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UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS 
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SPEECH 
 
 / 
 
 MR. DUNCAN, OF OHIO, 
 
 ON THE 
 
 ILL TO AUTHORIZE THE ISSUE OF TREASURY ROTES 
 
 DELIVERKD 
 
 IN COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE. 
 
 HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, MARCH 26, 1840, 
 
 WASHINGTON: 
 
 PRINTED AT THE GLOBE OFFICE. 
 
 1840 
 
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 SPEECH. 
 
 In the Howe of Repeesentalives , March 26, 1840 — In 
 Commit ee of the Whole, on the bill to authorize 
 the issue of Treasury notes. 
 
 Mr. Chairman : It ^as my intention to have 
 let the Opposition do all the talking on this mea- 
 sure, but such has been the spread of misrepresen- 
 tation of tacts, prejudicial to the Administration 
 and all its measures, for political effect, that it be- 
 comes my duty, in justice to myself, to make a few 
 remarks, by way of defence. When the Adminis- 
 tra'ion is broadly and unqualifiedly denounced in 
 every Ftderal Whig speech made here, as the most 
 corrupt of corruptions, and all its measures as lead- 
 ing to the overthrow of this Government and the 
 destruction of the people’s be t interests, it becomes 
 a duty — which every member here owes to himself, 
 who is a supporter of the Administration and its 
 measures and piinciples — to repel such charges. 
 It is in the exercue of this duty I will ask your at- 
 tention for a short time, as well as to discharge an 
 obligation I feel myself under to the Administration. 
 
 The bill now under consideration is one for the 
 relief of the Government. Its very title and the 
 necessity of its existence ought to rally every pa- 
 triot to its support. What has superinduced its ne- 
 cessity? I answer, the unhappy connection of the 
 Government with the banks. In May, 1837, the 
 banks s'opped payment with upwards of thirty mil- 
 lions of the public revenue in their possession, and 
 left the Government without a dollar to perfom its 
 fiscal operations. As a matter of necessity the Pre- 
 sident called Congress for the purpose of devising 
 ways and means by which the wheels of Govern- 
 ment might continue to roll. Congress met. 
 What was to be done? The banks set the Go- 
 vernment and all its laws at defiance. The Go- 
 vernment held bonds against our importing mer- 
 chants to the amount of fourteen millions; but no 
 relief was found in this resource, for the banks 
 owned the merchants. I say, what was to be done? 
 Nothing but to use the credit of the Government. 
 How was that to be used? But two plans pre- 
 sented themselves. The one was the issue of 
 Treasury no:es to the amount of the wants cf 
 the Government, or to apply to the moneyed 
 aristocracy of Europe for a loan. The former 
 was adopted — the entire Democracy voting for 
 and Sustaining it against the entire Federal par- 
 ty, who were in favor of the latter. 
 
 The act then passed to authorize the issue 
 of Treasury notes, has once or twice been 
 renewed since, from the same necessity, and that 
 is the object of the present bill. I herewith 
 submit an extract from the Treasurer’s report, 
 which will illustrate. ‘The Treasurer savs: 
 
 Thus, as to a permanent deficiency in 184P, the Secretary 
 says: 
 
 “I he efficient means in that year will then amount, in the ag- 
 gregate, to - - - - - $20,156,385 
 
 If Congress should make appropriations to the extent 
 desired by the different Departments, the expendi- 
 tures for 1840, independent of the redemption of 
 Treasury notes, are estimated at - - 20,000,000 
 
 Including all the Treasury notes to be redeemed, the 
 aggregate expenditure would be about - 22,750,000 
 
 This would leave a deficit in the Treasury, at the 
 close of the year, amounting to - - 2.593,315 
 
 He then adds, that certain debts are due from the State banka 
 and the United States Bank, which, if paid duly, will prevent a. 
 deficit; hut that it is not prudent to rely exclusively on the pay- 
 ment of those debts, and hence that other modes of obviating oir 
 meeting it are proper. Thus he states: 
 
 But there will be due from the United States Bank, in Septem- 
 ber next, on its fourth bond, about - - $2, 526,575- 
 
 The principal now due on the Treasurer’s depositea 
 in other banks, which suspended specie payments 
 in 1837, is ..... l,149,904r 
 
 Should all these claims be collected in 1840, they 
 would prevent a deficiency, and leave an available 
 balance in the Treasury of nearly - - $1,082,865- 
 
 It is not, however, considered prudent to reply exclusively on. 
 the collection of these debts. 
 
 One mode, then, of obviating any difficulty from that circum- 
 stance, will be to reduce the aggregate of law appropriations, 
 by postponing some, and lessening others, so that the means 
 probably available will be sufficient to meet all calls upon the 
 Treasury, and leave in it an average balance of about two mil- 
 lions.” 
 
 He then adds, afterwards: 
 
 1 ‘ But, when acting on these or other cases, if Congress can- 
 not, consistently with its views of duty to the countiy, adopt 
 the course suggested, and restrict the amount of appropria- 
 tions, whether ordinary or extraordinary, to the certain current- 
 revenue, the only remaining courses which seem defensible- 
 are these; either to provide for recalling poitions of the public- 
 money now deposited with States, or establish an adequate 
 system of direct taxation, or at once resort to the contingent 
 power contemplated in the existing laws connerning the tariff, 
 when changes become necessary for purposes of revenue, and 
 restore the duty on several articles of luxury now free.” 
 
 Thus the Secretary urges action on it in the first 
 half of the year, and assigns his reasons for it: 
 
 “All these, and similar considerations in favor of some per- 
 manent provision on this subject, apply with still greater forae 
 than they have heretofore. The available balance in the Trea- 
 sury, to facilitate its operations, is much smaller than has for- 
 merly been usual. The receipts on the debts still due from, 
 banks, after two previous disappointments as to some of them, 
 must be regarded with increased doubt; and if they should ba 
 paid within the coining year, the outstanding Treasury notes 
 become redeemable in the first half of it, and must be discharged 
 some months before the bond of the Bank of the Uhited State* 
 falls due in September.” 
 
 
In conclusion, he adds: 
 
 “The Department, therefore, is now without any resort, tem 
 porary orpermanent, incase of niaierial deficiencies, and con- 
 eidering all the circumstances before mentioned, with the dan- 
 gerous liability in law to have the whole outstanding Treasury 
 notes paid in at any moment for public dues, without a power 
 remaining to issue others in their stead; considering also the 
 present revulsion in the commercial world, which affects so 
 seriously the receipts from both duties and lands; considering 
 the disasters which are befalling the banks, and rendering our 
 collected funds in some cases wholly unavailable, and the ad- 
 vances necessary to be soon made for the large pay ment of pen- 
 sions, and Treasury notes falling due in March, the earliest at- 
 tention to new legislation on this subject seems highly pru- 
 dent, if not indispensable, for the effectual security of the public 
 credit.” 
 
 But, sir, notwithstanding this plain, honest, and 
 unsophisticated s'atement of the finances of the Go- 
 vernment and the necessity of this measure, which 
 is a part of the Secretary’s ieptrl, and plainly 
 hinted at in the President’s! message, the Presi- 
 dent and the Secretary have been charged, in the 
 face of these facts, with attempting to sull and 
 deceive the peop’e by withholding, in the mes- 
 sage and leport, the real state of the finances. Whai 
 is there too reckless for these modern Whigs to do? 
 Sir, I have presented ihe expose of ihe Secretary 
 «f the Treasury. It is sufficient for my pur- 
 pose to show ihe necessity of ihe issue of ihe 
 amount of Treasury notes for which it provides. 
 An intelligent community will appreciate ihe im 
 portance and necessity of the measure, li has 
 been objected to on constitutional grounds. This 
 objection I will leave to ihose who assume to them- 
 selves the peculiar and exclusive guardianship ot 
 Ihe Constitution — to those whose political monoma- 
 nia is so well understood, that the Constitution has 
 as littie to fear from them as the community has to 
 fear from the prophetic p'edic ions of the lunatic 
 pining in the last stages of refined metaphysical 
 abstraction. 
 
 This bill has been in CommiMee of the Whole 
 House for nearly two weeks. The chairman of 
 the Committee of Ways and Means, at its intro 
 duction, made a short explanatory speech. Another 
 of the committee [Mr. Vanderf el] made a short 
 speech of the same character. These are all the 
 Democratic speeches that have been made in its 
 behalf. The balance of the whole time has been 
 consumed by the Whigs. 
 
 In the discussion, every measure of the Adminis- 
 trat on has been se zed on and made the subject 
 of unmeasurtd abuse; to ad of which I will not now 
 attempt to respond. I will wait for the action of 
 the House upon another measure shortly to be be- 
 fo e it, (I mean the Independent Treasury;) and I 
 will n< w confine my remarks to the subject of the 
 Florida war. 
 
 In the remarks which I am about to make, I 
 may use language which may be considered un- 
 becoming this place; if so, it must be charged to 
 the unlimited abuse and reckless denunciations 
 which we hear everyday and every hour from the 
 Opposit on, and which we, the Adminbtration, 
 and the whole Democratic party, are the subjecis 
 of; and this is alt the apology I have to make. 
 
 But to the Florida war. 
 
 Mr. Chairman, I take it for granted that an at- 
 tempt will be made to convert every measure o- 
 the Administration, now before the country, of s 
 general character, as well as tho=e of a special ra 
 *ure, more immediately connected with the Adnai- 
 
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 £ tr.% 
 
 nistration of the Government* into political capital.. 
 This, the Opposition have a political right to do. 
 I suppose if I were a Federalist, and as hard run 
 as they are, I would do so too. At a time when 
 the financial circumstances of Sparta were greatly 
 embarrai-sed, a person offered Callicia’idas (her 
 principal commander) 50,000 crowns, undr such 
 circumstances as Callrcraiidas thought dishonora- 
 ble to Sparta, and he refused to accept it; upon 
 which Oleander, one of his officers, said, “I 
 would accept the offer if I were in your 
 place;” ‘and so would I if I were in 
 yours,” said Callicratidas. I suppose if I pos- 
 sessed the same principles that govern them, I 
 would take the same means which they do to carry 
 them our. If the Federalism have a political right 
 to 'hwart the Administration in all i s measures, 
 right or wrong, and to use all means, fair and foul, 
 to bring it into disrepute with the people at home, 
 and dishonor and disgrace abroad, such a right- 
 is not exercised in patriotism, nor is it founded in 
 honor or justice; and while they are exercising, in 
 base and unmanly abme, a privilege which finds 
 a political right in the free institutions of our coun- 
 try, rather than in ihe pure principles of justice or 
 manly and honorable resistance, I hold the friends 
 of ibis Administration will find an apology with 
 the people who support it, in using a part of their 
 lime and means in repelling the charges which con- 
 stitute the political capital of the Opposition. 
 Among the many measures furnishing charges 
 (as is pretended) of corruption and profli- 
 gacy against the Administration, none seems to 
 be mo;e fruitful than the Florida war. Every Whig 
 in the country, however unacquainted he may be 
 with the Florida war, its causes, its progress, the 
 difficulties attending its management, or ihe means 
 the Administration have or have not had to termi- 
 nate it, takes the cue from this Capitol, and yelps 
 extravagance, disgrace, imbecility, and profligacy. 
 Yes, s r, the veiiest coxcomb that ever strutted in 
 buckram, or represented the brainless dandy, who 
 never heard a musket shot, or saw an Indian, can 
 chatter the failures of the Florida war, and pro- 
 nounce sentence upon the Admirfstration and the 
 War Department, with all the permess of a well 
 taught parrot; and from th s Capitol proceeds their 
 lessson. 
 
 Well, sir, while the Opposition are denouncing 
 the Administration in broad and unqualified terms, 
 without defining causes, or giving reason* for the 
 procrastination of the war, for the benefit, of those 
 who may read m°, I will ask your attention a short 
 time, while I briefly trace some of 1 ihe difficulties 
 which the Administration have had to enc >un!er in 
 FI oiid a. 
 
 Fiorida is sitaated between the 25th and 31st de- 
 grees of north latitude. It is bounded on the south 
 and west in its whole extent by the Gulf of Mexico, 
 and on the east by the Atlantic ocean, in its whole 
 extent on that side. It is near lour hundred miles 
 in length, and its average breadth is near 
 one hundred and fifty miles. It presents a 
 surface nearly level, made up of everglades, 
 lakes, swamps, barren pine lands, and hammocks, 
 with some good and well s tuate 1 land; of each of 
 ihese varieties neatly an equal quantity. The 
 swamps are almost impassable, and the hammocks 
 
almost impenetrable to any human being, except 
 an Indian. 
 
 Within the half century of the time when 
 all Europe was waked up by the discovery of 
 the New World, and when men dr.-amed of no- 
 thing but carving out provinces by the sword, of 
 dividing the spoils of empires, plundering temples 
 of their riches, riding upon the bilows with loads 
 of enslaved captives, and despoiling nations of their 
 wealth and Governments, or “to plunder the accu- 
 mulated treasures of same ancient Indian dynasty.” 
 I say it was about this time, or in 1512, that Juan 
 Ponce de Leon, an adventurer ofS ain, discovered 
 Florida, and, in the name of Ferdinand, made 
 Spain its owner. Ponce, as a reward for his disco- 
 very, was made its Governor, on condition that he 
 would colonize it. Some tune after this dignity 
 was conferred upon him, he repairel, with two 
 ship loads, to take possession of his new province, 
 and select a site for a colony. He had not more 
 than landed, when his crew were attacked by the 
 Florida Indians, many of his men killed, and him- 
 self mortally wounded. He and the remainder of 
 his men hastened to the ships, and sailed to Cuba, 
 where he died of his wounds. 
 
 The next attempt to colonize Florida was made 
 in 1528, by Pamphelo de Navarez. He entered 
 Florida with three hundred men, some of whom 
 were mounted. He was attacked by the Indians, 
 and but five escaped, all the rest of whom fell a 
 sacrifice to the Ind ans, pesti enc?, or famine. The 
 love of discovery, plunder, and wealth, still raged, 
 nor did all these disasters prevent another attempt 
 to seek fortunes in Florida. Ferdinand de Soto, 
 an ambitious courtier, embarked with seven or 
 eight hundred troops (some of whom were mount- 
 ed) and emigrants. No sooner were they landed 
 than the Indians made them a sacrifice to their 
 cunning, by leading them through swamps, ever- 
 glades, and hammocks, scarcely passable or pene- 
 trable, in search of gold, until they were sunk with 
 fatigue, and los'. in the wilderness; but, stimulated 
 ■with prospect*, they were led sti 1 further, until 
 they were beyond the province, and yet no sold; 
 but the Peruvian pro^p cts led them high in the re- 
 gions of the Red river, but famine and pestilence 
 compelled them to retrace their march io the Mis- 
 sissippi, where, when they arrived, scarce one 
 third of their number were alive, and, with some 
 frail and temporary boa's of hasty construction, 
 they reached the Gulf of Mexico, where they ware 
 accidentally picked up, and taken to Cuba. 
 
 Another attempt was made, wih more relig ous 
 solemnity, to settle Florida, in 1547. Through the 
 influence of Philip, then heir apparent to the crown 
 of Spa n, Louis Caneello, a missionary of the Do- 
 minican order, gained permission to visit Florida, 
 and attempt the peaceful and Christian conversion 
 of the natives. All the Governors of the Spanish 
 colonies were directed t> f ivor the undertaking 
 All means that were ca'culat'd »o advance the 
 measure ware advised. The slaves that had been 
 taken nonh of the Gulf of Mexico were manu- 
 mitted and restored lo their country. A ship was 
 fitted out, and the holy crew dismissed with more 
 than usual solemnity; but Louis had no sooner 
 landed, than he and a fellow priest, with several of 
 his crew, were slaughtered. Florida was aban- 
 
 JtZ . 
 
 doned. It seemed as if Death made the avenues 
 of Florida his abode, and guarded its shores. 
 While Victory perched upon the Castilian stan- 
 dard every where else, the sands of Florida were 
 perpetually wet with Spanish blood. 
 
