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+*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 79059 ***
+
+[Illustration: _Andrew Jackson._]
+
+
+
+
+                                 THE
+
+                               GENERALS
+
+                                OF THE
+
+                     LAST WAR WITH GREAT BRITAIN.
+
+
+                         BY JOHN S. JENKINS,
+
+         AUTHOR OF THE “HISTORY OF THE WAR BETWEEN THE UNITED
+                    STATES AND MEXICO,” ETC. ETC.
+
+
+             “There are deeds which should not pass away,
+                   And names that must not wither.”
+
+
+                               AUBURN:
+                   DERBY, MILLER & CO., PUBLISHERS,
+                      BUFFALO: G. H. DERBY & CO.
+
+                                1849.
+
+
+
+
+      Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1848, by
+
+                          DERBY, MILLER & CO.
+
+      In the Clerk’s Office for the Northern District of New York
+
+
+
+
+STEREOTYPED BY THOMAS B. SMITH,
+216 WILLIAM STREET, N. Y.
+
+
+
+
+                                  TO
+
+                     MAJOR GENERAL ZACHARY TAYLOR,
+
+                      OF THE UNITED STATES ARMY,
+
+               THESE MEMOIRS, OF DISTINGUISHED SOLDIERS,
+
+                    WHOSE BRIGHT EXAMPLES HAVE BEEN
+
+             WORTHILY EMULATED IN HIS OWN MILITARY CAREER,
+
+                   ARE MOST RESPECTFULLY INSCRIBED.
+
+
+
+
+                               PREFACE.
+
+
+If authors would only adopt the prayer of the honest-hearted Scotch
+pedlar,--“God send us a good conceit of ourselves!”--would they
+not soon get rid of what is, at best, a thankless task--that of
+writing prefaces? Who, then, would care a fig for the Public’s whims
+or prejudices?--the Public might be satisfied, or not, just as
+the Public pleased. A great many readers now regard prefaces with
+abhorrence, and lengthy ones are sure to be pronounced, in advance,
+
+   “As tedious as a twice-told tale,
+    Vexing the dull ear of a drowsy man.”
+
+Still, there is no end to fault-finding, if an author does not put
+a window in the front of his book,--like that the old Roman wished
+in every man’s breast; and yet, the poor wight who thus pretends
+to gratify vulgar curiosity, racks and puzzles his brains in order
+to screen and curtain his window, so that nobody will be a whit
+the wiser, till the volume is opened, and the contents carefully
+examined. It is no wonder that few people like to read prefaces,--or
+that fewer still are satisfied, when they do read them!
+
+I feel confident, however, that it would be a work of supererogation,
+to offer any apology--for that is the gist of most prefaces--for the
+publication of these biographical sketches of distinguished generals,
+whose gallant deeds, whose bravery and heroism, are enshrined in the
+memories of the American people. My only fear is, that it may seem
+that other officers, equally entitled to consideration, have been
+intentionally overlooked, in making the selections for the work. That
+it was deemed necessary to make a selection at all, is the single
+excuse that need be offered for the omission,--which, it is not
+impossible, may be hereafter supplied, by another volume.
+
+The Histories of Ramsay, Perkins, and Brackenridge, Christie’s
+Memoirs of the War in Canada, Thompson’s Historical Sketches,
+James’ Military Occurrences, Wilkinson’s Memoirs, The British
+Annual Register, The Historical Register, Armstrong’s Notices, the
+interesting, but desultory _mélange_ of Mr. Ingersoll, the National
+Portrait Gallery, and numerous biographies, more or less extensive,
+have been consulted in the preparation of the volume. There has been
+no attempt at fine writing, but great pains have been taken to render
+the notices full, comprehensive, and historically accurate; and they
+are believed to be more entitled to confidence, in this respect, than
+any which have preceded them.
+
+_Auburn, December 1, 1848._
+
+
+
+
+                              CONTENTS.
+
+
+                                                             PAGE
+
+  JACOB BROWN,                                                 13
+
+  Situation of the country at the commencement of the war
+     with Great Britain--Parentage of General Brown--Early
+     Vicissitudes--Teaches school--Commences the Study of
+     the Law--Abandons his studies, and removes to Jefferson
+     county, New York--Settlement at Brownville--Attack on
+     Ogdensburgh--Gallant conduct of General Brown--Offered the
+     command of a regiment in the Regular Service--Declines
+     it--Brave defence of Sacketts Harbor--Appointed a Brigadier
+     General--Expedition down the St. Lawrence--Promoted to
+     the rank of Major General--March to Buffalo--Invasion of
+     Canada--Capture of Fort Erie--Battles of Chippewa and
+     Niagara--Severely Wounded, and temporarily surrenders the
+     command--Siege of Fort Erie--Successful Sortie--Close of
+     the war--Appointed General-in-chief--His Death.
+
+  EDMUND PENDLETON GAINES,                                     61
+
+  The “Old Dominion”--Birth and Early History of
+     Gaines--Receives his first commission as an ensign--Claim
+     of the Spanish Government--Projects of Aaron Burr--His
+     arrest and trial--Temporary retirement of Gaines from the
+     army--Obtains a regiment--Abortive Expedition against
+     Montreal--Made a Brigadier-general--Siege of Fort
+     Erie--The Assault--Gallant defence of Gaines--Brevetted
+     a Major-general--War with the Seminoles--The “Black Hawk
+     War”--Outbreak in Florida--The War with Mexico--Patriotic
+     conduct of General Gaines--Personal appearance and traits
+     of character.
+
+  WILLIAM HENRY HARRISON,                                      88
+
+  His Popularity--Benjamin Harrison--Anecdote--Birth
+     and Education of General Harrison--Enters the
+     army--Kentuckeè--Campaign under Wayne--Defeat of the North
+     Western Indians--Fortunate incident--Is married--Civil
+     career--Secretary under Governor St. Clair--Delegate
+     to Congress--Improvement of the Land System--Appointed
+     Governor of Indiana Territory--Important services--Frontier
+     Life--Designs of Great Britain--Subornation of the
+     Indian tribes--Attack on the Chesapeake--Speech of
+     Harrison--Council at Vincennes--Tecumseh--Indian
+     Depredations--Battle of Tippecanoe--Declaration of
+     War against England--Patriotism of the citizens
+     of the West--Harrison invested with a military
+     command--Expedition of General Hopkins--Defence of
+     Fort Harrison--Destruction of Indian Towns--Harrison
+     appointed Brigadier-general--Dispositions for the
+     Campaign--Difficulties and Embarrassments--Massacre at
+     Frenchtown--Siege of Fort Meigs--Narrow Escape--Defence
+     of Fort Stephenson--Perry’s Victory--Pursuit of
+     Proctor--Battle of the Thames--Fruits of the
+     Victory--Letter to General Vincent--Demonstrations of
+     Respect--His Gallantry--Resigns his commission--Senator
+     in Congress--Minister to Colombia--Retires to Private
+     Life--Elected President--Sudden Illness and Death--His
+     character.
+
+  ANDREW JACKSON,                                             163
+
+  Of Irish descent--English oppression--His Father Emigrates
+     to America--Birth of Andrew Jackson--Youthful
+     Adventures--War of the Revolution--Invasion of South
+     Carolina--Patriotic conduct of young Jackson and his
+     brothers--Anecdotes--His Daring and Resolution--Attack
+     on the Waxhaw settlers--Taken as a prisoner to
+     Camden--Sufferings of the Prisoners--Battle of Hobkirk’s
+     Hill--A Mother’s Devotion--Release from Captivity--Close
+     of the War--Praiseworthy Resolution--Andrew Jackson
+     studies law--Emigrates to Tennessee--Life in the Log
+     Cabin--Incidents of the Wilderness--Establishes himself at
+     Nashville--The Debtors--Married to Rachael Donelson--Member
+     of the Tennessee Convention--Representative and Senator
+     in Congress--Judge of the Supreme Court--Difficulty with
+     Governor Sevier--Duel with Dickinson--Altercation with
+     Colonel Benton--Aaron Burr--War with Great Britain--Jackson
+     tenders the services of his Division--Expedition to
+     Natchez--The Southern Indians--War with the Creeks--General
+     Jackson takes the field at the head of the Tennessee
+     volunteers and militia--Difficulty in obtaining
+     supplies--Battle of Talluschatchee--Lincoyer--Battle of
+     Talladega--Destitution of the Troops--Mutiny--Firmness
+     and determination of General Jackson--Patriotic
+     letter to Governor Blount--Battles of Emuckfaw and
+     Enotochopco--Arrival of Reinforcements--Battle of
+     Tohopeka--Terrible slaughter of the Creeks--Termination
+     of Hostilities--Return Home--Jackson appointed
+     a Major-general in the Regular Army--Capture of
+     Pensacola--Expedition of the British against New
+     Orleans--Defences of the city--Arrival of Jackson--Landing
+     of the Enemy--General Jackson attacks them with a part
+     of his command--Fortifications--Battle of the Eighth of
+     January--Complete Rout of the British Army--The enemy
+     retire to their Shipping--Treaty of Peace--Fine imposed by
+     Judge Hall--Gratitude of the citizens of New Orleans--The
+     Seminole War--Appointed commissioner to receive the
+     Territory of Florida--Resignation of his commission--Again
+     elected Senator--Chosen President--Important Events of his
+     Administration--Final Retirement--Death and character.
+
+  ALEXANDER MACOMB,                                           295
+
+  Military Institution at West Point--Ancestors of General
+     Macomb--His Youth--Education--Enters the army as
+     a Cornet of Dragoons--Military Education and
+     Accomplishments--Promotions--Marriage--Superintends
+     the Construction of Coast Defences--Prepares a
+     work on Courts Martial--Appointed Colonel of
+     Artillery--Raises a Regiment--Stationed at Sacketts
+     Harbor--Projected Attack on Kingston--Participation
+     in the Capture of Fort George--Expedition under
+     Wilkinson--Promoted to Brigadier-general--Attack on
+     La Cole Mill--Invasion of New York by the British
+     under Sir George Prevost--Skirmishing--Battle of
+     Plattsburg--Attack and Repulse of the Enemy--Victory
+     of Commodore Macdonough--Thanks of Congress
+     and State Legislatures--Macomb appointed Chief
+     Engineer--General-in-chief of the Army--His Death.
+
+  ZEBULON MONTGOMERY PIKE,                                    323
+
+  His family and Education--Receives a Commission--Fondness
+     for reading and study--His Marriage--Expedition to the
+     sources of the Mississippi--Ordered to explore the
+     interior of Louisiana--Hardships and Sufferings of his
+     party--Loses his way--Taken prisoner to Santa Fe and
+     Chihuahua--Permitted to Return Home--Publishes Narratives
+     of his Expeditions--Rapid Promotions--Deputy Quarter Master
+     General--Appointed Colonel of Infantry--Mode of drilling
+     his regiment--Incursion into Canada--Raised to the rank of
+     Brigadier General--Expedition against York--His Gallant
+     Conduct--Explosion of the Magazine--Death of Pike--Bravery
+     and Heroism.
+
+  WINFIELD SCOTT,                                             338
+
+  Napoleon’s Remark in regard to Turenne--The Pretender--Scott’s
+     Ancestors--His birth--Education--Enters the legal
+     Profession--Commences Practice--Obtains a commission
+     as captain of Artillery--Difficulty with General
+     Wilkinson--Promoted to Lieutenant Colonel--Attack
+     on Queenston--Scott crosses the river and takes
+     the command--The Enemy driven off--Arrival of
+     General Sheaffe with reïnforcements, and surrender
+     of the Americans--Encounter with the Indian
+     Warriors--Interference in behalf of Irish prisoners--Is
+     exchanged and returns to duty--Colonel of the second
+     artillery--Attack on Fort George--Scott commands the
+     advanced guard--Capture of the Fort--Wilkinson’s
+     Expedition--Skirmishing--Appointed a brigadier
+     general--Camp of Instruction at Buffalo--Invasion of
+     Canada--Battle of Chippewa--Scott’s charge--Battle
+     of Niagara--His heroic conduct--Is severely
+     wounded--Complimentary Resolutions--Visit to
+     Europe--Return Home and Marriage--Military Reports and
+     Publications--Controversy in regard to brevet rank--War
+     with the Sacs and Foxes--Campaign in Florida--Disturbances
+     in Canada, and on the frontier--Removal of the
+     Cherokees--The North Eastern Boundary--Raised to the chief
+     command of the Army--The War with Mexico--Expedition
+     against Vera Cruz--Reduction of the city and the castle
+     of San Juan de Ulua--Battle of Cerro Gordo--March to
+     Puebla--Advance to the Mexican Capital--Contreras and
+     Churubusco--El Molino del Rey--Capture of the City of
+     Mexico--Treaty of Peace concluded--Return of General
+     Scott--Reflections.
+
+
+
+
+[Illustration: JACOB BROWN.]
+
+
+
+
+                             THE GENERALS
+
+                                OF THE
+
+                     LAST WAR WITH GREAT BRITAIN.
+
+
+
+
+                             JACOB BROWN.
+
+
+The opening scenes of the second, and last contest, between the
+United States and Great Britain, were, to the former, disastrous in
+the extreme. The apprehension long entertained, and, in the western
+part of the Union, the openly avowed desire of a war with Spain, who
+took little pains to conceal her dissatisfaction with the cession of
+Louisiana,--and the protracted agitation of the various questions
+in dispute with England and France; the two great powers contending
+for the mastery, or, at least, the commercial supremacy in the
+world,--had aroused, in some degree, the patriotic emotions of our
+countrymen. The impressment of American seamen, the outrage on the
+Chesapeake, the affair of the Little Belt, and the acts of violence
+committed by the savages on the north-western frontier,--who were
+prompted and encouraged by the agents of the British government,--had
+also excited a war-spirit that needed but a breath to fan it into
+a flame. Volunteer companies for improvement in discipline, were
+everywhere formed; the regular military force of the nation was
+augmented; and our chivalric young men sought eagerly for commissions
+in the army.
+
+But the declaration of war, on the 18th of June, 1812, found
+the country almost entirely unprepared for hostilities.--Upon
+whomsoever the blame may fall, the fact is too glaring to admit of
+contradiction; and its consequences, at the outset, were signally
+unfortunate.--The long line of sea-coast was in a defenceless
+condition. The army was feeble in numbers, and feebler still in skill
+and experience. The prominent officers of the Revolution were either
+dead or superannuated, and recourse was had to those who had held
+subordinate positions in that great struggle, under what proved to
+be the mistaken notion, that they only could be relied on in such an
+emergency. One reverse followed closely after another; and it was not
+until a different policy prevailed, and younger, and more skilful and
+enterprising officers, were placed at the head of the brave yeomen
+who flocked around the American standard, that the tide of defeat
+was turned. Among those who contributed to retrieve the disasters
+of 1812 and 1813, and to terminate the war by a series of brilliant
+achievements that elicited the applause of the nation, and enforced
+admiration at home and abroad, was Major General JACOB BROWN.
+
+[Sidenote: EARLY VICISSITUDES.]
+
+General Brown was born in Bucks county, Pennsylvania, on the ninth
+of March, 1775. His ancestors, for several generations, followed the
+peaceful occupations of an agricultural life. George Brown, the first
+of the family in this country, emigrated from England previous to the
+establishment of William Penn on the Delaware, and was well known as
+a man of strong and well-informed mind. His descendants resembled him
+in character, and a number of them were, for many successive years,
+prominent and influential members of the provincial government. With
+few exceptions, they belonged to the Society of Friends. The early
+associations, therefore, of General Brown, were not calculated to
+awaken a desire for engaging in those warlike pursuits, in which he
+subsequently acquired so much distinction.[1]
+
+In the language of the inscription on the monument erected to his
+memory, in the Congressional Cemetery, at Washington, he was “by
+birth, by education, by principle, devoted to peace!” But the
+fire of patriotism often burns the purest and the freest beneath
+the plainest garb; and the heart warmed by the manly and generous
+impulses which it quickens into existence, is easily moved by the
+incentives that arouse the soldier’s ambition. Love of country,
+where it is honest and sincere, will outweigh a thousand cold and
+selfish considerations, and to him who cherishes it, in the hour of
+danger, there is no post so acceptable as that which will secure the
+protection of the land that gave him birth.
+
+Samuel Brown, the father of Jacob, was a man of intelligence and
+high character. He was liberal and enterprising, though not always
+successful in his undertakings. He inherited a large and unincumbered
+estate, which, with proper care and attention, yielded a very
+respectable income; but, unfortunately, he was not content with the
+moderate gains thus realized, and, with the hope of increasing them,
+was induced to embark in commercial enterprises that wholly failed of
+success. A total sacrifice of property was the consequence; and his
+children were left to depend upon their own efforts and exertions to
+make their way in the world.
+
+At the time of his father’s failure, our hero was about sixteen
+years of age; but, though still a mere youth, he was not unprepared
+for practising that self-reliance which had now become a necessity
+as well as a duty. So far from being dispirited, because he was
+compelled to rely upon his own unaided resources, he nerved himself
+manfully for the task before him, determined, if possible, to
+secure the rewards of honest and industrious enterprise. The evil
+consequences of a hasty and unwise act were brought home to him in
+such a manner, that he could not well forget them; and thus it was
+in after years, that caution and prudence were such conspicuous
+features in his disposition. When he arrived at the age of eighteen,
+he commenced teaching school at Crosswicks, New Jersey, and remained
+there in that capacity, till he was twenty-one. While engaged in this
+vocation,--in itself a noble school, and one that has served as the
+introduction to a brilliant career of usefulness, to so many of our
+most distinguished citizens,--he devoted all his leisure time, with
+great assiduity, to the cultivation of his mind.
+
+[Sidenote: TEACHES SCHOOL.]
+
+After leaving Crosswicks, he spent two years in Ohio, in the
+vicinity of Cincinnati, during which time he was employed in
+surveying and laying out the public lands. On his return from
+the west, he went to the city of New York, and, upon the urgent
+solicitation of his friends, taught a public school for a few months.
+This was in the year 1798--a most exciting period in the history of
+the country. The depredations committed on the commerce of the United
+States, the insults offered to our ministers by the French Directory,
+and the arrogant tone of their Envoy and his agents, threatened
+seriously to disturb the friendly relations which had formerly
+existed between the two governments.
+
+The political discussions of that day were animated and earnest
+in their tone, and there were few possessing the capacity who did
+not engage in them. Young Brown had constantly kept in view the
+importance of disciplining and strengthening his mental powers, and
+the magnitude of the questions, in relation to which parties were
+then divided, was such, that he devoted a considerable portion of
+his time to their examination. He was an active participant in the
+debates which took place among his associates, and wrote several
+essays, that were published in the city papers, and attracted the
+favorable attention of that portion of his fellow-citizens whose
+views coincided with those of the writer. While he remained in
+New York, he commenced the study of the law, but, on discovering
+that it was not congenial with his disposition or tastes, he
+immediately abandoned it. These repeated changes in his occupation
+were not caused by any indecision, or want of energy on his part,
+but rather by the omission to seek a field where his active and
+ardent temperament would have the opportunity to develop itself,
+and his love of adventure find those projects better adapted to its
+gratification.
+
+[Sidenote: SETTLEMENT AT BROWNVILLE.]
+
+In 1799, he purchased, at a low price, a large tract of land on the
+borders of Lake Ontario, lying between the Black river and the St.
+Lawrence, and embraced within the limits of the present county of
+Jefferson. As soon as his arrangements were completed, he removed
+thither, for the purpose of establishing himself and effecting a
+settlement. At this time the country was rude and uncultivated,
+and the first human habitation within thirty miles of the lake was
+erected by him. The settlement that he founded, now a large and
+flourishing village, was called Brownville, and the same name was
+afterwards applied to the town in which it was located. Both the
+village and town, and the county of Jefferson, are much indebted to
+him for their prosperity and wealth. His activity and enterprise
+were rewarded by pecuniary advancement; and his kindly disposition,
+his integrity and intelligence, secured him a large share of
+popularity. He was appointed to fill various public situations,
+and acquired an extensive influence in his own immediate vicinity,
+and in the state at large. He was distinguished as an enlightened
+and practical agriculturist, and for the ability and energy with
+which he prosecuted such measures as were most likely to improve
+the appearance and condition of the country. But these were not the
+only commendable traits that deserve to be mentioned. After he had
+effected the necessary improvements, he brought his parents to his
+home in the wilderness, and having placed them in a comfortable
+situation near him, to the end of his life did every thing in his
+power to promote their happiness.
+
+Though occasionally meeting with reverses and disappointments, his
+firmness and perseverance never deserted him, and his unconquerable
+resolution enabled him to overcome every obstacle that interfered
+with the success of his plans.
+
+In 1809, he received the appointment of colonel in the state militia,
+and, in the following year, was promoted to the rank of brigadier
+general. He had ever been fond of perusing works on military science,
+and the certain prospect of a war with Great Britain now made him the
+more anxious to prepare himself for the proper discharge of those
+duties which he might be required to perform, as it was a favorite
+wish with him, to acquit himself creditably in every position he
+was called upon to fill. At the commencement of hostilities, in
+the summer of 1812, he was placed in command of a brigade in the
+first detachment of New York militia mustered into the service of
+the United States, and the defence of the eastern frontier of Lake
+Ontario, and the southern shore of the St. Lawrence, was intrusted to
+him.
+
+The line under the charge of General Brown extended from Oswego
+to Lake St. Francis, a distance of nearly two hundred miles; and
+throughout the greater portion of its extent, it was but thinly
+inhabited. The exposed situation of the country, on account of its
+proximity to the Canadian provinces, rendered the duty assigned
+him as responsible as it was arduous; and the small force under
+his command, and the inadequate supply of means at his disposal,
+frequently occasioned vexation and embarrassment. Owing to the repeal
+of the orders in council, and the temporary armistice entered into
+between Sir George Prevost, Governor General of Canada, and Major
+General Dearborn, the Commander-in-chief of the American forces, it
+was late in the season before any action of importance took place on
+the northern frontier of New York. Both the regular and the militia
+officers were constantly employed, in the meantime, in organizing and
+disciplining their respective commands.
+
+After completing the organization of his brigade, General Brown fixed
+his head-quarters at Ogdensburgh. On the twenty-first of September,
+1812, Captain Forsyth, the immediate commander of the regular troops
+at that post, was directed to cross the St. Lawrence, with a small
+party, in pursuit of some prisoners whom the English had taken from
+that vicinity. He was met by a superior force of the enemy, whom he
+defeated. He then entered the village of Gananoque, and destroyed and
+brought off a large quantity of military stores, together with some
+prisoners.
+
+[Sidenote: THE BRITISH ATTACK OGDENSBURGH.]
+
+In retaliation for this successful exploit, the British commenced
+a heavy cannonade upon Ogdensburgh, on the second of October, from
+their batteries at Prescott, on the opposite side of the river. This
+was continued for two days in succession, and on Sunday, the fourth
+of October, they attempted to storm the town. For this purpose, about
+six hundred men were embarked in forty boats. General Brown had
+anticipated the attack, and collected together a force not far from
+four hundred strong to resist it. As the enemy approached the shore,
+he ordered his troops, whom he had advantageously posted along the
+bank, to fire upon them. The command was obeyed with alacrity, and a
+spirited contest was kept up for two hours. The British made several
+ineffectual attempts to land; but the galling fire poured upon them
+was too severe to be endured. Deceived and disappointed in regard to
+the firmness of the militia, and the spirit and energy of the officer
+who commanded them, they were at length compelled to retire across
+the river to Prescott, having lost a number of men, and leaving one
+of their boats in the hands of the Americans.
+
+Frequent collisions occurred between small parties of the two armies,
+in this quarter, during the autumn, and the following winter. Early
+in February, 1813, a body of the enemy crossed the St. Lawrence in
+pursuit of some deserters, and committed a number of wanton and
+unprovoked outrages. Major Forsyth, then in command at Ogdensburgh,
+determined, as the only mode of obtaining satisfaction, to make
+an incursion into Canada. Passing over the river with a part of
+his riflemen, and a number of militia, many of the latter being
+volunteers for the occasion, in all about two hundred men, he
+surprised the guard at Brockville, captured the military stores, and
+returned in safety, without the loss of a single man, bringing with
+him fifty-two prisoners, among whom were eight officers.
+
+In return for this second affront, the British attacked Ogdensburgh
+in force, being near twelve hundred strong, under Colonel Frazier,
+on the twenty-second of February. Major Forsyth, in connection
+with Colonel Benedict, of the New York militia, made a gallant
+defence; but they were finally forced to fall back into the interior,
+before the superior numbers of the enemy. The latter destroyed
+two schooners, two gunboats, and the soldiers’ barracks, and then
+retired across the river. In consequence of this event, serious
+apprehensions were entertained for the safety of Sacketts Harbor,
+which had been selected as the principal naval and military dépôt on
+the lake frontier, on account of the excellence of its harbor, and
+prompt measures were taken for its security;--but the British made no
+further attempts at invasion, during the winter.
+
+[Sidenote: IS TENDERED A REGIMENT.]
+
+The term for which he was called into service having expired soon
+after the close of the campaign of 1812, General Brown returned
+to his civil pursuits at Brownville. But the bravery and skill
+which he had manifested in repelling the attack on Ogdensburgh,
+had attracted the favorable notice of the national administration,
+and they were unwilling to be even temporarily deprived of his
+valuable services. Accordingly, the command of a regiment in the
+regular army was tendered to him.--At the opening of hostilities,
+extensive preparations had been made, and orders had been issued, for
+the invasion of Canada; and it was confidently predicted that the
+campaign would be signalized by the conquest of the two provinces.
+The surrender of General Hull, the failure of the attempted invasion
+under General Van Rensselaer, and the inaction of General Dearborn,
+put an end to the brilliant hopes and expectations that had been
+formed, and created a very general feeling of dissatisfaction in
+regard to the manner in which the war had been carried on, and the
+conduct of many of the principal officers of the army. As was quite
+natural, General Brown shared in this feeling, and was unwilling to
+enter the regular service if required to submit to a sacrifice of
+rank. He therefore declined the appointment; but, at the same time,
+acknowledging the duty of every good citizen to aid in the defence
+of the country, he held himself in readiness to bestow his services,
+voluntarily and gratuitously, in case they should be needed in any
+emergency.
+
+In the spring of 1813, the American fleet and land troops were
+withdrawn from Sacketts Harbor, to cooperate in the reduction of York
+and Fort George at the upper end of Lake Ontario. Lieutenant Colonel
+Backus, of the 1st dragoons, was afterwards placed in command of the
+post, whose garrison consisted of two hundred and fifty dragoons,
+Lieutenant Fanning’s artillery, two hundred invalid soldiers, and
+a few seamen. This was but a feeble force for the defence of the
+important military stores collected at that point, and especially so,
+because the batteries on the shore, and the vessels of war that were
+left behind, had been dismantled of nearly all their heavy ordnance.
+The commanding officer was active and vigilant, however, and he
+had been instructed to communicate with General Brown, who resided
+within eight miles of the Harbor, if an attack should be threatened.
