend of his God, whose favor was his life, whose loving kindness was to him even better than life. It was, indeed, a moving sight to witness so many aged men dissolved in tears as the reverend gentleman touched upon the many vir- tues of the departed, his valor as a warrior, his consideration for his soldiers, his unceasing affection for the wife of his bosom, who seventeen years ago, had preceded him to the tomb ; and the counsels that he had in the last hours of his life, bestowed upon all who were dear to him, even to the aged negroes who had grown gray in his service. Now, when " all his glories, honors, con- quests are shrunk to this little measure," how vain seem the pomps and vani- ties of the world, and what a character of insignificance is given to the earthly passions and projects that agitate our hearts ; how impressively do we feel the solemn mockery that the King of Terrors casts upon all the struggllngs and as- pirations of mortality. It is a consolation to the numerous friends who were devotedly attached to him, to think that he is now mingling with ihe departed spirits of the just made perfect, and that from the mansions of eternal bliss, he still beholds with rapture, and watches over with a pure saisfaction the growing prosperty of the country which he loved with a parent's fondness and a pa- rent's exultation. The cofhn was of mahogany, covered, as nearly as I could discern, with black cloth, that was enclosed in lead, and the whole re-inclosed in a case of black walnut. He was carried to the grave from the house by soldiers who had fought under his barmer, and what was mortal of him was committed to the silent tomb, (about 12 1-2 P. M.)— That tomb that was prepared for him by his own desire, where his ashes now repose side by side with his beloved con- sort. R B 9. 3. .M^ '^^ "t 4 O ' Q^ * tC<\ Sr /A „ ri» ■ ' « ^ '^O <<*► c ° " " * <«*>. .n ^