 The French turned their attention to Florida, and 
 planted a colony, by a commission from Charles 
 IX. The squadron which bore them was com- 
 manded by John Rebault, a brave man, of mari- 
 time experience. They were landed, but re- 
 mained but a short time, and, in their re re at, 
 came near famishing on the ocean. After the 
 treacherous peace between Charles IX. and 
 the Huguenots, Coligny pushed his solicitations 
 for the colonization of Florida. Tne king gave his 
 con-ent; thre j ships were conceded for the service, 
 and Laudon' iery, who had been on a former voy- 
 age on the American coast, was appointed to lead 
 forth the colony. Sixty days of favorable wind 
 landed them on the shores of Florida. The bene- 
 fits of the new colony of Huguenots was enjoyed but 
 a short time, when the jealousy of Spain was 
 aroused. Melendez was appointed and commis- 
 sioned by Philip If, king of Spain, to invade Flo- 
 rida, and dispossess the Huguenots — and himself 
 made Governor of the terruory. He was accord- 
 ingly fitted out wi h the’ requisite force, munitions 
 and supplies. A tempestuous voyage landed him, 
 with most of his forcss, at the harbor of St. Augus- 
 tine. So m the Huguenots were attacked and mas- 
 sacred in a manner of which I shall not now shock 
 humanity with a description, but which, for barba- 
 rity and cold blooded inhumanity, has not its paral- 
 lel in the annals of savage or civilized warfaie, ex- 
 cept in the heart-sickening rcenes of blood and in- 
 d scrimmate slaughter which have marked the Flo- 
 rida war. This last invasion secured Spain in the 
 possession of Florida, and her blood-stained 
 troops, who intermarried with the natives, be- 
 came her occupants. Their blood now flows in 
 the veins of those with wh n m we were bat- 
 tling. The French court paid but little attention 
 to that brutal and inhuman slaughter of the Hugue- 
 nots. But the French nation and the Huguenots of 
 France did not share in the apathy of the court. 
 Dominic de Gourgues, a bold solder of Gasconv, by 
 his own means and some contributions of his 
 friends, filed out. three vessels, and with a force of 
 one hundted and fifty, sailed for Florida. He did 
 not expect with this force to occupy <he country 
 permanently; his object was revenge. He surprised 
 two forts and took a number of prisoners, but find- 
 ing himself unable to maint iin his position, he hung 
 his prisoners upon the trees and placed over them 
 the inscription: “I do net this as unto Spaniards 
 and manners, but as unto traitors, robbers 
 and murderers;” and hastily sailed for Europe. 
 Some short time before the commence- 
 ment of the Revolutionary war, an Eng- 
 lishman by the name of Turnbull brought a 
 vessel loaded with Greeks to Flor da, under a pro- 
 mise that they should be provided with a home, but 
 who, as soon as landed, were reduced to slaverv, 
 and consigned to the sugar farms. A part of them 
 made their escape into the interior, and found a 
 safe retreat among the Indians, with whom they 
 intermarried. A part of them were restored to 
 liberty by the interference of Pilican, whose name 
 
iV 
 
 a creek now on the Atlantic side of Florida bears. 
 Florida has Ion?; been the retreat and asylum of 
 negro slaves; they have long found protection by 
 the Indians, with whom they intermarry, and their 
 offspring now make a part of the savages of that 
 Territory. 
 
 Spain, it is well known, was largely indebted to 
 the United States for spoliations committed upon 
 American commerce. Our claims were liquidated 
 by a cession of Florida, by what is known to be 
 the Spanish treaty, signed and conhrmed July 
 10th, 1821, which is recognised substantially as 
 follows: 
 
 “Whereas, by the treaty concluded between the United States 
 and Spain on the 22d day of February, 1819, and duly ratified, 
 the provinces of the Floridas were ceded by Spain to the United 
 States, and the possession of the said provinces is now in the 
 United States.” 
 
 By this treaty, I say, Florida became a Territory of 
 the United S ates; and by the provisions of ihe treaty 
 the Federal Government was, and is, the exclu- 
 sive owner of the soil, and holds the same in fee 
 simp'e, except such portions as were owned and 
 occupied by citizens, pursuing civibzed cultivation; 
 and they, by that treaty, became citizens of the 
 United States, and were bound and protected by their 
 laws. The kingdom of Spain had a right to occu- 
 py Florida by the laws of nations- and, having the 
 right to occupy, had the right to convey, and did 
 convey. The United States, by the la ws of na- 
 tions, had the right to purcha-e, and did purchase 
 The conveyance was full and unconditional, as 
 appears by ihe whole treaty, and every part thereof; 
 in consequence of which the United States forth- 
 with extended her jurisdiction over the whole terri- 
 tory. But it is said and asserted by the Indians 
 that the Spanish agent assured them, through their 
 chiefs, that it was not the intention of the Spanish 
 Government to cede any portion of Florida to the 
 United States, except what was then occupied by 
 those puuuing the occupations of civilized life, nor 
 one ac e “ on this side ” of the furrow of the p’ough 
 share. Such an exception may have been made 
 with the Indians ; if so, it was a fraud prac- 
 tised on them by the Spaniards, or their agent; 
 but, as they were no parly to the contract, and the 
 United S ates having had no patt in the promised 
 reservation, consequently their right to the exclu- 
 sive jurisdiction to ihe whole territory and their 
 freehold in the soil is absolute. 
 
 But the right of ihe United States to the freehold 
 of Florida does not depend upon the cession of 
 Spain, the right of occupancy by conquest, nor the 
 arbi rary laws of nations. The Federal Govern- 
 ment pu chased from ihe Florida Indans, in 1823, 
 upwards of three millions of acres, for which the 
 sum of one hundred and six thousand dollars wa? 
 paid; and in 1834, four million thirty-two thou- 
 sand six hundred and forty acres, for which the sum 
 of two hundred and ninety-five thousand five hun- 
 dred dollars was paid. 
 
 The possession of the United States to the terri- 
 tory, and jurisdiction over it, seemed to be undis- 
 puted until 1835, when the supposed claims of the 
 Indian? were asserted by some of those barbarous 
 outrages and cold-blooded murders which have sig- 
 nalized the Florida war from its beginning to this 
 lime. 
 
 Now, sir, I am prepared to respond to some of 
 
 the charges made against the Administi ation, and 
 particularly against the War Department, for the 
 manner in which this war has been conducted, its 
 procrastination, the millions it has cost the Govern- 
 ment, and the alleged imbecility of some of the of- 
 ficers who have had charge of it. I have before 
 stated, and I now say, that all these charges are 
 made for political effect — made t > blast the reputa- 
 tion of the Administration, to sink the cau e of De- 
 mocracy, and advance the Federal came; and in 
 character and concert with the never-ceasing 
 torrent of slander and reckless abuse which has 
 been poured upon every Democratic Administration, 
 from the days of Jefferson to this time, and will be 
 continued, while the Democracy sways the Go- 
 vernment. I mean what I say, and I say what I 
 mean. I will now ask your attention, while I pre- 
 sent the history and practical operations of the 
 Florida war ; the nature of the country, which 
 is its theatre; the character of the enemy with 
 whom we are contending, and the embarrassments 
 under which the Executive and the War Depart- 
 ment have had to labor. 
 
 I have stated that the Florida war broke out’ 
 late in 1835. It will be remembered, at that time 
 we were threatened with a war with France. The 
 time had arrived when our claims upon France 
 for spoliations could no longer be deferred, without 
 subjecting ourselves to the charge of national de- 
 gradation and submissive cowardice. General 
 Jacki-on, who then administered the Government, 
 was compelled, in his message c-n that subject, to 
 recommend reprisals on French vessels and French 
 property, as the only means of redress left. This 
 was a virtual declaration of war; a reciprocal 
 declaration of war on the part of France, or a 
 liquidation of our c’aims, was the only aiterna- 
 tive left her. To her national honor, and the ! 
 cause of justice, she chose and fulfilled the 
 latter; but while she was contemplating the 
 course she should take, war hung over 
 our heads, and at the same time the Indian: 
 war was laging in Florida. The Administra- 
 tion was denounced from Maine to Florida by 
 every corrupt Federal sheet and every Federal 
 strut in the land, for not subduing the enemy in 
 Florida, and for not defending the poor Floridians 
 from the merciless tomahawk and th? torch of 
 the Indian — when it was well known by every 
 intelligent man in the Union, and acknowledged 
 by every honest one, that the safety and the inte- 
 rest of the nation demanded that the whole 
 force of the American troops should be kept on 
 t’ e seaboard so long as the French war threa- 
 tened us. What was the trving situation of the 
 Administration then, sir? While every Federal 
 demagogue and every bank pensioned sheet was 
 denouncing it for not sending troops to Florida, 5 he 
 safety and dignity of the nation forbade it. The 
 candid, though honest, acknowledgment o^its ina- 
 bility to do so, was prevented by a laudable and 
 necessary national pride; and the Administration 
 was prohibited the exercise of a just and what 
 would have been a triumphant defence against the 
 vile calumnies of the times; for, had the Admi- 
 nistration, or its supporters, acknowledged i>s ina- 
 bility to withdraw troops from the seaboard to de- 
 fend our frontier from the barbarity of the In- 
 
■<* t> 
 
 2 
 
 dians, it would have been a virtual acknowledgment 
 of our inability to contend with France in the 
 war in wh ch we were about to embark, and which 
 we ourselves had virtually declared; and France 
 would not have failed to have taken advantage of 
 our acknowledged weakness. Sir, I say if such 
 an acknowledgment had been made by the Admi- 
 nistration, our claims on France (would be now 
 unliquidated, and we would, at this day, in all pro- 
 bability, be in the midst of a war with her. But an 
 acknowledgment, which was due in justice to the 
 Administradon. 
 
 Our Government is one of limited pow- 
 ers. The Executive of our Government is an 
 officer, bound by limitations. He is not a Rus- 
 sian autocrat, with a standing army of six hundred 
 thousand regular troops, and with power to older 
 as many more, and with power to raise the means 
 to maintain them. No, sir, our Constitution pro- 
 vides “that the President be Commander-in-Chief 
 of the army and navy of the United States, and of 
 the militia of the several States, when called into 
 the actual service of the United States.” The 
 power to declare war, raise armies, and to maintain 
 them, belongs to Congress, and net to the Presi- 
 dent. So far as legislation is concerned, the Pre- 
 sident is but a co-ordinate b anch of Congress, and 
 his positive powers are confined to the signing of 
 bills which may pass the Senate and House of 
 Represen'atives — his negative powers consist in 
 withholding his signature, and that power avai’s 
 him nothing should a bill pass both popular 
 branches of Congress by a vote of two-thirds of 
 each branch. This is the amount of power the 
 President has in raising and maintaining armies. 
 What w?s the Administration to do at the lime I 
 am speaking? Threatened with war by France; 
 actually involved in war in Florida, and the un- 
 stoyed tomahawk performing, in savage barbarity, 
 the work of death; beset with slander and falsehood 
 by every unprincipled, corrupt newspaper sheet, 
 and every unprincipled Federal coxcomb dema- 
 gogue in >he land; without the power to preserve 
 the country, or rtsist the enemy; and without the 
 power (in prudent exercise) of justifying itself 
 against the ba r e slanders heap-d upon it, by de- 
 claring its want of ability; what, I ask, was the Ex- 
 ecutive to do? Why. there was but one duty for 
 him to perform; but one power for him 10 exercise; 
 and that duty and that power was prescribed by the 
 Constitution, as follows: 
 
 He (the President) shall, from time to time, give to the Con- 
 gress information of the state of the Union, and recommend to 
 their consideration such measures as he shall judge necessary 
 and expedient. 
 
 This duty and this power was exercised. The 
 Executive, through the Secretary cf War, early in 
 1835 made a communication to the Senate, in which 
 he set forih the embarrassments of the country, 
 with reference to our foreign dangers, and the war 
 in Florida, and in which he urged upon Congress 
 the importance and indispensable necessity of 
 augmenting the army. This message was referred 
 to the Committee on Military Affairs, of which 
 the honorable R. M. Johnson was chairman. The 
 necessity of the measure was properly appreciated 
 by the committee and the Senate, and a bill to in- 
 crease the army was reported, and passed by the 
 Senate. It went to the House, but did not receive 
 
 its action. The same measure was urged upon 
 Congress by the Executive at its next session; it 
 was again referred to the Committee on Military" 
 Affairs, and a bill to augment the army reported; 
 and passed by the Senate, but failed in the House. 
 Thus was the Executive thwarted in obtaining the 
 means by which the Florida war would, in all pro- 
 bability, have been instantly suppressed, and much 
 innocent blood, and many millions of money been 
 saved; and yet the reckle s and demagogical cry 
 of imbecility and extravagance is raised by one 
 universal Federal yelp against the Administration,, 
 for that which Congress failed to put in its power 
 to do. 
 
 I now proceed to expose the policy pursued ia 
 relation to the Florida war, which will account for 
 the useless expenditure of millions, the procrastina- 
 tion of the war, and the hearisickening shed of 
 blood, human slaughter, and destruction of pro- 
 perty, and a policy, too at war, with every effort of 
 the Executive and the War Department of this 
 Government; an exposition which, I think, the 
 intelligent reader will understand aud appreciate* 
 and will know where, and on whom, to lay the 
 blame of all our failures and misfortunes in the 
 Florida war. 
 
 As soon as our difficulties with France were 
 settled, the United States troops were ordered to 
 Florida, or so many of them as were not necessary 
 to remain with our fortifications. But the number 
 was insufficient. Congress had failed to augment 
 the regular army. No other course was left for 
 the Executive but to make drafts upon the militia 
 for volunteers. This was done at a most frightful 
 expense, and frequently resulted in little more than 
 marching and countermarching — that is, marching to 
 Florida and marching back again, such was the 
 limited time for which they volunteered, and such 
 the distance they had to march. 
 
 I will enumerate some of those marches. 
 
 In January, 1836, when the news of Dade’s mas- 
 sacre reached New Orleans, General Gaines raised 
 a corps of volunteers, and, united with a few regu- 
 lars, marched them from Louisiana to Florida, 
 where they served until the ensuing May, when 
 they were marched back to their homes, and dis- 
 charged. 
 
 In the month of February of that year, two 
 armies of volunteers and militia, between three 
 and four thousand strong, were raised by General 
 Scott, one in South Carolina and Georgia, the 
 other in Alabama, and marched to Florida, where 
 they served about sidy days , and were then marched 
 back and discharged. 
 
 In the month of June following, a brigade of 
 mounted volunteers was organized in Tennessee, 
 and put in march for Florida. It halted a white in. 
 the Creek country, and entered Florida late in Sep- 
 tember, where it served until December, when its 
 term of service expired, and it then took up the line 
 of inarch on its return to Tennessee, in the midst 
 of the campaign then in progress. 
 
 The departure of the Tennessee volunteers for 
 home at a critical period of the campaign, imposed 
 upon the commanding General the necessity of 
 calling upon Georgia and Alabama for another 
 contribution; and accordingly, a corps of volunteers 
 was again organized in each of those States, and 
 
£*.* * • 
 
 ^4 
 
 marched from thence into Florida, where they 
 served about three months , when they likewise com- 
 menced their return march to their homes. 
 
 In the fall of 1837, the Executive made a very 
 energetic effort to close the war during the then ap- 
 proaching winter; and a large force of volunteers 
 was drawn from Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee, 
 Louisiana, and Mississippi, in the hope of effecting 
 that object. They arrived in December, and served 
 through the winter, when they were marched back 
 to their remote homes, and discharged. 
 
 From this brief review, it is seen that as many 
 as five volunteer armies, from first to last, have 
 been raised, organized, and marched from distant 
 parts to Florida, to serve two or three months, and 
 then marched back to their homes. I have no 
 means of knowing the precise number thus mus- 
 tered into service, and then mustered out again, 
 but from what information I have been able to 
 gather, the whole number was not less than twenty 
 thousand, exclusive of the Florida militia who 
 were in the country. 
 
 Now, sir, when we consider that the expenses of 
 militia and volunteers commence under the law, 
 (see act of 20tli April, 1818,) the moment they 
 leave their homes, even while marching to the 
 rendezvous, and continue un'il they are marched 
 back again to the same place, I ask, can there be 
 any wonder with the honest and reflecting mind, 
 that such operations as I have described should 
 have been expensive, more especially when it is 
 considered that scarcely any but mounted volun- 
 teers can be obtained, and these, including their 
 horses and forage, cost, I am informed, near six 
 times as much as regular foot soldiers. 
 