+The latter was not then in military command, but he was relied on
+to rally the militia from the surrounding country, if it became
+necessary. Signal guns were directed to be fired, on the approach of
+a hostile force, in order to give the alarm with the least possible
+delay, and such other preparations were made as were supposed to be
+requisite.
+
+On the evening of the twenty-seventh of May, the British fleet from
+Kingston was discovered bearing in the direction of Sacketts Harbor,
+by the small vessels under Lieutenant Chauncey, who had been sent
+out to reconnoitre. The alarm guns were instantly fired, and a
+messenger was also dispatched to General Brown with the information.
+After issuing orders for the militia to assemble, he repaired to the
+post of danger. The delay experienced by the enemy, in the attempt,
+but partially successful, to capture a number of boats coming from
+Oswego with troops, fortunately gave time to collect some five or
+six hundred men: but not more than one thousand could be assembled,
+in all, including the invalids. At the request of Lieutenant Colonel
+Backus, who had been but a short time at the station, and was
+unacquainted with the localities, General Brown took command of the
+united force.
+
+[Sidenote: ATTACK ON SACKETTS HARBOR.]
+
+In the afternoon of the twenty-eighth, the hostile fleet, which
+consisted of four ships, one brig, two schooners, two gunboats,
+and thirty-three flat-bottomed boats, containing one thousand
+picked troops, under Sir George Prevost and Commodore Sir James
+Yeo, appeared in the offing. Under the orders of General Brown, a
+breastwork was hastily, but skilfully thrown up, at the only point
+where a landing could be readily effected,--the primeval forests
+sweeping away, for miles on miles, in rear of the town, and on
+either side of the opening leading down to the margin of the lake.
+The militia, and the Albany volunteers, under Colonel Mills, who
+had recently arrived, were posted behind the breastwork with a
+field-piece. The regular troops, under Lieutenant Colonel Backus,
+were stationed in a second line, in rear, and near the barracks and
+public buildings. Lieutenant Fanning, with his artillerists, occupied
+Fort Tompkins, at the barracks; and Lieutenant Chauncey and his men
+were ordered to defend the stores at Navy Point.
+
+During the night of the twenty-eighth, General Brown was constantly
+on the alert. His men slept on their arms, while he and his officers
+reconnoitred the shores of the lake. All was quiet, however, save the
+mournful sighing of the breeze among the dark pines and hemlocks, the
+tall oaks and maples, in the neighboring forests, and the constant
+dashing of the tiny waves on the pebbly beach, till the early dawn
+on the following morning. The British were then descried pushing
+rapidly towards the landing in their small boats. As they approached,
+the American militia appeared cheerful and animated, and betrayed no
+symptoms of fear; on the contrary, they seemed anxious to participate
+in the conflict.
+
+The orders of General Brown were, to permit the enemy to come
+within pistol shot, and then, taking deliberate aim, to open on
+them vigorously with the field-piece and musketry. The first fire
+was well-directed, and very destructive; the shot tearing and
+crashing through the sides of the boats, knocking off the gunwales,
+splintering the bowls of the oars, and killing and wounding several
+officers and men. The British were thrown into confusion; their
+advance was checked; and a few more rounds would undoubtedly have
+terminated the engagement. But after firing the second round, the
+militia, for the first time in action, were seized with a sudden
+panic, and, in spite of the efforts of their officers, retreated in
+disorder. Colonel Mills lost his life in the vain attempt to prevent
+the retreat. General Brown succeeded in rallying about ninety men
+belonging to the company of Captain McNitt, whom he formed in line
+with the regulars, who maintained their position with spirit and
+bravery.
+
+Meanwhile Sir George Prevost had disembarked his troops on the beach,
+and commenced his march towards the village. But the enemy now
+encountered the most desperate opposition from the little band of
+Americans who remained firm, encouraged by the presence of General
+Brown, and the heroic example of the brave but unfortunate Backus,
+who fell mortally wounded during the attack. Though compelled to give
+way before superior numbers, they disputed every inch of ground, and
+finally took possession of the barrack buildings. Here, partially
+sheltered, they poured their galling volleys on the enemy; at the
+same time, Lieutenant Fanning, though severely wounded, directed the
+fire of his gun with remarkable precision and effect.
+
+The British having made repeated efforts to dislodge the Americans,
+without success, General Brown exhorted his men to continue the
+defence of the position to the last extremity, while he made another
+effort to rally the militia to their assistance. He then hastened
+to overtake the fugitives. Having collected a large number of them
+together, he earnestly addressed them, rebuking both officers and
+men for their lack of courage, with such force and eloquence, that
+many of them shed tears when he alluded to the brave conduct of the
+regulars and volunteers, who, though strangers to the soil, were more
+prompt to defend it, than they, its owners and occupants. He now
+ordered them to form and follow him, declaring that he would punish
+the first act of disobedience with instant death. Although his orders
+were obeyed without reluctance, he was afraid to rely upon their
+firmness in an open attack.
+
+Being unwilling, therefore, to meet the enemy with the troops whom
+he had just rallied, General Brown determined to effect by stratagem
+what he was fearful he could not otherwise accomplish. Directing the
+militia to pass through the edge of the forest, in sight of the field
+of battle, as if affecting to conceal the movement, he marched them
+by a circuitous route towards the place of landing. The British,
+suspecting an attempt to turn their flank and capture their boats,
+became alarmed, and made a precipitate retreat, leaving behind
+them all their killed, a number of their wounded, and thirty-five
+prisoners. They were suffered to re-embark without serious
+molestation, though a dropping fire was kept up till they were out of
+reach. After retiring to his shipping, Sir George Prevost demanded
+the surrender of the town, which was promptly refused. All danger had
+now passed, as reïnforcements were rapidly coming in, and the British
+commander subsequently modified his demand into a request that his
+killed and wounded might be properly cared for, and then returned,
+quite crest-fallen, to the Canada shore.
+
+While the action was at its height, a false report reached Lieutenant
+Chauncey, to the effect that the American troops had been defeated,
+and were about to surrender; whereupon, in compliance with his
+orders, he set fire to the stores and shipping, to prevent their
+falling into the hands of the enemy. The flames were afterwards
+extinguished, but not until more damage had been done than had been
+effected by the British soldiery. The loss of the enemy in this
+affair was very severe; their total of killed, wounded, and taken
+prisoners, being about four hundred and fifty. The Americans lost
+twenty-two killed, eighty-four wounded, and twenty-six missing.
+
+The gallant defence of Sacketts Harbor laid the foundation of the
+military fame of General Brown. As a reward for the tact, courage,
+and promptitude, which he had exhibited, he was appointed, in the
+ensuing month of August, a brigadier general in the regular army.
+In this capacity he accompanied General Wilkinson, who had been
+appointed to succeed General Dearborn, in his unsuccessful expedition
+down the St. Lawrence. General Brown was sent forward to take command
+of the advance, at French Creek, which had been fixed upon as the
+place of rendezvous for the various detachments composing the Army
+of the Centre. On the first, and again on the second of November, a
+British Squadron, with a large force of infantry, attacked the troops
+who had already arrived there; but, on each occasion, they were
+repulsed by the fire of a battery of three 18-pounders, skilfully
+managed by Captains McPherson and Fanning. After many delays, General
+Wilkinson embarked from French Creek with his whole force, amounting
+to near seven thousand men, on the sixth of November, General Brown
+being placed in command of the second brigade. In the evening they
+arrived a few miles above the British batteries at Prescott. The
+main body of the army, carrying with them their powder and fixed
+ammunition, now landed, and moved round to a point on the river below
+the enemy’s batteries.
+
+[Sidenote: EXPEDITION DOWN THE ST. LAWRENCE.]
+
+The commander-in-chief, taking advantage of a dense fog which came on
+early in the night, endeavored to pass down the stream, in his boat,
+unobserved; but the fog rising before he had effected the passage,
+the enemy discovered him, by the light of the moon, and opened their
+fire. General Brown was in the rear, in charge of the flotilla,
+consisting of three hundred boats; and, upon discovering that the
+British were on the alert, he concluded to halt till the moon had
+set. He then gave orders for the flotilla again to get under way. The
+movement was discovered, however, and for three hours the American
+flotilla was exposed to a heavy fire from the guns of the enemy; yet
+such was the foresight and vigilance of General Brown, that not a
+single boat suffered the slightest injury, and but one man was killed.
+
+On the seventh, the army continued its progress down the river,
+preceded by an advanced corps of twelve hundred men, under Colonel
+Macomb, who were ordered to remove the obstructions in the stream,
+and drive the light parties of the enemy occupying the commanding
+points on its northern bank. The flotilla arrived at the White House
+on the eighth of November, and General Brown was then ordered forward
+with his brigade, to reïnforce Colonel Macomb and take command of
+the advance. Clearing the bank of the river as he proceeded, he
+arrived on the ninth instant, at the head of the _Longue Sault_,
+without the occurrence of any incident of unusual moment. In the
+morning of the tenth he continued his march, and soon became engaged
+with a strong party posted at a blockhouse near the rapids, who were
+handsomely driven off by the rifles under Major Forsyth.
+
+In the meantime the British troops from Kingston had made their
+appearance in the rear of the American army, and several skirmishes
+had taken place. While General Brown was still separated from the
+main body, General Boyd was ordered by the commanding general, to
+face about and attack the enemy, with the remaining troops on shore.
+An action was consequently hazarded on the eleventh of November, in
+Chrystler’s fields near Williamsburg, which terminated in no decisive
+result; the British retiring to their encampments, and the Americans
+to their boats, each with the loss of over four hundred men. Without
+being further molested by the enemy, General Wilkinson continued the
+descent of the river to St. Regis, at which point he expected to be
+joined by General Hampton, with the Army of the North. Owing to the
+want of harmony and concert of action between the two generals, a
+junction was not effected; the reduction of Montreal,--understood
+to have been the object of the expedition,--was abandoned; and, on
+the thirteenth of November, General Wilkinson retired into winter
+quarters at French Mills, now Fort Covington, in the forks of the
+Salmon river.
+
+The capture of York and Fort George, and the successful operations
+of the North-western army in the early part of the season, had
+raised the public expectation to the highest pitch. Every thing
+was hoped from the expedition under General Wilkinson, for which
+extensive preparations had been made. The Secretary of War, General
+Armstrong, in person superintended the movement, yet it was attended
+with complete failure. The feeling of dissatisfaction thereby
+engendered, was not confined to the rank and file of the army, but
+extended throughout the nation. The expedition had attracted a more
+than ordinary degree of attention; and, although the censures of
+the public were mainly confined to those who were alone responsible
+for its unfortunate issue, all connected with it, both officers
+and soldiers, felt themselves, to a greater or less extent, the
+objects of reproach. The tendency of this feeling was to produce
+disaffection, even where it did not already exist; to discourage the
+troops; and to impair, if not to destroy, their efficiency.
+
+[Sidenote: APPOINTED A MAJOR GENERAL.]
+
+Soon after the retirement of the army into winter quarters, the
+command devolved on General Brown, in consequence of the sickness
+of General Wilkinson, and the absence of the other senior officers.
+Early in the year 1814, he was promoted to the rank of major general,
+and, in connection with the able and efficient officers under his
+orders, immediately applied himself to the work of reviving and
+perfecting the discipline of the troops, and restoring their _esprit
+du corps_.
+
+The brilliant achievements of the heroic soldiers who rallied around
+the eagle standard of Napoleon, and followed it, reckless of danger
+and peril, to battle and to death, had awakened impulses that
+prompted to like acts of daring; and it only required, among the
+American troops, the presence of a gallant and chivalrous commander
+to inspire that enthusiasm, and enkindle that patriotic ardor,
+which were sure to accomplish the same results. General Brown was
+a soldier by nature. His devotion to his profession assumed the
+character of a romantic attachment. Foremost in every thought, was
+a desire to redeem the honor of the flag that waved above him, and
+to achieve something worthy to be recorded, side by side, with the
+storied annals of the Revolution. His less fortunate contemporary,
+“whose glorious name might turn a coward brave”--the accomplished
+Ney--though the leader of mightier armies, and the hero of prouder
+fields, was neither more brave, nor more highly gifted with those
+qualities which are necessary to constitute a great and a successful
+warrior.
+
+The withdrawal of the greater part of the troops on the Niagara
+frontier, for the expedition down the St. Lawrence, left it almost
+defenceless. Fort George, in Canada West, was evacuated by General
+McClure who had been left in command; but, before crossing the
+river, exceeding his orders, he directed the village of Newark to be
+burned. In retaliation for this act, which was promptly disavowed by
+the American government, Fort Niagara was surprised on the night of
+the eighteenth of December, 1813, and its whole garrison, of near
+three hundred men, principally invalids, with the exception of a
+small number who made their escape, were put to the sword. Lewiston,
+Manchester, Youngstown, Buffalo, and the village of the Tuscaroras,
+many of whom had entered the service of the United States, were
+burned, and the whole frontier laid waste. It was therefore
+determined to remove the principal seat of war to that quarter,
+during the approaching campaign, and about the middle of February,
+1814, the American army abandoned their cantonments at French Mills,
+in two columns;--one marching to Sacketts Harbor, and subsequently
+proceeding to Buffalo, under General Brown, and the other towards
+Lake Champlain, under Generals Wilkinson and Macomb, for the purpose
+of making a diversion in favor of the contemplated operations on the
+Niagara.
+
+[Sidenote: DUTIES OF HIS NEW OFFICE.]
+
+The column under General Brown reached Buffalo in March, where it
+was joined by the new volunteer levies. Having directed a camp of
+instruction to be established, for drilling the troops, and the
+regimental and company officers, he went back to Sacketts Harbor,
+to complete the arrangements for the effectual cooperation of the
+naval force on Lake Ontario, under Commodore Chauncey. The spring of
+1814 opened gloomy and inauspicious for the American cause. Party
+spirit ran high; the country was laboring under severe pecuniary
+embarrassments; bitter complaints were uttered in some quarters;
+and in numerous instances the measures of the administration were
+thwarted, and its plans defeated. The temporary suspension of
+hostilities, on the European continent, left Great Britain at liberty
+to employ a larger portion of her army and navy in carrying on
+the war against the United States. It was now announced, that she
+intended to prosecute a vigorous system of offensive measures; to
+plunder and devastate our sea-coast; and desolate our frontiers with
+fire and sword. When her designs were understood on this side of the
+Atlantic, our citizens, with few exceptions, forgot, for the time,
+their political prejudices, and rallied with enthusiasm in support of
+the government. At no time during the war was the country provided
+with a suitable military establishment; collections, therefore, were
+now made in the principal towns and cities, and large numbers of
+volunteers were equipped, and means furnished for their support, by
+voluntary contribution.
+
+Fortunately, too, at this important crisis, there were such men as
+Brown, Jackson, and Macomb, to take command of our armies, and lead
+them on to victory. General Brown returned to Buffalo in June, and
+resumed the command of the army, which consisted, at this time, of
+the regular brigades under Generals Scott and Ripley, and a brigade
+of volunteers, with a few Indians, under Generals Porter and Swift.
+Notwithstanding his utmost exertions, he was unable to take the field
+with his command before the first of July. It was then determined
+to cross the river and capture Fort Erie, in the expectation that
+the British would be compelled to abandon Fort Niagara, and fall
+back on their posts on the head of the lake. During the night of the
+second instant, General Brown embarked his troops, but little more
+than three thousand strong, at Black Rock; and early in the morning
+of the third, General Scott landed below the fort with his brigade,
+and a battalion of artillery under Major Hindman, and General
+Ripley, with his brigade, above. The commanding general followed
+with the volunteer forces,--and a party of Indians were sent round
+through the woods in rear of the enemy’s position. The fort was soon
+invested, and a battery of heavy guns planted in a position that
+completely commanded its defences. Without awaiting the threatened
+assault, after firing a few guns, the garrison, to the number of one
+hundred and seventy men, surrendered themselves prisoners of war.
+
+[Sidenote: BATTLE OF CHIPPEWA.]
+
+The main body of the British troops in the immediate vicinity of the
+river, amounting to over three thousand men, under Major General
+Riall, occupied an intrenched camp at Chippewa, about two miles above
+the Falls. Leaving a small garrison in Fort Erie, General Brown
+advanced, on the day after its reduction, against the position of
+General Riall. The brigade of General Scott, which, with Captain
+Towson’s battery, formed the advance, had a running fight, for
+sixteen miles, with the 100th regiment, commanded by the Marquis of
+Tweedale, and finally drove it across the Chippewa Creek. In the
+evening, the whole army encamped on the south bank of Street’s Creek,
+the bridge over which had been destroyed by the Marquis, within two
+miles of the enemy’s works. Between this stream and the Chippewa, lay
+the broad plain on which the sanguinary engagement of the following
+day took place. On the east were the waters of the Niagara, speeding
+along in their arrowy flight, to the cataract beyond; and on the west
+was a dense forest of oaks, and beeches, and maples, extending for
+several miles into the interior.
+
+At an early hour on the morning of the fifth of July, the British
+light troops, consisting of Canadian militia and Indians, who were
+posted in the woods on the left, commenced making attacks on the
+American pickets placed on that flank, and small parties of the enemy
+occasionally appeared in the open plain in front. The commanding
+officer of one of the pickets having made a hasty retreat, and left
+one of his men wounded upon the ground, he was ordered instantly to
+give up his command, and another officer was directed to take charge
+of his party, and bring off the wounded man, which was accomplished
+without loss. General Brown could never look with complacency on a
+breach of discipline, or violation of orders; and when accompanied
+with anything that bore the appearance of cowardice, it was sure to
+be visited, not merely with an indignant rebuke, but with summary
+punishment. He would tolerate the presence of no officer with the
+army, who could forget, under any circumstances, the honor of the
+profession to which he belonged. It is due to the officer referred
+to, to remark, that he was permitted to engage in the battle as a
+volunteer, and discharged his duty manfully. He was afterwards tried
+by a court-martial, and honorably acquitted.
+
+General Brown was anxious to bring on an engagement with the
+enemy, and, in order to effect this object, or, if that were found
+impossible, to put an end to the annoying fire of their skirmishers,
+he directed General Porter to fetch a circuit through the forest
+with the volunteers and Indians, and cut off their retreat; and the
+advanced parties were ordered to fall back before the fire of their
+opponents, and thus favor the movement. About four o’clock in the
+afternoon, General Porter encountered the light companies of the
+Royal Scots and the 100th regiment, in the woods, and drove them
+back upon the Chippewa, where they met the whole British column,
+under General Riall, who had anticipated the intentions of General
+Brown, and was now rapidly approaching, with the hope of finding the
+Americans unprepared for his reception.
+
+The commanding general had accompanied the volunteers, but, on
+hearing the roar of the artillery, and discovering the clouds of dust
+rising in the vicinity of Chippewa bridge, he returned to camp, and
+ordered General Scott to advance forthwith, with the first brigade
+and Towson’s battery, and engage the enemy on the open plain, while
+he brought up the second brigade, under General Ripley, to act at
+whatever point it might be needed. The order was executed with all
+possible speed. The troops under General Scott dashed across the
+creek, and through the clumps of bushes fringing its bank, under a
+galling fire of musketry and artillery, and were soon enveloped in
+the wreaths of sulphureous smoke rising over the battle field; their
+shouts and cheers, borne merrily on the breeze, and the deep-toned
+thunder of their artillery, and their sharp rattling volleys,
+announcing the spirit and eagerness with which they entered into
+the contest. Meanwhile the British light troops had rallied, and
+compelled the volunteers of General Porter, in turn, to give way.
+The left flank of Scott’s brigade, therefore, became much exposed;
+and the 21st infantry, forming part of General Ripley’s brigade,
+which had been held in reserve, was detached to gain the rear of the
+enemy’s right flank. The greatest exertions were made to reach their
+position in time, but in vain; for such was the impetuosity of the
+attack made by General Scott, that the battle was fought, and the
+victory won, before they had time to participate in the conflict.
+
+After the retreat of the volunteers, the 25th infantry, commanded
+by Major Jesup, on the extreme left of Scott’s brigade, in the
+forest, was warmly pressed in front and in flank, being exposed to a
+withering tempest of musket balls that was fast thinning their ranks;
+but, at this critical period, their brave leader gave his well-known
+order,--“Support arms--forward march!”--Men who could advance without
+faltering in such fearful peril were not to be resisted. Having
+gained a more favorable position, they returned the fire of the
+enemy, with interest, and in a few minutes compelled them to seek
+safety in flight.
+
+[Sidenote: THE VICTORY AND ITS RESULTS.]
+
+In the other part of the field, equal zeal and gallantry were
+displayed. The strife was bloody and fiercely contested on both
+sides, but of short duration. A warm fire was kept up for about an
+hour, when the enemy’s artillery was silenced; but their infantry
+were now ordered to move forward with charged bayonets. As they
+advanced, a raking fire was poured upon them from Towson’s guns,
+which Scott had posted in the road to Chippewa, and this was
+followed, almost instantly, by a destructive volley from the 9th
+and 11th infantry, thrown forward on their outer flanks, and that
+tremendous charge which scattered the pride of the English soldiery
+like chaff before the wind.[2] The enemy’s whole line now wavered
+and broke, and they were hotly pursued to their intrenchments. Here
+the advance of the victors was checked by the batteries which opened
+their fire. General Brown had already hastened forward with the
+reserve, and joined in the pursuit. He at once decided to force the
+British position, which was well fortified, having a heavy battery
+on one flank, and a strong block-house on the other. The ordnance
+was brought up for the purpose, but, as the hour was late, and the
+men burning with thirst, and wearied with the fatigues of the day,
+upon consulting with his officers, it was concluded to retire to camp
+rather than hazard what had been gained by an attack which might
+terminate in a disastrous repulse.
+
+The number of troops actually engaged in this battle, on the side
+of the British, was not far from twenty-one hundred: the American
+force was about nineteen hundred. The loss of the enemy, according to
+the official report of the action, was one hundred and thirty-eight
+killed, and three hundred and sixty-five wounded and missing. Of the
+Americans there were sixty killed, and two hundred and sixty-seven
+wounded and missing.
+
+This auspicious opening of the campaign, in a quarter, too, which
+had previously witnessed so much of defeat and disgrace, was
+hailed with acclamations of joy, in the farthest borders of the
+Union. Resolutions of thanks and congratulations were liberally
+showered on the American commander, and his brave officers and
+soldiers. No doubt, the associations connected with the anniversary
+of Independence were of invaluable service in encouraging and
+inspiriting his troops; still he was none the less deserving of
+commendation, for wisely availing himself of the emotions which the
+recollections of that day were calculated to arouse. But the victory,
+in itself, was one of which all who participated in it might well
+be proud. Exposed to the fierce radiance of a summer’s sun, with
+inferior numbers, they had met and vanquished disciplined troops,
+familiar with every art and device of war, and who had often fought
+and conquered, with Wellington, in the Spanish Peninsula. The battle
+took place in an open field; the enemy had selected their position;
+and the contest was determined solely by the superior bravery and
+skill of their opponents. The weapon, also, that decided the fate
+of the day, had for years been the Briton’s pride and boast. To the
+bayonet he had arrogantly pointed, as “the test of invincibility,”
+and the sure and certain resource when all other means proved
+unavailing; but courage and presumption went down together, before
+the shock of the glittering steel, that flashed back the rays of
+the blazing orb whose parting effulgence lingered around the spot
+hallowed by the recent triumph of American valor, and the success of
+the American arms!
+
+After their defeat at Chippewa, the British were unwilling to hazard
+another action. On the eighth of July, General Ripley, who had been
+detached by General Brown for that purpose, forced his way over the
+Chippewa Creek, about three miles above the enemy’s camp; whereupon,
+General Riall, though he had been reïnforced by another regiment,
+abandoned his works, which were occupied by General Brown that
+evening. On the following day the British commander continued his
+retreat to Twenty-mile Creek.
+
+[Sidenote: SKIRMISHING.]
+
+General Brown followed closely the retrograde movement of the British
+army, and encamped at Queenstown, or Queenston, as it is now usually
+written, where he remained for several days, awaiting the arrival
+of some heavy guns, and the rifle regiment, which he had ordered
+from Sacketts Harbor. On the twelfth instant, a reconnaissance of
+the works at Fort George, preparatory to an investment, was made
+by General Swift, with a detachment of volunteers, one hundred and
+twenty in number. A picket guard were surprised and taken; but, after
+their surrender, one of the prisoners turned and shot the general
+through the body. This cowardly act exasperated his men to such a
+degree, that they attacked a patrolling party who now made their
+appearance, alarmed by the report of the piece, with great gallantry,
+and succeeded in driving them into the fort. They then returned to
+camp, bringing with them their expiring commander, who died in a few
+hours.
+
+On the eighteenth instant Lieutenant Colonel Stone was detached with
+a small volunteer force to dislodge a party posted four miles west of
+Queenston, near the village of St. David’s, who were lying in wait
+to attack the reconnoitering parties of the American army. The party
+was routed and driven in to the main body, with commendable alacrity
+and zeal; but after the action, the village was set fire to, and
+burned, by some of the volunteers, without the orders or knowledge,
+as was alleged, of the officer commanding the expedition.--It had
+long been a favorite idea, and very properly so, with the American
+authorities, to conciliate the Canadian people. The latter were
+assured by the invading forces, on this as on other occasions, that
+they came “to conquer, but not to destroy;” and strict orders had
+been issued against the commission of any outrages upon the persons,
+or property, of private citizens. General Brown regarded the officer
+in command of the detachment as being responsible for this glaring
+violation of duty, inasmuch as it was scarcely possible for the act
+to have been committed, except through negligence or connivance on
+his part; and, on the following morning, he issued a peremptory order
+directing him to retire forthwith from the army.
+
+This prompt mode of dismissal occasioned considerable remark in
+military circles, and was pronounced, by many, an unwarranted
+assumption of authority. Under ordinary circumstances, it would
+certainly have been regarded as an usurpation of power that ought not
+to be tolerated; but the situation of the army was peculiar--they
+were in an enemy’s country, and the neutrality of the inhabitants was
+absolutely essential to the accomplishment of their paramount object,
+that of dislodging the enemy from the peninsula. An outrage of this
+character could not remain unnoticed, and a delay, even of a few
+days, in meting out the appropriate punishment, might put an end to
+all the hopes and expectations of the campaign. The case, therefore,
+was one that required immediate action, and, though General Brown
+was always careful not to infringe the rights of other officers
+unnecessarily, whether above or beneath him in rank, he never shrank
+from any responsibility, or hesitated in the performance of any duty.
+His course, however harsh it may seem, was approved by President
+Madison, who was never fond of the exercise of doubtful powers,--and
+by Mr. Monroe, then his Secretary of State, in a letter addressed to
+Admiral Cochrane.