 The commanding general is responsible for the 
 expenses incurred by the operations of the army, 
 after it is placed in the field under his command. 
 The Executive is respons ble tor the judicious ap- 
 plication of the means placed at his disposal by 
 Congress to carry on war. But Congress is clear- 
 ly responsible for the inadequacy or unfitness of 
 those means, and for all the consequences resulting 
 therefrom, especially if the recommendations of the 
 Execu.ive have been disregarded or overruled, as 
 they have been throughout the Florida war. 
 
 If, then, it be true, as I think it is, and as every 
 man will think who will examine the subject, that 
 the heavy expenses of the Florida war have re- 
 sulted chiefly from the employment of volunteers 
 and militia, instead of regular troops, the respon- 
 sibility for those expenses clearly attaches to Con- 
 gress, rather than to the Executive, or to the subor- 
 dinate officers acting under the Executive autho- 
 rity. 
 
 The army was increased in July, 1838, since 
 which, there have been but few volunteers or 
 militia employed, and none drawn from a distance. 
 The consequences have been, that the expenses of 
 the war have been greatly reduced, as an exami- 
 nation will show. The expenses of the last cam- 
 paign have been any thing but extravagaut, the 
 force be ng nearly all regulats. 
 
 Sir, I feel myseT bound here to speak of the ser 
 vices of Colonel T. Cross, who has had charge of 
 the quartermaster department in Florida during 
 the last campaign. That officer has distinguished , 
 
 himself in that capacity as he has in every other 
 official station which he has held under the Govern- 
 ment. It is due to him to say that he has been the 
 pracdcal agent, by which the system of reform, re- 
 gularity and retrenchment, has been adopted in the 
 conduct of the a^my in Florida, by which not less 
 than from two to three hundred thousand dollars have 
 been saved to the Government within the last year. 
 I submit his circular, which I ask may be read, and 
 I regret that its length will preclude its admission 
 in my pr.nted remarks. The plan contained in this 
 circular, was the plan ef the Executive and of the 
 War Department, but he was the active agent who 
 produced its practical results, that have and will 
 save to the Government hundreds of thousanis of 
 dollars. I hope this circular may find i’s way in 
 the columns of every honest newspaper in the coun- 
 try. I think it would have the effect to stop the 
 mouth of many a barking Whig whiffet. It will 
 be seen by this circular, as well as by its results, 
 that every means have been adopted that could be 
 adopted without impairing the efficiency of the ser- 
 vice, to retrench expenditures and secure economy. 
 Sir, it is almost incredible to those unacquainted 
 with the almost entile destitution of resources 
 in Florida, the expenses that lhe Government 
 has had to incur in the conduct of the war. 
 At lhe commencement of the war, and for 
 :ome time thereafter, the Government was 
 compelled to pay for the hire t>f a steamboat, per 
 day, from three’to four hundred dollars — and, I be- 
 lieve, in many instances, defray the expanses of the 
 boat — an i, 1 ihink, in some instances, had to pay 
 as h : gh as forty-five dofars a cord for wood. 
 Steamboats were not used for any other purpose 
 than ihe transportation of troops and munitions of 
 war, and never for that purpose when it could be 
 avoided; still, such were the pressing necessities for 
 a speedy transportation of troops, that such ex- 
 penses had to be incurred, and such means of con- 
 veyance adopted. Provisions, forage, and labor 
 of every description, bore an almost corresponding 
 price. But these, sir, are only some of the diffi- 
 culties and embarrassments with which the Go- 
 vernment have had to contend. I have more and 
 greater to speak of, but I must first respond to 
 some of ihe more special charges made upon the 
 Administration, both in this and the other branch 
 of this Capitol. Emphatic complaints are made of 
 the want of energy in the War Department and it 
 is now urged upon Congress to adopt some deci- 
 sive action to bring this war to a close, and that 
 some more efficient means than that adopted 
 by the Executive should have been adopted by 
 the last Congress. Sir, I will agree that Con- 
 gress, long before this, should have adopted “some 
 more efficient means.” Congress should have, in 
 compliance with the recommendation of the Piesi- 
 dent in 183G, increased the number of the regular 
 army; but it was enough that it was a measure of 
 ihe Administration to enlist the whole Opposiiion 
 against il. But, sir, Congress did do something 
 “ efficient and so efficient as lo thwart the whole 
 operations of ihe War Department; for it is well 
 known that the most active and efficient measures 
 had been adopted and were in operation by the 
 War Depariment, and were in progress of execu- 
 tion in Florida when they were arrested by the ac- 
 
ft.® 
 
 tion of Congress * If Congress had not interfered and 
 directed that renewed efforts to pacify that country 
 and to reconcile the Seminohs, should be made ffe 
 military operations would have been prosecuted 
 with vigor, and in all probability the murders and 
 depredations which were the fruits of that injudi- 
 cious a ten.pt at negotiation, would have been 
 avoided, so that the bloodshed and treachery which 
 is so often charged upon th- War Department 
 were the work, not of that Department, bur .he 
 "Wonr of Congress, or were occasioned by the fact 
 that the attention of those who make these 
 charges were unfortunately “directed” to the war 
 in Florida. Sir, to the constant cry of the Oppo i ion 
 mat this war has continued so long, and that it will 
 still continue unless Congress give it their atten- 
 tion, I would say it Will sill continue, unless 
 Congress cea<e to g lve it their attention, and cease 
 © interfere with the military operations by efforts 
 o make peace, which wi'lever prove abortive A 
 member of the Senate [Mr. Preston] says- “It 
 was thought that the few straggling warriors would 
 yieid at once to the mer e demonstration of force 
 
 Ih^t ! G A^ eralGovemmenr * Under this (tension 
 a e Administration termina'ed, and the present 
 Adm.mstr.tion i„.-> That was not so: whm 
 jj,® If! came in, the commanding 
 
 !d ,h w T d “' e Warl ° be °' er - a " d so inform 
 ed the War Department. Thf commanding gene, 
 ral had good reason to believe so, and was iu-tifi. 
 able in so reporting, as ] wU , show before J j anj 
 
 done But he was s® m undec»i>ej by ose of ho.-e 
 
 &&oVfh re, . Ch ^ y Which distinguished the 
 conduct of the Indians m pi 0 ida throughout the 
 whole progress of this war. Upon t e receipt of ihis 
 
 ■ , preparations upon an extensive scale were im- 
 mediate, y made to renew the contest, with greater 
 «eans and energy than had been before adopted, or 
 -ver exhibited in the watfare of this country. In 
 ■^ort, nothing within the power and means of the 
 
 1 ° r lhe p0Wer of the War Department, 
 fas left undone. And it is said « that the dilatory 
 
 ™ fl ° f ,h0 . war > not sa 7 the disgrace of if, 
 f ,h w 7 10 the ,m potency of the head 
 
 6 n ! ar Department ” Sir, such a charge can 
 nty proceed from a shameful disregard of truth 
 r an unpardonable ignorance of the facts and his- 
 ry of the Florida war on the part of him who 
 lattes it; and nothing but the obligations of order 
 nd dec.irum that govern the conduct of one branch 
 
 S on g m atU [ e towards lhe “ther, prevents me 
 ®” a a, h jdl ug. by name, to the individual who 
 
 Now Sir, what are the facts? The officers who 
 inducted the operations in Florida during the 
 r»t and second campaigns, called, some for fif- 
 cn hundred, others for three thousand, men 
 a force that would be required to finish the 
 
 When General Taylor was actively and successfullv on 
 ged in scouring the country, and .liivi,,^ ihe Indians frnl 
 J swamps and hammocks where thev had concealed fhr-m 
 
 d!e , Se P n r ar rnedMr - DuNCAN here alludes “> Mr. Preston, 
 
 war; and General Scott thought it would require 
 five thousand m-n, and he made hs h or t cam- 
 paign with that number; but when the War 
 Department became aware that hostilities were to 
 56 \ e r n ™ We< L' ,he Uim Votenr head of that Depart- 
 ment [Mr. Poinsett] thought it advisable to augment 
 that force to ten thousand men. He never labored 
 under the delusion “that the straggling warriors of 
 t londa were to be subdued by a mere demonstra- 
 t.on ot force. He knew their strength, and was 
 aware of the difficulties presented by the peculiar 
 nature of the country, and of the climate. He at 
 once determined to increase the forces to be em- 
 ployed in Florida above all former estimates Ten 
 thousand men were sent into Florida and after- 
 watGs distributed by placing two thousand in posts, 
 and eight thousand were employed in scouring the 
 country; and no army in the world was ever better 
 supplied and subsisted. 
 
 These were the the peculiar duties of “the head 
 ol the War Department,” and they were most ef- 
 fectually performed on his part. It is said that the 
 late President [General Jackson] would have 
 
 i PS V th a net: the ‘ Terr 'tory of Florida, if 
 
 be had been been aware of the real state of affairs. 
 
 ensral Jackson and ail his measures, while he 
 was in office were as bitterly and as recklessly 
 ns ailed, by the present Opposition, as Mr. Van 
 tfuren and h s measures now are; and the compli- 
 ment is only bestowed upon General Jackson for 
 uase and selfish party purposes, that Mr Van 
 Buren may be disgraced. The force wh ch Mr. 
 Poinsett put in> o Plor-da was not sufficient to drag 
 a terntory of more than forty-five thousand square 
 mt es, “as with a net;” but it proved sufficient to 
 t , capture, and send out of the country, more - 
 han three thousand of the enemy, and nearly all 
 ne negroes, who were the most active and formi- 
 dable of their warriors. 
 
 The force sent to Florida that year by the Se- 
 c-etary of War, consisted of regulars, Indian war- 
 riors from the Northwest, hunters and guides, and 
 ffie bravest of the brave from Missouri," Alabama, 
 Georgia, and Tennessee, mounted men, the courage 
 activity, and chivalry of the country. They did 
 their duty, and beat the enemy whenever they met 
 iem;and by the bat ieof Okuchnbee, totally changed 
 he character of the contest. Since that action, the 
 Indians have never made fight in masses. They 
 were beaten and dispersed, and never again assem- 
 ble I m sufficient numbers to attack our troops, 
 ihey continued, however, their murderous assaults 
 upon our defenceless settlements; and, broken up 
 in o small par ies, prowled over the country like 
 beasts of prey, killing women and children, and de- 
 stroying, by fire, houses and barns— marking their 
 progress with devastation and desolation. In this 
 stage of the contest, and in this state of the.oppos- 
 in? forces-, it is demanded by gentlemen here, in 
 powdered wigs,” perfumed cologne, and white 
 gloves, in the warm and secure halls of this Capi- 
 ol, with the comfortable per diem of eight dollars, 
 that the war should be prosecuted effectually, and 
 prosecuted at once;” and gentlemen here, who 
 would, like Cleon, flee at the approach of the toma- 
 hawk, promise plans by which the Florida war 
 may at ‘once be terminated.” Well, sir, while 
 gentlemen who are better qualified to stand by the 
 
io_V * 
 
 toilet, or whirl the belle in the giddy waltz than to 
 stand by their country in danger, or perform the 
 duties of a soldier in the swamps and hammocks ot 
 Florida, are preparing their plan, by which an 
 end may at once be put to the war ” We will ex- 
 amine what has been done, and the probable rea- 
 sons which induced the Secretary of War to change 
 the manner of conducting the war, if war it can 
 
 now be cal ed. _ t e 
 
 From the opinion I entertain of the Secre ary of 
 War, and, I presume, the opinion generally enter- 
 tained of him, from the distinguished manner in 
 wh ch he has discharged every official outy im- 
 posed upon him, if he supposed the war could be 
 speedily terminated by bringing the whole force of 
 the Un ted States, he would have adopted that 
 course, (did he control the means.) But he ap- 
 pears, on the contrary, to be convinced that to mu - 
 tiplv the militia forces in that country, and to at- 
 tempt to “ drag it as with a net,” would only result 
 in exhausting the Treasury, (a much wished for 
 event by some gentlemen here,) and entailing upon 
 the Government interminable claims for losses and 
 pensions. But it is said, “we owe it to humanity 
 and civilization to close this war at once. None 
 are more sensible of that than are the Executive 
 and the head of the War Department; hut they 
 do not believe it is to be accomplished by covering 
 the country with troops, unless every square mile 
 were occupied, which would require over forty-five 
 thousand troops. The Secretary of War believes 
 it to be a work of time, and that it is to be wrought 
 out by regulars, aided by a small militia force, and 
 by a body of men trained as regulars and hunters. 
 Every effort of the Executive and the head oi the 
 "War Department has been marked with well di- 
 rected judgment; and all the success that could be 
 expected has been accomplished, from the means 
 with wh ch they had to act, the character of the 
 enemy wi h which they have had to contend, and 
 the face of the country which is the theatre of 
 war. The Secretary of War, it will be seen, or- 
 dered General Taylor to direct all his efforts to pro- 
 tect the settlements in Mddle Florida, and effec- 
 tually clear the Indians out of that portion of the 
 Territory before he proceeded ta scaur the country 
 south. General Taylor performed that duty; but 
 it is thought he proceeded south too soon, 
 and, on his march south, the Indians rose 
 up or passed into his rear, and co emitted 
 murders and depredations there. He then re- 
 turned, distiicted the country, and planted p ns’s in 
 each district, and was successfully prosecuting his 
 operations, when Congress arrested them, as I have 
 before described. The interference of Congress 
 
 produced treachery and bloodshed, and paralyzed 
 
 the movements of the army. After the interfe- 
 rence of Congress proved abortive, that gallant 
 army resumed, and is now engaged in hunting up 
 the murderers, and driving them across the Suwa- 
 uee that the inhabitants of Middle Florila may 
 cultivate their fields in peace. The country w, 11 
 ihen again be districted, posts agaii be established, 
 and if the plan of the Secretary of War be adopted 
 by Congress, one thousand men, armed, equipped, 
 and drilled, for the express service, will be em- 
 ployed in scouring the swamps between the posts, 
 and securing the settlers from invasion. In this 
 
 manner, it is believed, the contest with these 
 savages may be brought to a close. If unneces- 
 sary millions have benn spent in this war, u has 
 been done by attempting to carry out P' an * ot 
 Congress, both by its interference with the War 
 Department, and by its failure to augment the 
 regular army on ihe recommendation ot the Execu- 
 tive, at a time when the Indians were strong in 
 their own belief, when they were concen- 
 trated in large bodies, and when one or two 
 battles, with an efficient force, would have 
 decided the contest. But the policy of Con- 
 gress has been otherwise, and the result as the Ex- 
 ecutive and the head of the War Department anti- 
 cipated. There is no good reason why vast and 
 expensive armies, to subdue what can now only 
 
 be called an insurrection, should be raised, to sub- 
 due and conquer a few wild wandering savages, 
 whom a single regiment could cut entirely on, m 
 an open field fight, but whom to destroy at once, 
 wiih their advantages of swamps, hamocks, ever- 
 glades, and secret passes, in which they conceal 
 themselves by day, but are almost inaccessible 
 and impenetrable to civilized man, would requ re 
 a force equal in number to every square mile ot 
 territory. The Secretary of War has discovered 
 the errors in the plans suggested oi bringing this 
 contest to a close, and has wisely concluded that it 
 can be better and more securely effected by the 
 means he is now employing than by any other. 
 
 Mr. Chairman, I am aware in the coming pobti- 
 cal campaign, that every means will be used by 
 the Opposition to turn what they please to cal. the 
 failure of the Administration to terminate the 
 Florida war, to overthrow the powers that be; mis- 
 representation and falsehood will be bandied by j 
 every Federal Whig, tapeseller, coxcomb, and p tn- 
 fogger in ffie land; and every Bank pensioned sheet 
 will teem wiih slander and abuse about the failure 
 to put down the Indians in Florida. This must be- 
 expected. It is perfectly in charac er with the fe- 
 deral party. It is the kind of game they have, 
 been playing ever since ihe commencement of iru 
 Government, to the end that Democracy may be 
 prostrated, and its supporters put down, and fede- 
 ralism established, and its advocates and support- 
 ers put into office. In this the Federalists of this 
 country are not -singular. It is the way « llh 
 faction in every country which has a Republican 
 Government. Nor d -es the object of the Federal 
 party here, differ from the enemies of human liber- 
 ty ffs where; the same motives govern them al 
 over <he world, and at all limes. There is na 
 course that the Administration could have taken 
 that would have saved it from the censure o. afac 
 non determined to b; satisfied with no hing shor 
 of the downfall of the Democratic party, and tin 
 prostration of the Democratic institutions of ou 
 country. If the Administration had been succe-s 
 ful in cutting off every Seminole murderer in file 
 rida, and exterminating that barbarous race, whos 
 whole course and conduct in this conflict have bee 
 marked in blood and indiscriminate slaughte 1 
 why, the Federal party would have instantl 
 turned into a humane and ‘‘peace” party, £ 
 was the case in the last war with Great Britan 
 and the vengeance of God would have been n 
 voked to avenge the blood that this Administrate 
 
<1 *&/ 
 
 11 
 
 had brought upon this nation. If the Administra- 
 to’i Ind been so successful as to have taken every 
 Seminole Indian by capture, without shedding the 
 blood of one, and transplanting them in the far 
 West, why, sir, this land would now be billed wi h 
 Federal tears and Federal mourning, at the sacri- 
 legious crime of tearing the poor Indians from their 
 native homes and their father’s graves, as was the 
 case when the Georg'a Indians were moved west 
 of the Mississippi, and many a fervent prayer 
 would have ascended from the sacred altar to re- 
 venge the injuries and vio ! ence done the poor Se- 
 xninoles. But as it is, there will not be a Federal 
 parrot but will take its cue from the party orators 
 here, and will be heard to prattle, ‘ the Florida War 
 was begun in extravagance, conducted in weakness, and 
 must end in disgrace .” But, sir, the Executive and 
 the head of the War Department are not the only 
 officers whose reputations are to be blighted by the 
 sirorco breath of foul faction and polluted Fe- 
 deralism. The distinguished and gallant Je- 
 sup must be its vicim also. Sir, if we 
 could see some of the popinjay Federal 
 dandies, who undertake to prescribe the “ plans ” 
 by which the Florida war is to be terminated, 
 en'er the swamps of Florida, and face a group 
 of Seminoles, I think it would be a Cleon affur. 
 At a time when the Athenians were hard pressed 
 by the enemy at home, with whom they were 
 then engaged, in addition to difficulties from 
 abroad, the domestic tranquillity of Greece was 
 disturbed by the ambition of Cleon and Bracedes, 
 who were both advocates of war, and the former 
 never failed to do whatever could be don- to fo- 
 ment it. Cleon was desirous of war, because it 
 served to screen his base immoralities and corrupt 
 vices; Bracides, because it added new lustre to 
 bis reputation, as no general was more successful 
 than he. 
 
 Cleon, like some of the demagogues of our day, 
 was constantly in the habit of denouncing the 
 officers of state and of the army as impotent and 
 unfit fur the duties of the stations they held. All 
 the failures in battle were attributed by h : m to im- 
 b'cdity and mismanagement charges thus made 
 against the commanding officers, brought upon 
 him the indignation and contempt of many reflect- 
 ing and valuable citizens, while it raised him in 
 the estimation of others less reflecting. This dif 
 icrence o t opinion of the char cter and 
 conduct of Cleun, produced two parties. The 
 friends of Cleon presented him as a candi- 
 date lor General, to take charge of the troops. 
 His party proved ihe strongest, and he was elected. 
 He gained some credit soon after by takm°- 
 Sphaciceria, mor* by accident than either conduct 
 or courage, which raised him prodigiously in his 
 own estimation, and made him insnpportably 
 hauvhfy. He was now to command the troops 
 which were to oppos* Brasida*, the Lacedemonian 
 General, who commanded the city of Amphipolis. 
 The time came when the city was to be attacked, 
 and now the man was to be tried who nad found 
 the failure of every battle that the Atheneans had 
 lost, in the weakness or cowardice of her generals. 
 Cleon marched his troops near the city wall. Bra- 
 sides neiiher showed himself nor did he even per- 
 mit one of bis sentinels to be seen. Cleon retired, 
 
 exulting that Bracides was afraid to give him bat- 
 tle. The next day he marched his troops to the 
 very gates of Amphipoii*, when suddenly Bracides, 
 wi'h his troops, rushed upon the Athenean troops. 
 Cleon took fl ght at the firit approach of ihe enemy, 
 and in his flight a soldier shot a dart into hi# back. 
 He soon sunk an 1 expired. Sir, I think if some of 
 our modern Whig generals in buckram, were to go 
 t * Florida, we would hear of Cleons wound’d in the 
 back, if they should fail to have the heels of the Semi- 
 noles. But, sir, I will not a<k my readers to take my 
 word for the merits due to Gen. Jesup and others that 
 I might name, for servis°sin the Florida war. I have 
 too much confidence in the intelligence and re- 
 search of the American people to attempt naked 
 assertions upon their credulity, without either rea- 
 son, history, or facts. T know, sir, whole speeches 
 are made up here of naked assertions and shameless- 
 exaggeration, and spread far and wide for political 
 deception. Such a course may suit that class of 
 politicians, one of whose fundamental principles is 
 a denial ol intelligence, stability, and virtue, to the 
 m.iss of the people. Such efforts generally find, 
 their reward in the contempt of the public, whom 
 it is intended to deceive. 
 
 I will, therefore, ask your attention while I spe- 
 cify some of th a duties performed by some of the 
 commanding offi ers w« o have had charge, from 
 t me to time, of the Florida war. This, I ana 
 aware, I shall do very imperfectly, for I am with- 
 out the proper light upon the subject, there being 
 no regular history of the Florida war. But while 
 I know I shall fail to do justice to all, I w 11 try to 
 do injustice to none. 
 
 I have hinted at the cause of the Florida w?r. I 
 have stated that it broke out some time at the close 
 of 1835; or, this was about the time hostilities com- 
 menced. 
 
 General Clinch was ordered into service with a 
 small force of two or three hundred regular troops, 
 and four or five hundred volunteers. Major Dade 
 marched from Tampa Bay to join General Clinch 
 at Fort King with a small forct?, (something over 
 one hundred and twenty men,) and was attacked 
 by the Indians near the Wahoo swamp, defeated, 
 and he and his men massacred near where there is 
 now a fort called after that officer. In December, 
 1836, General Clinch marched from Fort Drane to 
 attack the Indians with his regular forces and vo- 
 lunteers on the Withlacoochee river. At about thir- 
 ty-five miles from his post, he met the Indians 
 on crossing the river. The regular troops, and but 
 27 or 28 volunteers, had crossed the river with 
 him. The time for which the volunteers had enlisted 
 to serve had expired, and they refused, except the 
 number I have stated. With this force he fought 
 the Indian.; and drove them; but, not being sus- 
 tained by the volunteers, he was forced to give 
 back and recross the river, and he returned to Fort 
 Drane. 
 
 At the time the news of Major Dado’s massacre 
 reached Mobile, where Major General Gaines then 
 was, he with promptness repaired to New Orleans, 
 where he, with creditable zeal, organize ! a force of 
 regular and volunteer troops, amounting to about 
 eleven hundred men, and proceeded, without de- 
 lay, to Tampa Bay, where he arrived about the 
 10th of February, and, after making preparations 
 
v'V' A 
 
 12 
 
 for the field, marched on the Fort King road to 
 Dade’s battle ground, where he buried the merito- 
 rious dead wi h the honors of war, from which he 
 marched to Fort King. He drew a small supply 
 of subsistence from Fort Drane; he also received a 
 small supply of ammunition, and immediately 
 inarched to the Withlacoochee river, where he ar- 
 rived on the 27ih, and encountered, the same day, 
 ihe enemy across the river in a conflict of half an 
 hour, when the troops withdrew for the night, after 
 a loss of one killed and six or seven wounded. 
 The next morning the troops marched down the 
 river two or three miles, where it was supposed it 
 could be crossed. There the advance of the army 
 was fired upon; an action ensued, which lasted un- 
 til the middle of the day, in which Lieut. Izard was 
 mortally wounded. The troops kept their ground, 
 encamped that n'ght, and threw U P ^ 
 breastwork, and an express was despatched 
 to General Clinch, or the officer commanding at 
 Fort Drane. The next morning the enemy, in 
 number between ten and fifteen hundred men, ap- 
 peared and made an attack on three sides of the 
 camp, which was Kept up for more than two hours, 
 when he withdrew, leaving one of his number dead 
 on the field. Another despatch was sent to Fort 
 Drane. From this time until the 5th of March, the 
 enemy made several spirited attacks upon the 
 camp, in which several conflicts the less on the 
 part of General Gaines’s troops were, six or seven 
 killed, and thirty-five or foity wounded. 
 
 On the night of the 5th March a proposition was 
 heard from the woods by the enemy, and the next 
 morning several Indians appeared at a disiance 
 with a white flag. Adjutant Barrow of the vo- 
 lunteers was sent to confer with them. They in 
 formed him that they did not wish to fight any 
 more, but they wanted General Gaines to go away; 
 upon which information General Gaines sent out 
 Captain Hitchcock, with two or three other officers, 
 to confer further with them. The Indians repeated 
 to him their desire for peace, and stated that a great 
 many of their men had been killed. While this 
 conference was going on, the advance of General 
 Clinch’s troops fired on the Indians who were in 
 the rear, when they, and the chiefs who were in 
 council, fled and concealed themselves in the ham- 
 mocks, and were no more seen until near the mid- 
 dle of March. The command of General Gaines’s 
 troops was turned over by him to General Clinch, 
 who fell back upon Fort Drane, as I have before 
 stated. This is a brief sketch of the part which 
 General Gaines took in this war, in all of whicn he 
 and his troops sustained themselves in a manner cre- 
 ditable to the American arms; I mean so far as their 
 time and means would permit. 
 
 In January, 1836, General Scott was ordered to 
 Florida to take charge of the war. He was un- 
 limited as to means. — [See Senate doe. 224, pages 
 91 and 199.] He arrived in Florida soon after his 
 order. He organized his force, and we find h m 
 at Fort Drane about the 14 h of March, 1836. 
 General Scott ordered one division of his army, 
 (his left wing,) by the way of the St. Johns, to 
 meet him on the Withlacoochee river, while he 
 moved fiom Fort Drane, on the 26th of March, 
 with a force of 1,968 men, regulars and volunteers, 
 with eighteen days’ provisions, as appears in Senate 
 
 doc. page 97, and by his own s'atement. He ar- 
 rived on the Withlacoochee on the morning ot the 
 28th, and of course with subsisience for sixteen 
 days, having been on the march but t<vo days. He 
 found the Indians embodied on the Withlacoochee; 
 he attacked them and drove them into the swamp, 
 but did not follow them more than four or five 
 miles. It is believed no Indians were killed, nor 
 were any prisoners taken. He then took up the 
 line of march for Tampa Bay, where he arrived 
 in eleven days from Fort Drane, and of cour e 
 with seven days’ subsistence. Tiie left wing of his 
 army, which had been sent to Volusia, on the St. 
 Johns, moved from thence to Palaklekaha, where, 
 according to General Scott’s report, they found 
 ponies and cattle in abundance, but were obliged to 
 march to Tampa Bay for want of provisions. 
 Where were the cattle which were in abundance'? 
 They arrived at Tampa Bay about the same time 
 that General Scott, wish his troops, arrived. 
 
 I wish it jemembered that Gen. Scott was on the 
 Withlacoochee, with sixteen days’ provisions, 
 where ihe enemy was embodied, with his right 
 wing, consisting of nineteen hundred and sixty- 
 eiaht troops, about the same time that the left wing 
 of his army was at Palaklekaha, a distance ot not 
 more than thirty-five or forty miles from where 
 Gen. Scott was on the Withlacoochee, and where 
 the enemy was embodied. I wish it remembered, 
 also, that there were abundance of cattle at Palak- | 
 lekaha. Two days were sufficient to bring the j 
 whole ferce of the two wings of Gen. Scott’s army, 
 which would have amounted to near four thousand 
 regulars and volunteers, to the spot where the al- , 
 most entire Indians were embodied, and with sub- 
 sistence (cattle) in abundance. These are facts j 
 which I wish remembered, as I will have to refer 
 to them again. But, sir, we now find both wings 
 of Gen. Scott’s army at Tampa Bay, and with 
 seven days’ provisions, and not one Indian killed 
 or taken prisoner, on the march that took them 
 
 there. Gen Scott sent a detachment from Tampa 
 
 Bay, under Gen. Smith, to Charlotte Harbor, south 
 of Tampa Bay; but he found no Indians there. 
 From this, Gen. Smith returned with his troops to 
 New Orleans, at the expiration of their terms. 
 Gen. Scott returned to St. Augustine, with his left 
 division, by the way of Volusia. His right divi- 
 sion re'urned to Fort Drane on nearly the same 
 route by which it marched ou*; where, and when, 
 the volunteers were discharged, and sent home, as 
 also were the volunteer* of the left wing at St. Au- 
 gustine. Soon after Gen. Scott arrived at St. Au- 
 gustine, he had leave to qni r Florida, or remain, as 
 he chose. He was directed, in cave he shoud 
 leave Florida, to proceed to the Cr-ek country, to 
 take charge of that war. He left Florida in May, 
 
 1836. . . 
 
 Thus ended General Scott’s campaign in t lo- 
 rida, without killing half a dozen of Indians, and 
 without taking a single prisoner, and le‘t the In- 
 dians scattered over the country as hostile and un- 
 tamed as when he found them, and with more con- 
 fidence in their own strength, although his army 
 was strong, his troops of the bravest character, and 
 he unlimited by the War Department in his acqui- 
 sition in means, with the Treasury open to his 
 service. 
 

 2.^ 
 
 13 
 
 I hare collected most of the facts I hare here 
 stated, from Senate document No. 224, which is the 
 journai and the report of the court of inquiry held 
 
 ? ? ° f - Fredenck i ln Maryland — a court 
 established to inquire m:o the causes of the signal 
 
 !o l in 6 ° f t GC f ' n S u° lt 10 bring ,he F ^rida war 
 an end, and all the evidence furnishing ihe«e 
 
 r^ S J S i e l parte u ln il f, character, and furnished by 
 General Scott himself. At the proper time 1 shall 
 take some further notice of this gentleman and his 
 conduct in the Cieek war. At present I will leave 
 
 ? en< V ral Sc ° ft left Florida > Governor 
 Call had orders from the War Department to take 
 charge ol the Florida War. He took charge of 
 ihe war. His forces at that time consisted of "some 
 regular troops and some volunteers; but what 
 number ot each, or what was the whole, lam 
 unaWe to say; but I thmk not a very strong 
 
 u g *° ,he Sick,iness of the^seasom 
 General Call spent the principal part of the sickly 
 
 season in the defence of the frontiers. He killed 
 
 some of the enemy, and took some prisoners. In 
 
 ovember, 1836, it was understood that a part of 
 
 l f rL!7 e embodied in the Wahoo swamp, 
 
 Draoe h m'thaf aC0 ° Chee ’ He marched from Fort 
 Draoe to that point, and arrived with five days’ 
 
 provisions. He attacked the enemy, had three suc- 
 
 •essive battles, and defeated them ,n each-kiBed 
 
 -Tisnm ber ° f l K hem ’ and dls P ersed remainder. 
 
 I^ nS . being ex hausted, and ihe enemy be- 
 n to dispersed, he marched to Volusia, where he 
 urned over the command to General Jesup. who 
 ras ordered to receive it. V ' 
 
 11 i?„e h c'f G^ ar ’ Alabama> and0 " the W%St - 
 
 , leave'pS ,hat , Gcneral Scott had permission 
 iar« of F h. d r an , d ,epa,r 10 AIabai »a, and lake 
 id adv ce of f re War - The War Apartment 
 as 1 li mr l Tl ‘! 10 " 10 teave Florida, but 
 as al.o informed that his health was bad; and ap- 
 
 , eh * ns,ve that he might not be able to proceed Fo 
 
 sup ^ fthn t0 take , char ^ e war, ordered Gem 
 
 sup (who was then in Washington citv^ tn 
 
 rr Ce should A Ge bam V^ d tal ? char ? e of the Creek 
 f o h l T al Sc0t s hea,th n °t Permit him; 
 th this ordir e r° a 1 , U ? der hirn * ,n compliance 
 1 and ’ eneral desu P P roceed ed to Alaba- 
 i, and on his way met General Scott at Augusta 
 
 »? nmf. ,a ’a°V he 3 /!’ h ° f Ma ?> 1836 > f rom which 
 : fed fVn^i ColurDbus - General Sco t di- 
 £d General Jesup to the western side of the 
 eek coun-ry, m A'abama, or to the head quar- 
 * of Govern ° r Clay, to take charge ol the war in 
 r, q Z :fV I i lhink the A,a hama troops we e 
 ^ 1 , d TuSk f^ e - General Jesup’s first exer- 
 
 I nlt m’S a ^ mblin ? ‘he Indians who 
 not yet engaged with the hostile party, but 
 
 a fT° ,he Side the ^ should join. In 
 Who ( f" ne u raI Je " u P was successful. He gain- 
 
 Creek^Vo P ’“f ipal and most able chi f of 
 Creek nation, and secured other chiefs and 
 
 ut sixteen or seventeen hundred warriors’ He 
 i gave notice of his intention to move into the 
 
 - C f rr- he 12 h J^e, and on the ev/. 
 