+
+Daring reconnaissances of Forts George and Niagara were made by
+Generals Porter and Ripley, and it was then decided at a council of
+war, to attack these posts, instead of following up the retreating
+forces under General Riall. On the thirteenth of July, General Brown
+had written a pressing letter to Commodore Chauncey, informing him
+of his situation, and requesting him to hasten forward the ordnance
+and the reïnforcements, which were to be transported in the vessels
+under his command, and inviting his coöperation in a combined attack,
+by land and water, on the forts at the mouth of the Niagara. No
+answer to this letter was received till the following September, in
+consequence of the illness of Commodore Chauncey.
+
+[Sidenote: EFFORTS TO BRING ON ANOTHER ENGAGEMENT.]
+
+While in this state of suspense, the General decided to make a
+demonstration on Fort George, and to attempt to draw the enemy out
+into the open field. The inactivity which had prevailed since the
+previous battle was no longer to be endured;--and on the twentieth
+instant, he advanced with his whole army, drove in the enemy’s
+outposts, and encamped near Fort George, in the expectation that
+General Riall would be drawn from his position, and offer him battle.
+Disappointed in this, he returned to Queenston on the twenty-second,
+and on the ensuing day he received a letter by express, from General
+Gaines, then in command at Sacketts Harbor, informing him that that
+port was blockaded by a strong naval force,--the enemy now having the
+ascendancy on the lake,--and that Commodore Chauncey was seriously
+ill with a fever.
+
+This information materially changed the aspect of affairs. The
+artillery and reïnforcements, upon which he had confidently
+calculated, were no longer to be expected; and his future
+operations must be conducted entirely independent of them. Other
+Generals, perhaps equally as brave as himself,--and the history
+of modern warfare furnishes numerous examples in support of the
+assertion,--would have suspended all further efforts, or ordered
+an inglorious retreat, relying, for their justification, on the
+neglect of the government to provide the means and supplies
+which they desired. But, among the other valuable traits in his
+character, General Brown possessed that highest quality of the
+soldier--fertility of invention and resource. If the force placed at
+his disposal was not sufficient to accomplish a favorite project, the
+energies of his mind were at once employed in achieving something
+besides, that would redound to the credit of the country, and the
+honor of her flag. With his little army of three thousand men he had
+crossed the Niagara, and established himself on British soil; there
+he was determined to remain, and dispute its possession with the
+enemy, while there was a single chance, or hope of success, still
+left to cheer and encourage his brave and devoted band!
+
+Being without the heavy guns necessary for an attack on Fort George,
+General Brown was forced, though much against his will, to abandon
+his designs on that post. But he was anxious, nevertheless, to
+bring on another engagement with General Riall; and, influenced by
+this desire, continued his feigned retreat up the river, on the
+twenty-fourth, recrossed the Chippewa, and encamped. If this movement
+failed to draw the enemy from their position, he designed to make a
+rapid march on Burlington. About noon on the twenty-fifth, while his
+men were busily engaged in making preparations for the march, he was
+informed that the British appeared in considerable force on Queenston
+heights; that four of their vessels had arrived during the previous
+night at the mouth of the Niagara; and that a number of boats were
+moving up the stream. A few minutes later he received the further
+information, which proved to be incorrect, that the enemy had landed
+one thousand men at Lewiston, and were threatening his baggage and
+stores at Schlosser.
+
+[Sidenote: BATTLE OF NIAGARA.]
+
+The troops were instantly ordered under arms, and in twenty minutes
+General Scott was on the road to Queenston with his brigade, Towson’s
+artillery, and a troop of dragoons. About two miles from the American
+camp, and within a short distance of the Falls, he learned that the
+enemy were in force in his front, separated from view only by a
+narrow piece of wood. Having dispatched Assistant Adjutant General
+Jones, to General Brown, with the intelligence, he held on his march,
+and in a short time discovered the British army, treble his own force
+in numbers, strongly posted on Lundy’s Lane, which led up from the
+Falls to Beaver Dams. Regardless of the great disparity between the
+two armies, General Scott promptly made his dispositions for battle,
+fully determined to maintain his ground till the reserve came up. As
+the head of his column cleared the wood on the brink of the cataract,
+whose low deep thunder was echoed by the enemy’s artillery, which
+immediately opened its fire, it was encircled by the rainbow that
+spanned the boiling Phlegethon beside it. Like the cross that infused
+new ardor into the soldiers of Constantine, this was regarded as the
+omen, the sure presage of victory. With their sabres and bayonets
+gleaming in the rays of the setting sun, and their faces glowing with
+
+    “The stern joy which warriors feel,
+    In foemen worthy of their steel,”
+
+the Americans now deployed in line on the left of the Queenston road.
+Major Jesup was thrown forward on the right with his regiment, and
+Captain Towson was posted on the left opposite the enemy’s artillery.
+All were elated with their recent victory, and animated by the best
+spirit. Undismayed by the terrible fire which they encountered, they
+advanced firmly and steadily against the closely serried columns of
+the enemy.
+
+The British position was well chosen. They had seized a commanding
+eminence at the head of Lundy’s Lane, upon which their battery
+of nine guns was planted, and swept the field of battle with an
+incessant torrent of cannon balls. Their forces, at first engaged,
+consisted of the whole army under General Riall, who had marched
+down from his position, directly to the Falls, with the expectation
+of meeting Lieutenant General Drummond at this point. The latter
+had arrived at the mouth of the Niagara on the evening of the
+twenty-fourth, with large reïnforcements, collected at Kingston and
+various other points on the lake, and was hastening as rapidly as
+possible to join General Riall. He arrived on the ground shortly
+after the commencement of the action, accompanied by his men, and
+assumed the command of the united force, now between four and five
+thousand strong.
+
+[Sidenote: INCIDENTS OF THE BATTLE.]
+
+General Scott and his men held their ground manfully, till the
+arrival of General Brown, who had hurried forward with his suite, in
+advance of the brigades of Generals Ripley and Porter, as soon as the
+firing was heard. Meanwhile the 11th and 22nd infantry, under Colonel
+Brady and Major McNeil, both of whom were severely wounded, having
+expended their ammunition, were withdrawn from action, and the whole
+brunt of the battle in front, was sustained by the 9th infantry,
+commanded by Major Leavenworth. With unswerving courage this regiment
+resisted every effort of the enemy, though with the loss of half
+their number, until their opponents suspended the attack. General
+Riall was deceived by the obstinacy of their resistance, and as it
+was impossible to distinguish objects with any precision in the
+gloaming, he supposed the entire American army was engaged, and was
+therefore content to wait for General Drummond to come up with the
+reïnforcements.
+
+For a few moments the roar of battle was hushed, and the silence
+was only broken by the unceasing murmur of the cataract, and the
+groans of the wounded and the dying. During the temporary suspension
+of the fire, General Ripley, with his brigade and the remainder
+of the artillery under Major Hindman, and the volunteers under
+General Porter, arrived upon the ground. With these fresh troops
+General Brown formed a new alignment, to cover the exhausted
+command of General Scott, who fell back behind their comrades. The
+respite was of brief duration, and the action was soon renewed with
+increased warmth. Wider and wider reverberated the deep echoes of
+the artillery; higher and higher rose the sharp, continued roll of
+musketry; loud was the Briton’s cheer, and louder yet the answering
+shout of defiance!
+
+Captain Towson had failed to make any impression on the enemy’s
+battery, though his guns were skilfully and actively directed; and
+on the renewal of the engagement, under the advice of Major McRee,
+the senior engineer officer, General Brown determined to carry
+the eminence on which it was posted, at the point of the bayonet.
+The execution of this enterprise was intrusted to Colonel Miller
+with the 21st infantry. The reply of the gallant colonel, when he
+received the order to advance, from General Ripley, is memorable in
+history--“_I will try, sir!_” said the intrepid soldier.[3] The trial
+was made,--nor made in vain. Supported by the 23rd infantry under
+Major McFarland, while the 1st infantry, under Colonel Nicholas,
+which had joined the army that day, was left to receive the enemy’s
+fire in front, Colonel Miller moved up the hill through a raging
+flood of missiles. The 1st staggered under the tremendous fire
+to which it was exposed, the 23rd faltered, but the brave 21st,
+following their heroic leader, rushed up the height with accelerated
+speed. On reaching the summit they paused an instant, and then
+rushed forward with shouts and cheers. The British troops had fought
+bravely, for they were anxious to wipe out the discredit of their
+late defeat. The cannoniers were transfixed at their posts, and for
+a few seconds there was a fierce contest fought hand to hand, over
+the loaded guns. But the daring onset of the Americans was not to be
+resisted; the discipline of the British soldiery gave way before it;
+their artillery was captured, and their routed columns, sullen and
+discontented, retired slowly down the hill.
+
+[Sidenote: GENERAL RIALL TAKEN PRISONER.]
+
+Meanwhile Major Jesup had turned the enemy’s left with the 25th
+infantry, and, favored by the darkness, had cautiously advanced in
+their rear. A detachment from his command, under Captain Ketchum,
+succeeded in reaching the place where Generals Drummond and Riall
+were stationed with their suites. The former made his escape, but
+the latter was taken prisoner with his staff. A large number of
+prisoners, in addition, were captured by Major Jesup, and he then
+moved to the left to attack the enemy in rear. Coming upon a body
+of their troops posted in the Queenston road, about the time of the
+capture of the battery, his men delivered their fire, as galling as
+it was unexpected, and instantly dashed over the fence that separated
+them. The enemy broke and fled, and, as the 1st and 23rd infantry had
+been already rallied by the animated efforts of General Ripley, the
+whole British line was now forced.
+
+General Brown was prompt to improve the advantage he had gained, as
+the British officers were heard encouraging their men for a desperate
+effort to recover their cannon. While they were engaged in reforming
+their broken masses under the hill, he advanced his line, placing the
+captured guns in his rear; General Porter being on the extreme left
+with his volunteers, General Ripley’s brigade occupying the centre,
+and Major Hindman being stationed in the interval between the second
+brigade and the 25th infantry, which was posted on the right of the
+line. The first brigade, under General Scott, was held in reserve.
+
+A gloomy and ominous silence prevailed for a short time, and it was
+then interrupted by the lively strains of martial music, as the
+British columns were again ordered to advance. General Drummond
+had given his men but a few moments to recover from the effects of
+their repulse. With great daring and intrepidity they marched up the
+height, at double quick time, presenting an extended line outflanking
+the Americans on both extremes. Within twenty yards of the crest of
+the eminence, they poured forth their volleys, and prepared to rush
+forward with their bayonets. In an instant the American line was one
+blaze of fire. The enemy staggered; another volley, followed rapidly
+by another, and still another, caused them to break and retire down
+the hill in confusion, despite the exertions of their officers to
+inspire them with confidence.
+
+Another half hour passed in suspense, and again the measured tread
+of the advancing columns was heard, as they rose the hill. The
+Americans reserved their fire till it could be most effective, and
+when the enemy came within range, the artillery of Major Hindman
+once more pealed forth its brazen notes, and, as they pressed nearer
+and nearer, the rattling musketry was added to the din. But the
+constant shower of shot and ball poured upon them soon checked their
+advance. For nearly half an hour they strove in vain to overcome the
+firmness of the American troops. The contest was warm and animated;
+and, during its continuance, General Scott, who had consolidated
+his brigade into one battalion, under Major Leavenworth, made
+two effective charges on the left and right of the British line,
+in the latter of which he received two severe wounds, that soon
+after obliged him to quit the field. General Brown was always where
+his presence was needed--in the front of the battle. Heedless of
+the exposure of his person, he was ever ready to utter words of
+encouragement where symptoms of hesitation were manifested; to
+commend every act of noble daring; and to arouse his men to further
+exertions. His efforts were well seconded by the chivalric bearing
+and the dauntless intrepidity of Scott and Ripley and Porter. Unable
+to make head against the stern and unyielding resistance of the
+American soldiers, General Drummond was a second time forced to draw
+off his men.
+
+[Sidenote: LAST EFFORTS OF THE ENEMY.]
+
+The contest was not yet ended. Additional reïnforcements had joined
+the enemy, and, after the lapse of another hour, their hesitating
+columns were encouraged to make one more effort for the victory.
+Regardless of the havoc made in their ranks, the British troops
+advanced boldly under a withering fire. This time they gained the
+summit of the hill, never pausing after they had delivered their
+fire, and closed with their antagonists. The battle was now at its
+height. The beams of the rising moon struggled vainly to penetrate
+the murky pall that overhung the field of combat, but the darkness
+was illuminated by the constant flashing of musketry and artillery.
+Two lines of armed men, merged with each other, were seen surging
+to and fro. The earth shook beneath their feet. Foot to foot, and
+breast to breast, they fought. Locked in the death struggle, the
+Briton and the American fell together. The green sward was soaked
+with blood; it collected in pools in the ridges made by the ploughing
+shot; and ran down in rivulets to mingle its crimson dyes with the
+limpid waters of the Niagara.
+
+General Brown had previously received a severe wound from a musket
+ball which passed through his right thigh, and as he now moved to
+the left of the American line, to encourage the volunteers to remain
+firm, he was struck violently upon his left side by a missile of some
+description. The blow nearly unhorsed him, and on meeting Colonel
+Wood, he expressed his doubts as to his ability to keep the saddle.
+“Never mind, my dear general,” was the reply, “you are gaining the
+greatest victory that was ever gained by your nation!” Cheered by
+these words, which indicated the spirit prevailing among his officers
+and men, General Brown remained on his horse, giving his orders with
+wonted firmness and promptitude. The American troops were sorely
+pressed, but they were more than a match for their opponents. In vain
+was every effort of the latter. The artillery on both sides was taken
+and retaken during the struggle, but the British were finally forced
+to yield the ground, leaving their guns in the hands of the Americans.
+
+At midnight the contest terminated. The British made no further
+effort to regain the position, but shrunk silently away in the
+darkness. Faint from excessive pain and the loss of blood, General
+Brown was now assisted from the field by his staff. General Scott
+being also disabled, the command was assumed by General Ripley,
+under whose directions the wounded were collected, and orders were
+then issued for a return to camp. The artillery horses being all
+killed, and there being no drag-ropes at hand, General Ripley very
+reluctantly left the captured guns on the ground, having rolled the
+smaller pieces down the hill. This circumstance was seized with
+avidity by the British officers to give color to their claim that
+they had defeated the American army, and it has frequently served a
+similar purpose in the works of British writers. A few considerations
+will show how utterly unfounded was this claim. The Americans
+attacked their opponents in a position of their own selection. This
+position they seized, and held against three daring and desperate
+efforts to regain it. It was yielded, but yielded voluntarily; and
+being without the means to remove the guns, General Ripley left them
+on the field, and returned to the American camp unmolested. The
+enemy remained nearer the battle-ground, as their tents and baggage
+were directly in rear of their line; and when they discovered on
+the following morning, that the guns had been abandoned, they took
+possession of them without difficulty, there being no one to oppose
+them.
+
+[Sidenote: LOSSES OF THE TWO ARMIES.]
+
+The truth is, that both parties sustained a severe loss in this
+sanguinary conflict, and neither desired to renew it while the
+odds were in favor of their antagonists. In the morning of the
+twenty-sixth, General Ripley collected all the American troops fit
+for duty, and with this force, which barely amounted to fifteen
+hundred men, he sallied out to seek another contest with the enemy.
+On approaching the field on which the action of the previous day had
+been fought, he found them strongly posted in a still more favorable
+position, slightly in advance of that formerly occupied. Becoming
+satisfied that it would be unwise to attack a superior force under
+such circumstances, he again returned to camp, and subsequently
+retired to Fort Erie, the defences of which were immediately
+strengthened and extended, in accordance with the instructions of
+General Brown.
+
+The British force engaged in the battle of Niagara, was little
+short of five thousand; that of the Americans was nearly one third
+less. The latter sustained the heaviest loss in killed and wounded,
+however, on account of the galling severity of the British fire
+previous to the capture of their guns. The Americans had seven
+hundred and forty-three men killed and wounded, and the British six
+hundred and forty-three. The latter lost two hundred and thirty-five
+men taken prisoners, and the former one hundred and seventeen. The
+aggregate loss of the British, therefore, was a trifle greater
+than that of the Americans. Generals Brown and Scott, as has been
+mentioned, were badly wounded; Generals Drummond and Riall, the
+latter being likewise captured, also received severe wounds.
+
+[Sidenote: ATTACK OF FORT ERIE.]
+
+General Drummond did not offer to molest the American army in their
+march to Fort Erie, or venture to make an attack on that post,
+till the 3rd of August, when he had been reïnforced by General De
+Watteville, with one thousand men. He then invested the fort, and
+made preparations for its reduction. On the fifth of August, General
+Gaines arrived from Sacketts Harbor, and assumed the command.
+The enemy continued their approaches, and on the thirteenth and
+fourteenth a heavy cannonade was kept up, which was followed by an
+assault early in the morning of the fifteenth instant.[4] The work
+was poorly calculated to withstand a siege, being nothing more than a
+small redoubt, occupying the centre of an intrenched camp, of which
+it formed the strong point. The enemy were, notwithstanding, repulsed
+with great loss, by the gallantry and good conduct of General Gaines
+and the officers and men under his command. During the siege General
+Gaines was severely wounded by the bursting of a shell, and on the
+twenty eighth instant, he retired to Buffalo, leaving General Ripley
+in charge of the post.
+
+Having partially recovered from his wounds, General Brown once more
+resumed the command on the second of September. The defences of
+Fort Erie had already suffered considerable injury from the enemy’s
+fire, and the garrison were kept constantly at work repairing the
+damages, and adding to the works. Frequent skirmishes took place, and
+the cannonading on either side was maintained, at intervals, with
+spirit and warmth. Reïnforcements were daily expected to arrive from
+the army on Lake Champlain, but they did not make their appearance,
+and it was soon evident that the post could not be held much longer
+against the efforts of the enemy. General Brown fretted like an
+imprisoned lion, and, on the seventeenth of September, discovering
+that General Drummond had constructed another battery, that would
+open a destructive fire on the following day, he planned a sortie,
+which has been justly considered as the _chef d’œuvre_ of his
+military career.
+
+The infantry of the besieging force was divided into three brigades,
+each containing twelve or fifteen hundred men, one of which was
+stationed alternately in the works in front of the fort, for the
+protection of the artillerists, and the other two occupied the main
+camp about two miles in the rear. The circumvallation consisted of
+two lines of intrenchments supported by blockhouses, in advance of
+which the enemy had constructed their batteries. It was General
+Brown’s intention “to storm the batteries, destroy the cannon, and
+roughly handle the brigade on duty, before those in reserve could be
+brought up.” The project was well conceived and admirably executed.
+
+[Sidenote: SORTIE FROM FORT ERIE.]
+
+At noon on the seventeenth, the troops intended to make the sortie
+were paraded under arms. The sallying force was divided into two
+columns; the left, commanded by General Porter, and consisting of the
+rifles and a body of Indians under Colonel Gibson, the Pennsylvania
+volunteers under Colonel Wood, the New York volunteers under General
+Davis, and the 1st and 23rd infantry under Major Brooks, was ordered
+to move cautiously upon the enemy’s right, by a circuitous road
+previously opened through the woods; and the right, commanded by
+General Miller, and consisting of the first brigade, was directed to
+enter a ravine between the fort and the British lines, and advance
+rapidly upon the enemy’s works as soon as General Porter became
+engaged. General Ripley remained in reserve with the 21st infantry,
+between the new bastions of the fort; his command, and that of
+General Miller, being both out of view of the enemy.
+
+The day was dark and lowering. A thick mist rested upon the lake and
+river, and floated lazily along their banks. The clouds overhead were
+surcharged with moisture, and sent down copious showers of rain.
+Favored by these circumstances, the American columns gained their
+positions unperceived. General Porter advanced with such celerity and
+caution, that his men sprang upon the enemy’s pickets before they
+were aware of his presence. As soon as the rapid volleys of General
+Porter were heard, General Brown ordered General Miller to advance,
+the head of his column being directed towards the interval between
+batteries 2 and 3. Dashing forward at full speed, General Miller
+reached the enemy’s line and pierced their entrenchments. The British
+were taken by surprise, yet they fought bravely and well. The contest
+was close and animated, but brief. Within thirty minutes after the
+first gun was fired, batteries 2 and 3 were in possession of the
+American troops, who swept every thing before them with the bayonet.
+Battery number 1 was then abandoned by the enemy, and the Americans,
+without loss of time, commenced the work of demolition. The British
+guns were spiked or otherwise destroyed, their breastworks levelled,
+and the magazine of battery number 3 was blown up.
+
+General Ripley had now brought up the reserve, and was making
+preparations for a demonstration on the enemy’s camp, when he
+was disabled by a severe wound. The object of the sortie having
+been accomplished, in the destruction, by a force of regulars and
+volunteers, only two thousand strong, of the labors of four thousand
+men for a period of near fifty days, General Miller ordered his men
+to fall back to the ravine, and General Brown then directed all the
+corps to return to camp with their prisoners, which was done in good
+order. In this affair the Americans had eighty-three men killed, two
+hundred and sixteen wounded, and there were two hundred and sixteen
+missing. Three hundred and eighty-five of the enemy were taken
+prisoners, and there were between four and five hundred killed and
+wounded.
+
+This daring sortie put an end to the leaguer. During the night of the
+twenty-first of September, General Drummond broke up his camp, and
+retreated to his intrenchments behind the Chippewa. Not long after,
+General Izard arrived from Sacketts Harbor with large reïnforcements,
+and on the twelfth of October, being the senior officer, he
+superseded General Brown in the command. No further incident of
+importance occurred, however, on this frontier. The gallant exploit
+of the seventeenth of September was the appropriate _finale_ of a
+bloody campaign, unsurpassed, during the war, for the display of
+firmness, valor, and intrepidity. Leaving a sufficient garrison at
+Fort Erie, General Izard moved down towards the Chippewa with the
+remainder of his forces, and offered battle to the enemy, but they
+declined leaving their intrenchments. A partial engagement took place
+between detached corps on the nineteenth of October, which closed the
+operations of the campaign; and early in November the American army
+retired into winter quarters on the opposite side of the Niagara.
+
+[Sidenote: HIS DECEASE.]
+
+The treaty of Ghent, in December of this year, terminated the war,
+and the services of General Brown in the field. Upon the reduction of
+the army he was retained on the peace establishment, and placed in
+command of the northern military division. In 1821 he was appointed
+General-in-chief, and from that time till his death, which occurred
+on the twenty-fourth of February, 1828, he resided at Washington.
+The disease which terminated his life was superinduced by another
+contracted at Fort Erie, from which he was never wholly exempt.
+
+General Brown did not enter the military profession solely from
+motives of patriotism, though these ever guided and governed his
+conduct;--he was a soldier _con amore_! Early disciplined in the
+school of adversity and trained to habits of self-reliance,--and
+gifted with superior mental endowments, which had been carefully
+cultivated,--he possessed that happy combination of faculties
+and acquirements which rarely fails to achieve success. He was a
+correct and thorough disciplinarian; industrious, methodical, and
+indefatigable; brave, both physically and morally; stout in person
+and strong of nerve; bold and energetic in carrying out his offensive
+movements; firm, but cautious, when acting on the defence; sagacious
+in council; and cool, calm, and collected, amid the roar of battle.
+In the language of the general order announcing his decease to
+the army--“Quick to perceive and sagacious to anticipate, prompt
+to decide and daring in execution, he was born with the qualities
+which constitute a great commander. His military _coup d’œil_,
+his intuitive penetration, his knowledge of men and his capacity
+to control them, were known to all his companions in arms, and
+commanded their respect; while the gentleness of his disposition,
+the courtesy of his deportment, his scrupulous regard to their
+rights, his constant attention to their wants, and his affectionate
+attachment to their persons, universally won their hearts, and bound
+them to him as a father.”
+
+The death of one so highly esteemed produced a deep impression, and
+was sincerely lamented, not only by his brethren in arms, but by
+all to whom he had become endeared in the relationships of private
+life. Cut off in the vigor of manhood by a disease contracted in
+the service of his country, she still treasures his memory as that
+of one among the most honored of her sons. Like the amaranth, his
+fame is enduring and imperishable; and while the ceaseless murmurs
+of the cataract rise beside the battle-field of Niagara, his gallant
+daring and determined courage will be gratefully remembered by his
+countrymen.
+
+[Illustration: EDMUND PENDLETON GAINES.]
+
+
+FOOTNOTES:
+
+        [1] General Brown is frequently compared with General
+            Greene, who, like him, was descended from a Quaker
+            family; and it has been jocularly said of them,
+            that, although one was _green_, and the other
+            _brown_, both were _true blue_!
+
+        [2] See Memoir of General Scott.
+
+        [3] The reply of Colonel Miller was adopted as the motto
+            of his regiment, and was worn on their buttons.
+
+        [4] See Memoir of General Gaines.
+
+
+
+EDMUND PENDLETON GAINES.
+
+
+It is no slight praise to say of the subject of this memoir, that
+his name is honorably associated with the war of 1812, from its
+commencement to its termination. When disasters were so frequent,
+and defeat so often sustained, where others were concerned, it is
+refreshing to find, that he never wanted the will, and when his means
+were sufficient, never lacked the ability, to retrieve the one, and
+to wipe out the disgrace of the other. Ever to be found where duty
+placed him,--prompt, brave, and skilful,--these are high merits in
+a soldier, and entitle their possessor to a worthy place among his
+compeers.
+
+Virginia is often termed “the mother of statesmen,”--and she may
+also be regarded as the birth-place of heroes. Like Harrison and
+Scott, General Gaines drew his first breath in the Old Dominion.
+He was born on the twentieth day of March, 1777, in Culpepper
+county, near the eastern base of the Blue Ridge, where it looks
+down upon the rolling table land, and undulating slopes,drained
+by the waters of the Rappahannock. His father, James Gaines, was
+a nephew of Edmund Pendleton,--after whom his son was named,--a
+profound and able lawyer, who was for many years presiding judge of
+the Court of Appeals of the state of Virginia. In the latter part
+of the Revolution, the father commanded a company of volunteers,
+and did good service in that capacity. At the close of the war he
+removed to the northwest border of North Carolina. He represented
+the county in which he resided, in the legislature of that state,
+and was afterwards a member of the convention by which the federal
+constitution was rejected. Like many of the most patriotic citizens
+of Virginia, North Carolina, and other states, he was at first
+opposed to that instrument; but, his objections having been removed
+by the adoption of the “bill of rights,” he voted in its favor.
+
+Young Gaines was early familiarized to scenes of war and bloodshed.
+Born in a frontier settlement, during the perilous times of the
+revolutionary struggle, when the whole colony was in a state of
+constant ferment and agitation, though not old enough to appreciate
+the importance of the principles for which his countrymen were
+contending, he was deeply imbued with the spirit that animated
+the men of that great era in the history of our nation. In the
+sparsely-peopled region to which his parents had removed, the means
+of obtaining information were very limited, and, as his father
+was in moderate circumstances, he enjoyed but few advantages of
+that character. These were carefully improved, however, under the
+direction and superintendence of his mother, who possessed a fine
+mind, and had received a good education. A friend, by the name of
+Ralph Mitchell, whose acquaintance he formed while a mere youth,
+instructed him in mathematics, and he subsequently became an accurate
+surveyor.