 5 before, which was on the 11th, the principal 
 
 hnndroa h f * ? efcwMC <* “me in with about four 
 hundred warriors, and surrendered. A part 
 
 of General Scott’s order io General jZ 
 " up was, after joining Governor Clay’s head 
 quarters, to move to Erwinton, south of tde Creek 
 country From Tuskegee to Erwinton there were 
 two roads; one that passed along the frontier of the 
 hite settlements, the other passed near the hostile 
 
 ( T eneral Jesu P touk { he latter, and arrived 
 near the hostile camp on the night of .he 17th 
 having on his way captured the chief who com- 
 manded it. The same night all the warrior- 
 Opotheolo joined h m. The next day he moved 
 forward to the hostile camp with the volunteers 
 having previously sent the Indian warr ors by a 
 circuitous route on the other side of ihe camp so 
 as to prevent the flight or escape of the Indfant 
 He then went forward, and entered the camp but 
 found it deserted; the Indians having fled a^hort 
 distance at his approach. The Indian warriors 
 made ^some prisoners, and prevented a general dis- 
 
 At this moment General Jesup received order* 
 from General Scott to cease all hostile operations 
 and to march his troops, and encamp near For J 
 Mitchell, a distance of twenty-two or ihree miles. * 
 General Jesup, unwillmgto promptly disobey the 
 ordeis of his superior officer, and more unwid ™ 
 to perm, the enemy to disperse, which he cin? 
 sidered almost in his grasp, surrendered for the 
 time his command to General Patterson Jh! 
 comm anded , he divl!ion of Alabama troluitem 
 * lth orders to encamp the troops, and keen "fr 
 strong detachments to prevent the enemy from 
 escaping, and mounted his horse and repaired whh 
 possible speed, to Fort Mitchell, to repon to 
 General Scott the actual condition of the enemv 
 and to obtain his permission to go on and 
 the war, or to advise him (Scott) to take ih* to 
 
 Stoi at Fort Miichell, he returned io thecamn 
 termined to end ,he war. On his return ££ 
 army, he sent out some cf the hostile chiefs whom 
 he had captured, to summon the hostiles to surre^ 
 der. They did surrender; and, in place of 
 to General Scott a notice of his compliance with hit 
 order to cease all hostile operations, <fc c . General 
 Jesup sent him the followins common, cation: 
 
 . Sir: I have the honor to endtee copta 3 ■»* 
 J orG fne r a| Patterson and Captain pirrot bv J, i “u from Ma " 
 observe that tittle remains to be done Jim fil h you wil * 
 with about one hundred and fifty warriors- hm mlW 1 ' 11 out 
 ri»rs, who have halted and await my ^ orders^ at War " 
 
 say they can take him. I have just received inform?/ 5 Sp , nn ^ 
 Seminole chief, with a number of his wIrr!d. F a - 10n tha t a 
 
 the information ■comes from a negro taken lasf aK 1 *' Henr y» 
 
 I have the honor to be, General, ° 
 
 Vour obedient servant, 
 
 . THOS. S. JESUP I 
 
 Major General Scott, J ° r e " €ral Com *nanding. 
 
 ^rSeSe^rme-nfZ. 0 "^ ‘S* • 0i fc 
 
 Congress p age 474, for this comm^ n T c ^ 0 n lid 
 
 others, showing the conclusion of the war hv 
 renders of the balance of the hostiles * U> 
 
 etS rat f W ? n4 
 
 ° lhe orders of General Scott. IfT i r 
 General Scott had not been opposed bv Gener°f 
 Jesup, and at the precise time that theyw^re, wg 
 
C Cf -* 
 
 14 
 
 
 e -t tVio i battle led to a conference with the Indian, 
 would have had another Florida business of t<- hief the conference to a suspension of hestt- 
 
 Creek war, in all probability, would have remaned j chiefs, arm ^ agrecd ^ anddld me et General 
 
 unrlpiprimned for years, and would have cosiut 
 S'ot'rrnl hhe the Florida war, 
 
 millions— perhaps more. Had General Jesup com- 
 alied with fire order of General Scott, -ceased ad 
 operations, and marched his troops and encamped 
 p, ,, Mitchell” his volunteers would have 
 abandoned fom and recur, ted to their hones, curs- 
 fnc him for a coward. The warriors whom he 
 bad brought over would have dubbed h.m wt. 
 
 dnaine coiiicicugc w »«. — - 
 
 liii. s. The chiefs agreed to, and did meet General 
 Je*up a’ Fort Dade, and entered into a capsula- 
 tion to leave the country and go west of ihe Missis- 
 sippi Two or three of the chiefs were retained as 
 hostages for the fulfilment of the capitulation. 
 Sometime before this, General Jesup nad oidered 
 a detachment of tr* ops, under the command of 
 Colone's Fanning and Harney, with a quantity of 
 
 nr vSons up the St. Johns river to Lake Monroe, 
 provisions, up i a tack- 
 
 Utl^o^^y'nfwo'uTd 6 h" pSd^d | ^ The en'emy, 
 i^ined the hoL.«, Yes. ^ Jffie^d ^W^n^ 
 
 Imeii^be^esult'of' obedience to~Geueral ScOtt’s or- 
 ders. Bu* I repeat, by the prompt, fearless and 
 efficient dircharre of his duty, an end was pul to , the 
 war- more than a thousand prisoners were taken, 
 and’in a few days four or five hundred mote sur- 
 rendered, in all over 'fourteen handed ^ who were. 
 
 tides! and a”fr!endly intercourse was ‘ 
 with all; and, by an agreement entered into at 
 
 rendered, in all over fourteen hundred, .ho were wtth atl^oy .an ^ (a „d 
 
 with many others that subsequently came in by he | b who were not> sent j n their adhesion.) Ihe 
 solicitations of the friendly chiefs, sent west of 1 th assemble at Tampa Bay, m May, 
 
 solicitadons^of^ the friendly oh'ef^'jem west of the | assemble 'at Tampa Bay, 
 
 superintendence o 1 1837, and, from there,, star, for Ihe West. 
 i t>.,r .r/-.triritVi«tf»nflir;9' this gallant 
 
 their removal. Bat,' notwithstanding this gallant 
 and successful conduct. General Scott severely cen- 
 sured General Jesup for disobeying his ordeis . . • 
 General Jesup’s course met the entire approba- 
 tion of Ihe Executive, and the War Department. 
 General Scott was recalled from Alabama , owing, 
 
 I have little doubt, to the slowness of hsmove 
 LeaTand to a knowledge of the fact that General 
 Scott’s censure of General Jesup was 
 The. Creek war being ended, General Je^up was o 
 dered to proceed to Florida and take char/ e ° " 
 
 war He proceeded some time in October, and to 
 which we will now return with our history. 
 
 I believe General Jesup was dtrected to act wr h 
 Governor Call, or to take chargeoflhewajr 
 rhief Ido not know whicn-1 believe the latter. 
 He went through a portion of Florida with a ima 
 detachment of mounted men, to join Governor 
 Call- and on his way he surprised an Indian vil- 
 
 , ’ an( j took forty-two prisoners of Indians and 
 
 iegroes, from which he returned to Withlacoochee 
 and swept the swamps from the Fort King road to 
 Fort Clinch, near the mouth of the river m which 
 
 air nf his force to Fort Armstrong, on the 
 Fort King road Soon after he pushed, with a 
 force of one thousand treops, consisting of regu- 
 !°Jf marines, Alabama volunteers, and Indian 
 into Ihe centre of the peninsula, where, u 
 warriors, into me ^ ^ ad never been before. On 
 
 his wa’v he sent a deiachmenl against Ihe village 
 e Osuchee which surprised the chief, Osuchee, 
 killed him, ’his son, and Iwo other chiefs, took a 
 number of prisoners, (seme of whom escaped , af- 
 mr which the detachment returned > nd J 0,ne f h '“/ 
 He proceeded with all his fotce to the ne ghbor- 
 ft® ? of the Lake Tohopkalegee. Here the 
 
 A,r°l nf the army under Col. Henderson, came 
 advance ot the army som e, 
 
 was a complete and successful termination of 
 the Florida war, and it was accomplished in 
 as short a lime as any Indian war since the fin 
 
 settlement of our country. Indians 
 
 In conformity wiih the stipulations, ^Indians 
 beoanto assemble in the latter pan of May, and 
 beginning of June, at Tampa Bay and Fort Mellon, 
 fo^prepare for the West; but ^ 
 
 measles broke out among those at lam P a f a ' 
 Safety to the army and humanity to the Indians 
 required that they should be kept apart-to ihe 
 army, that the contagion might not be sprea J ’ 
 and humani'y to the Indians, that they . should be. 
 Sent at a place, and in a situation, with respect To 
 water and P other advantages, to make the disea^ 
 SfaS. The disease raged with great violence 
 and many whole families were swept off. The 
 llLoC the disease reached Fo.t MeHoa, wherej 
 large body had assembled, and many ot then 
 were furniLd with provisions tc . take them l 
 Tamna Bay. It was alsoreported at Fort Meitoi 
 
 that the smallpox raged among ^the^ In i ^ ^ 
 
 in direct violation of the conditions of the capm 
 Th'as been asked, why did G«neral Jesnp n 
 
 rptain and prevent the Indians from breaking ; u 
 why did he not pursue and overtake them, 
 broken up? The answer is, the efficiency of the i 
 mv was greatly weakened by severe fatigue, 
 marches, and constant and^ severe “"cise;^ 
 
 re! , horses wete completely 
 
 
 pnA tcok & 
 
 number of prisoners. 
 
was, left for him to do at that time. He called 
 ajme fi*e s h troops of Florida volunteers into action, 
 the efficient troops which he had, and two volun- 
 teer companies from Georgia. They were put to 
 the service of scouting and defen Jin? the frontier, 
 lhis duty was conunued un'il the following No 
 vember which may be regarded as the commence- 
 ment of the next campaign. 
 
 The number of Indians killed or taken in the 
 campaign which I have briefly described, by Gene- 
 ral Jesup, was over five hundred. I will riot now 
 detain the House with specific details of the mili- 
 tary operations of General Jesup, for the balance 
 ol the time he had charge of the Florida war, 
 but re, er you to Senate document No. 507 se- 
 cond session of the Twenty fifth Congress, by which 
 U will be seen he continued to defend the frontier to 
 scour the country far and wide, as his means and 
 torce wouid enable him, and to surprise, kill and 
 capture the enemy when and wherever he could 
 find them; by which, also, it will be found that from 
 the time he commenced operations, or took charge 
 
 isqc 16 w .^ r - ,n F orit,a ^ "hich was in December, 
 1836 until he withdrew in May, 1838, the number 
 ot Indians and negroes taken, with those who sur- 
 rendered, amount! d to near twenty-four hundred 
 over seven hand ed of whom were warriors. Their 
 villages were all destroyed-iheir cattle, horses, and 
 nther stock, with nearly all their other property 
 were taken or destroyed-.he hammocks and 
 swamps were every where penetrated, and the 
 vhole country was traversed from the Geor-ia line 
 
 0 the southern extremity of Florida. Tne small 
 
 lands of the enemy wh'ch were left, were dispersed 
 iver that extensive region, with little left but their 
 lfles. Such was the condition of the war, and 
 uch the situation of the enemy, when Gen. Jesup 
 urrendered the command. ” 
 
 Mr Chairman, I have traced up the principal 
 pera tl ons of the Florida War. I have done so 
 P l he P« r P os e °f presenting to the country the 
 nTf 1 order ^ a t it maybe known 
 
 w Adnnn,stra, i°n or the Executive, and 
 e War Department, are chargeable with any mis- 
 irtunrs or delay attending the prosecution of that 
 * t . 1 , 15 ve a,s3 done 80 for the purpose of plac- 
 
 her a h Mr 0ffiCer 'u’ Wh ° Were the imm ^iate active 
 . erat irsin the war, in a proper manner before 
 
 .e pubhe to the end that jusiice may be awarded 
 whom justice is due. 
 
 In relation to the Executive and the War De- 
 
 e r eT^°,n m ^ an ? rwil1 be al,ached > if blame 
 kelHvenf/nd * nd Such wiM be ,he decision of an 
 telligent and generous community. The Execu- 
 
 • e was thwarted in his efforts to augment the r e- 
 
 1 ar army; hence the War Department was driven 
 the necessity of carrying on the war with volun- 
 
 iL^ynpn’ 3 *"?!? bcth ejr P ens i ve and uncertain. 
 
 and dela > r has been consequence, 
 t the Executive could do no better. He was 
 
 n P ard d for “"Y a$ Con ? re8S finished 
 
 n and for these alone is. he responsible. All re- 
 
 nsibihty and all consequences must rest with 
 th e insufficiency of those means. Con- 
 , ss,s also responsible for all the unhappy conse- 
 fn«s tha, resu ted f the unljme|y 
 
 i ‘anVhv^h 3 l, U 'i. ed ’‘ 0 u r lhe P ur r ,03es oT Pacifica- 
 i, and by which the whole operations of the War 
 
 Department were checked and thrown into confu- 
 Sl ® n u * * re P eat that nothing that was in ihe power 
 of the Executive and the War Department to do, 
 was left undone. The best judgment has bten ex- 
 ercised, and the best direction has been given to 
 that judgment. I repeat, whatever failures or de- 
 lay are connected wuh the Florida war, so far as 
 'he Executive is concerned, resulted from the want 
 of more efficient means. I also repeat, that what- 
 ever inefficiency may seem to attach to the Execu- 
 tive has its origin in the want of proper means. 
 Lastly, I repeat, whatever failures or delay are con- 
 nected with the Florida war, have their foundation 
 in the want of more efficient means, and are 
 chargeable to Congress and the character of the 
 country. But, sir, speaking with reference to the 
 means with which the Executive has been fur- 
 nished, I ask to present some other causes which 
 have operated unfavorably, and must so continue 
 to operate, to a speedy termination of that war. I 
 have given a description of the face of Florida. 
 
 pvercr . ad van ta £ e8 whlc h the swamps, hammocks, 
 everglades, and morasses, give the savages 
 
 fectu^l “ti, C ‘' , ' liZed “ 0deS 0f Warfare 
 lectual The swamps are almost impenetrable 
 
 except to the savages, who know their secret passes. 
 