+
+When he was about thirteen years of age, his father emigrated to
+Sullivan county, in that mountainous tract of country, now known as
+East Tennessee, lying between the Stone and Cumberland mountains.
+This section of the union was then new, and but thinly inhabited.
+Being in the immediate vicinity of the theatre of the depredations
+committed by the Creeks and Cherokees, tales of border warfare were
+rife, and the legends of “the dark and bloody ground” were often
+repeated by the fireside of the elder Gaines. Themes like these
+were calculated to enkindle a desire for entering the profession
+of arms in the bosom of his young son, who listened to them with
+eager interest, and he soon gave unequivocal indications that his
+thoughts were turned in that direction. From boyhood he had been
+taught to labor,--to swing the axe, and follow the plough. When not
+thus employed, or busy in storing his mind with useful information,
+he rambled through the forests in search of game. In his hours of
+pastime the rifle was his constant companion, and he is said to have
+excelled all his companions in the use of that weapon. Passing his
+time in these occupations, his constitution, naturally strong and
+vigorous, had become hardened and invigorated, and fitted to endure
+the sufferings and vicissitudes of a soldier’s life. He was likewise
+bold and fearless, daring and determined;--no difficulty retarded
+him, no danger deterred.
+
+[Sidenote: RECEIVES HIS FIRST COMMISSION.]
+
+He now occupied his leisure hours in reading and studying such
+military and historical works as he could procure; and at the age of
+eighteen he was elected to a lieutenancy in a rifle company commanded
+by Captain J. Cloud. No opportunity was yet presented for gratifying
+the first wish of his heart, and he concluded to turn his attention
+to another profession. When not otherwise busied, much of his time
+had latterly been spent in surveying. In this way he had provided
+himself with a small supply of funds, and on attaining his majority,
+he commenced the study of the law, and pursued it as fast as his
+limited means would allow. While thus engaged, he was recommended by
+his friend, the Hon. W. C. C. Claiborne, then a member of Congress
+from the state of Tennessee, and afterwards governor of Louisiana,
+for an appointment in the army The recommendation proved successful,
+and on the tenth of January, 1799, he received his first commission,
+as an ensign.
+
+The long-cherished desire of young Gaines was now gratified, and
+the way opened for him to win honor and renown in the armies of
+his country. In the autumn of 1799, he was promoted to the rank
+of 2nd lieutenant in the 6th infantry, and sent on the recruiting
+service. His regiment being afterwards disbanded, he was attached to
+the 4th infantry, then under the command of Colonel Thomas Butler.
+In the summer of 1801, Colonel Butler received orders from the
+War Department, to select a subaltern from his regiment to make a
+topographical survey from Nashville to Natchez, for the location of a
+military road. Lieutenant Gaines was selected for this duty, and was
+employed in discharging it, and in the survey of some Indian boundary
+lines, till the winter of 1803–4,--having, in the meantime, been
+raised to the rank of 1st lieutenant.
+
+The Spanish government, being dissatisfied with the transfer of
+Louisiana to the United States, refused to withdraw her troops
+from Fort Condé, at Mobile, and from Baton Rouge,--and to deliver
+up possession of the country lying north of the Isle of Orleans,
+and the Gulf of Mexico, and between the Mississippi and the
+Perdido,--insisting that the territory embraced within those limits
+formed a part of her Floridian possessions, and was not included
+in the cession to France. Mr. Jefferson well knew that the country
+was wholly unprepared for war, and, in conformity with the peaceful
+policy of his administration, was unwilling, at that time, to submit
+the question in dispute to the arbitrament of the sword; yet, lest it
+might be said that the United States had tacitly acquiesced in the
+claim of the Spanish authorities, he resolved to appoint a military
+collector for the district of Mobile. The appointment was conferred
+on Lieutenant Gaines, in 1804, and he immediately established himself
+at Fort Stoddart, thirty-six miles north of Mobile.
+
+[Sidenote: APPOINTED MILITARY COLLECTOR.]
+
+He at once looked forward, with eager hope and expectation, to
+the time when he would be required “to flesh his maiden sword;”
+a collision seemed unavoidable, and he supposed it would soon be
+necessary to assert the rights of his government, and the authority
+deputed to him, by force of arms. In this he was disappointed; but
+a circumstance shortly after transpired, that brought him into
+notoriety,--of a very different character, indeed, from what he
+had desired or anticipated, yet it is not at all probable that he
+ever regretted his connection with the transaction.--In 1806 he was
+appointed postmaster, and selected as the confidential agent of the
+post-office department, being clothed with the power of suspending
+postmasters and contractors concerned in what was called, “the
+conspiracy of Aaron Burr.” Young and ardent, in heart and soul
+a patriot, it is not strange that he should have shared in the
+prevalent feeling, and approved the public judgment that denounced
+Colonel Burr as a traitor. He may have been mistaken in this, and
+if so, it was an error into which he was very likely to fall:--the
+projects of Colonel Burr are still shrouded in mystery; he who was
+chiefly interested in removing the odium attached to them in the
+estimation of his countrymen, if that were possible, refused to make
+any explanations; to the close of his life he maintained a studied
+reserve, and when he died, “he made no sign”!
+
+Lieutenant Gaines was quite active in discharging the extraordinary
+mission intrusted to him, and in ferreting out the parties implicated
+in the supposed conspiracy. He arrested Colonel Burr; and, on
+account of his acquaintance with the western country, he received
+the temporary appointment of marshal, in which capacity he summoned
+a number of witnesses to attend the trial. About the same time he
+was promoted to the rank of captain. Although his conduct had been
+governed by the best and purest motives, and he had but faithfully
+carried out the instructions of those whom it was his duty to obey,
+he incurred the bitterest animosity of the friends of Colonel Burr,
+and was severely attacked on the trial; and, in his subsequent life,
+he was often taught to feel, that they had neither forgotten nor
+forgiven him.
+
+[Sidenote: RE-ENTERS THE ARMY.]
+
+Soon after his connection with this affair terminated, seeing nothing
+before him but a life of inaction wholly unsuited to his active
+temperament, he decided to retire from the army, and enter the
+legal profession. Before announcing his determination, he wisely
+hesitated--there was a prospect of war with England,--though, after
+the settlement of the affair of the Chesapeake, a remote one,--and he
+therefore concluded merely to apply for leave of absence. This was
+cordially granted by his commanding officer, General Hampton, and he
+now commenced the practice of the law in the counties of Washington
+and Baldwin, in what was then the Mississippi territory, but now the
+State of Alabama. He had just rode his second circuit, under auspices
+highly flattering to his talents and abilities, when the alternative,
+of rejoining the army or finally throwing up his commission, was
+presented. The call of his country was the call of duty. The summons
+to arms was joyfully obeyed, and at the commencement of the war of
+1812, he resumed his sword, and his position in the service.
+
+The year 1812 closed without furnishing him an opportunity to
+distinguish himself. In the spring of 1813, he was attached to the
+North-western army, and rose, by rapid promotions, to the command of
+a regiment. A long and tedious illness prevented his participation in
+the battle of the Thames, but he recovered in time to accompany the
+ill-fated expedition of General Wilkinson down the St. Lawrence.[5]
+He was present at the battle of Chrystler’s fields, on the eleventh
+of November, and for his gallantry on that occasion was mentioned
+in terms of high commendation, in the official dispatch of General
+Boyd. In the action he commanded the 25th infantry, one of the finest
+and most effective regiments in the service, and after the British
+had been beaten back, in accordance with the instructions of the
+commander-in-chief to General Boyd, he was directed to cover the
+re-embarkation of the American troops.
+
+This service was performed with skill, fearlessness, and promptitude.
+Colonel Morrison, of the 89th British foot, the officer in command
+of the enemy, animated by the hope of achieving some certain success
+during the day, pushed hard upon him with a large body of troops.
+His men stood firm and immovable as the rocks beneath their feet. A
+desperate onset was made by the enemy to overwhelm him, but after
+an obstinate struggle they were completely repulsed. He then joined
+the advance, retiring with his command slowly and deliberately to
+their boats. Colonel Morrison was so well pleased with the brave
+conduct of the regiment, that, after the action, he sent his card to
+its commanding officer, with a message expressing his admiration,
+and desiring to know his name, in order that if they should chance
+to meet when the two countries were at peace, he might claim the
+privilege of an old friend and fellow soldier. It need not be added,
+that Colonel Gaines promptly complied with the request and returned
+the compliment.
+
+[Sidenote: DEFENCE OF FORT ERIE.]
+
+Colonel Gaines accompanied the army into winter quarters at French
+Mills, and, on the ninth of March, 1814, he received the commission
+of a brigadier general. At the opening of the following campaign, we
+find him placed in command at Sacketts Harbor, upon the departure
+of General Brown and his army for the Niagara frontier. Here he was
+assiduously employed in providing for the defence of the post, and,
+when it was blockaded by the British squadron, in preventing their
+attempts to cut off the supplies and munitions of war, conveyed
+through the interior of New York, by way of the Mohawk, the Oneida
+Lake, and the Oswego river, and the connecting canals, and then
+transported over Lake Ontario to Sacketts Harbor. He remained at this
+post, till he was summoned by General Brown to join the army on the
+Niagara, after the battle of the twenty-fifth of July. On the fifth
+of August he arrived at Fort Erie, then beleaguered by the British
+forces under General Drummond, and assumed the command.
+
+The construction of the additional defences of the fort had already
+been commenced, under the direction of General Ripley, with whose
+arrangements he interfered no further than to press the rapid
+completion of the works. The main structure was a small unfinished
+redoubt, and in a very dilapidated condition. It was situated about
+one hundred yards from the lake, above which it was elevated some
+fifteen or twenty feet. Towards the water it was left exposed, though
+partially repaired; on the right it was strengthened, and extended by
+a breastwork, to the river, where it terminated in a battery, and on
+the left a line of intrenchments and abattis was formed, extending to
+an eminence called Snake hill, which formed the southern angle, and
+on which a redoubt was constructed. From thence eastwardly, to the
+shore of the lake, there was a defence of abattis.
+
+The British general had fancied that the American army was now
+within his grasp, and that a single blow would be followed by
+their immediate surrender, or their withdrawal from the Canadian
+territory. Upon his arrival before the post he found its occupants
+much better prepared for his reception than he expected to find them.
+He therefore sat himself down coolly and deliberately, established
+his main camp about two miles distant, threw up two lines of
+intrenchments, supported by strong block houses, in front of the
+works, planted his batteries at favorable points, and contented
+himself with drawing closer the investment, but, nevertheless,
+pushing his operations with great activity.
+
+The American soldiers labored incessantly on the fortifications; and
+on the seventh of August, though still incomplete, they were in a
+sufficient state of forwardness to withstand an attack. From that
+time till the fourteenth instant, a constant cannonade was kept up,
+on one side or the other; the earth shaking for miles around, as the
+thunders of the artillery boomed over the lake, or rolled along its
+shores, echoing from one headland to the other, and muttering among
+the fissures of the rocks and recesses of the forest, till they were
+lost in the distance. Several skirmishes also took place, in which
+the British were generally defeated. The works were considerably
+crippled, however, as they were enfiladed by one of the enemy’s
+batteries; but the garrison did not suffer materially from the fire,
+there being but seven men killed, and thirty-six wounded, up to the
+night of the fourteenth instant.
+
+[Sidenote: PREPARATIONS OF THE ENEMY.]
+
+Towards evening on the fourteenth a bustle was observed in the
+British lines, from which General Gaines rightly conjectured that the
+enemy designed to hazard an assault, and his dispositions were at
+once made to repel it. The garrison was feeble enough, there being
+but about twenty-five hundred effective men, while the besieging
+force was nearly double that number; but what they lacked in this
+respect was more than made up in the cheerfulness with which the
+officers seconded the wishes of the commander, the unflinching
+firmness of the men, and the readiness with which they obeyed every
+call of duty. The main fort and its bastions were placed under the
+command of Captain Williams, of the artillery; the battery on the
+margin of the lake, on the right, was commanded by Captain Douglass,
+of the engineers; the batteries in front were placed in charge of
+Captains Biddle and Fanning; and Captain Towson’s battery occupied
+the south-western angle of the works,--all being under the command
+of Major Hindman, chief of artillery. The first brigade, under
+Lieutenant Colonel Aspinwall,--its former commander, General Scott,
+having been wounded at the battle of Niagara, on the twenty-fifth of
+July,--was posted on the right, and the second brigade, under General
+Ripley, on the left. The riflemen and volunteers, under General
+Porter, were directed to support the batteries in front, and the
+block house, near the salient bastion of the fort, was occupied by a
+detachment of infantry, under Major Trimble.
+
+The preparations of General Drummond were completed soon after
+nightfall on the fourteenth; it was arranged that the projected
+assault should be made early on the following morning, in three
+columns,--that on the right designed to attack the left of the
+American works, consisting of thirteen hundred men, being placed
+under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Fischer, that on the left,
+of about the same number, under Colonel Scott, and the central
+column, composed of eight hundred select troops, under Lieutenant
+Colonel Drummond. A few hours before the assault was ordered, one
+of the enemy’s shells lodged in a small magazine in the fort, which
+exploded with a deafening noise, shaking the solid earth, and
+shooting a vast pillar of smoke and flame up towards the sky, which
+expanded at the top, and rained down showers of fragments on the
+heads of the garrison. Not a man was injured, or a gun disabled, by
+the explosion; but the British soldiers, fancying some serious injury
+had been effected, raised a loud and joyous shout. This was promptly
+answered by the Americans, and in the midst of the confusion, and
+before the smoke had cleared away, Captain Williams discharged his
+heavy guns. For a few moments an animated fire was kept up, and the
+air was filled with a storm of projectiles, with crashing balls, and
+falling shells,--but it died away again, and all was still. It was
+the silence that forebodes the storm--the hush that precedes the
+whirlwind!
+
+It had been rainy throughout the day, and the rolling thunders of
+the tempest mingled with the loud roar of cannon, and the noise of
+exploding bombs. When the night set in, the rain continued to fall;
+heavy masses of clouds swept athwart the sky, curtaining the scene
+with a dark and gloomy pall; and the fires in the enemy’s camp could
+scarcely be discerned, glimmering feebly through the obscure haze.
+The breastworks of Fort Erie sheltered many an anxious bosom, but
+the fire of a noble courage, that knew not how to falter, sparkled
+in every eye, and beamed on every countenance. General Gaines,
+whose dauntless intrepidity was never more conspicuous than on this
+occasion, was active in encouraging and inspiriting his men, both by
+his language and his example. Every necessary order was issued with
+promptitude, and obeyed with alacrity.
+
+[Sidenote: THE ASSAULT.]
+
+Midnight came,--and yet there were no indications of an attack.
+Another, and another hour passed by in silence. Ere the next half
+hour was told, a low, faint sound was heard, like the rustling of
+the wind among the leaves of the forest. It approached nearer and
+nearer,--and the eager listeners soon caught the measured tread of
+the approaching columns, enveloped in thick darkness, but hurrying
+onward with rapidity to the assault. The column led by Lieutenant
+Colonel Fischer was the first to reach the works. The enemy advanced
+steadily and quickly,--one portion approaching the battery at the
+southwestern angle, with scaling ladders; and the other advancing
+against the line between it and the lake, with the design of
+terminating the contest, in an instant, by the decisive shock of the
+bayonet. They were allowed to approach within good range, when the
+American musketry and artillery opened suddenly upon them. Broad
+sheets of flame leaped from the breastworks; shot and shell were
+vomited in torrents from the batteries; and the dense waves of smoke
+that surged over the combatants, were lighted constantly by the vivid
+flashes of the artillery.
+
+The effect was terrific. The enemy were mowed down in platoons,
+and scores were swept away at every discharge. They hesitated
+for a moment,--another scorching blast burst from the American
+batteries,--and they recoiled in terror and alarm. They were soon
+rallied, however, and again led to the attack; but they were again
+repulsed with fearful slaughter. The British officers once more
+succeeded in animating their wavering troops for another onset.
+They now attempted to pass round the abattis by wading through the
+lake, the water of which came nearly to their arm-pits. The American
+soldiers, cheered by the presence of General Gaines, who had mounted
+his horse and hastened at the first alarm to participate in the
+dangers, and share the perils of the conflict, made every preparation
+to receive them. Some few succeeded in reaching the firm earth on
+the opposite side of the abattis, but it was only to be pierced by a
+dozen wounds. Many were drowned in the lake; others sank exhausted by
+their wounds, beneath the water dyed with the life blood which they
+had vainly shed; and others found their only safety in surrendering
+themselves prisoners of war. The officers no longer endeavored to
+prevent the retreat, but all, as if animated by one impulse, hurried,
+in haste, from the scene of their disaster.
+
+[Sidenote: INCIDENTS OF THE BATTLE.]
+
+On the other flank the enemy were equally unsuccessful. The column
+under Colonel Scott became entangled in the rocks near the river,
+on the right of the intrenched camp, and were delayed for a short
+time; but when they discovered their error, and regained their line
+of march, they pushed on more rapidly than before. The sleepless
+vigilance of the besieged could not be taken by surprise. The
+assailing column were heard distinctly behind the ramparts as they
+approached, and when within fifty yards of the American lines, they
+encountered an appalling fire that forced them to halt. To advance
+further was impossible. The batteries before them presented a
+constant blaze of fire, and the air was full of bursting balls
+and missiles. In the meantime, the central column, commanded by
+Lieutenant Colonel Drummond, had advanced boldly against the fort
+in front. A rapid, and well-directed fire was turned upon them by
+Captain Williams, but, unappalled by the carnage, they succeeded in
+applying their ladders to the walls of the salient bastion. As they
+were striving to gain the parapet, their officers shouted to their
+comrades, in the column under Colonel Scott, to “cease firing”!
+
+This proved to be a mere trick, but it succeeded for a moment. The
+order was heard by Captain Douglass, and supposing that it emanated
+from his own superior officers, both he and his infantry support
+temporarily suspended their fire. Favored by this circumstance,
+Colonel Scott once more led on his men,--but they had only provoked
+their doom. The deception was now manifest, and a still more galling
+fire was sustained, which caused them again to pause. Their commander
+and a number of his officers were cut down; their loss was dreadfully
+severe; they were unable to continue the advance, and a retreat was
+ordered. They commenced retiring slowly, but the movement terminated
+in a disorderly flight.
+
+Drummond’s column, however, had achieved a slight advantage, yet
+it was brief as it was unimportant. The first attempt to carry the
+bastion entirely failed; a second, and a third effort was made, with
+similar results. But the British commander lacked not in brutal
+courage, though sadly deficient in the more ennobling qualities of
+the gallant soldier. Under cover of the intense darkness, just
+before the break of day, he led a portion of his men silently along
+the ditch, applied his ladders at a point where he was not expected,
+and mounted the parapet. With a daring intrepidity worthy of a better
+cause, he led his men forward to the charge, shrieking out in the
+tones of baffled rage and hate--“No quarter!--give the Yankees no
+quarter!” This dastard order was faithfully obeyed. A fierce and
+maddening contest took place for the possession of the bastion.
+Major Hindman and his artillerists, with their supporting force,
+bravely stood their ground. Their efforts proved unavailing. Captain
+Williams, and a number of the men, were killed or mortally wounded,
+and his lieutenants, Watmough and Macdonough, were also severely
+wounded. The latter disdained to yield till he was completely
+disabled, and then asked for quarter. This was refused,--when,
+rallying his remaining strength, he snatched a handspike, and,
+with the madness of despairing humanity, strove to beat off his
+assailants. As he held them at bay, the infuriated Drummond rushed
+forward, and shot him down with his own hand. But this coward act
+received a fearful retribution. The next instant an avenging bullet
+found its way to the heart of the British leader, and he fell beside
+his victim,--a horrid blasphemy gurgling, with the death rattle, in
+his throat!
+
+[Sidenote: FINAL REPULSE OF THE ENEMY.]
+
+Notwithstanding the fall of their commander, the men who had effected
+a lodgment in the bastion, successfully resisted every attempt to
+dislodge them till daylight. General Gaines then ordered up larger
+reinforcements, and the enemy began speedily to fall back. They were
+now at the mercy of the American soldiers, who had not forgotten the
+savage cry which had been the death-knell of many a brave spirit.
+Expecting no favor, as none was merited, they had commenced tumbling
+pellmell over the parapet into the ditch, when a strong reserve
+was descried rapidly coming up under Lieutenant Colonel Tucker. An
+enfilading fire from Captain Douglass’ battery upon the approaching
+column, and a few rapid and effective discharges from the guns of
+Captains Biddle and Fanning, checked their advance. Between three
+and four hundred of the enemy advanced to within a short distance of
+the bastion; but, at this moment, and while the Americans, under the
+orders of General Gaines, were preparing for a vigorous rush upon the
+remnant of Drummond’s column, a number of cartridges deposited in one
+end of the stone building adjoining the bastion, caught fire, and
+exploded, with a tremendous roar, carrying away the whole platform.
+The loss of the enemy by the explosion was small in comparison
+with what they had previously sustained, but it served to add to
+their confusion, and to increase their anxiety to escape beyond
+the reach of the American guns. No effort was made to pursue the
+assault further, and a general retreat of the enemy now took place,
+as tumultuous and disorderly, as their advance had been brave and
+imposing.
+
+The British lost one hundred and fifty-seven men killed, in the
+assault, three hundred and eight wounded, and one hundred and
+eighty-six prisoners; besides a number who were drowned in the lake,
+and a still greater number who deserted under cover of the darkness.
+The American loss was only seventeen killed, fifty-six wounded, and
+eleven missing.
+
+General Drummond had indulged the hope that a single giant stroke
+would retrieve the fortunes of the British arms in the peninsula,
+and enable him to “ride in triumph over all mischance.” The attack
+was well-laid, but failed in every respect. This abortive attempt
+sadly crippled his strength, and though he was reïnforced by two
+regiments on the following day, he durst not hazard a second assault.
+His batteries were enlarged, and the bombardment continued, though
+without any sensible effect. On the twenty-eighth of August, General
+Gaines, having been severely wounded by the bursting of a shell, was
+obliged to retire to Buffalo, leaving General Ripley in charge of
+the post which had been thus bravely defended. General Brown resumed
+the command on the second of September, and soon after compelled the
+British commander to raise the siege, and retire to his intrenched
+camp beyond the Chippewa.[6]
+
+General Gaines did not recover from his wound in time to take part
+in the further operations of the belligerent forces during the few
+months which elapsed previous to the conclusion of the treaty of
+peace.--His gallant service in the defence of Fort Erie, did not go
+unrewarded. He was brevetted a major-general; Congress honored him,
+also, and the officers and men under his command, with a vote of
+thanks, and authorized the president to procure and present him with
+a gold medal. Similar votes of thanks were likewise passed, and
+gold-hilted swords presented to him, by the legislatures of New York,
+Virginia, and Tennessee.
+
+[Sidenote: THE SEMINOLE WAR.]
+
+After the termination of hostilities with Great Britain, being
+retained on the peace-establishment, General Gaines was ordered to
+relieve General Jackson in the command of the southern district.
+He was engaged in the discharge of the duties appertaining to his
+position, in the summer of 1817, when the Seminoles, a branch of the
+Creek tribe, and the Red Sticks, or Mickasaukians, also a branch of
+the same nation, who were driven from the Mississippi territory by
+General Jackson, in 1814, in connection with a number of runaway
+negroes,--all instigated by Nichols and Woodbine, and other British
+agents, and the Spanish authorities of Florida,--began to renew
+their depredations on the southern frontiers of Georgia. In July, a
+large band of these savages and outlaws were dislodged from a fort
+in which they had established themselves, on the Appalachicola, by a
+body of regulars and friendly Indians, under Colonel Clinch; but, as
+their outrages were frequently repeated, General Gaines immediately
+commenced erecting forts for the defence and protection of the border
+settlements. Fort Scott was constructed on the Flint river, a short
+distance above Spring Creek; Fort Gaines on the left bank of the
+Chatahoochee, about midway between the Petawla and Yattayabba creeks;
+and a third fort on the Conecuh.
+
+In order to put an end to the atrocities perpetrated by the hostile
+savages and their associates, orders were issued to General Gaines
+from the War Department, “to remove the Indians still remaining
+on the lands ceded by the treaty made by General Jackson with the
+Creeks;” and, in pursuance of these instructions, on the nineteenth
+of November, he sent an officer to Fowltown, with a message requiring
+the removal of the Indians at that place. The chief in command
+returned a haughty refusal; whereupon, Major Twiggs was dispatched
+with a strong force, to compel an observance of the order, and to
+bring the chief and his party to Fort Scott. He was attacked on the
+way, but succeeded in repulsing the Indians, and arrived safely
+at Fowltown, which was found entirely deserted. On the thirtieth
+instant, Major Muhlenburgh arrived in the Appalachicola, with three
+vessels, containing supplies for Fort Scott, but was unable to ascend
+the river on account of the adverse winds. Lieutenant Scott was
+therefore sent down to his assistance, with a boat and forty men.
+Twenty of his men were left with the vessels, and their places in
+the boat were filled by sick soldiers and women. Lieutenant Scott
+then started to return to the fort, but on reaching the mouth of the
+Flint river, he was suddenly attacked by a band of Indian warriors,
+under their chief Hornotlimed. The whole party, with the exception of
+six soldiers, who made their escape by swimming to the shore, were
+inhumanly butchered, and their scalps taken to the Indian town of
+Mickasauky, to adorn the war-pole, striped with red paint, which had
+already been erected.
+
+Offensive measures of the most rigorous character, were now rendered
+unavoidable. The experience acquired by General Jackson in his Indian
+campaigns, led to his being selected to conduct the war against the
+Seminoles and their allies. He arrived at Fort Scott, with nine
+hundred Georgia militia, on the ninth of March, 1818, and, as the
+senior officer, assumed the command. General Gaines acted under his
+orders during the short, but decisive campaign, that terminated
+in the effectual chastisement of the savages, and their Spanish
+abettors.[7] The services of the former were invaluable to the
+commanding general; he was always to be relied on, ever ready for
+any service, prompt, skilful, persevering and industrious. He was
+present at the reduction of Fort Barrancas, on the twenty-eighth of
+May, and immediately thereafter was ordered to St. Augustine, with a
+detachment, which surrendered to him without serious opposition.
+
+[Sidenote: CONTROVERSY WITH GENERAL SCOTT.]
+
+The hostile Indians being now quieted, General Jackson was relieved
+from duty, and General Gaines again took the command. He continued
+in charge of the southern district, till the further reduction of
+the army in 1821. He was then selected as one of the two brigadiers
+retained in service, and assigned to the command of the western
+military division. Upon the death of General Brown, in 1828, he
+was a candidate, with General Scott, for the vacant office of
+General-in-chief. The appointment, however, was conferred on General
+Macomb, then at the head of the engineer bureau. Pending the
+selection of an officer to supply this vacancy, a warm controversy
+took place between General Scott and himself, in relation to their
+respective priority of rank, which led to an unfortunate estrangement
+between them, and has since been a fruitful subject of contention and
+difficulty, occasioning not more embarrassment to the individuals
+particularly concerned, than to the national authorities, and their
+mutual friends, who are perhaps equally proud of the military
+services of both officers.
+
+General Gaines was continued in command of the western division, his
+head-quarters being established at Jefferson barracks, and on the
+breaking out of disturbances with the Sacs and Foxes, in May, 1831,
+he promptly repaired to the theatre of contention, having previously
+dispatched thither a large body of troops. The principal village
+of the Sacs and Foxes lay in the beautiful peninsula between the
+transparent waters of the Rock river, and the Mississippi. In 1804,
+a treaty was concluded by Governor Harrison with their principal
+chiefs, by the terms of which all their lands east of the Mississippi
+were ceded to the United States; the Indians reserving to themselves
+the right of living and hunting upon the territory ceded while
+the same was unsold. A large number of the Sacs remained in the
+peninsula, and continued peaceably to enjoy the rights which had been
+reserved, till the admission of Illinois into the Union. The state
+then began to be more rapidly populated, and the valuable lead mines
+at Galena attracted a vast body of emigrants. In a few years the
+Indians were entirely surrounded by the settlements of the whites.
+Collisions frequently occurred; excesses were committed on one side,
+and retaliatory measures, far more aggravated in character, were
+adopted on the other.
+
+[Sidenote: DIFFICULTY WITH THE SACS AND FOXES.]
+
+With a view of removing the cause of dispute, the general government,
+in 1829, ordered the lands occupied by the Indians to be sold.
+The Sacs, under their celebrated chief, Black Hawk, now insisted
+that the treaty of 1804 was concluded by a few chiefs without the
+knowledge or consent of the nation at large, and refused to give up
+possession to purchasers. The authorities of the state were called
+upon to interfere for the protection of the whites, and in May, 1831,
+Governor Reynolds called out seven hundred militia, to remove the
+Indians by force. A collision had been anticipated by the Executive
+of the United States, and General Gaines had received orders to
+proceed to the seat of disturbance, if it should appear to be
+necessary. He instantly ordered six companies of regular troops from
+Jefferson Barracks to Rock Island, and four companies from Prairie
+du Chien. On the thirteenth of May, General Gaines arrived with this
+force at Fort Armstrong. A conference was here held with the Indian
+chiefs, but as they were unwilling to agree to any satisfactory
+terms, he called on Governor Reynolds of Illinois, for an additional
+force of militia. The governor joined him on the Rock river, with
+sixteen hundred mounted men, on the twenty-fifth of June, and in
+the morning of the ensuing day, General Gaines took possession of
+the Indian town, at the head of the united force, without firing a
+gun, or meeting a single Indian,--the late occupants of the village
+having crossed the Mississippi, with their women and children, on the
+previous night.
+
+General Gaines again dispatched a message to the Sac chiefs,
+proposing another conference. This was finally acceded to, and on the
+thirtieth of June they entered into a treaty with him and Governor
+Reynolds, by which it was agreed that they should permanently remove
+beyond the Mississippi. Having brought this affair to what, at the
+time, promised to be a satisfactory termination, General Gaines
+returned to his headquarters. The treaty stipulations of the Indians
+proved to be delusory, however. In the following year Black Hawk led
+his warriors across the Mississippi, and refused peremptorily to
+retire, till he and his band were completely routed at the battle of
+the Bad-Axe, on the twenty-seventh of August, after which a treaty
+was concluded with General Scott and Governor Reynolds, in accordance
+with which the Sacs and Foxes removed to the vicinity of the Iowa and
+Des Moines rivers.
+
+Another long interval of comparative inaction now occurred in the
+military service of General Gaines. Little more can be said of him,
+during this time, than that all his duties as the commander of the
+western division, were discharged with punctuality and dispatch.
+We hear nothing further from him of especial moment, till the
+renewal of hostilities with the Seminoles of Florida, in the fall
+of 1835. On receiving intelligence of the massacre of Major Dade’s
+command, and the battle of the Withlacoochee, he collected all the
+disposable troops in the vicinity of New Orleans, to which point
+his head-quarters had been removed, and immediately repaired to the
+seat of war. He landed at Fort Brooke, at the head of Tampa Bay, on
+the fourth of February, 1836, and at once proceeded in search of the
+savages, following the route of the unfortunate Dade down the right
+bank of the Withlacoochee. On arriving at the scene of the massacre,
+he caused the remains of the brave soldiers who had fallen victims
+to the wiles of the Indian warriors, to be decently and carefully
+interred. On the twenty-eighth of February, he encountered a body of
+Indians not far from Fort King, but repulsed them with loss. Soon
+after this affair he entered into a parley with Asceolah, or Osceola,
+the principal chief of the Seminoles, which, like most obligations
+and pledges of a similar character, proved to be a mere ruse,--the
+object of which was to gain time for the removal of the women and
+children to places of security, in the marshy everglades, and leafy
+hummocks, in the southern part of the peninsula.
+
+[Sidenote: THE FLORIDA WAR.]
+
+Previous to these occurrences, General Scott had been ordered to
+take command of the troops, and to prosecute the war in Florida. He
+arrived at St. Augustine on the eighth of February, and on receiving
+authentic information of the fact, and on being informed of the
+orders issued at Washington, General Gaines gave up the command, and
+shortly afterwards returned to New Orleans.
+
+His skirmish with the Indians, on the banks of the Withlacoochee,
+terminated, in all probability, forever, the active service of
+General Gaines in the field. Incapacitated, by reason of his age,
+and physical inability to endure the hardships and privations of a
+campaign, he was not employed in the prosecution of the war with
+Mexico, except in forwarding supplies, and hastening on troops, to
+the camp established by General Taylor at Corpus Christi, in the
+summer of 1845, and in discharging the other duties, in connection
+therewith, that devolved on him as the commanding officer at New
+Orleans. Though yielding to the influence of advancing years, he
+still possessed the chivalric fire, and the ardent patriotism,
+which had distinguished him in his younger days. Like the war-horse
+no longer fitted to endure the shock of battle, he snuffed the
+breeze that came from the field of strife, afar off, and when the
+information was received that General Taylor and his little band of
+soldiers were surrounded on the Rio Grande, and cut off from their
+supplies, he was impatient to rush to the assistance of his gallant
+brother in arms.
+
+Restraining his impulses, he did all that was possible to be done,
+to relieve the army supposed to be in such imminent peril. All the
+regular troops that could be sent to the seat of war, were dispatched
+thither as expeditiously as possible. He also caused a large number
+of volunteers to be enrolled, mustered into service, and transported
+to the Rio Grande, without waiting for orders from Washington; in
+this he exceeded his authority, and it was thought proper to submit
+his conduct to a court of inquiry. The court assembled at Fort
+Monroe, in July, 1846, and after a full investigation, determined
+that he had transcended his powers, but that the act was prompted
+by the purest and most praiseworthy motives. The executive and
+the people of the United States, it is needless to say, cordially
+approved of the decision. Not long after General Gaines was assigned
+to the command of the eastern division, and established his
+head-quarters at New York, where he remained till the close of the
+war with Mexico, when he was relieved from duty at his own request.
+
+[Sidenote: PERSONAL APPEARANCE AND CHARACTER.]
+
+General Gaines yet lives, in the enjoyment of “all that should
+accompany old age,” to recount the thrilling incidents of his
+campaigns, and “fight his battles o’er again.” One of that class of
+men is he--but too few in number--belonging to a past _régime_, who,
+though he has vindicated his title to be ranked among the military
+heroes of the nation, has never forgotten those noble qualities
+which characterize the gentleman of the old school. He is scarcely
+above the ordinary height, and slight of person, but straight as
+the arrow of an Indian warrior. He is somewhat reserved, but not
+taciturn,--courteous and urbane in his manners, but dignified and
+high-minded. Though his head is silvered with the frost of many
+winters, he is still hale and erect, and brave and generous, as in
+the hey-day of youth, when he rambled along the banks of the Yadkin;
+or, in the pride of manhood, when he stood unmoved, gazing with an
+unblenched eye on the carnage around him, and issuing his orders with
+an unfaltering lip, amid the whirling balls and blazing shells, on
+the ramparts of Fort Erie!
+
+
+FOOTNOTES:
+
+        [5] See Memoir of General Brown, _ante_.
+
+        [6] See Memoir of General Brown, _ante_.
+
+        [7] See Memoir of General Jackson.
+
+
+
+WILLIAM HENRY HARRISON.
+
+
+Among the most successful officers of the war of 1812, was Major
+General WILLIAM HENRY HARRISON. Descended from a good old
+revolutionary stock, and thoroughly imbued, in his boyhood, with
+sentiments of the most sincere and devoted patriotism, he laid the
+foundation, at an early age, of the fame and distinction which
+he acquired in maturer years. Throughout a long life,--one full
+of interest, and replete with important incidents,--he enjoyed a
+wide-spread popularity, which, in the western states of the Union,
+was sometimes manifested with all the fervor of enthusiasm. No one
+better deserved the respect and esteem of his countrymen, and there
+are few whose character has come brighter or purer from the ordeal,
+when submitted to that Areopagus of public opinion, whose decisions
+admit not of dispute.
+
+[Sidenote: HIS FATHER.]
+
+He was born at Berkeley, the family seat of his father, on James
+river, Virginia, on the ninth day of February, 1773; being the
+youngest of three sons. His father, Colonel Benjamin Harrison, was a
+descendant of the celebrated officer of the same name, who fought by
+the side of Cromwell for civil and religious liberty, but, preferring
+a turbulent democracy to a quiet despotism, opposed the ambitious
+projects of the Lord Protector, with the same stubborn vehemence
+with which he had contended against the attempted usurpations of
+the tyrant Charles. But--what is of more immediate value to us
+as Americans--he was one of the signers of the Declaration of
+Independence, and “the intimate friend of Washington”!
+
+[Illustration: WILLIAM HENRY HARRISON.]
+
+Colonel Harrison took his seat in the Congress of the Confederation,
+as one of the delegates from Virginia, in 1774, and remained a
+member of that body, during that and the two following years. On the
+resignation of his brother-in-law, Peyton Randolph, the president
+of Congress, he was urged by a number of friends to take the vacant
+place, but declined the honor, and, on his nomination, John Hancock
+was appointed to fill the station. It is also stated, in connection
+with this circumstance, that when the latter manifested some
+hesitation about accepting the office, Colonel Harrison caught the
+modest patriot in his arms, and almost carried him to the chair,
+_nolens volens_. He took an active part in the discussions and
+deliberations that preceded the adoption of the Declaration, and
+was the chairman of the committee of the whole when the vote to
+agree to it was taken. There is an anecdote related of him at this
+juncture, which attests the warmth of his feelings, and the sterling
+genuineness of his patriotism. Although John Dickinson was openly
+and avowedly opposed to the separation from the mother country, his
+honesty and integrity were never questioned, and his conceded ability
+secured the respect of the other members of Congress. Upon his urgent
+request, he was permitted to draw the second petition to the King,
+which was adopted, though with considerable reluctance. After the
+vote was taken, Mr. Dickinson could not refrain from expressing
+his satisfaction, and, at the close of his remarks, said, that
+there was but one word which he disapproved, and that was the word
+“_Congress_.” Colonel Harrison sprang to his feet the instant Mr.
+Dickinson was seated, and exclaimed with emphatic earnestness--“There
+is but one word in the paper, Mr. President, of which I _approve_,
+and that is the word ‘_Congress_’!”
+
+Colonel Harrison was afterwards, for several years in succession, a
+member of the Virginia house of delegates, and filled the office of
+speaker till the close of the year 1781, when he succeeded Governor
+Nelson in the executive chair of that state. On the expiration of his
+official term in 1784, he retired to private life, but to the time of
+his death, which occurred in 1791, he was known and esteemed by the
+ablest men in the nation, and revered and honored by all classes and
+parties of his fellow-citizens.
+
+The subject of this biography, William Henry Harrison, was early
+placed at Hampden-Sidney college. At the age of seventeen he left
+the institution with his mind well stored with classical lore, and
+not long after, in compliance with the wishes of his father, whose
+liberal hospitality forbade the bestowal of large fortunes on his
+children, commenced the study of medicine. Having completed a short
+preparatory course of reading, he proceeded to Philadelphia, in the
+spring of 1791, to attend the lectures at the University, and avail
+himself of the other facilities afforded in that city for obtaining
+a knowledge of the profession which he had selected. He had but
+just arrived there and resumed his studies, when the intelligence of
+his father’s death reached him, and effected an entire change in his
+plans for the future.
+
+[Sidenote: DEFEAT OF ST. CLAIR.]
+
+Notwithstanding the earnest remonstrances of his guardian, Robert
+Morris, the celebrated financier, who depicted, in glowing colors,
+the fatigues and hardships which he would be compelled to undergo,
+he determined to enter the army, and with his own good sword hew
+out a way to distinction. Preparations were then making for another
+campaign against the Indians on the northwestern frontier,--the
+expedition of the previous year, under General Harmar, having failed
+of accomplishing any decisive results. This added fire to the spirit
+of young Harrison. Washington was applied to,--and respect for the
+memory of the father, and esteem for the son, whose importunities
+could not be disregarded, procured for the latter an ensign’s
+commission in the regular service. He departed immediately for Fort
+Washington, now Cincinnati, but, though he hurried forward with
+eager impetuosity, did not succeed in joining the army, then but a
+remnant of what it had once been, till after the disastrous defeat
+of the brave and honest, but unfortunate St. Clair, on the fourth
+of November, 1791. On joining his regiment, at Fort Washington,
+he learned the particulars of the sad tragedy which had just been
+enacted. The melancholy fate of Butler, Oldham, Hardin, and their
+companions, who had fallen victims to the wiles of a barbarous
+and cruel enemy, so far from damping his ardor, or chilling his
+enthusiasm, only heightened the fire of patriotic indignation that
+burned in his bosom, and increased his anxiety to take the field,
+and aid in inflicting a summary punishment upon the merciless savages.
+
+At this time there were no settlements of consequence north of the
+Ohio, except those at Kaskaskia, Vincennes, Fort Washington, and
+Marietta; and, on the south, between that river and the Tennessee,
+there were comparatively few inhabitants scattered over the territory
+previously known as Kentuckeè, “the Bloody Land,”--for many years the
+battle-ground of the Northern and Southern Indians. The protection,
+therefore, of the exposed frontiers, depended mainly on the regular
+force of the General Government, and the militia of Pennsylvania and
+Virginia; for, though the citizens of this remote region were ever
+prompt to obey the call to arms, they were too feeble in numbers, to
+cope, unassisted, with so powerful a foe. General St. Clair, governor
+of the “Territory north-west of the Ohio,” had moved upon the Miami
+villages with over fourteen hundred men; of this number, six hundred
+and thirty-one were killed in the fearful onslaught of the fourth
+of November, and there were two hundred and sixty-seven wounded;
+consequently, it was necessary to raise a large additional force,
+before offensive operations could be further prosecuted. President
+Washington immediately recommended a considerable increase of the
+army, and Congress adopted his suggestions.
+
+[Sidenote: CAMPAIGN UNDER WAYNE.]
+
+In the then state of the country, it required no little time and
+preparation to fit a great body of troops for the field; numerous and
+unavoidable delays occurred; and, in the meanwhile, attempts were
+made to conclude a peace with the hostile Indians. The messengers
+dispatched by the Executive of the United States were treacherously
+murdered, and negotiation was no longer admissible, save at the point
+of the bayonet. In the autumn of 1793, a force of twenty-six hundred
+men, nearly all of whom were regulars, under the command of General
+Wayne, were concentrated at an encampment established near Fort
+Washington on the Ohio.
+
+While these preparations were in progress, young Harrison, who
+had been promoted to a lieutenancy, was sedulously employed in
+studying his profession. His skill and proficiency as a tactician,
+attracted the attention of the officer selected to take command of
+the projected expedition, and he was designated as one of his aids.
+Having completed his arrangements, General Wayne took up the line
+of march for the Indian country, early in October. The lateness
+of the season rendered it impossible to accomplish anything till
+another campaign, and on his arrival at one of the tributaries of the
+Stillwater branch of the Big Miami, he established himself in winter
+quarters, and commenced organizing and disciplining his troops.
+Lieutenant Harrison was prominent among the young officers engaged in
+the work of instruction, and his services were flatteringly noticed
+by the commanding general.
+
+In the summer of 1794, General Wayne was joined by upwards of one
+thousand mounted militia, and without delay set out in pursuit of
+the enemy, who, he learned, were in strong force at the Rapids of
+the Maumee. On the twentieth of August, he encountered the Indians,
+who had vainly attempted to draw him into an ambush, near the _Roche
+de Bouc_, on the north bank of the river, and defeated them with
+great slaughter. Their chief, Turkey-foot, and a large number of
+their best and bravest warriors, were slain; and the remainder
+either dispersed, or sought shelter under the guns of Fort Maumee,
+then occupied by a British garrison. The bravery and intrepidity of
+Lieutenant Harrison in this affair, were conspicuous; and in the
+official report of the action, his name is mentioned in terms of high
+commendation.[8] While the army lay in the vicinity of Fort Maumee,
+an incident transpired, which came very near terminating, in all
+probability, the life of General Wayne, and that of his gallant aid.
+
+Positive instructions had been received to demolish the fort occupied
+by the English troops, in utter disregard of the provisions of
+the treaty of 1783, and in order to enable him to decide upon the
+propriety of an attempt to reduce it, General Wayne, accompanied by
+his suite, advanced to reconnoitre. In this daring reconnaissance,
+the general, who possessed a constitutional indifference to danger,
+with Lieutenant Harrison at his side, rode within eighty yards of
+the fort, and within point blank range of its guns. While making
+their observations, with the utmost coolness, an English captain of
+marines turned one of the pieces upon them, and was about to apply
+the port-fire, when Major Campbell, the commandant of the garrison,
+interposed, just in time to prevent the catastrophe that would most
+likely have occurred. Major Campbell subsequently apologized for the
+unofficer-like conduct of his subordinate, and to his gentlemanly
+behavior the preservation of peace between the two countries may be
+attributed.
+
+General Wayne did not deem it advisable to attack the post with
+the means at his command, and having destroyed the Indian villages
+within fifty miles of either side of the river, he returned to Fort
+Defiance, at the confluence of the Au Glaize and Maumee. The defeat
+which the Indians had sustained was decisive; everything remained
+quiet during the ensuing winter; and in July, 1795, General Wayne
+concluded a favorable treaty, at Greenville, with a number of chiefs
+representing ten different nations.
+
+Upon the conclusion of the treaty, Harrison, now raised to the
+rank of captain, was placed in command of Fort Washington, and,
+shortly after, was married to a daughter of Judge Symmes,--a most
+amiable woman; distinguished for high moral worth, for her piety and
+benevolence; and esteemed and loved by a large circle of friends and
+acquaintances.
+
+[Sidenote: COMMENCES HIS CIVIL CAREER.]
+
+Captain Harrison soon became dissatisfied with the idle routine of
+a garrison life; there seemed to be no prospect that his serviced
+would be required in the field; and he longed for more active
+employment. Accordingly he resigned his commission, and in 1797, at
+the age of twenty-four, commenced his civil career, as secretary
+of the territory, under Governor St. Clair. His talents and many
+estimable qualities had already brought him into favorable notice,
+and the duties of his office were discharged with so much promptitude
+and fidelity, that he was regarded as one of the ablest young men
+in the territory. His popularity steadily increased, and in 1799,
+he was elected as the first delegate in congress. On taking his
+seat, in December, of that year, he was appointed, upon his urgent
+solicitation, chairman of the committee on the public lands,--the
+only instance, it is stated, in which a delegate was so distinguished.
+
+The improvement of the existing land system had long been a favorite
+object with him. Many of its features were wholly inconsistent with
+the genius and spirit of democratic institutions, and calculated
+to retard the growth and prosperity of the great West. Among other
+provisions equally odious in their character, was one forbidding
+the sale of land by the government, in quantities of less than
+four thousand acres, except where there were fractions on the
+banks of large streams. Harrison had the forecast to discover,
+what a boundless field would be opened for the enterprising youth
+and industrious laboring classes of the Atlantic states, by the
+removal of this obstacle to the settlement of the territory, the
+development of the resources which nature had so lavishly bestowed
+upon it, and its rapid advancement to wealth and greatness. Through
+his instrumentality, aided by the efforts of other able members of
+both houses, who united with him in procuring this reform, a law was
+enacted, requiring one half of the public lands remaining unsold, to
+be divided into sections of six hundred and forty acres each, and the
+remaining moiety into sections of three hundred and twenty acres; the
+old system of forfeiture for non-payment was abolished, and payments
+were directed to be made, in future, one quarter down, and the
+remainder in two, three, and four years, with a further forbearance
+of one year on the last payment, if desired.
+
+[Sidenote: GOVERNOR OF INDIANA TERRITORY.]
+
+This was not all that Harrison wished to effect; but an important
+point was gained. Emigrants flocked into the territory by scores
+and hundreds, and the gratitude of the citizens, both the old
+inhabitants, and the new-comers, who had been benefited by his
+exertions, never failed to follow his footsteps as those of a
+benefactor and friend.--Such was the estimation in which he was
+held by his constituents, that he was solicited, on all hands, to
+take the place of Governor St. Clair. In reply to every intimation
+of this kind, Harrison steadily refused to permit any effort to be
+made, to supersede the war-worn veteran, whose only fault, if fault
+it be, was, that fortune had been chary of her favors to him, when
+her smiles, doubtless for some wise purpose, were showered upon those
+not more able, not more deserving, nor more prompt in the performance
+of every duty. The desire of Harrison’s friends was soon gratified,
+however, in his appointment by President Adams, in 1800, as the first
+governor of the newly erected territory of Indiana. Though deprived,
+by his position as a delegate, from taking part in the general
+legislation of the country, his sound judgment and sterling worth had
+secured him an enviable reputation, and when he left Congress, he was
+followed by the regard and cordial good wishes of his associates.
+
+Shortly before his leaving the Capital, a circumstance occurred,
+which deserves to be mentioned, as illustrating the purity of
+motive, and honesty of purpose, which marked his public conduct.
+His father-in-law, Judge Symmes, was the proprietor of the Miami
+purchase; and previous to obtaining his patent, he had made a number
+of sales. It was doubtful whether the rights thus acquired were of
+any value, even in equity; but, upon the introduction of a bill in
+Congress providing for the settlement of the purchase, although the
+interests of Judge Symmes, and, indirectly, his own, were jeoparded,
+Harrison went before the committee having the bill in charge, and
+successfully urged the insertion of a clause amply protecting the
+claims of the purchasers.
+
+In 1801, Governor Harrison entered upon the discharge of his official
+duties, at Vincennes, an old military and trading post, on the left
+bank of the Wabash, which was settled by the French about the year
+1730. Though invested with extraordinary powers, the office to which
+he had been appointed was no sinecure. Besides the settlement at
+Vincennes, there were but two others, of importance, in the whole
+territory, out of which was afterwards formed the states of Indiana
+and Illinois, viz.; Clarke’s Grant at the falls of the Ohio, and
+the settlement extending along the Mississippi, from Kaskaskia to
+Cahokia. The white population did not exceed five thousand souls, and
+they were entirely surrounded, on the north and west, by numerous
+bands of Indians, who were either openly and avowedly hostile, or
+wanted but a favorable opportunity to manifest their hatred and
+ill-will.
+
+[Sidenote: VARIED SERVICES.]
+
+To provide for the security of the settlements in the territory,
+however remote, or widely separated; to overawe the savages, or
+hold them in check; to encourage immigration; and to promote, in
+all things, the happiness and welfare of the inhabitants,--were
+the objects to which Governor Harrison unremittingly devoted his
+time and attention. In addition to his other duties, he acted as
+commissioner of Indian affairs, in which capacity he concluded
+fifteen treaties, and extinguished the title of the aborigines to
+more than seventy million acres of land--then, for the most part,
+an unbroken wilderness, but now dotted all over with the abodes of
+wealth and contentment, and teeming with a thriving and industrious
+population. Frequent journeys were performed by him, along the wild
+forest paths, and miserable _traces_, which led from one station or
+settlement to another. Dangers were fearlessly encountered; fatigue
+never disheartened him. He cheerfully shared the privations of the
+settlers; partaking with them of the rudest cheer, or, seated on a
+hewed block before a roaring fire, listening attentively to tales
+of trial and hardship, and offering the kind word of sympathy and
+encouragement. Wrapt in his blanket, or enveloped in the folds of a
+bear skin or buffalo robe, he slept, too, as soundly and sweetly on
+the bare earth in the hunter’s lodge, or the puncheon floor of a log
+cabin, as upon the beds of down in his father’s mansion.
+
+In 1802, Ohio was admitted into the Union as a state, and Wayne
+county,--afterwards the territory, and, still later, the state of
+Michigan,--was then attached to the territory of Indiana. The duties
+of Governor Harrison were thus rendered still more arduous. He was
+relieved from this additional care, however, in 1805, when Michigan
+was erected into a separate territory. The country filled up so
+rapidly, that it became necessary, in a few years, to relieve him
+yet further, and in 1809, a territorial government was formed for
+Illinois.
+
+Many years elapsed after the conclusion of the treaty of peace,
+in 1783, before Great Britain entirely abandoned her expectations
+of reëstablishing, at some future, and not very remote day, her
+authority over her revolted American colonies. It was customary for
+her writers and politicians to underrate the importance, and sneer
+at the pretensions of the young republic, till they saw, in the
+rapidly-extending commerce and growing prosperity which followed the
+restoration of peace and tranquillity, unmistakable indications that
+the daughter would soon be no mean rival of the mother country in the
+race of nations. To check these germs of greatness, ere they should
+bud and blossom, was now the favorite object of English statesmen. As
+no pretext existed for open hostilities, resort was had to the low
+arts of diplomacy--to intrigue and cunning; and amid the moral and
+political corruption, which, at that era, polluted the atmosphere of
+St. James, plans were concocted, whose atrocity must ever stand out
+in bold relief on the page of impartial history.
+
+[Sidenote: ENGLISH INTRIGUES.]
+
+Disregarding the provisions of the treaty of 1783, the British
+authorities retained possession of the military posts northwest of
+the Ohio, and to these, and similar establishments in the Canadas,
+agents were sent, to suborn, and tamper with, the savages on the
+northern frontiers of the American Union, and incite them to commit
+acts of hostility upon the persons and property of the settlers who
+had found their way into the rich valley of the Mississippi. It was
+the policy of Washington,--and, after him, of Adams, Jefferson, and
+Madison,--to purchase the lands belonging to the Indian tribes,
+required by the increasing white population of the country, at a fair
+equivalent; to furnish them the means of civilization; to provide
+for them the restraints of well-ordered and wholesome regulations;
+to enkindle new desires, and implant new motives in their breasts;
+to enlighten their minds and Christianize their hearts. England, on
+the contrary, forgetting the eloquent and indignant denunciations of
+her Chatham, and careless how she sullied the national escutcheon,
+already stained by many a foul blot, supplied them with arms and
+ammunition,--with blankets, tobacco, and “fire-water,”--not to induce
+them to cultivate harmony and good-will with their neighbors, the
+citizens of the United States; but to minister to their most depraved
+appetites, and arouse the most vindictive passions of their natures.