 Ihe hammocks and everglades form a covering 
 
 and hiding places for the savages, which rende? 
 
 viln ^P ervri . ous ,be keenest eye and the most 
 g ant search. The first warning the pursuer has 
 of the enemy is the crack of hi, rifle, oV the effect 
 
 rhJ 1 !? Sh °i* 1 am toId lhat one of ,he oncers of 
 the Florida service has been shot at (and wounded 
 
 of.en) fourteen times in various attacks, and never 
 saw a hostile Indian, such is the security the ene- 
 my enjoy by the natural advantages which the 
 face ot Florida gives them. Add to this the ex- 
 tent or spread of territory which covers over forty 
 • housand square miles, over which the enemy are 
 
 ?hT!T u S T U bandiltis * Add to these the fact 
 that, though Florida is destitute of resources for 
 a civilized army, it abounds in naiural productions 
 suited to an Indian. The wild potato, the coonti 
 h°r^H an 'VI le S abba ? e ,ree . ‘^e the substi utes for 
 
 ah S I hC Wlth which ,he la kes and ponds 
 abound, the gofer, ihe turkey, and the deer, which 
 ffiey know where to find, and how to kill, are their 
 meat. It is entirely impossible, and must ever re- 
 
 ‘° ^ rVG lhem ouf > for nature f eeds them 
 scar cely, on their part; and as to 
 clothing, the climate renders that not only unneces- 
 sary, but, for Ihree-fourths of .he year! actoaUy 
 turdensome A warrior disdains to encumber 
 himself with garments beyond his buckskin leg- 
 gins, moccasins, and brcech-clout. S 
 
 The Florida contest is really no longer a war of 
 
 dfe d. ! fhrnlf ,S ° n r hunting , finding, and catching— 
 
 «hp difficulties of which may be imagined, but can 
 only be realized by those who have been practical 
 
 £fr7„H rS ° f itS °P eratio " s - Nothing is m“ 
 r I d unjust than to compare this war with other 
 -f.u.an wars Known to our country; for there is in 
 truth, scarcely one feature that will bear compari- 
 ng r nV ! - e Iudlans from cur frontier, to 
 push them farther into the wilderness, and enlarge 
 
 - b r dai r’ haS heen ,hft cummon policy, as 
 the history of our frontier Indian wars shows- b u t 
 such is not ike character of the war in Florida 
 
c ^ 
 
 16 
 
 
 The Indians would long since have abandoned that 
 country, if they had had a place of retreat, as^the 
 Indians of the West have always had. But, sur- 
 rounded as they are, by the Gulf of Mexico on 
 one side, by the Atlantic ocean cn another, and the 
 inhabited States on the third, they are unable to re- 
 cede from the country, even under the severest pres_ 
 sure They are therefoie reduced to the necessity ot 
 hiding themselves in the numerous covers with 
 which the country abounds, and we t > that ot see/t- 
 inz for firm. Toe . peratkm of finding, running 
 down, and catching, some twelve or fifteen hundred 
 wild Indians, scattered over a i area ot forty thou- 
 sand square miles of wilderness, c vered with inac- 
 cessible reheats and fastnesses, will be found to be 
 fraught with difficulties wh ; ch have never been met 
 with in this country nor surpas ed in any other. 
 
 If the Indians would concentra'e and tight a de- 
 cisive battle, there is perhaps not a regiment in Flo 
 rida that could not el se the war forever by defeat 
 ing them. But such is not their policy. 1 hey 
 Itnow their strength consists in d sperdon, no. in 
 concentration. By scattering in small squads over 
 that immense territory, they see that we can neither 
 find nor effectually assail ’hem. They, in fact, be 
 come intangible to military operations. Hence the 
 war may linger through many years, with the u - 
 most effort that may be used to terminate it and it 
 is the op'nion of many most experienced in the pro- 
 gress of this war, that time is to be an important 
 element in bringing it to a close, and that no better 
 plan can be deviled for that purpose ihan tnat now 
 in operation by the War Deparment, and carrying 
 out the provisions of the occupation bill now beiore 
 
 the House. . . 
 
 Mr. Chairman, while I am wi'ding that unprin- 
 cipled demagogues, and brainless coxcombs, shall 
 exercise fud sway in their denunciations ot the 
 Administration for what they please to call the 
 failure of the Florida war, I will ask the attention 
 of an honest and intelligent commomy, while 1 
 present for their consideiauon some other wars in 
 other countries, but answering the description ot 
 this, with the excep ion of the single change of 
 names; in the progiess and conduct iff w hich they 
 will find amp e reasons for the delays of this— rea- 
 sons which, with them, will be found amply sufh- 
 c ent to secure the Administration fiom dis. rv.ee, 
 or even imputation, and the American arms from 
 
 dishonor. . . „ , , , 
 
 D,rius, King of Persia, to sitiffv an unbounded 
 ambition, and extend his conquests, declared war 
 against the Scythtan?. H s bn ther, Anabrn s in 
 whom he had great confidence, remonsirat d 
 against this exp d tion, and offered, among other 
 strong objections, that the Scythians w»re separated 
 from Per s' a bv an immense distance ot s< a and 
 land; and bestd-s, the Scythians were a peepe 
 that dw^lt in wild and uncultivated deserts, having 
 neither towns nor houses; no fixed >eitlements or 
 places of habitation. * * * As they are accus 
 
 timed to remove from place to place, it they should 
 think proper to fly before you, not out of fear 
 or cowardice, lor they are a very courteous 
 and warlike people, but only with a design to 'ha- 
 rass and ruin your army by continued and fatt- 
 ening marches; what will become of you in such an 
 mncultiva'ed and barren country, where you will 
 
 neither find forage for your horses nor provisions for 
 your men? * « * * Darius heard his brother 
 
 in kindness, but no admonition was sufficient to 
 drive him from his mad purpose. He commenced 
 his march from Susa at the head of seven hundred 
 thousand tro< ps. His fleet consisted of six hun- 
 dred ships, which were chiefly managed by loni- 
 aus and other Grecian nations that dwelt upon the 
 sea coast of As a Minor and the Hellespont. He 
 marched his army towards the Thracian Bospho- 
 rus, which he passed upon a bridge of boats; af- 
 er m h ; ch, having made himself master ot all 
 Thrace, he came to the Danube, where he had or- 
 dered h s fleet to meet him. As soon as ihe Scythi- 
 ans were informed of the march of Darius against 
 ihem, knowing their want of strength to meet him, 
 they appl e t to the neighboring people to join lti 
 their defence, some of whom gave in, but most of 
 whom preferred neutral ground; but of this refusal 
 they soon had reason to repent. 
 
 The first wise precaution taken by the Scy- 
 thians was, to secuie iheir wives and children, 
 by sending them to themrsi northern par s of the 
 country and with them all their herds and flocks, 
 reserving nothing for themselves but that which 
 they could carry with them, and what was neces- 
 saty tor the support of the army. Another precau- 
 tim which they observed wa«, to fill up al the 
 wells stop up all their sp ings and consume all the 
 forage in those parts through wh’ch ihe Persian ar- 
 my was to pass The policy then prac-ised was 
 to marchashoit distance before Darius’s army, 
 and lead them first into the countries of those who 
 refused to join them against the Persians to the 
 end that their substance might be consumed by so 
 vast an army. This being accomplished, they led 
 the enemy into barren regions, whtre there was 
 neither wa'er, provisions, nor forage— retreating 
 but a short distance before, and leading him into 
 such places as su ted them best. Whenever the 
 Persians manifested a disposition to attack them 
 they would quicken their ma ch and lead them stil 
 farther into famine and thirst. At last Dartus see 
 in- no hope* of bringing the enemy to battle, am 
 "rowing wary of long and fruitless matches, sen 
 a herald to the king of the Scythian-, whose nam 
 w?s hid rihyrsus, with tnis message in lys name 
 “Prince of the Scjthians, wherefore dost thou con 
 tioually fly before me? Why do,t thou not stoj 
 somewhere, or other, either to give me battle if hot 
 eelest thyself able to encounter me, or it tho 
 ■hinkest tiynslf too weak to acknowledge th 
 master by presenting him wi h eaith and water ? 
 
 To this communication Indirthyrsus replied b 
 the same herald: ‘7/ I fly before thee, Prince c 
 the Persians, it is not because I fear thee. W ha 
 I do now is no m -re han what I am used to do m tin 
 ofpo ?c -. Wo Scythians have neither c ites nor lant 
 to defi nd. If thou hast a m nd to f rce us to cou 
 o an engagement, come and attack the tombs ' 
 our fathers, and thou shall find what manner 
 nu n we are. As to the title of master which the 
 assumes', keep it for other nations than it 
 Scythians For my part, I acknowledge no othi 
 master than the great Jup ter, one of my own a 
 
 • The ancient method of acknowledging submission a id 
 vitude to the conqueror. 
 
17 ' 
 
 cestors, and the goddess Testa.” Darius was great- 
 ly enraged at what he regarded so inso- 
 lent an answer, and pushed further and faster 
 in his mad career. Just when his army was reduc- 
 ed to the last extremity, there came a herald 
 to Darius from the Scythian prince with a 
 bird, a mouse, a frog, and five arrows, for a 
 present. The king desired to know the meaning 
 of tho^e gifts. The herald answered that his cr 
 ders were only to deliver them, and nothins more; 
 and that it was left for the Persian king to find out 
 the meaning. Darius concluded, at first, that the 
 Scythians thereby consented to deliver up the 
 earth and water to him which, he supposed, were 
 represented by the mouse and frog, as also their 
 cavalry, whose swiftness was represented by the 
 bird, together with their own persons and arms, re- 
 presented by the arrows. But one of his lords 
 expounded the enigma in a different manner. I 
 know, says he to the Persians, that, unless you can 
 fly away in the air like birds, or hide yourselves in 
 the eartn like mice, or swim in the water like frogs, 
 you shall in no wise avoid the arrow's of the Scy- 
 thians. 
 
 The whole Persian, army had now nothing be- 
 fore the ir eyes but ruin and famine. Instant re- 
 treat was all the salvation for the remainder of those 
 who survived the famine and fatigue of the Scy- 
 thian campaign. Darius returned to Susa wuh 
 scarce had' his army. Such was the fate of the Scy- 
 thian war; such was the failure of one of the most 
 powerful nations on the face of the eaith, with 
 one of the most powerful armies that ever marched 
 against an enemy, headed by a prince flu-hed with 
 victory, and adorned with fresh laurels by the con- 
 quer of As>yria and the destruction of Babylon, in 
 an attempt to subdue a small nation of half civi- 
 lized wanderers; and such were the advantages 
 which the face of the country and the extent of 
 territory gave the Scythians— advantages in no re- 
 spect superior to those enjoyed by the Seminoles in 
 Florida for their defence. The Scythians defeated 
 the Persian army by wandering, and not fighting. 
 The Seminole Indians have it in their power to 
 long prevent a termination of the Florida war by 
 wandering, and not fighting, by the same advan- 
 tages that the Scythians enjoyed. 
 
 In the ye r 1655 Jamaica was conquered by the 
 English, and the Spaniards d riven out. Soon after the 
 English laws were established tn the island, the in- 
 habitant found themselves beset and plundered by 
 some wandering robbers who issued from the 
 mountains of Clatendon, situated in th a . inte- 
 rior of the island. These robbers were called 
 maroons, and principally consisted of negroes 
 and their descendants, who, from time 
 
 'to time, had escaped from their mas- 
 
 ters, and taken refuge in the mountains, or 
 cockpits. The mountains of Clarendon are lofty, 
 rematkably broken, consisting of rocks, covered, in 
 some parts, with dense shrubbery, with narrow, 
 leep dt files, leading to openings more expanded, 
 callen cockpits, and other hiding places, fit for se- 
 i«re retr ats for robbers and plunderers. The 
 mrlteai attention of the colonial Government was 
 ;iven to the security of the planters and herdsmen 
 rom the daily depredations of the maroons. Gar- 
 risons and posts were established, troops were sta 
 2 
 
 tloned at suitable points to defend the frontier, bue 
 all to but little effect. Robberies, depredations on 
 property, and murders, by the maroons, was a por- 
 tion of every day’s news. The attention of the 
 colonial Government was called and directed more 
 earnestly and urgently to the safely of the frontier 
 and the reduction of the maroons; but all still to 
 little effect — murders and depredations were but 
 little abated — the work of surprise, plunder, and 
 death, still went on. The attention of the British 
 Parliament was called to the maroon war; but 
 year after year passed away and the maroon war 
 still raged. The British arms were called into ac- 
 tive requisition, troops of rangers were sent to 
 scour the mountain passes, defiles, and cockpits, 
 but no maroons could be seen, with a few excep- 
 tions. Fresh trails would be made on purpose to 
 iead the rangers into narrow defiles, when, on a 
 sudden, the maroons would fire on them from 
 their hiding places and cut off whole companies, 
 without any other discovery than the report of the 
 musket, the smoke from its muzzle, and ihe death 
 which ensued. Sir, I have not time to detail this 
 war and its bloody consequences. It is sufficient 
 for my purpose to say that perhaps there never 
 were over one thousand maroon warriors at any 
 one time, and yet the war lasted near two thirds of 
 a century, with but little intermission of confirmed 
 peace. It is sufficient to say that such were the 
 advantages that the inaccessible (inaccessible to 
 any thing but a maroon) passes, narrow defiles, 
 cockpits, and h ding p.aces that the Clarondon 
 mountains afforded the maroons, that a handful of 
 them (comparatively speaking) were able to keep 
 at bay the power of the British arms. Wnile the 
 British lion was prowling unscared over vast 
 and wide-spread India, shak ng the earth and mak- 
 ing all creation tremble at his toar, he was com- 
 pelled to shake his mane and sneak, in dismay and 
 defeat, from the presence of a handful of maroons* 
 Such were ihe natural advantages which the 
 maroons enjoyed, owing to the face of their coun- 
 try. But, great as those a 1 vantages were, the Se- 
 minoles enjoy those tnat are equal for their mode 
 of warfare, and against which the American arms 
 have had to contend. The maroon war was finally 
 closed in 179 6, mot before; nor would it yet have been 
 closed, but for the importation of the Spanish chas- 
 seurs and bloodhounds, about which I will have to 
 say scme'hing before I take my seat. 
 
 In that part of Asia, or, perhaps, more properly, 
 in Asia in Russia, are what are called the Circas- 
 sian mountains, which are inhabited by a people 
 called after the mountains, or perhaps the mountain > 
 are called after them. Be that as it may, tbe peo- 
 ple are called Circassians. The Government of 
 Russia has owned that province of Asia fi r per- 
 haps a century or more. Her arms and her laws 
 have been extended to the subjection of all the 
 tribes and nations within the limits of that pro-* 
 rince, except the Circassians, who have never been 
 conquered to this day. Perhaps the description 
 given of the Clarendon mountains of Jama : ca 
 may, to some extent, serve for a descrip- 
 tions of the Circassian mountain*, and the 
 advantages of the one are similar to ihe other, 
 for national defence. The Circassians, I believe . 
 rank with what is called half ciyiltz:d pe pie. £ 
 

 % £ *. 
 
 18 
 
 think their concentrated military force has, at no 
 time, exceeded one or two thousand warriors. The 
 arms qf Russia have been directed against that peo- 
 ple, with but little intermission, from the time she 
 has owned the province. Campaign after cam- 
 pa go has marched, with ten, filteen, and upwards 
 of twenty thousand troops, as brave as ever bore 
 arms, or followed the Russian standard; and as 
 often as they have been marched, so often have 
 they failed, or been defeated. r lhe Russian eagle, 
 that hovers over, unscared, one half of the conti- 
 nent of inhabited Europe, has been compelled to 
 flee from the presence of a handful of Circassians, 
 in defeat and dismay. Ten thousand of Russia’s 
 bravest veterans have fallen in a single campaign 
 before them. They are unconquered and uncon- 
 querable, so loDg as their scat’ered, small clans, re- 
 main united for the common defence of their c un- 
 try, and so long as the mountains stand, and the 
 passes, fastnesses, and defiles remain; for these are 
 the natural advantages by which they are enabled 
 to contend against the almost unlimited powers of 
 a Russian Autocrat; and yet the natural ad ,T antages 
 that the Circassian mountains afford that people in 
 the safety of their retreats, does not excel the ad- 
 vantages the everglades, swamps, and hammocks 
 secure to the Seminoles in Florida. 
 
 The failures of the Persian army to defeat Scy- 
 thia; the procrastination for more than half a cen- 
 tury of the maroon war, and the total failure of a 1 
 Russia to conquer Circassia, can all be acco unted for 
 by the honest, in elligent and candid world, and yet 
 this Administration must be the subject of Federal 
 derision, ridicule and denunciat on, because the Flo 
 rida war has not been terminated in thespace of two 
 or three years, with all the insurmountable difficul- 
 ties that have their foundation in nature to contend 
 with — limited means, a destitution in resources at 
 the theatre of war, and the untimely and embarrass- 
 ing interposition of Congress — all of which have 
 conspired to make this war complicated and as 
 difficult of termination as thdle to which I have 
 referred. 
 