+She asked them, not to lay aside the implements of death, and
+engage in the pursuits of peace; but invited them to continue their
+barbarous warfare, and glut their vengeance, to the full, with the
+tomahawk and scalping-knife!
+
+Under the auspices of Simcoe, and other agents of Great Britain,
+immediately after the peace, a combination was formed among the
+Northwestern Indians, the object of which was to prevent the
+Americans from extending their settlements beyond the Alleghanies.
+The border inhabitants were constantly harassed by the irruptions
+of the savages; scenes of bloodshed and murder were of frequent
+occurrence; and when efforts were made to chastise the perpetrators
+of these outrages, they found in England a fast and firm friend,
+whose assistance, though not openly rendered, proved of essential
+service to her allies. Her influence was felt in the defeat of Harmar
+and St. Clair, and when the mounted volunteers under the gallant
+Wayne scattered the savages in confusion, on the banks of the
+Maumee, they fled for protection beneath the guns of a fortress over
+which floated the red cross of St. George.
+
+The defeat of the Indians by Wayne was a severe lesson, and it was
+long remembered. Fortunately, too, for our country,--who needed only
+a season of peace, and repose from “war’s alarms,” to advance with
+rapid strides to the high destiny before her,--the revolutionary
+spirit had, at this time, crossed the Atlantic, and the watch-fires
+of liberty were blazing on the continent of Europe. Alarmed for the
+stability of her institutions at home, England had no time to spend
+in courting the favor of the North American savages, even though
+her machinations promised to terminate in the restoration of “the
+brightest jewel of her crown.” In November, 1794, three months after
+Wayne’s victory, Mr. Jay concluded his commercial treaty, in which it
+was stipulated that the western posts should be surrendered by the
+first of June, 1796, which was accordingly done; and in the summer
+of 1795, as we have seen, the treaty of Greenville was made with the
+Indian tribes.--The quiet thus restored was deceitful, and temporary
+in its duration.
+
+[Sidenote: SEIZURES BY THE ENGLISH.]
+
+The treaty of Mr. Jay provided, among other things, for compensation
+for British spoliations on American commerce, growing out of the war
+with France; yet the ratifications of that instrument had scarcely
+been exchanged, when outrages of the same character, but greater in
+degree, were committed. Taking advantage of the distracted state of
+affairs on the continent, the enterprising citizens of America had
+extensively engaged in the carrying trade; and their commerce had
+increased with so much rapidity, that the jealousy of England was
+again awakened. Large quantities of American provisions were also
+shipped to Europe, and especially to France, and to her possessions
+in the West Indies, the prices paid for which, during the continuance
+of hostilities, afforded handsome profits; but this interfered,
+very materially, with the determination of England, by means of her
+maritime supremacy, to starve the French people into an abandonment
+of their republican notions, and to prevent it, she caused blockades
+to be declared, which were enforced by no suitable naval power, and
+orders to be issued, in defiance of the law of nations, requiring
+neutral vessels to be seized though not carrying articles contraband
+of war.
+
+Remonstrance on the part of the authorities of the United States, was
+of no avail. The example set by England was followed by France--every
+act of injustice on the one side being succeeded by a still more
+odious one on the other. The treaty of Amiens, in 1802, afforded the
+Americans a brief respite; but, on the renewal of the war, in the
+following year, seizures and condemnations of our vessels became more
+frequent than ever. England joined the coalition formed to establish
+Continental despotism on a firmer basis, and restore the Bourbon
+dynasty to the throne which they had disgraced; and she stopped at
+nothing to accomplish her purposes. Not content with watching the
+ports of France, she sent her privateers and vessels of war, under
+her pirate flag, to hover on our coast, and plunder our commerce. Her
+navy having been seriously reduced, in men, by the long continued
+warfare in which she had been engaged, she likewise resorted to the
+impressment of American seamen, to fill up the complements of her
+crews. Large numbers of sailors were taken from our merchantmen; and,
+to conclude these high-handed offences, the frigate Chesapeake was
+despoiled of a portion of her crew, on the twenty-second of June,
+1807.
+
+In the meantime the emissaries of Great Britain had been busy
+among the savages on the Northwestern frontier. So complete and
+irrefragable were the proofs furnished to Congress of this fact,
+that, in 1797, a law was passed to prevent the tampering of
+foreign agents with the Indians, which imposed severe penalties
+and punishments. This law was easily evaded, and it was therefore
+ineffectual. The Indians were invited to the British posts; they were
+flattered and caressed, and loaded with gifts and favors; their minds
+were soured; and no means were left untried to keep up a constant
+strife between them and the settlers. It has often been said, that
+the interference of British agents in this particular existed only
+in imagination, and that the Indians were provoked to hostilities by
+acts of violence committed by the Americans. Doubtless, there were
+isolated cases of wrong and injustice, which cannot, and should not,
+be palliated or excused; but it is idle to suppose, that the settlers
+generally would have so causelessly endangered their own security,
+and so recklessly jeoparded the lives of those who leaned on them for
+protection, and looked up to them for sympathy and love.
+
+[Sidenote: TAMPERING WITH THE INDIANS.]
+
+Governor Harrison was not an indifferent, nor, from his position, an
+uninterested spectator, of these events. The movements of the British
+emissaries did not escape his attention; he repeatedly cautioned
+his government against their designs, and labored incessantly to
+counteract them. He endeavored in every way to conciliate the
+savages, but his efforts were often frustrated by the unseen power
+so long felt in these border troubles. When the attack on the
+Chesapeake was made known in the United States, it excited a general
+sentiment of indignation. He shared deeply in this feeling, and
+embraced the first public opportunity to make known his opinions.
+In his speech delivered on the eighteenth of August, 1807, before
+the General Assembly of Indiana Territory, at their regular session,
+he referred, in emphatic terms of condemnation, to the conduct of
+the British agents who were secretly instigating the Indians on the
+frontier, and, avowing himself in favor of immediate hostilities,
+alluded to the affair of the Chesapeake, as being necessary, perhaps,
+to arouse the American people from their lethargy, and awaken them
+to the importance of teaching other countries and governments, that
+“a nation of freemen,” to quote his own language, “are not to be
+insulted with impunity”!
+
+France, at length, ceased her unjust and oppressive measures; but
+England refused to abandon her position. Embargo and non-intercourse
+were tried in vain. The commercial relations of the country suffered
+more and more. Jefferson and Madison both desired peace; yet,
+notwithstanding their pacific inclinations, affairs daily grew worse,
+and war seemed inevitable. While matters were fast verging towards
+the crisis, the agents of Great Britain were actively engaged among
+the Northwestern Indians. Governor Harrison watched their movements
+with a vigilance that never slumbered, and sought by every means in
+his power to defeat their plans and combinations, and, at least,
+to prevail upon the Indians not to take up arms in favor of either
+party, in case hostilities should commence between England and the
+United States.
+
+In the winter of 1810–11, crowds of Indian warriors collected around
+the British posts in Upper Canada,--their war-plumes streaming from
+their scalp locks, and their checks disfigured with the war-paint;
+and when the sweet notes of the blue robin, the welcome harbinger of
+spring, were heard echoing through the western forests, they went
+forth upon their bloody mission. Nature’s hymn of melody was hushed,
+as their shrill war-whoop resounded through valley and woodland, and
+the heavens became resplendent with the glow of blazing ricks and
+cabins.
+
+[Sidenote: COUNCIL AT VINCENNES.]
+
+Meanwhile Governor Harrison had succeeded in partially conciliating
+the Kickapoos, and some other tribes, and had effected the purchase
+of a large tract of land from them. It was the anxious desire of the
+General Government, to secure, at every hazard, the neutrality of
+the Indian tribes, in the event of a collision with Great Britain.
+This was regarded as of paramount importance; for the sad experience
+of the past had shown how much they were to be feared and dreaded,
+particularly when the military strength and resources of the nation
+should be employed in a contest with a powerful opponent. Governor
+Harrison faithfully reflected the views, and carried out the wishes
+of those whom he represented, and in the summer of 1811, a council
+was held at Vincennes, for which extensive preparations were made,
+and at which the leading, and most influential chiefs, of the
+Northwestern tribes, were present, by his invitation. The object of
+this assemblage was, to conclude a more general treaty, and complete
+the efforts which had been made to induce the Indians to remain
+neutral.
+
+Among the forest warriors who came to Vincennes, in pursuance
+of the summons of Governor Harrison, was Tecumseh, the Shawano
+chief,--conspicuous, then, for his tall and manly frame, his earnest
+and thrilling eloquence, his hostility to the whites, his boldness,
+bravery, and sagacity, and his feats of daring in the chase and valor
+on the war-path; and afterwards celebrated, for the ascendancy he
+acquired over his red brethren, and for his steadfast devotion to the
+English cause. Deep rankling in his heart there had long existed a
+feeling of inveterate hatred towards the American people, which had
+been carefully nurtured and cherished. Several years previous, he had
+formed the project of uniting the tribes, north, south, and west of
+the United States, in a combination, to refuse to sell any portion
+of their remaining lands, to resist every effort to dispossess
+them, and, if possible, to drive back the white settlers from the
+Mississippi valley. Motives of ambition may have been mingled with
+his aspirations, and it is not improbable, that he looked forward to
+the day when a grand native confederacy should be established beyond
+the Alleghanies, with himself as its leader and head.
+
+The project of this “forest-born Demosthenes” was a vast one,
+and he devoted himself with untiring zeal and pertinacity to its
+accomplishment. His exertions were powerfully seconded by his
+brother, Tensquataway--so well known as the Shawnee Prophet, or
+Impostor. The latter was blind of one eye, and lacked the oratorical
+powers of Tecumseh; but, claiming to receive direct revelations
+from the Great Spirit, which, though always possessing a singular
+resemblance to the public harangues of his brother, he imparted to
+his savage hearers,--and availing himself of that superstitious
+reverence, that, in a rude and uncultivated people, renders them so
+impressible, so credulous, and so easy to be governed and directed,
+by the practice of rites and incantations which are said to have
+thrilled and terrified the hearts of those who witnessed them--he
+acquired an influence second only to that of the chieftain whose
+ambitious designs he hoped to further. Tecumseh had already visited
+most of the Northwestern tribes, and was only waiting for the
+anticipated war with England, to marshal his bands and lead them out
+under her banner, hoping with her assistance to accomplish the great
+object he had so much at heart; and he now appeared in the council
+held at Vincennes, not to bury the tomahawk and smoke the calumet of
+peace, but to remonstrate against the purchase from the Kickapoos and
+other tribes, and hurl the gauntlet of defiance.
+
+[Sidenote: SPEECH OF TECUMSEH.]
+
+What excited the indignation of Tecumseh, more than all, was the
+claim of the white man to superiority, and the arrogance, as he
+termed it, evinced in calling the Indians his children. Upon the
+opening of the council, Governor Harrison kindly handed him a chair,
+saying, at the same time, in a courteous, yet dignified tone, “Your
+father offers you a seat.” “_My father!_”--exclaimed the chief, while
+he drew his form up to its full height, and his eye flashed with the
+fire of insulted pride--“_My father!_--the Sun is my father, and
+the Earth my mother; she gives me sustenance, and I will rest on her
+bosom!” Thus speaking he seated himself upon the ground, with as
+lofty and commanding an air, as if the green sward beneath him had
+been the throne of the Cæsars.
+
+After the preliminary business of the council was disposed of,
+Tecumseh rose, and in a strain of impassioned eloquence, which has
+rarely been equalled, and never, perhaps, surpassed, by any native
+orator, reviewed the conduct of the whites, and the wrongs of the
+Indians, from the time when the former first disembarked on the
+Atlantic coast, to that moment--insisting that the land was given
+by the Great Spirit to the red men in common, and that no portion
+of it could be sold without the consent of all. His speech was well
+calculated to inflame the prejudices, and arouse the passions, of
+his savage listeners, and when he had concluded, Governor Harrison
+commenced a reply. While the latter was speaking, Tecumseh, carried
+away by his emotions, sprang to his feet, and, grasping his tomahawk,
+boldly charged the governor with having uttered a falsehood. Twenty
+or thirty of the warriors followed the example of the chief, and
+instantly arrayed themselves in a hostile attitude.
+
+Governor Harrison was no “weak-heart;”[9] nor was he to be
+intimidated by menace. Anticipating a sudden outburst of ill-temper,
+as he had discovered some unfriendly indications, he had posted a
+guard of soldiers within call. At the signal, they darted forward to
+take part in the threatened struggle. But Tecumseh was as politic
+as he was brave; he saw that the time had not yet come for him to
+strike; and he wisely avoided a conflict. The council was broken up,
+however; and all hope of securing the neutrality of the Indians was
+abandoned. The savages returned to their homes in the wilderness,
+and shortly after renewed their outrages, murdering the frontier
+settlers, plundering and burning their homes, and destroying or
+carrying off large quantities of property.
+
+Governor Harrison’s decision was soon taken. Having obtained
+permission from the government to march into the Indian country
+with a military force, he made his preparations with his accustomed
+promptness and energy. Orders were sent to Colonel Boyd, of the
+4th infantry, then at Pittsburgh, to join him forthwith with his
+regiment, and a strong militia force, part of whom were mounted, were
+imbodied in Kentucky and Indiana--the citizens gladly responding to
+the call of patriotism--and marched to Vincennes. Leaving that place
+at the head of about fourteen hundred men, considerably less than one
+half being regulars, the governor moved up the Wabash. About fifty
+miles above Vincennes he constructed a stockade fort, afterwards
+known as Fort Harrison, and then directed his course, without loss of
+time, to Tippecanoe, the Prophet’s Town, which lay on the west bank
+of the Tippecanoe river, not far from its junction with the Wabash.
+
+[Sidenote: BATTLE OF TIPPECANOE.]
+
+On approaching the Indian town, on the sixth of November, Governor
+Harrison proceeded slowly and cautiously; as the enemy’s warriors
+were frequently seen flitting through the woods in advance of the
+army, and their scouts were discovered posted on the hills in every
+direction. Within a short distance of the village, he was met by
+the principal chiefs--Tecumseh himself being absent on a mission
+to the southern tribes--who, in reply to Harrison’s demand of
+satisfaction for the outrages which had been perpetrated, proposed
+that an amicable conference should be held on the following morning,
+and that, in the interim, neither party should commit any act of
+hostility. During the day he had made repeated efforts, without
+success, to bring the Indians to a parley, and he still distrusted
+their sincerity; but, being willing to grant them favorable terms of
+peace, if his demands were complied with, he acceded to their request.
+
+Orders were now issued to encamp for the night. Majors Clarke and W.
+Taylor were sent forward to select a suitable position, and on their
+report Governor Harrison marched his command to an elevated knoll
+of dry oak land, rising in the midst of the open prairie, about one
+mile northwest of the village. The horses were picketed, the guards
+posted, and every preparation made for the bivouac. Having partaken
+of their evening meal, the Americans lay down upon the bare earth,
+to refresh their wearied limbs. From his long acquaintance with the
+character of Indian warfare, Governor Harrison was familiar with the
+arts and devices of the savages; and apprehending treachery, and
+knowing, that, if attacked at all, it would be under cover of the
+darkness, he required his men to sleep on their arms, and directed
+that the order of encampment should be the order of battle.
+
+The troops were arranged in two columns, separated on the left, one
+hundred and eighty yards, and about half that distance on the right.
+The front line consisted of the first battalion of the 4th infantry,
+under Major Floyd, flanked, on the right, by two companies, and on
+the left by one company, of the regiment of Indiana militia, under
+Colonel Bartholomew; and the rear line was composed of the second
+battalion of the 4th infantry, under Captain Baer, flanked by four
+companies of the Indiana militia, under Lieutenant-Colonel Decker.
+Two companies of Indiana and Kentucky rifles, under General Wells,
+were thrown out to cover the left flank, and Captain Spencer’s troop
+of Indiana rifles was posted on the right. Two troops of dragoons
+were stationed in rear of the left flank, and one in rear of the
+front line, under Major Daviess. The left front and left rear
+angles,--that flank being the most exposed to an attack,--were turned
+by a portion of the regular troops. A strong guard was also detailed,
+each man of which was instructed to be prompt and vigilant. In the
+event of an assault, the different corps were ordered to maintain
+their respective positions till they were relieved; and the cavalry
+were directed to parade on foot, with their swords and pistols, and
+wait for orders.
+
+[Sidenote: ATTACK ON THE LEFT.]
+
+These dispositions being completed, Governor Harrison lay down among
+his men, having his horse near him, saddled, and in readiness for him
+to mount at a moment’s warning. Hour after hour went by in silence.
+The camp fires gleamed brightly in the distance till long after
+midnight, when they were suffered partially to die away. The cold
+chilling wind moaned dismally as it swept through the encampment,
+gently lifting the locks of many a tired sleeper who had looked
+for the last time on the setting sun, and fanning into a brighter
+glow the smouldering embers of the watch-fires. The beams of the
+young moon struggled almost vainly to pierce through the thick
+veil of clouds, from which a drizzling rain descended that hissed
+and sputtered as it fell on the heated ashes. The hour of darkness
+which precedes the dawn had nearly passed, when the governor rose
+from his rude couch, and ordered the réveille to be beaten. He then
+sat down before the fire, and commenced a conversation with some
+of his officers. While thus engaged, the stillness was suddenly
+broken, by the sentinels discharging their pieces, on the left of the
+encampment, and a fierce and hideous yell that roused every man from
+his slumbers.
+
+Wistful and inquiring glances were at once turned towards the quarter
+from whence the alarm proceeded; the cry, “To arms!--To arms!” was
+raised on every side; and the wild slogan of the savage bands, rising
+higher and higher as the conflict deepened, was echoed far down the
+valley of the Wabash. For a few moments the encampment presented a
+scene of confusion; but the active exertions of Governor Harrison,
+Colonel Boyd, and other officers, soon restored order and discipline.
+
+At first the attack was partially successful. The stealthy approach
+of the enemy was not observed until they were in the immediate
+vicinity of the pickets. It was their intention to creep up to
+the sentinels as close as possible, and then to spring upon them,
+and kill them, before they could fire; but, on finding that they
+were discovered, and the alarm given, they gave a deafening yell,
+rattled their deer hoofs--by which their movements in battle were
+guided--and rushed furiously on the guard posted on the left flank.
+The latter gave way almost instantly, and the whole brunt of the
+onset was sustained by Captain Barton’s regulars, and the mounted
+rifles of Captain Guiger, who occupied the left angle of the rear
+line. In every other part of the encampment the fires had already
+been extinguished, in obedience to the directions of Governor
+Harrison;--but, on this flank, there was not sufficient time, and
+the troops were exposed to the murderous aim of the Indian warriors,
+without even the protection afforded by the darkness. Nevertheless,
+they held their position gallantly, amid the storm of bullets that
+whistled incessantly through their ranks, till they were reinforced
+by two companies from the centre of the rear line, ordered to their
+support by the governor.
+
+Such was the desperation evinced by the savages, at the outset of
+the action, that a number of them forced their way into the centre
+of the encampment. Here, for a brief space, the contest was foot to
+foot, and man to man. Fire brands were hurled, and rifles and muskets
+clubbed. The scalping knife glistened momentarily, as it cut the
+air in its descending course; and a dull crashing sound was heard,
+as the tomahawk sank into the quivering brain of some unfortunate
+victim. Louder and louder rang the Indian war-whoop; but the American
+soldiers--their confidence now regained--returned shout for shout,
+and yell for yell. Vengeance was not long deferred. Not one of the
+enemy who had entered within the lines was suffered to escape:--all
+were cut down, uttering, as they fell, in shrieking tones, their
+bitter and unrelenting curse upon the white man.
+
+[Sidenote: FORTUNATE CIRCUMSTANCE.]
+
+A short distance in front of the American left, there was a small
+group of sturdy oaks, which afforded shelter to a number of the most
+skilful marksmen among the assailing band, who poured a galling
+and intense fire, mingled with rapid flights of arrows, from their
+concealment. Major Daviess instantly requested permission to charge
+upon the cover with his cavalry. Governor Harrison granted the
+request, and the major ordered his bugles to sound the charge. His
+manly tones rung cheerily out on the night air, as he called upon his
+men to follow. Nobly did they second him. The charge was made, and
+the Indians scattered like the leaves of the forest before the fury
+of the autumn blast; but it was the last bold stroke of him, whose
+eloquence is yet remembered, and whose memory is still carefully
+treasured, among the people of the West. By his side, too, fell
+Colonel White, of the Indiana militia, like him, mortally wounded,
+in that sanguinary fray. Disheartened by the loss of their leader
+and many of their comrades, the cavalry fell back, and the Indians
+recovered the ground, opening a still more destructive fire on their
+opponents. As the dragoons retired, Captain Snelling promptly led
+forward his company of the 4th infantry, and again drove the savages
+from their shelter with the bayonet.
+
+In the meantime, a heavy fire had been opened on the companies of
+Captains Spencer and Warwick, on the right of the line. The former,
+and his two lieutenants, were killed, and Captain Warwick was
+mortally wounded. All immediate danger being over on the left flank,
+Governor Harrison hastened to the right, to encourage the men to
+remain firm, and maintain the ground till daylight. At the first
+alarm, he had fortunately mounted the horse nearest him, without
+waiting for his own to be brought up, which was well known to the
+enemy. The dark eyes of many a red warrior glared fiercely, as they
+were turned hither and thither through the encampment, in search of
+the favorite steed of the governor. As he dashed to the right, he was
+accompanied by his aid, Colonel Owen, who rode a horse similar in
+color to that on which he had been mounted the previous day. A shower
+of rifle balls fell around them. Colonel Owen was killed, and the
+governor’s cravat was pierced by a bullet, that chanced not to injure
+his person.
+
+In passing to the right flank, the governor found the company of
+Captain Robb, which had fallen back at the commencement of the
+attack, in the centre of the camp. Leading them to the support of
+Spencer’s and Warwick’s companies, he strengthened this part of
+the line, and by his presence encouraged the men to more animated
+exertions. A warm fire was now kept up till the early dawn, in front,
+on both flanks, and partly in rear of the encampment; the sharp crack
+of the rifle, and the prolonged rattle of musketry, mingling with
+the shouts and cheers of the American soldiers. Governor Harrison
+well knew, as the great father of the English drama had written years
+before, that “advantage is a better soldier than rashness,” and he
+did not hazard the safety of his command, though suffering severely
+from the heavy fire, by any offensive movement, till the light of day
+enabled him to ascertain the position and numbers of the enemy.
+
+[Sidenote: THE INDIAN VILLAGE BURNED.]
+
+But when the morning broke, a general charge was ordered. The left
+wing, consisting of five companies of the 4th infantry, and a party
+of dragoons, led by General Wells,--and the right, consisting of the
+remaining companies of the 4th infantry and cavalry, and the mounted
+rifles and militia,--moved rapidly upon the positions occupied by
+the savages. The latter made no further effort to continue the
+fight. Their desperate bravery had proved of no avail against the
+disciplined valor and persevering courage of the American troops.
+Hotly pursued by the gallant soldiers of Harrison, they fled in
+dismay to the neighboring swamps and thickets, in whose impenetrable
+recesses they at length found a secure retreat. The Prophet’s town
+was entirely abandoned by its late occupants. Having collected his
+wounded, and buried his dead, Governor Harrison advanced with his
+forces to the village, which he ordered to be burned. The surrounding
+district was also laid waste, and he then returned into the settled
+country.
+
+The battle of Tippecanoe was one of the bloodiest engagements
+recorded in the annals of Indian warfare. It was bravely fought and
+bravely won. The cautious foresight, the prudence and vigilance of
+Governor Harrison, alone saved his little army from destruction. His
+loss in killed and wounded, was one hundred and eighty-eight; that of
+the enemy was supposed to be about the same.
+
+Tecumseh, as has been mentioned, was absent at the time of this
+engagement. Had he been present, perhaps the result might have been
+different. When the particulars of the disaster reached him, he
+affected to regard it as of little moment, and always spoke of it,
+as the “unfortunate transaction that took place between the white
+people and a few of his young men”; yet it is very evident that this
+untoward occurrence preyed deeply on his spirits, since it tended,
+probably more than any other single circumstance, to the defeat of
+his plans. The result of the action intimidated many of the tribes
+who were preparing to join his confederacy, and they immediately sent
+deputations to Governor Harrison to sue for peace.
+
+The general assembly of Indiana territory passed a resolution, at the
+next session after the battle of Tippecanoe, complimenting Governor
+Harrison in the highest terms, and the Legislature of Kentucky
+also testified, in a similar manner, their approbation of “his
+cool, deliberate, skilful, and gallant conduct.”--Thus was laid the
+foundation of that military reputation, which secured him the regard
+and esteem of his countrymen, and elevated him, in after times, to a
+memorable distinction among the great men of the Nation.
+
+[Sidenote: DECLARATION OF WAR.]
+
+Another effect of the battle of Tippecanoe was soon witnessed. The
+tone of the public press became more bold and warlike, and the public
+temper was inflamed to the highest degree. Doubts as to the necessity
+of a war with England were speedily transformed into settled
+convictions. After a long and tedious negotiation, in the summer of
+1811, reparation was offered for the attack on the Chesapeake; but
+Great Britain abandoned not one of her objectionable positions, nor
+ceased the piratical plunder of our commerce, so long stimulated and
+encouraged by Lords Liverpool and Castlereagh. Forbearance could
+no longer be regarded as a virtue; nor was peace desirable, when
+it could only be preserved by the sacrifice of national honor and
+dignity. War was therefore declared, on the eighteenth of June, 1812,
+and publicly proclaimed by President Madison on the following day.
+
+The declaration of war found Governor Harrison actively engaged in
+the discharge of his duties as governor of the territory of Indiana,
+and in his endeavors to secure the neutrality of the Northwestern
+savages. The general sentiment of that section of the country would
+then have applauded his selection as the commanding officer of the
+forces destined to operate in that quarter; but the appointment was
+conferred on William Hull, governor of the territory of Michigan, an
+officer who had served with credit and ability during the war of the
+Revolution.
+
+The campaign of 1812 was signalized by General Hull’s invasion of
+Canada, in July, and his humiliating surrender, at Detroit, in the
+following August. When the tidings of this event were made known
+in Ohio, Kentucky, and Tennessee, they were scarcely credited.
+Subsequent information confirmed the rumor, however, and the
+intelligence produced a spontaneous outburst of indignation. To
+retrieve the tarnished honor of the country, was the first impulse
+of every heart. An irrepressible feeling of enthusiasm pervaded
+all classes. The people rose, in a mass, like the upheaving of the
+ocean. Places of rendezvous were appointed, and the hunters of the
+west flocked in crowds around the national standard--all animated by
+one motive, and influenced by one desire. They were cheered, too,
+by the approving smiles, and encouraged by the kind words of their
+wives and mothers, their sisters, daughters, and sweet-hearts, whose
+hands were constantly employed in furnishing them with clothing and
+other necessaries for the march. Such was the alacrity displayed in
+responding to the call to arms, that whole companies were frequently
+enrolled, and equipped, in a single day!