 Sir, the spirit of persecution and demagoguism 
 which has hunted the Executive and theWar Depart- 
 ment, as well as some of the officers, through this 
 war, is worthy of, and in character with, the reckles- 
 demagogues of other times and other Governments, 
 who are always prepared to sacrifice the highest in- 
 terest of their country at the shrine of their ambi- 
 tion. It is worthy of the ingratitude and inhumani- 
 ty of an Apries, when the Egyptians determined to 
 shake off the yoke that bound them down in slavish 
 bondage to Apries (Pharao Hophrah) they made 
 Amasis their king, Apries in exasperation sent Pa- 
 terbenis, one of his highest officers and principal 
 lord of his court, to put Amasis under arrest and bring 
 him before him. Paterbenis, faiihful to his prince, 
 did all he could to execute his master’s order; but, 
 for want of power and means , failed in his commission. 
 The base and brutal Apries, as a leward for his 
 fidelity, treated him in a most ignominious and in- 
 human manner, Vy cutting off his nose and ears, 
 for failing to do that which he had neither the 
 power nor the means to do. 
 
 It is in character with the base conduct and 
 treachery of Hanno, and the vile faction he headed 
 in Carthage, whose whole efforts were directed to 
 
 the destruction of the immortal Hannibal, whose 
 success in arms, and whose popularity with his 
 people, were a constant source of mortification and 
 disappointment to him. The management of the 
 Government o r Carthage, and the command of her 
 armies, were Hanno’s ambition; and, like the Fede- 
 ral demagogues of this day in our country, he 
 preferred to s*e the proud name of Carthage wither, 
 her arms dishonored, and her people sunk in infamy 
 and sold in slavery, rather than fail of his object; 
 and such aspiring demagogues have been the mis- 
 fortune and curse of every Government and peo- 
 ple, at all times. So say:s the history of the world 
 and of man. But I will not now take time to 
 illustrate by examples. The American people will 
 be able to appreciate the motives that give birth to 
 the base changes against the Administration in re- 
 ference to the Florida war. 
 
 Mr. Chairman, I ask your attention, while I ex- 
 pose the inconsistency involved in the cry against 
 the Administration for what is called the “mis- 
 management of the Flor.da war.” The Executive 
 and the War Department have been charged 
 with impotency in its management, and General 
 Jesup has been brought in for a large share of 
 Federal abuse and Federal censure. Of the Ad- 
 ministration I will say nothing more, farther 
 than repeat, that all that has been done, has been 
 done wi.h the best directed judgment. 
 
 But of General Jesup I must say something, by 
 way of con »a-t to the services of General Scott. 
 
 General Jesup served, I think, hardly a fort- 
 night in the Creek war, and by his efficient means, 
 and in violation of the orders, and contrary to the 
 plans, of General Scott, he succeeded in terminat- 
 ing the war, and completed the arrangements by 
 which near twenty thousand Indians were moved 
 west of the Mississippi. For this, as I have be- 
 fore remarked, he received General Scott’s censure. 
 
 General Jesup served in Florida, and had 
 charge of the war a little over seventeen months, 
 in which time he killed and captured of the enemy 
 near twenty-four hundred, defended the frontier, 
 established posts and fortifications, destroyed the 
 enemy’s property, burnt their towns, swept the 
 swamps and hammocks, and dispersed the small' 
 remainder, and jet General Jesup has been abused 
 and denounced in no measured terms by the Fede- 
 ral sheets of the day; he has been identified with 
 the War Department in the charge of “impotency” 
 and the “disgrace of the Florida war.” 
 
 General Scott performed a campaign in Florida 
 with near five thousand troops (the bravest of the 
 brave) well supplied, in which he may have killed, 
 it is said, five or six of the enemy, and jet, straDge 
 to say, General Scott, by the same men and the 
 same party, is lauded for his bravery and his trans- 
 cendent military services, and is held up as quali- 
 fied for and entitled to the first office in the gift of 
 the American people. Yes, sir, he was really a 
 piominent candidate for the Presidency at the late 
 Hartford Convention. (Pardon me, sir, I should 
 have said Harrisburg. I am so in the habit of call- 
 ing things by their proper names, that I sometimes 
 violate the rules of courtesy. The fact that it was 
 composed of men of the same party, governed by the 
 same principles, and whose object was to effect about 
 the same purposes as that of the Hartford conven- 
 
tion, led me into the nominal mistake. I will be 
 more careful hereafier ) Yes, sir, General Scott, 
 who, of all the officers that ha t charge of the 
 Florida war, with greater means an t -g eater ad- 
 Tantag;s, did the least, (except one whom I shall 
 name shortly,) is held up by the Opposit.on as 
 worthy and qual tied for the Presidency! 
 
 Sir, if there is any disgrace attached to the con* 
 duct of the Florida war, or any failure in its ma- 
 nagement, that disgrace, and that failure, must at- 
 tach to General Scott. If there was any thing left 
 undone, which could or ought to have been done, 
 in the Florida war, it was the failure of General 
 Scott to light, surround, and conquer the enemy, 
 when they were embodied on the Withlacoochee 
 river. At no time, during the war, were there so 
 great a r.ufnber ot the enemy embodied as on the 
 Withlacoochee, when General fcott met them. 
 At no time we;e there so many efficient troops so 
 contiguous, nor were the troops at any time so well 
 supp’ied, as were the troops at that time under 
 Gen. Scott. He had nineteen hundred and sixty men 
 in his right wing, immediately under his command, 
 wiih sixteen day*’ provisions. His left, wing 
 was at Falaklakaha, consisting of the same number 
 of men, and the same quantry of provisions, and 
 with cattle in abundance, and only one or two days’ 
 march from where the Indars were embodied 
 Then was the time bra decisive battle, if such a 
 battle could have been fought with the Indians at 
 any time. If there was ever a time when ara end 
 could have been put to ill* Florida war by efficient 
 and prompt action, that was the time. If ever there 
 were circumstances which put it i i ihe power of 
 any commander in Florida to put, at one blow, an 
 end to the war, these were the circumstances. 
 What wrs the course of General Scot ? It was, as 
 I have remarked, to attack the Indians, who, with- 
 out the loss of one man, retreated to the swamps. 
 General Scott followed them but four or five miles, 
 and then took up the line of march for Tampa Bay, 
 where he arrived in eleven days from Fort Drane, 
 with seven days’ provisions, and whr re he met the 
 left wing of his army, with a like quantity of pro- 
 visions. Sir, one is naturally led to inquire why 
 Gen. Scott did not send to Palaklekaha for the left 
 wing of his army, secure a few of the enemy’s cattle 
 which were in such abundance attack the ene- 
 my wiih his whole fierce, and at a blow put an end 
 to the war. It has been confidently said by some 
 officers of experience, that if General Gaines or 
 General Jesup had commanded at that time at 
 Withlacoochee, with the forces and provisions that 
 General Sco t had, an end would have been put 
 to the war by a decisive ba’tle. It is said that it 
 was a great error in General Scott to permit the In- 
 dians to disperse. They never have since been so 
 embodied, nor will they ever again be so embodied. 
 
 I repeat, that there and then was committed the fa- 
 tal error, if any error can be justly charged in the 
 conduct of the Florida war. I charge this upon 
 General Scott, and I defy bis friends to get him 
 from under the charge, unless they will maintain that 
 owing to the character and lace of the countty and 
 the advantages of the swamps, hammocks, and fast- 
 nesses the enemy enjoyed, it was impossible for 
 him to find and defeat them; and such seems to be 
 the case, and the apology upon which the court of 
 
 inquiry decided, as set forth in Senate document 
 224, evidence furnished the court by Gen. Scott him- 
 self. I say, if the friends of Gen. Scott ass : gn these as 
 good reasons why he so signally failed in the Flo- 
 rida war, then must they cease their clamor against 
 the Administration, and their charges of inefficien- 
 cy and “impotent r/” upon the head of the War De- 
 pariment f. r not doing that which they must ac- 
 knowledge was impossible to be done, or they must 
 consent to let their would-be President rtand 
 charged with more inefficiency and greater error, 
 than any one officer connected with the Florida 
 war— no one having it so much in his power to end 
 the war as General Scott. 
 
 I was amused to hear the gentleman from South 
 Carolina, [Mr. Thompson,] when on this subject, 
 (Florida war.) He asks: 
 
 “What has yet been accomplished by the Second dragoons, 
 a regiment raised specially for that service! Nothing, that I 
 have ever heard of. I would not object to raising one or mere 
 regiments, if I knew who were to command them; if I could 
 have any assurance that the command would be given t© Gen. 
 Floyd of Georgia, or some other such man. I, however, know 
 nonesuch. Butit will be given to no such man, but to .some 
 palace pet or noisy pwlitician. These appointments have been, 
 and will be made, not with a view to military, but to poli- 
 cal battles; not with a view to obtaining victories over the In- 
 dians, but votes at elections.” 
 
 He knows no such man as Gen. Floyd ! Ought 
 the gentleman not to have embraced Gen. Scoit 
 and the hero of Tippecanoe? 
 
 But, sir, who is Gen. Floyd? I may expose my ig- 
 norance by asking this question. If so, I hope I will 
 rind an apolrgv in the iact that some of us in the 
 West have no books to read but the Bible and old 
 Tom Dil worth’s Spelling-book. I do not make 
 the inquiry with any disrespect to the gentleman, 
 who seems to stand so h gh in the estimation of 
 die gentleman from South Carolina, [Mr. T.] Gen. 
 Floyd may have slain his thousands and tens of 
 thousans. He may have fattened many a broad 
 field with his slain. He may have planted stand- 
 ards of liberty in every quarter of the globe. Vic- 
 tory may perch upon his banner, and conqueror 
 may be bis name, but it so happens I know little 
 or nothing of him. I believe be had the charge of 
 a campaign in Florida. I think he was sent to do 
 what Gen. Nelson had failed to do. And what did 
 they both do? Senate document No. 507 informs us 
 that Gan. Nelson, with a brigade of Georgia vo- 
 lunteers, was directed to secure the frontier of Mid- 
 dle Florida and the western part of East Florida. 
 His operations covered the country west of the Fort 
 Kingroad, from the south point of the Annuttalc- 
 ga swamp to the Withlacoochee, and to the head 
 of that river; thence to the Suwanee, and thence 
 west of that river, and south of the Tallahassee 
 road to Stein Hatch°e, the whole distance on the 
 coast being a continued swamp, extending from 
 the Gulf of Mexico to the interior, from ten to 
 thirty miles, and along the Gulf a hundred and 
 fifty miles. He had several skirmishes with the 
 enemy, and the result of his operations, so far as 
 they have been reported, are six Indians killed, 
 andfouiteen prisoners. That is something. General 
 Nelson is a Democrat, I am told. 
 
 Now, sir, I have told you I did not know what 
 General Floyd has done, but I can tell you what 
 he did not do. Afier General Nelson left Florida, 
 General Floyd went on a campaign. Kis opera- 
 
vl*' ZQo 
 20 ^ 
 
 lions were confined to the southern part of Georgia, 
 and northern line of Florida, near the Okeefenoke 
 swamp. His force I think consisted of near one 
 thousand Georgia volunteers and United States 
 regu'ar troops. His campaign continued proba- 
 bly three months. He returned without killing one 
 Indian or taking a prisoner. This is what he did 
 not do. I believe General Floyd is a modern Whig! 
 
 “The King of France, with fotty thousand men, 
 
 Marched up a hill, and then marched down again.” 
 
 But my friend from South Carolina knows no 
 su<h man as General Floyd. He does not like 
 pets of the white palace, and noi.-y politicians; 1 
 suppose he prefers bank pets. I take it lor granted, 
 if toe charge of the Florida war could be put into 
 the hands of the pets of the bank marbled palace 
 and the friends of rotten corporations; the rag tag 
 thinplaster currency and incorporated swindlers, 
 they m ght make as much “noise” as they pleased 
 in politics. Such generals would be to the gentle- 
 man’s liking and the liking of his party, whethei 
 they would obtain “ victories over the Indians ” or 
 not, so that they would “ obtain votes at the polls.” 
 
 But, sir, I wish it to be understood that I neither 
 make the inquiry nor the expose which I have, in 
 jelation to General Floyd, through any disrespect 
 t© that gentleman, or to diminish any claims to 
 chivalry, bravery, or good conduct, he may have 
 achieved by his services in the Florida war. On 
 ihe contrary, it is my desire that he shall enjoy all 
 the credit to which his services entitle him. But 
 when his friends are so imprudent as to extol him, 
 at the expense, and to the exclusion, of all others 
 who toiled With him in the scenes of Florida, a 
 plain, unvarnished statement of facts is not only 
 admissible, but demanded, in justice to those who 
 m y be affected thereby. And I am whiling to ad- 
 mit that General Floyd did all that could have been 
 done under the circumstances in which he served. 
 
 1 have stated that the abused General Jesup 
 ended tne Creek war in len or fifteen days, and 
 sent near twenty thousand Indians west of ihe 
 Mississippi; and that he killed, captured, and took 
 pris-.ners, near twenty-four hundred of the enemy, 
 in less than seventeen raon hs, during which he 
 had charge of the Florida war. How will these 
 compare with other Indian campaigns and Indian 
 wais. 
 
 General Wayne’s Indian c?mpa'gn commenced 
 in 1792, and ended in 1795 Wayne’s last batil§ 
 was fought on the 20ih August, 1794. The In- 
 dians did not come in for a year after, and, when 
 all to'd, they did not amount to more than eleven 
 hundred. 
 
 General G. R. Clark, who was considered one 
 of our most successful Indian hunters, never took 
 more than one hundred and fifty Indians; nor did 
 he kill more than twice that number. Generals 
 Scott ( not the would-be President) and Wilkinson 
 ki led and captured ninety-nine Indians in their 
 campaig i, for which they received the thanks of 
 General Washington. 
 
 In the surprise at Tippecanoe it is supposed fif'y 
 Indians may have been killed with the off-set of 
 one bundled and eighty of our troops killed and 
 wounded. 
 
 So Gen. Jesup, in a seventeen months’ campaign, 
 killed and captured,and made prisoner, more Indians 
 
 than all killed and taken by Wayne, Clark, Scotty. 
 Wilkinson, and Tippecanoe to boot; and yet the 
 Administration, the War Department, and General 
 Jesup, are charged with discrace for failures in the 
 Florida war, and General Winfield Scott must be 
 made President of the United Slates Monstrous ! ! I 
 and Tippecanoe more monstrous ! ! ! ! 
 
 Mr. Chairman, I regret that my time and the 
 limits of a speech will not permit me to take the 
 notice I should of many of the gallant officers who 
 served in the fatiguing and harassing war of Flo- 
 rida. If I had time and opportunity, it would 
 give me great pleasure to annex the services of the 
 gallant Smith, Taylor, Hernandes, Cawlfield, 
 Harny, Fanning, and others, to their names. 
 
 I have a word to say, by way of conclusion, to 
 the charge made upon the War Department of 
 importing bloodhounds to hunt down the Seminole 
 India! s. 
 
 This charge is made by the humane Federalists. 
 Humanity is one of the noblest qualities of the 
 human heart, but it sometimes requires the exer- 
 cise of sound judgment, to give it a proper direc- 
 rection; and unfeigned humanity is i enerally 
 blended with some regard for truth ar.d vera- 
 city. We had a very humane party during 
 our last war with Great Britain, in which we were 
 struggling to maintain our liberty and indepen- 
 dence. That was the Federal parly who, for the 
 time, styied ihemseles the peace party , and the same 
 party whose eyes are now pump n?, and whose- 
 hearts are bleeding, at the thought of employing 
 bloodhounds to hunt the po?r Seminoles. At the 
 <ame time that the whole line of our frontier coun- 
 try was bleeding at every pore; when the heavens 
 were illumina ed by night wi'h the torch of the 
 savage and the conflagration of the frontier cabins 
 along the whole .northern boundary; when the crack 
 of the deadly rifle was not permi'ted to die on the earj 
 when the red scalping knife ;-.nd tomahawk were 
 never permitted to dry; and when the work of death 
 was the daily and nightly occupation of the enemy, 
 many a loud and fervent prayer was sent to Heaven 
 by the p ace party to revenge, on our countrymen, 
 the blood of an ur.holy and unjust war. And 
 now, when the first jntell genre of the morning isr 
 the indiscr. ornate slaughter of one or m re fami- 
 lies, the burnir'g of one or more hous-s, by the 
 Sammoles, we hear the same party petitioning men 
 and Heaven again-t employing bloodhound* to* 
 trace the enemy to their lurking places and inac- 
 cessible retreats — for no other use is intended by 
 them. 
 