+
+In Ohio, the most patriotic exertions were made by Governor Meigs, to
+fit the militia of that state for the field. In Kentucky, an unusual
+degree of ardor was manifested. The fire of ’76 was rekindled in the
+bosom of the veteran Shelby. Infected with the spirit prevailing
+among their constituents, several members of Congress enrolled
+themselves as privates, and cheerfully shouldered the rifle or
+musket. Henry Clay, the eloquent advocate of the war on the floor
+of Congress, though not under arms, appeared at the musters, and
+addressed the volunteers in fervid and impassioned appeals to their
+patriotism, that thrilled the hearts of those who heard him. Large
+numbers of militia were also imbodied, in Virginia, and in the
+western part of Pennsylvania. In Tennessee, likewise, the utmost
+eagerness to take the field was exhibited by the hardy yeomanry, who
+were doubtless influenced by the noble example of General Jackson and
+his patriotic division.
+
+[Sidenote: APPOINTED A MAJOR GENERAL.]
+
+In a few weeks, about eight thousand men were collected at various
+points on the Ohio river and in its vicinity. The selection of an
+officer to take command of the army, was attended with considerable
+difficulty; but it was finally determined, at a sort of military
+caucus, at which Isaac Shelby, Judge Todd of the Supreme Court of the
+United States, Mr. Clay, and other leading men, were present, that
+Governor Harrison should be commissioned a major general by brevet,
+by Governor Scott, of Kentucky, and temporarily invested with the
+command. This was accordingly done, and General Harrison immediately
+entered upon the performance of his duties. His military life had
+been an irregular one, and his experience, therefore, was extremely
+limited; yet he found himself placed at the head of a numerous body
+of troops, under such disheartening circumstances, and in a season of
+despondency and gloom. To add to his embarrassments, he discovered,
+on examination, that everything was in confusion. Men there were in
+abundance; but they were deficient in arms and ammunition, and poorly
+provided with supplies of every kind. Still, he did not lack the
+moral courage necessary to sustain him at so important a crisis, but
+labored indefatigably to correct what had been done amiss, and to
+secure the efficient action of the army placed under his orders.
+
+The capture of Detroit, and the consequent occupation of all the
+important posts in the territory of Michigan, and about the head
+of Lake Erie, by the British troops, removed every restraint from
+the savages on the frontier, who poured down from their northern
+hives in torrents. The security of the border settlements against
+their murderous incursions was the first object to be attained; and
+in order to accomplish this effectually, it was necessary to move
+without delay to the relief of the frontier posts,--particularly Fort
+Harrison, on the Wabash; and Fort Wayne, at the confluence of the
+St. Mary’s and St. Joseph’s, which form the Maumee, or Miami of the
+Lakes, as it was originally called. It was determined to penetrate
+the Indian country in two columns; one, under General Harrison, being
+ordered to rendezvous at Cincinnati and Urbanna, and the other, under
+General Hopkins, of the Kentucky militia, at Vincennes.
+
+General Harrison put his troops in motion from Cincinnati, on the
+twenty-ninth of August, and reached Piqua on the thirtieth instant,
+with about twenty-five hundred men. Here he completed his final
+arrangements, and received his military stores; and, on the sixth of
+September, he resumed his march for Fort Wayne, where he arrived on
+the twelfth, to the great joy of the garrison, which consisted of
+only seventy men. The post had been for several days invested by a
+large body of Indians who resorted to every stratagem and device to
+induce the garrison to surrender, and, failing in this, made repeated
+attempts to carry the fort by assault. On hearing of the approach
+of General Harrison, the savages retreated precipitately, after
+destroying everything outside the works.
+
+On his arrival at Fort Wayne, General Harrison forthwith organized
+two expeditions to lay waste the Indian villages. Colonel Wells, of
+the 17th infantry, was dispatched on the fourteenth of September,
+with his regiment, and that of Colonel Scott of the Kentucky militia,
+and two hundred mounted rifles, against the Potowatomie town on the
+upper St. Joseph, which disembogues into Lake Michigan. Another
+detachment, commanded by General Payne, consisting of two Kentucky
+regiments, under Colonels Lewis and Allen, and one company of
+mounted men, marched against the Miami villages. Both expeditions
+were successful. Nine Indian towns, which had been abandoned by the
+inhabitants, on the approach of the American troops, were utterly
+destroyed; the wigwams and wooden huts were burnt, and the growing
+corn cut up.
+
+[Sidenote: DEFENCE OF FORT HARRISON.]
+
+Meanwhile, the column under General Hopkins, which had rendezvoused
+at Vincennes, had moved to the relief of Fort Harrison. This post
+was occupied by Captain Z. Taylor, of the 7th infantry, with a
+feeble garrison of fifty men, not one half of whom were effective.
+On the night of the fourth of September, it was assaulted by between
+four and five hundred Indians, who succeeded in firing one of the
+block-houses, in which a large quantity of spirits was stored.
+The flames spread with great rapidity, and the garrison were fast
+giving way to despair, when Captain Taylor directed the roofs of the
+adjoining barracks to be removed. This was quickly accomplished, and
+the fire prevented from extending to the other buildings in the fort.
+Animated by the heroic example of their commander, and reässured by
+the admirable coolness and presence of mind which he had exhibited,
+the soldiers then engaged in the defence of the post, with a courage
+akin to desperation. The assailants failed to make any further
+impression, and after daylight on the morning of the fifth, the
+American fire became so destructive, that they moved out of range.
+They lingered near the post during the day, but retired early on the
+following morning, though they still hovered in the vicinity, keeping
+watch on the principal roads, cutting off the communications with
+the fort, and committing their depredations through the surrounding
+country.
+
+The long-continued anxiety of the garrison was relieved on the
+sixteenth of September, by the arrival of Colonel Russell, with
+eleven hundred men, and a few days later General Hopkins came up
+with the remainder of his column. Preparations were now made for an
+expedition against the Peoria villages, on the Illinois river, and
+other Indian towns on that stream and the Wabash, which had been
+determined on previous to the march of the troops from Vincennes. It
+was agreed that Colonel Russell should proceed directly across the
+country, with his corps of Kentucky rangers, and a party of mounted
+rifles under Governor Edwards of Illinois Territory, three hundred
+and sixty men in all; and that General Hopkins, with the main body,
+should advance by a more northern route, and effect a junction with
+him at the Peoria towns. Another detachment, of eighty men, under
+Captain Craig, was ordered to move up the Illinois, and join them at
+the same place.
+
+[Sidenote: INDIAN TOWNS DESTROYED.]
+
+Colonel Russell left Fort Harrison with his command on the seventh
+of October, and General Hopkins commenced his march on the fifteenth
+instant. The route pursued by the latter lay through a pleasant
+champaign country, and his force was strong enough to set all
+opposition at defiance. But the men were totally undisciplined
+and unaccustomed to restraint; and on the fourth day out refused
+to proceed any further. The remonstrances and entreaties of the
+general produced no effect, and he was compelled to follow his
+refractory troops, in their retrograde march to Fort Harrison.
+Colonel Russell, however, continued his course to the Illinois river.
+Though disappointed in not meeting General Hopkins, he persevered in
+his enterprise, and destroyed one of the principal villages of the
+Peorias, called Pamitaris’ town, together with their winter stock of
+provisions. The Indians were pursued into a swamp in the vicinity
+where they had fled for shelter,--Colonel Russell and his men wading
+for several miles up to their waists in water,--and upwards of twenty
+of them were killed on the bank of the river. After the destruction
+of the town, the detachment returned to Fort Harrison, where they
+arrived on the twenty-first of October.
+
+In November, General Hopkins made a more successful foray. Leaving
+Fort Harrison on the eleventh instant, at the head of about twelve
+hundred men, he proceeded up the Wabash, and destroyed the Prophet’s
+town, and a large Kickapoo village near it, with the store of corn
+provided by the savages for the coming winter. The Winnebago towns on
+Ponce Passu creek were also destroyed by a detachment under Colonel
+Butler.
+
+About the same time, Lieutenant Colonel Campbell, of the 19th
+infantry, was dispatched from Greenville, with a party of six hundred
+men, against the Indian towns on the Mississinewa river, one of
+the tributaries of the Wabash. On the seventeenth of November, he
+surprised a village inhabited by Delawares and Miamis, captured
+thirty-seven prisoners, and killed eight of the enemy’s warriors. The
+town, and two others in the neighborhood, were then burned, and the
+party encamped for the night. Just before daylight, the next morning,
+they were attacked by a party of Indians three hundred strong. A
+desperate contest was kept up for nearly an hour, when the enemy
+were driven off by a charge of cavalry, leaving forty of their best
+and bravest warriors dead on the field. The Americans lost eight men
+killed, and about thirty wounded. Another attack was anticipated,
+as Tecumseh was understood to be in the vicinity with four or five
+hundred warriors, but reïnforcements soon coming up from Greenville,
+the detachment completed the destruction of the towns on the river,
+and returned without molestation.
+
+These repeated incursions had the desired effect. Frequent
+hostilities afterwards arose and engagements took place, but these
+were confined to small parties of volunteers and similar bands of
+savages; exempted from the irruptions of the Indians, the border
+settlements continued to enjoy, for a long period, a degree of
+tranquillity which they had never before witnessed.
+
+[Sidenote: DISPOSITION OF THE TROOPS.]
+
+After the return of the troops sent out by General Harrison, from
+Fort Wayne, it was his intention to advance towards Detroit, and
+recover the territory occupied by the British forces, as soon as he
+found his means adequate to the object. His plans were temporarily
+disarranged by the arrival of Brigadier General Winchester, who had
+originally been designated for the command of the northwestern army,
+with large reïnforcements from Ohio and Kentucky. General Harrison
+accordingly relinquished the command, and set out on his return to
+Indiana territory, accompanied by a considerable force of mounted men
+with which he designed to break up the Indian towns in that quarter.
+It subsequently appeared, that President Madison was ignorant of his
+brevet appointment, and of the general desire of the western people
+that he should be placed in command, at the time the orders to
+General Winchester were issued. General Harrison had not proceeded
+far on his return, when he was overtaken by an express bearing a
+commission as brigadier general in the regular army, together with
+instructions requiring him to take command of the forces on the
+northwestern frontier.
+
+General Harrison returned to Fort Wayne, and resumed the command, on
+the twenty-third of September. Arrived here, he learned that General
+Winchester had marched on the previous day, for Fort Defiance, on his
+way to the Rapids of the Maumee, the place fixed upon for the general
+rendezvous preparatory to the contemplated movement for the recovery
+of Michigan, with four hundred regulars, a brigade of Kentucky
+militia, and a troop of horse,--in all two thousand men. He then
+proceeded to Fort St. Mary’s to make further preparations for the
+campaign, and dispatched Colonel Jennings down the Au Glaize, with
+a detachment, having in charge a quantity of supplies for General
+Winchester, whose men had but a limited stock of provisions.
+
+The march of General Winchester was impeded, not only by the natural
+obstacles of the wet and marshy country through which he was
+compelled to pass, but also by a series of annoying skirmishes with
+the advanced parties of a force lying in and near Fort Defiance,
+consisting of two hundred British regulars and one thousand savages,
+which was destined for the capture of Fort Wayne. Making his way
+through the numerous difficulties that retarded his progress, and
+forcing the enemy to retire down the river as he advanced, he reached
+Fort Defiance on the thirteenth of September, where he was joined
+by the detachment under Colonel Jennings. While on his way, he had
+sent an express to General Harrison, informing him of the situation
+of his troops, and the harassing warfare kept up with the enemy. The
+latter arrived at the fort on the third of October, with additional
+reïnforcements, but returned again, on the ensuing day, to the
+settled country, to bring the remainder of the troops, composing the
+centre and right wing of his army, into the field. General Winchester
+remained at Fort Defiance in command of the left wing.
+
+Before leaving the fort, General Harrison directed General Tupper to
+proceed down the river with the Ohio mounted men, about one thousand
+strong, and drive the enemy from the Rapids. The command of General
+Tupper consisted of raw and inexperienced militia, and, though he
+made every effort, he was unable to comply with the orders he had
+received. In consequence of some misunderstanding between himself and
+General Winchester, he soon after returned with the Ohio cavalry,
+to Urbanna, whence he was ordered forward, with the centre of the
+northwestern army, which was composed of one regiment of regulars,
+and the Ohio volunteers and militia, to Fort M’Arthur. About the same
+time, the right wing, consisting of the Pennsylvania and Virginia
+brigades, under Generals Crooks and Leftwich, was advanced to
+Sandusky.
+
+On his arrival at Fort M’Arthur, General Tupper organized another
+expedition to proceed to the Rapids. He left the fort on the tenth
+of November, with six hundred men, carrying five days’ rations
+in their knapsacks. On the evening of the thirteenth instant, he
+arrived within thirteen miles of the Rapids, and sent an officer
+in advance to reconnoitre. It was ascertained that Fort Maumee, and
+the settlement, were still occupied by the British and their savage
+allies, and their boats and vessels were discovered in the stream
+below. General Tupper made several unavailing attempts to cross
+the river, and then endeavored to decoy the enemy over. In this he
+was more successful; a large party of Indians crossed the river,
+whom he attacked and routed; but, on account of the failure of his
+provisions, he was soon obliged to return to Fort M’Arthur without
+accomplishing the object of the expedition. On the thirteenth of
+December, he conducted another detachment to the Rapids, between
+fifteen hundred and two thousand strong. On this occasion he
+encountered about three hundred British regulars and seven hundred
+Indians, on the right bank of the stream, a few miles above the
+Rapids. These he attacked and completely routed. The enemy left one
+hundred of their number on the field, and many were killed while
+attempting to swim across the river. Shortly after this affair, the
+British evacuated the post and retired to Malden and Detroit.
+
+[Sidenote: WINTER CAMPAIGN.]
+
+In the meantime, General Harrison, whose headquarters were
+established at Franklinton, had labored unceasingly, in connection
+with Governor Meigs, to complete his preparations for the projected
+winter campaign. It was designed that the army should advance, in
+three divisions, from Fort Defiance, Fort M’Arthur, and Sandusky, to
+the Rapids of the Maumee, where they were to receive their supplies
+of ordnance and provisions. A feint was then to be made upon Detroit,
+when the troops were to cross the river and invest Fort Malden.
+
+The army under the orders of General Harrison nominally consisted
+of ten thousand men. But little over six thousand of these were
+effective, and many of the latter number were undisciplined and
+inexperienced. All were poorly clothed and worse fed. The efforts
+of the commanding general were unwearied and untiring, but he
+encountered obstacles and difficulties at every step. The army
+rendered an important service in holding the Indians in check, yet
+they were unable to move forward, and General Harrison was warmly
+censured, by those who were unacquainted with the real state of
+things, for his inactivity. A simple statement of the position of
+affairs on this frontier will be his best defence.--The enemy had
+the command on Lake Erie, and it seemed almost impossible to furnish
+the troops in this remote region with the supplies that they needed,
+and without which it would have been mere fool-hardiness to advance.
+It was necessary to transport the ordnance and heavy stores over the
+Alleghanies, and down the Ohio, and thence they were hauled, over
+land, hundreds of miles, along blazed forest paths and miserable
+trails, across half-frozen swamps and through trackless forests, to
+the banks of the Maumee.
+
+Against such embarrassments, General Harrison struggled almost
+hopelessly, yet as it proved in the sequel, successfully,
+notwithstanding that his plans were frequently thwarted, and his
+measures disconcerted, by the War Department. In January, 1813, Dr.
+Eustis was succeeded by General Armstrong as Secretary of War. The
+latter had imbibed strong prejudices against a militia force, and
+entertained a marked dislike towards General Harrison, who,--though
+possessing the confidence of Madison himself,--never knew what it
+was to be cordially sustained by the executive officers of the
+government, while he remained in service.
+
+[Sidenote: DIFFICULTIES AND EMBARRASSMENTS.]
+
+While General Harrison was busily engaged in distributing the
+supplies, and organizing the reïnforcements, as they arrived, an
+event took place, which, it has been truly said, “clothed Kentucky
+in mourning.”--The left wing of the army, under General Winchester,
+remained at Fort Defiance, on the site of which they constructed
+a new fort, named, after the general in command, Fort Winchester,
+till November. Having constructed a number of pirogues, for the
+transportation of their baggage, they moved down the river about six
+miles, to camp No. 3, where they were delayed until the eighth of
+January, 1813--suffering greatly, in the meantime, for the want of
+clothing and provisions. Orders were then issued for the advance.
+The weather was exceedingly inclement, the river blocked up with
+ice, and the ground covered with snow to the depth of twenty-seven
+inches;--yet the brave Kentuckians, of whom General Winchester’s
+command was almost exclusively composed, harnessed themselves to
+sleighs on which they placed their baggage, and performed the weary
+march of twenty-seven miles, to the Rapids, in two days. Immediately
+after his arrival at this point, the general received a message from
+the inhabitants of Frenchtown, a small village situated on the left
+bank, and near the mouth, of the river Raisin, informing him that
+a large body of British and Indians were about to make a descent
+on that place, and urgently entreating him to hasten to their
+assistance.
+
+Sickness, and the expiration of the terms of service of the
+volunteers, had reduced the strength of his column to but little
+over eight hundred men; and General Winchester hesitated to place
+any portion of this small command, within a single day’s march,--as
+the Detroit river was then frozen over,--of the British forces
+concentrated at Malden. His officers, however, unanimously, and
+earnestly, advised a compliance with the request; and, impelled by
+motives of humanity, without waiting to communicate with General
+Harrison, and, indeed, contrary to his own better judgment, he
+detached Colonels Lewis and Allen, with about five hundred men, on
+the seventeenth of January, instructing them to proceed to Presque
+Isle, and there await his arrival with the remainder of the column.
+
+At Presque Isle, Colonel Lewis, who had been placed in command of the
+detachment, learned that an advanced party of British and Indians
+were already in possession of Frenchtown. He therefore determined
+to hasten forward and attack them. The march was resumed, through
+the ice and snow, and at three o’clock in the afternoon of the
+eighteenth instant, he arrived on the southern bank of the river,
+opposite to the village in which the enemy, about five hundred in
+number, under the command of Major Reynolds, were posted. The stream
+being bridged with ice, Colonel Lewis formed Irishmen for action,
+and advanced steadily to the further shore. A warm contest ensued,
+which was terminated only by the darkness. The enemy were forced from
+their position, and driven nearly two miles into the woods, under a
+continual charge. Colonel Lewis had twelve men killed and fifty-five
+wounded. The enemy’s loss was supposed to be far more severe, as
+fifteen Indian warriors were found on the field,--though it could
+never be ascertained with certainty.
+
+Colonel Lewis was joined on the twentieth instant by General
+Winchester, with two hundred and fifty men,--the latter having
+previously advised General Harrison, then at Lower Sandusky, of
+the advance to Frenchtown. General Harrison received the dispatch
+of General Winchester on the nineteenth of January, and, though
+deeply chagrined at this interference with the general plan of his
+operations, he set out immediately for the Rapids. His inspector
+general, Captain Hart, was dispatched to General Winchester, with
+orders to maintain the position to which he had advanced at all
+hazards. On the twenty-third instant, a reïnforcement of three
+hundred men, under Major Cotgreves, took up the line of march for
+Frenchtown, and on the same day General Harrison followed, with
+another corps, three hundred and sixty strong.
+
+[Sidenote: MASSACRE ON THE RAISIN.]
+
+It was all too late! The catastrophe which General Harrison feared
+had already occurred;--the blow had been struck that desolated
+so many homes, and widowed so many hearts, in the fair state of
+Kentucky.--Early in the morning of the twenty-second, General
+Winchester was attacked by an overwhelming force of British and
+Indians, numbering at least fifteen hundred men, with six pieces
+of artillery, under Colonel Proctor and the chiefs Round-Head and
+Split-Log. His men maintained a stout resistance--fighting bravely
+for hours, exposed to a most murderous fire. At length, after one
+half their number were either killed or wounded, the remainder--a
+sadly diminished band--surrendered themselves prisoners of war, upon
+the pledge of the British commander to protect them from Indian
+violence.
+
+The pledge was basely violated. Another, and still darker feature,
+was added to the worse than brutal warfare waged on the part of
+the English government. On the day after the engagement, Colonel
+Proctor returned to Detroit, leaving between fifty and sixty wounded
+prisoners at Frenchtown, who were cruelly butchered by his savage
+associates,--a half-breed, who held a high commission in the Royal
+service, boasting, in the presence of the British officers, that
+the Indians were “_excellent doctors_”! The houses in which the
+unfortunate victims perished were set on fire, and their bodies
+consumed. Other prisoners, not wounded, were murdered in cold blood;
+the rites of sepulture were denied to their remains, and those of
+their comrades who had fallen in the action; and their bones were
+left to whiten in the wintry storm that howled its requiem above
+their resting place. Some perished by the way side, on the march to
+Detroit, from the inclemency of the weather; others sank beneath
+the tomahawk of the savage. The survivors,--few in number,--to the
+lasting dishonor of a nation whose sovereign rewarded the officer,
+who connived at, or tolerated these abuses, with the commission of a
+brigadier general, were stripped and plundered, and subjected to the
+grossest indignities and outrages.
+
+[Sidenote: BRUTAL CONDUCT OF THE ENEMY.]
+
+General Harrison was three miles in advance of the Rapids,
+hurrying rapidly on with his reïnforcements, when he received the
+intelligence of this sad disaster. Selecting a picked corps of one
+hundred and seventy men, he detached them to the assistance of
+the fugitives, but few of whom made their escape from the field
+of battle, in consequence of the great depth of snow. He also
+dispatched a surgeon, with two companions, provided with money,
+under a flag of truce, to attend the sick and wounded prisoners of
+General Winchester’s command. One of the party was murdered by the
+Indians, and the others were robbed, and otherwise inhumanly treated,
+by both British and savages. After suffering for several months in
+confinement, having been transferred from one dungeon to another,
+they were finally set at liberty in Quebec.
+
+Had General Harrison consulted his first impulses, he would have
+hastened forward with his whole disposable force, to avenge the
+massacre at Frenchtown. Doubtless, it would have been better, had
+he done so--_provided he could have been successful_, which is not
+entirely free from doubt--and he would then have escaped the censure
+bestowed on his conduct, undeserved and ungenerous though it was.
+But the roads, miserable as they were in the most favorable weather,
+were covered with three feet of snow, and almost impracticable for
+artillery; it was not then known that Proctor had himself retired;
+the force of the enemy was greatly exaggerated; and the unanimous
+advice of his officers counselled him to fall back without delay.
+It might be improper to call him a bold man,--because he did not
+court danger unnecessarily. Yet he did not lack bravery; he was not
+timid; nor was his courage like “fire in a flint which will not
+show without knocking.” He was firm, resolute, and unflinching,
+when occasion required,--he was only not rash, not reckless. He was
+responsible for the success, or failure, of the whole campaign; the
+security of the entire frontier depended on his army alone,--the only
+barrier against the swooping torrent of Indian warriors who wanted
+but the opportunity to precipitate themselves on the defenceless
+settlements, in terror and blood.
+
+In conformity with the advice of his officers, General Harrison fell
+back to Carrying river, about midway between the Sandusky and Maumee,
+on the twenty-third of January, in order to effect a junction with
+the troops in the rear, and to cover the transportation of artillery,
+and other stores, from Upper Sandusky. Having been reïnforced by two
+Ohio regiments, promptly dispatched to his assistance by Governor
+Meigs, he again advanced, in the month of February, to the Rapids, at
+the foot of which, and nearly opposite Fort Maumee, he commenced the
+construction of a fort, named, in honor of the governor, Fort Meigs.
+
+The advance of General Winchester to Frenchtown, and the consequent
+defeat and surrender of his command, entirely deranged the plans
+of General Harrison for the winter campaign. The term of service
+of a large portion of his militia force shortly after expired, and
+it became necessary to call out new levies before anything further
+could be attempted. He therefore returned to the interior of Ohio, to
+procure additional troops from that state, and Kentucky. In neither
+was there any lack of patriotism exhibited,--but, in the latter,
+where there was scarcely a family that did not mourn the loss of
+some near friend or relative, one general outcry was raised, for
+vengeance upon the perpetrators of that bloody massacre on the banks
+of the Raisin.
+
+The legislature of Kentucky, at its winter session, authorized
+Governor Shelby, who had been elected the year previous, to take
+command in person of three thousand militia; and Colonel Richard M.
+Johnson, also of that state, was empowered by the War Department to
+raise a regiment of mounted men--which troops were designed for the
+reïnforcement of General Harrison in the spring.
+
+[Sidenote: SIEGE OF FORT MEIGS.]
+
+Early in April, General Harrison, now promoted to the rank of major
+general by brevet, and appointed to the command of the eighth
+military district, learned that extensive preparations were being
+made by General Proctor and Tecumseh, for a combined attack on Fort
+Meigs. He immediately returned to the fort, and, in connection
+with the engineer officers, Captains Wood and Gratiot, labored
+indefatigably, night and day, to put it in a more favorable posture
+of defence. The fort was an octagon, containing about nine acres,
+and was situated on the rising ground overlooking the river bottom.
+At each corner there was a strong block-house, “with cannon planted
+so as to rake each front and command every elevated point near the
+fort”; the block-houses were connected by strong picketings fifteen
+feet high, against which a breastwork of clayey earth was thrown up,
+on either side. There were several long batteries also constructed,
+which were well garnished with cannon. The means of defence were
+ample, with the exception of the garrison, which consisted of only
+twelve hundred men, the greater part of whom were volunteers. The
+regulars were the 19th infantry, under Lieutenant Colonel Miller; and
+the volunteers present, composed the Pennsylvania brigade commanded
+by General Crooks. The term of service of the Pennsylvanians had
+expired, but they generously volunteered to remain and defend the
+fort. All were animated by the best spirit, and determined on holding
+the work as long as it proved tenable; and, when their defences
+failed, to sell their lives dearly.
+
+On the twenty-eighth of April, one of the patrolling parties reported
+that the enemy were ascending the river from the lake, and that
+they were in great force about three miles below. A few British and
+Indians were also discovered on the opposite bank of the river, who
+were driven off by the fire of an eighteen-pounder gun. A brigade of
+Kentucky militia, twelve hundred strong, under General Green Clay,
+were, at this time, approaching the fort from Cincinnati, and a
+dispatch was now sent to quicken their march.