 The Florida Indians are peihaps the most' 
 treacherous and inhuman savages that ever de- 
 graded the human name, or deformed the image of 
 man. They are composed of every material that 
 is vile and abominable in human nature and de- 
 graded in principle. 
 
 In the course of this war, they have not 
 only placed themselves without the pale of 
 mercy and humanity, by their inhuman and ind's- 
 crim nate barbarity, but they have made them- 
 selves, by the laws of nations and of war, subjects 
 of the gallows, by the violations of the capitula- 
 tion solemnly entered into at Fort Dade, which I 
 have before described; and this is the kind of enemy 
 against which bloodhounds must not be useJ, for 
 

 n 
 
 the purpose of ferreting out their places of conceal- 
 ment. 
 
 Every wind from Florida bears upon its wings 
 the sickening intelligence of some innocent family 
 falling a sacrifice to these plundering murderers. 
 The intelligence of the patents of some family h»- 
 ving their throats cut, their cabin fired, and their 
 children’s brains dashed out upon its burning lo°\s, 
 and the mangled bodies left to fatten the wolf, and 
 feed the raven. But all this can be heard with 
 cold indifference, while the pitiful ;vhine is spread 
 upon a thousand petitions against employing blood 
 hounds, to hunt the poor Seminoles. Sir, it is all 
 the slang of the demagogue, and the cant of the hy- 
 pocrite. I have in my possession an extract from 
 Governor Reid’s message to ihe Florida Legisla- 
 ture, which gives a description of one of those hor- 
 rible scenes of murder and burning: It is said that 
 a pious and exemplary citxen, on seeing the man- 
 gled corpses and the smoking ruins of the dwelling 
 exclaimed, in feeling and horror, that he would 
 employ hell hounds and devils against such an 
 enemy. 
 
 But the Executive and the War Department 
 riave been assailed and denounced from one end of 
 the Union to the other, for importing blood hound* 
 
 0 be used in the Florida war. Now, sir, I have to 
 ntorm you that the whole charge is but one of the 
 eskless, unprincipled, and vi'e s'anders of the 
 lmes, propagated and promulgated tor the base 
 imposes of party. Neither the Executive nor the 
 war Department have had any band in the impor- 
 ation of blood hounds. It is the work of the Flo- 
 ic.a authorities, a matter over which the Executive 
 nd the War Department have no control, extent 
 whether they shall be used as instruments of war in 
 tie hands of the United Slates troops, or, if permit- 
 2 d, in what manner they shall be used. 
 
 I present the rep’y of the Secretary of ihe War 
 )e P artmcnt to a commun'cation of the Hon. H 
 L - WlSE 10 him on that subject, which I ask may 
 
 1 read by the Clerk, and which I shall make a parr 
 f my printed remarks. 
 
 The Clerk read as follows, Senate Document 
 b7, 1st session 26 h Congress, page 4: 
 
 On tliis letter I endorsed the following decision, which was 
 mmunicated to General Taylor: “I have always been of 
 
 cube arrnv d fmm Ught l ° be employed in this warfare, to pro- 
 dian tn hk h surprlses a " d ambuscades, and to track the 
 
 ■ved hern u k g ' P ace: su PP osed > >' General bt* 
 
 t0 be necessary, he would not hesitate to take 
 
 ^mlerfi, . pr0cure The co,d 'b!ooded and inhuman 
 
 these n. o f. perpetrated up , 011 bel P less women and children 
 « meanl I m nf vages ’ re , nder u that every possi- 
 
 an °. u d t,e ”f 0rl . ed,o > in order 10 protect the people 
 nn?Je d or ! enabIe the United States forces to follow arid 
 pture or destroy the savage and unrelenting foe. General 
 
 hi mav I I fdi 0r V ,Un0r ^ e( ! 10 P r,iCllrc pucb number of dogs 
 he may judge necessary, it being expressly understood that 
 
 KS-SSH1- ,tack and ST rer lhe Mans ' ” o! 
 
 pursuers were aided by the sagacity of their do^s- These m 
 vages had approached a cabinof peaceful and industrious ^ 
 
 v°nn eal r hl!y ’ tbatthe first of their presence was given 
 by a volley from their rifles thrust between the log* of thc> 
 house; and the work of death was finished by tomahawking the- 
 
 ffi t , ader , te * rin * from - them ** in y fant m cSen" g and 
 
 d i-hirg their biains out against the door posts Are these 
 luthless savages to escape and repeat such scenes of blood be- 
 cause they can elude our fellow- citizens in Florida and our re- 
 gular soldiers, and baffle their unaided efforts to overtake off 
 discover them? On a late occasion, three estimable citizens 
 were killed in the immediate neighborhood of St. Augustine 
 and one officer of distinguished merit mortally wounded £ ?s 
 n evidence that these murders were committed by two Indians 
 who, after shooting down the father, and beating cS 
 die son s brains with the butts of their rifles, upon hearing the 
 approach of the volunteers, retired a few yards into the woods 
 fh a d a S !Ti e o- thera r Se l Ves untiI the tro °ps returned to town S 
 wa b i? d | e u ° f i hof r e - wll ° had been tbus inhumanly and 
 wantonly butchered. It is to be regretted that this corps had 
 not been accompanied with one or two hunters, who, with 
 b ^ do ff> might have tracked the blood-stained’ footstep™ 
 thes-.. Indians, have restored to liberty the captive they were 
 dragging away with them, and have prevented them from ever 
 again repeating such atrocities Nor could the severest casuist 
 object to our fellow-citizens in Florida to Sdi^SS 
 
 sures, in order to protect the lives of their women and children. 
 Very respectfully, your most obedient sprvant, 
 
 Hon. Henry A. Wise, J. R. POINSETT. 
 
 House of Representatives, 
 
 [*his is the only action or correspondence, on the part of the 
 KE2? tha t ha3 cv er taken place in relation to the matter, 
 n a°, res t0 caiTyint( » effect his own re- 
 r, e b da ,0n T’ and lh18 department l,a * neVer since renewed 
 Je.nn Vhi U ^’ b° we ver, t o e n e rtai n the opinion ex- 
 Ki de Su ,0n - , 1 d0 not believe that de scrip- 
 rack il.’e In Sn h m b °{ )dh0U ? d ’ n , eCHS;,iir y to present surprise, 
 rack the Indian murderer; but I still think that every cabin 
 
 npr7, P ° 3t,and e ve r y d etach merit, should be attended 
 logs. That precaution might have saved Dade’s command 
 ri massacre: and, by giving timely warning, have ^evS 
 
 ?/na f in th iw C Mi e T l Z]' ird , er3 w,1 ich have been committed by the I 
 lans in Middle Florida. The only successful pursuit of In- 
 i murderers that I know of, was on a late occasion, when the 
 
 lt , , War Department, January 26 , 1840 . 
 
 Sir. It is understood by the Department, although not offi- 
 c l ap y mformed of the fact, that the authorities of the Territory 
 
 of cJba da a ^rMrhT P L 0 -! ed & pack °™ oodho “n<te from the island 
 of Cuba, and I think it proper to d.rect, in the event of thoso 
 d ° b s being employed by any officer or officers under your com- 
 mand, that their use be confined altogether to tracking the In- 
 dians: and 111 order to insure this, and to prevent the possibility 
 of their injuring any person whatsoever, that thev be P muzzlel 
 
 sssteisir* " eldwi,h a leash whi,e 
 
 Very respectfully, your most obedient servant, 
 
 Brig. Gen. Z. Taylor, j . R. POINSETT. 
 
 Commanding Army of the South, Florida. 
 
 I now ask to read the following resolution, which 
 als3 shall make a part of my speech: 
 
 Mr. Adams submitted the following resolution' 
 
 Resolved, That the Secretary of War be directed to report 
 to this House the natural, political, and martial history of the 
 bloodhounds, showing the peculiar fitness of that class of war- 
 riors to be the associates of the gallant army of the United 
 states, specifying the nice discrimination of his scent between 
 the olood of the freeman and the blood of the slave-be-tween 
 the blood of the armed warrior and that of women or children 
 between the blood of the black, white, and colored men — be- 
 tween the blood of savage Seminoles and that of the Anelo- 
 Saxon pious Christian. Also, a statement of the number of 
 bloodhounds and their conductors, imported by this Govern- 
 mertt or by the authorities of Florida, from the Island of Cuba 
 and the cost of that importation. Also, whether a further im-’ 
 portation of the same heroic race into the State of Maine to 
 await the contingency of a contested Northeastern boundary 
 question, is contemplated, or only to set an example to be fol- 
 by ° ur possib!e a(] versary in the event of a conflict. 
 Whether measures have been taken to secure exclusivelv to 
 ourselves the employment of this auxilary force, and whether 
 he deems it expedient to extend to the said bloodhounds andi 
 their posterity the benefit of the pension laws. 
 
 Mr. i Jo yd demanded the yeas and nays on the passage of the 
 
 resalution; which were ordered. 
 
 Mr. Adams said, inasmuch as the yeas and nays were ordcr- 
 ed, he would wish to explain before the question was taken. 
 ru ^ be resolution, in consequence, was laid over under the 
 
 Sir, if t qny other member than the venerable gen- 
 tleman from Massachusetts had offered this resolu- 
 tion, I would have thought him a fit subject for the 
 dark cell of a lunatic asylum. Or if his reason was 
 evidently so as to prevent such a conclusion, and 
 knowing that he had read the communication of the 
 Secretary of War, (a document which has been ly- 
 ing on our desks for some weeks,) I would have 
 thought he was wilfully, designedly, and malicious- 
 ly, attempting to practice a base fraud upon the 
 

 22 
 
 American people, and a vile slander upon the Ad- 
 ministration. 
 
 I presume it is not the intention of the Secretary 
 of War to enrol the Spanish bloodhounds of Flori- 
 da with the pension soldiers of the Revolution. 
 When the time comes that dcgs must be enrolled 
 with men, I can tell you a list on which they will be 
 placed. I mean the black list. The list of those 
 who violated the Constitution, tramp’ed upon the 
 sacred rights of the American people, and debased 
 the purity of the elective franchise in 1824, by the 
 appointment of a man to the highest and most re- 
 sponsible office known to our Government, who 
 was not of the people’s choice. 
 
 It is a principle in ethics and philosophy, that there 
 is a time and place for every thing; and it is a prin- 
 ciple in propriety that every thing should be in its 
 place. If dogs are to be enrolled with men, let 
 them be enrolled with those who have disgraced 
 their stations and dishonored their Government. 
 But let patriots be enrolled with patriots. 
 
 If the solicitude manifested on the subject of 
 the employment of bloodhounds in Florida be not 
 the result <?f morbid humanity and Christian sym- 
 pathy, or the whining, pining, sniffling cants of hy- 
 pocrisy and demagoguism, when had it its begin- 
 ning? 
 
 I ask your attention while I read the conclusion 
 of a proclamation of the pious Governor of Penn- 
 sylvania in 1764, and also the conclusion of the 
 ordinance of the court, and the proclamation of his 
 Excellency, William Shirley, Governor of the pun- 
 tans of Massachusetts, still more celebrated for 
 their piety, in 1744, at a time when piety held so 
 high a seat that the man who would so iar forget 
 himself as to kiss his wife on Sunday, was subject 
 to the payment of a heavy fine, and, for aught I 
 know, corporeal punishment. But here are the 
 extracts: 
 
 County Towns, to the Keeper of the Common Gaols there, the 
 Sum of ONE HUNDRED AND FIFT\ &PANISH DOL- 
 
 “AND WHEREAS, itisnecessary for the better carrying on 
 offensive Operations against our Indian Enemies, and bunging 
 the unhappy war with them to a speedy issue, that the greatest 
 Encouragement should be given to all His Majesty s Subjects 
 to exertand use their utmost endeavors to puisue, attaclc, taxe 
 and destroy our said Enemy Indians; I DO HEREHr i)tj~ 
 CLARE AND PROMISE, That there shall be paid, out of the 
 Moneys lately granted for His Majesty’s Use, to all and every 
 Person and Persons not in the Pay of this Province, the follow 
 ing several and respective Premiums and Bounties for fhe 
 Prisoners and Scalps of the enemy Indians, that shall be ta- 
 ken or killed within the Bounds of this Province, as limited by 
 the Royal Chartei, or in Pursuit from within the said Bounds; 
 that is to say, „ , , . 
 
 “For every Male Indian Enemy, above Ten Years old, who 
 shall be taken Prisoner, and delivered at any Forts garrisoned 
 by the Tioops in the Pay of this Province, or at any ot the 
 
 LARS, or PIECES OF EIGHT. , , 
 
 41 For every Female Indian Enemy, taken Prisoner an 
 brought in as aforesaid; and for every Male 
 of Ten Years old or under, taken Prisoner and deirvered ^ 
 aforesaid, the Sum of ONE HUNDRED AND THIRTY 
 
 ^“^thtPIcALP of every Male Indian Enemy, above the 
 age of Ten Years, produced as evidence of their being killed, 
 the Sum of ONE HUNDRED AND THIRTY-FOUR PIECES 
 O't? T^KtHT And 
 
 “For the Scalp of every Female Indian Enemy above the 
 
 a^e of Ten Years, produced as evidence ol their being kiliea, 
 thp Sum of FIFTY PIECES OF EIGHT. 
 
 h “ AND that there shall be paid to every Officer or Officers, 
 Soldier or Soldiers, as are or shall be in the Pay of this Pro- 
 vince, who shall take, bring in, and produce, any Ind > an Ene- 
 my Prisoner or Scalp, as aforesaid, ONE HALr of the saia 
 several and respective Premiums ane Bounties. 
 
 “Given unde? my hand and Great Seal of the f aid Province, 
 at Philadelphia, the Seventh day of July, ln * e Fourth 
 year of His Majesty’s Reign, and in the reign of our LORD 
 one thousand seven hundred and Sixty -Fom^ pexN 
 
 By His Honour’s Command. 
 
 Joseph Shippen, junior, Secretary . 
 
 GOD Save the KING.” 
 
 So much for pious Pennsylvania; now for the 
 
 puritans. . 
 
 “On the 26th of October last the General Court of this Pro- 
 vince voted, that there shall be paid out of th f e 1 T u ^.^^, as ^ 
 to any Company, party, or person singly, of his Majesty s sub 
 jects belonging to or residing within this I ro vince, who -hall 
 voluntarily, and at their own proper cost and charge, go out and 
 kill a male Indian of the age of twelve years or upwards of 
 ths tribe of St. Johns or Cape Sables, after the twenty-sixth 
 day of October last past, and before the last day of June, anno 
 Domini one thousand seven hundred and forty-five (or for such 
 part of that term as the War shall continue,) many place to 
 the Eastward of a line to be fixed by the Goveriiour and I His 
 Majesty’s Council of this Province somewhere to the Eas ward 
 of Penobscot, and produce his scalp in evidence of his death, 
 the sum of one hundred pounds in bills of 
 
 vince of the New Tenor, and the sum of one hundred and five 
 pounds in said bills for any male of the Uke age who shall be 
 taken Captive, and delivered to the Order of the Captain-Gene- 
 ral to be at disposal and for the use of the Government and tlie 
 sum of fifty pounds in said bills, for women; and the like sum 
 for children under the age of twelve years kr led lhi fight, and 
 fifty five pounds for such of them as shall be take pi isoners. 
 
 ofNovember ins, a,* His Excellen 
 cy, with the advice and consent of the Council, a prodam 
 
 tion for giving public notice of the said encoura 0 emei , 
 
 In They have also fixed the line (to the Eastward of which he 
 =aid Indians may be slain or taken, or made prisoneis) which 
 line is to begin on the sea shore at three leagues distance east- 
 wardly from the Easternmost part of the mouth 
 dy rivei, and thence to run North into the country through the 
 Province of Nova Scotia to the river St. Lawrence. 
 
 Sir I would like to comment on these extracts, 
 but I must leave that to those who may read them, 
 for l have alteady consumed too much of the time 
 of the committee. Permit me to conclude, by re- 
 turning my sincere thanks for ihe patience and at- 
 tention with which I have been heard.