+
+It was the intention of General Proctor, who commanded the British
+force, which consisted of between nine and ten hundred regulars
+and Canadian militia and twelve hundred Indians, to make a dash at
+the American works, and carry them, before the garrison could be
+reïnforced. The wary foresight of General Harrison frustrated his
+design. Disappointed in his original purpose, the British commander
+sat down deliberately before the fort, and began his preparations for
+a regular investment. The light troops, and a part of the Indians,
+were thrown across the river, with directions to occupy the most
+favorable positions for annoying the garrison, while General Proctor
+superintended the erection of batteries on the left bank. The fire
+from the fort prevented the speedy completion of the batteries, as
+the enemy were obliged to perform most of the work under cover of the
+night. A warm fire was kept up on the garrison by their skirmishers,
+but it produced little effect. No inconvenience, of especial
+importance, was felt by the Americans, except the want of water; the
+well in the fort not being completed, it was necessary to procure it
+from the river, after nightfall, which was attended with considerable
+risk, as bands of Indians were constantly lying in wait to intercept
+stragglers.
+
+[Sidenote: FORTUNATE ESCAPE.]
+
+General Proctor completed his batteries, and mounted his guns, on
+the first of May, and immediately opened a vigorous fire from one
+twenty-four, one twelve, and one six-pounder, and one howitzer.
+The guns in the fort were effectively served, in return. The enemy
+produced no sensible impression, although General Harrison made a
+fortunate escape. During the cannonade, he was seated on a bench
+attentively watching the play of the guns, when a ball came plunging
+down into the fort close beside him. With Napoleon at Montereau,
+he might have said, “The bullet which is to kill me, is not yet
+cast!”--The bench on which he was sitting, was shivered in pieces,
+but he himself received no injury.
+
+An additional battery was opened, on the third instant, at a distance
+of two hundred and fifty yards from the fort, on the south side
+of the river. On this a mortar was planted, from which a number
+of shells were thrown. The Americans turned their guns upon it,
+however; and their fire told so well, that it was soon silenced.
+After the opening of the fire from the mortar battery, the garrison
+was for the first time summoned to surrender. General Proctor assured
+the American commander, in his summons, with the most bare-faced
+effrontery, that he was actuated solely by the desire of sparing the
+effusion of blood; that successful resistance was out of the question
+against so numerous a force; and that a prompt surrender could alone
+save the garrison from the horrors of Indian warfare. The reply of
+General Harrison was such as became him:--while he had the honor to
+command an American fort, he said, it should never be surrendered,
+and, least of all, to General Proctor and the savage hordes with whom
+he fraternized.
+
+The enemy now pressed the siege with increased zeal, and the garrison
+suffered far more than they had previously done, from the fire of the
+Indians on the right bank of the river, who climbed the tall forest
+trees, and, sheltered by the intertwining branches, rained their
+rifle balls upon the heads of the American troops. A brisk fire was
+maintained on both sides, till the morning of the fifth instant, when
+a small party from the brigade of General Clay, then descending the
+river from Fort Defiance, arrived at Fort Meigs, with the information
+that the column to which they belonged was rapidly approaching.
+General Harrison’s decision was soon taken: be resolved on making an
+effort that day to raise the siege, and, having matured his plans,
+dispatched a messenger to General Clay, with orders to land eight
+hundred of his men on the left bank of the river and destroy the
+enemy’s batteries, while a sortie should be made from the fort upon
+those on the other side. The remainder of General Clay’s brigade were
+directed to descend the right bank of the stream to the fort.
+
+[Sidenote: APPROACH OF REINFORCEMENTS.]
+
+General Harrison’s plan was a skilful one, and would have
+been attended with complete success, had it not been for the
+“superabundant bravery” of the Kentuckians. In compliance with his
+orders, General Clay detached eight hundred of his best troops,
+under Colonel Dudley, who landed his men in good order, and advanced
+boldly upon the enemy’s batteries, in three columns. The British
+were surprised at the suddenness of the attack, and abandoned their
+guns almost instantly, leaving them in possession of the victors.
+Unfortunately, the American officers lost all control over their
+men. Animated by a burning thirst for vengeance, they refused to
+obey the orders of General Harrison, directing them to spike the
+cannon and retire across the river, but eagerly pursued the fugitive
+artillerists, or engaged in a straggling contest with the Indians
+who now made their appearance. The consequence was what might have
+been foreseen. The enemy rallied, and being joined by a reïnforcement
+from the main camp about two miles below, and a strong body of Indian
+warriors under Tecumseh, who had just arrived, they became, in turn,
+the aggressors. Colonel Dudley exerted himself to the utmost, to
+draw off his men in safety, and lost his life in the attempt. The
+Americans fought bravely; but they lacked discipline, as they wanted
+discretion. But one hundred and fifty men of the command succeeded
+in crossing the river and reaching the fort; the remainder being
+killed, wounded, or taken prisoners.
+
+The sortie on the right bank of the river was made by a detachment of
+three hundred and fifty men, headed by Lieutenant Colonel Miller, of
+the 19th infantry. Imitating the intrepid conduct of their leader,
+they dashed upon the batteries, and drove out the artillerists and
+their supporting party, at the point of the bayonet. After spiking
+the cannon and destroying the carriages, Lieutenant Colonel Miller
+returned with forty-two prisoners. While in the act of retiring, the
+enemy rallied and pressed upon him; but he gallantly held them at bay
+till he reached the fort,--having accomplished the object for which
+his command was detached, in a short time, and with comparatively
+trifling loss.
+
+Meanwhile the remainder of General Clay’s command encountered the
+Indians on the right bank of the river, where they landed, and routed
+them with great ease. Incautiously advancing too far, they came very
+near being drawn into an ambush, from which they were timely rescued
+by General Harrison, who dispatched a troop of horse to cover their
+retreat into the fort.
+
+[Sidenote: RETREAT OF PROCTOR.]
+
+On the sixth a tacit suspension of hostilities took place, which
+continued during that and the two following days. After the sortie,
+the Indian warriors, in accordance with their custom, began
+to return, in large numbers, to their villages,--the eloquent
+remonstrances of Tecumseh proving powerless to detain them. General
+Proctor now feared that the Americans would soon turn upon him,
+and he well knew that he had but little to hope from the outraged
+Kentuckians, should the fortune of war place him in their power.
+He therefore decided to abandon the attempt on the fort, and on the
+evening of the ninth instant commenced embarking his ordnance and
+stores. A warm fire from the American guns checked the movement
+for the time; but, early in the morning of the tenth, he made a
+precipitate retreat down the river with his whole command.
+
+The Americans lost two hundred and seventy men, killed and wounded,
+during the siege. That of the enemy was probably about one hundred.
+Although the defence of the fort was attended by no brilliant
+successes, the savages were thereby prevented from making their
+hostile incursions into the settlements.
+
+At the opening of the season, General Harrison became convinced that
+the command of Lake Erie would be decisive of the campaign, and
+that without it a column could not be supplied with the ordnance
+and heavy stores necessary for a march on Detroit, or Malden. He
+therefore recommended the construction of a fleet, and Captain Perry
+was detailed for this service. While the naval preparations were in
+progress, General Harrison left Fort Meigs in charge of General Clay,
+and repaired to Franklinton, where the new regiments from Ohio and
+Kentucky were ordered to rendezvous. At this place, also, he received
+into the service a large body of Indian warriors, belonging to the
+friendly tribes in the state of Ohio, and the territories of Indiana
+and Illinois, who could not be induced to remain neutral, especially
+as they had recently been attacked by the hostile Indians; but,
+unlike the British officers, whose conduct throughout contrasts so
+unfavorably with his, he pledged them to spare their prisoners, and
+to refrain from injuring defenceless women and children.
+
+During the summer months, while General Harrison necessarily remained
+inactive, the British made several threatening movements upon Fort
+Meigs, Fort Stephenson, (at Lower Sandusky,) Cleveland and Erie.
+Towards the latter part of July, General Proctor again made his
+appearance before Fort Meigs, with between three and four thousand
+troops, including his Indian allies. General Clay was well prepared
+for his reception, and on discovering this, he retired down the
+river. Accompanied by about five hundred regulars and militia, and
+seven or eight hundred savages, he proceeded to Fort Stephenson, then
+garrisoned by Major Croghan, with one hundred and sixty men, and
+a single six-pounder gun. The fort was invested, and the garrison
+summoned to surrender; the usual threat in regard to the ferocity
+of the Indians being added, with a view of terrifying the garrison.
+Nowise intimidated by the superior force of the enemy, the gallant
+Croghan replied that, “when the fort should be taken, there would be
+none left to massacre,--as it would not be given up while a man was
+able to fight.”
+
+[Sidenote: PERRY’S VICTORY.]
+
+The breaking day was spreading its warm bright flush over the
+surrounding scenery, on the second of August when the enemy opened a
+vigorous fire from three six-pounders planted on the shore during the
+night, and two six-pounders and a howitzer in their gunboats lying
+in the Sandusky. The fire was kept up all day, though with trifling
+effect, and just before sunset, an assaulting column of three
+hundred and fifty men, led by Lieutenant Colonel Short, advanced to
+the storm,--several feints being made, at the same time, to draw
+the attention of the besieged from the real point of attack. Major
+Croghan was not to be deceived; loading his six-pounder to its utmost
+capacity, with grape and slugs, he placed it at a masked porthole in
+a blockhouse at the northwestern angle of the work, so as to rake the
+ditch. This proved to be the point assailed. Enveloped in smoke, the
+assailants advanced rapidly up the glacis. When within twenty paces
+of the ditch, a volley of musketry caused them to stagger. Rallied by
+their commander, the foremost files sprang with him into the ditch.
+At the instant, the charge of the six-pounder was poured in upon
+them, strewing its fiery pathway with the dying and the dead. The
+head of the column was completely cut off, and the remainder fled
+in confusion, leaving behind them their fallen leader, and a great
+number of their comrades.
+
+General Proctor made no further effort to reduce the fort. Retreating
+in haste to his boats, he retired down the river to the lake, and
+thence to Malden,--having lost, in this fruitless attempt, one
+hundred and fifty men, either killed or wounded. The Americans had
+but one man killed and seven wounded.
+
+After weeks and months of incessant toil, Commodore Perry finally got
+his fleet in readiness. On the fourth of August he crossed the bar at
+Erie with his squadron,--consisting of three brigs, five schooners,
+and one sloop, carrying fifty-four guns,--and sailed in quest of the
+enemy. On the tenth of September, off Put-in Bay, he encountered the
+British squadron, under Captain Barclay, consisting of two ships, one
+brig, two schooners, and one sloop, carrying, in all, sixty-three
+guns. A desperate engagement, of three hours’ duration, terminated
+in the surrender of the hostile fleet. This well-fought action was
+the prelude to one equally glorious, and removed the only obstacle to
+the advance of the northwestern army into Canada.
+
+Commodore Perry immediately returned to Put-in Bay, to coöperate with
+the land forces in an expedition already projected. General Harrison
+soon concentrated all his disposable troops, among whom were between
+three and four thousand Kentucky volunteers, under Governor Shelby,
+at this point. The regiment of mounted men commanded by Colonel R.
+M. Johnson, one thousand strong, was ordered to proceed to Detroit
+by land; and the remainder of the army embarked on the vessels of
+Commodore Perry, in which they were transported to the islands in the
+vicinity of Malden. On the twenty-seventh of September they effected
+a landing on the Canada shore, about three miles below that post.
+
+The hour of reckoning had come for General Proctor and the savage
+banditti whom he had gathered round him. Strong in his position
+at Malden, and in the men and means necessary for its defence, he
+yet lacked the courage to maintain it. The earnest exhortations of
+Tecumseh and the other Indian chiefs, who entreated him to remain
+firm, failed to reässure him. He felt that a cause which had been
+sullied by so much of dishonor, was, indeed, hopeless; and he
+feared, as well he might, to meet the awakened wrath of the kinsmen
+and friends of the brave men who perished on the Raisin. Under his
+orders, the fort was dismantled and blown up, and the navy yard,
+barracks, and store-houses were burned. He then retreated hastily
+towards the river Thames, or La Tranchée, with his whole force,
+taking with him large stores of private property, which he had
+plundered from American prisoners, and the citizens of Detroit.
+
+[Sidenote: PURSUIT OF PROCTOR.]
+
+General Harrison followed the flying Proctor on the twenty-eighth,
+moving forward with as much rapidity as was possible. Many of the
+Kentuckians were mounted men, but they had been obliged to leave
+their horses on the American shore. The enemy had taken away
+everything of the kind, except a single horse, on which Governor
+Shelby was mounted; who, though in his sixty-third year, pressed
+forward with all the ardor and enthusiasm of twenty-one. The army
+reached Sandwich on the twenty-ninth instant, and General Harrison
+sent a detachment across the river to take possession of Detroit,
+then occupied by hostile Indians. On the thirtieth, Colonel Johnson
+joined the army with his regiment, and preparations were at once made
+for continuing the pursuit of General Proctor,--who, on arriving
+at the Thames, had proceeded up the valley of the river, with the
+intention of making his way to the British posts about the head of
+Lake Ontario.
+
+The Americans resumed the march on the second of October,--the
+mounted rifles of Colonel Johnson leading the van. General Harrison
+was accompanied by Commodore Perry and General Cass, as volunteer
+aids; his whole force consisted of about thirty-five hundred men,
+most of whom were Kentuckians.[10] From the highest to the lowest,
+all manifested the same eager spirit; every heart throbbed high with
+excitement. The time to which they had looked forward with so many
+anxious hopes, had arrived: Proctor and Tecumseh,--the marauders of
+the one, and the murderers of the other,--were before them!
+
+[Sidenote: PROCTOR AND TECUMSEH.]
+
+General Harrison and his men pressed forward with such rapidity,
+that, on the first day of their march, they made twenty-six miles.
+On the next, they captured a British officer and eleven men, from
+whom they learned that Proctor had not received any intimations of
+their approach that he could rely upon. On the fourth instant, they
+were detained several hours at Chatham, seventeen miles above Lake
+St. Clair, at a deep creek that flowed into the Thames, the bridge
+over which had been partly destroyed by the enemy. While the men
+were engaged in repairing it, they were fired on by some Indians who
+appeared on the opposite bank; but the latter were quickly dispersed
+by the artillery of Colonel Wood, and the rifles of Colonel Johnson’s
+command. At this place, also, the Americans found two thousand stand
+of arms, and a quantity of clothing, which had been abandoned by
+Proctor in his flight. After crossing the creek, General Harrison
+continued the pursuit for four miles, capturing several pieces
+of cannon, and forcing the enemy to destroy three of the vessels
+containing their supplies. His men being considerably jaded by the
+march, he encamped, late at night, almost within striking distance
+of the allied force of British and Indians. On the morning of the
+fifth of October, the mounted men, marching from two to three miles
+in front of the infantry, discovered the enemy drawn up in order of
+battle, across a narrow strip of woodland on the north bank of the
+Thames, near the Moravian village.
+
+The nobler aspirations of the soldier,--if, indeed, they ever
+existed in the breast of General Proctor,--had long since given
+way to cowardice and avarice. His chief anxiety now was, to escape
+with his ill-gotten booty. Unwisely incumbered with baggage, his
+army was delayed till their pursuers were close upon them. On the
+afternoon of the fourth instant, it became evident that he must soon
+be overtaken. When he halted for the night, he was still uncertain
+what to do. After all was still, at a late hour, Tecumseh and himself
+silently descended the river in a boat, and reconnoitred the American
+position. The former earnestly advised a night attack, but the latter
+dared not risk the encounter, and determined to make one more effort
+for escape on the morrow.
+
+What a study would that be for the painter!--Proctor and Tecumseh
+on the Thames, at the dead hour of night--no moon to cheer or light
+them--the stars gleaming dimly over their heads--and the solemn
+stillness unbroken, save by the gentle murmuring of the river, the
+low sighing of the breeze, or, it might be, the deep, melodious
+notes of the wood thrush, echoing sweetly through the forest; the
+red warrior arrayed in all the gorgeous attire of his race, his tall
+frame swelling with a manly pride, and his eye blazing like the young
+eagle’s, as, in clear ringing tones, he thundered forth his fierce
+invectives on the American people, and entreated his companion to
+give the signal for a midnight onset; the other shrinking, like a
+craven, beside him, and with faltering lips expressing his fears
+and doubts,--his fears, lest the vigilance of Harrison had provided
+against a surprise, and his doubts as to the issue!
+
+General Proctor persevered in his retreat, on the morning of the
+fifth, until he found that it would be absolutely impossible to make
+his escape. He then decided to make a stand. Ordering a halt, he
+prepared his men for action. His regular troops, about eight hundred
+strong, were formed across the road, in two lines, in open order, on
+a narrow isthmus covered with thrifty beeches; their left, supported
+by the artillery, resting on the river, and their right on a swamp
+Tuning parallel to the stream. The Indians, under Tecumseh, to the
+number of two thousand, were posted beyond the swamp, their right
+thrown forward, and resting on another dense morass,--thus forming
+an obtuse angle with the alignment of the regular troops. It was the
+intention of the British general, that the Indians should precipitate
+themselves upon the left flank of the American troops as soon as the
+latter were engaged with the regulars; and the ground highly favored
+his purpose. Had he protected his front by an abattis, or even thrown
+a few trees horizontally across the road, the result might have been
+more doubtful, but, as it was, the action was scarcely contested, so
+far as he was concerned, and soon became a complete rout.
+
+[Sidenote: BATTLE OF THE THAMES.]
+
+The original plan of General Harrison, when he saw the advantages of
+the enemy’s position, was, to advance upon them with his infantry
+regiments; and for this purpose he had formed the division of General
+Henry, in three lines, on the right, with the division of General
+Desha, _en potence_, on their left. The regulars, but one hundred
+and twenty in number, were stationed on the margin of the river, and
+instructed, at the favorable moment, to advance upon and seize the
+enemy’s guns. But on the return of Colonel Wood, who had been sent
+forward to reconnoitre, the fact was disclosed, that General Proctor
+had formed his men, as has been mentioned, in open order; whereupon
+General Harrison instantly varied his mode of attack, and directed
+Colonel Johnson, who had urgently solicited the honor, to charge
+upon the British line with his regiment of mounted rifles, while
+the infantry should promptly follow the movement.--This order was
+certainly an unusual one, in military tactics,--although the regiment
+had been carefully drilled to charge upon infantry, especially in
+the woods,--and it has been severely criticised, and sometimes
+censured. It was, doubtless, unexpected by General Proctor; and for
+that reason, if no other, was the best, as it proved to be the most
+fortunate, that could have been adopted under the circumstances.[11]
+
+Just before the trumpets sounded the attack, Colonel Johnson
+discovered a narrow passage of firm earth leading across the swamp
+on his left. He then directed his brother, Lieutenant Colonel James
+Johnson, to charge the British line with the first battalion of his
+regiment, while he crossed the swamp with the second, and engaged
+the Indians. At the signal, the two battalions advanced slowly, in
+parallel columns,--the infantry following closely in their rear.
+
+At the first fire, the horses in front of the column led by
+Lieutenant Colonel Johnson, recoiled,--but it was corrected in
+a moment. The bugles pealed forth their cheering notes; the men
+plunged their rowels into their chargers’ sides; and away they all
+went, thundering down upon the enemy--an army of avengers--ready to
+smite and to slay. Bounding over every obstacle, receiving another
+fire almost unharmed, and riding down all who opposed, with fearful
+yells they dashed through and through the British columns, showering
+their balls on every side. In an instant they turned and delivered a
+most effective volley. Stupefied and disconcerted by the suddenness
+of the onset, and nearly hemmed in between two walls of fire, the
+enemy made no resistance, but threw down their arms, and begged for
+quarter. The brave Kentuckians--to their honor be it said--spared
+all who surrendered. Proctor himself, accompanied by about forty
+regulars and some mounted Indians, made his escape, though hotly
+pursued, to Burlington heights, where he was publicly reprimanded for
+his cowardly conduct, by the same officer--Sir George Prevost--who
+had commended his brutality at Frenchtown. His private carriage and
+papers, his sword, and all his plunder, fell into the hands of the
+victors.
+
+On the left, Tecumseh and his warriors refused to fly. The advance
+of the column headed by Colonel Johnson was retarded by the uneven
+character of the ground; his horses floundered in the morass, and
+strove in vain to penetrate the dense thickets of underbrush. He soon
+found that the charge must fail, and directed his men to dismount
+and take cover. Darting from tree to tree, they now pressed upon the
+enemy, and after a short, but animated contest, broke through the
+line and gained their rear. The Indians quickly rallied in force,
+further to the left, and threw their whole weight on the column of
+infantry under General Desha. A slight impression was at one time
+made, but Governor Shelby immediately restored the line by leading up
+another regiment to the support of the wavering column.
+
+[Sidenote: DEATH OF TECUMSEH.]
+
+Still the battle raged with great fury. The voice of Tecumseh was
+heard above the din of arms, and his tones rang loud and clear as the
+notes of a trumpet, as he called upon his gallant braves to stand
+firm to the last. Colonel Johnson, though severely wounded, and a
+number of his best officers and soldiers, had already made their way
+to the spot where the undaunted chieftain and his bravest warriors
+had collected. Here the battle was fiercely fought. In the _mêlée_,
+Tecumseh fell, as it is supposed, by the hand of Colonel Johnson.[12]
+This determined the contest. On the fall of their leader, the
+Indians abandoned the ground, and with an unearthly whoop, like
+the wail of lost spirits, disappeared in the forest. It was the
+_death-halloo_ for their leader--the most formidable enemy among the
+red men with whom the whites have had to contend, since the days of
+Pontiac. With him their cause was prostrated--with him perished their
+hopes, forever!
+
+The American force actually engaged in this battle, numbered about
+twenty-five hundred; the enemy had eight hundred and forty-five
+regular troops, and there were two thousand Indians. The former
+lost fifty killed and wounded; of the British there were eighteen
+killed, twenty-six wounded, and about six hundred made prisoners.
+The Americans also captured a large quantity of arms, ammunition,
+and provisions, and six pieces of artillery--three of which were
+captured in the Revolution, at Saratoga and Yorktown, and had been
+surrendered by General Hull. But, what was of vastly more importance,
+the territory which had been overrun by the enemy, was recovered,
+and the frontiers were rescued from the depredations of the savages.
+By the result of this engagement, the hostile Indians were cut off
+from their communications with the British posts in Canada, except
+the remote one at Mackinaw. Previous to the battle, an armistice
+had been entered into with the Ottawas and Chippewas, who agreed to
+take up arms against the British, and shortly afterwards a similar
+arrangement was entered into with the Miamis and Potowatomies.
+
+[Sidenote: EFFECTS OF THE VICTORY.]
+
+“The victory of Harrison,” said Langdon Cheves, alluding, on the
+floor of Congress, to the battle of the Thames, “was such as would
+have secured to a Roman general, in the best days of the republic,
+the honors of a triumph.” It was the first considerable action in
+which the American arms were triumphant, and, in connection with
+Perry’s success on Lake Erie, served greatly to revive the drooping
+spirits of the American people. The heroes of the two engagements
+were toasted and fêted wherever they went; salutes, bonfires,
+illuminations, and resolutions of thanks, attested, alike, their
+merits, and the gratitude of their countrymen.
+
+Having completed the object of the expedition, and not having orders
+to proceed further into the enemy’s country, General Harrison
+commenced his retrograde march to Detroit, eighty miles distant, on
+the seventh of October, and arrived there on the tenth. The Kentucky
+volunteers were soon after conducted to their homes by the venerable
+Governor Shelby, and in a few days General Harrison embarked in the
+fleet of Commodore Perry, for Buffalo, with the brigade of General
+M’Arthur,--General Cass remaining with his brigade at Detroit.
+Harrison reached Buffalo on the twenty-fourth of October; the
+brigade of General M’Arthur proceeded down Lake Ontario to join the
+unsuccessful expedition under General Wilkinson; and there being a
+sufficient number of general officers already assigned to that duty,
+General Harrison was permitted to return home on a furlough.
+
+While at Buffalo, General Harrison addressed a letter to General
+Vincent, the officer commanding the British troops in the Peninsula,
+in reply to one he had received from General Proctor, immediately
+after the battle of the Thames, requesting the restoration of the
+private property and papers captured on that occasion. The letter
+entered into a lengthy review of the course of the English government
+in employing the savages, the barbarities committed by their allies,
+and the cruel manner in which prisoners of war had been treated by
+both Indians and British; contrasting with the conduct of the English
+and their allies, the kindness and clemency which had distinguished
+the American officers and soldiers, during the war. While he declared
+that, in future, retaliation would be made for Indian outrages, he
+appealed to General Vincent, as a man, to exert his influence in
+preventing the commission of such atrocities. “Use, I pray you,
+your authority and influence,” said the letter of Harrison, “to
+stop the dreadful effusion of innocent blood which proceeds from
+the employment of those savage monsters, whose aid, as must now be
+discovered, is so little to be depended on when most wanted, and
+which can have so trifling an effect on the issue of the war.” The
+reply of General Vincent to this letter, so creditable to the heart
+of the writer, was evasive, although he pledged himself to join with
+General Harrison in attempting to alleviate the calamities to which
+the latter had referred.
+
+[Sidenote: DEMONSTRATIONS OF RESPECT.]
+
+This was the last important act of the military service of General
+Harrison. Shortly after the letter was written, he returned home, on
+a visit to his family, by way of New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore,
+and Washington; being received at each place on his route with the
+most flattering demonstrations of respect. After spending a few
+weeks at the capital, he continued his journey homeward, everywhere
+encountering the same unmistakable evidences of esteem and gratitude.
+
+Connected with his stay at Washington, there is an anecdote on
+record, which shows that his gallantry towards his fair countrywomen,
+was fully equal to that other quality, bearing the same name, that
+he had exhibited on the field of battle. At one of the drawing rooms
+of Mrs. Madison, a handsome and highly connected lady, one of the
+reigning belles at the capital, informed the president that she had
+laid her commands on General Harrison to meet her there on that
+occasion.--“That he cannot do,” said Mr. Madison, in his usual bland,
+but positive tone; “he left Washington this morning, with his horses
+and attendants, and must now be some twenty or thirty miles on his
+way to the west.”--“Still,” replied the lady, archly, “he must be
+here, for I laid my commands on him, and he is too gallant a man to
+disobey me!”--“We shall soon see,” returned the president, “whose
+orders he obeys.”--After the lapse of a few moments, the question
+was settled by the appearance of General Harrison and his suite in
+full military costume, and President Madison was for once obliged to
+acknowledge that he was mistaken.
+
+The military districts into which the country was divided during
+the war of 1812, were so extensive, that it was very often deemed
+necessary to transmit orders directly from the War Department to a
+subordinate officer, at the same time forwarding duplicates to the
+commander of the district. This practice frequently occasioned, as it
+has since done, ill-feeling and dissatisfaction. It was condemned by
+General Harrison as being wholly inconsistent with subordination, and
+similar views were afterwards taken by some of our most distinguished
+officers--among others, Generals Jackson, Scott, and Taylor. Harrison
+remonstrated against the practice in earnest terms. The Secretary of
+War, General Armstrong, being not well disposed towards him, a sharp
+and acrimonious correspondence ensued. President Madison insisted on
+continuing the practice, and in the spring of 1814, General Harrison
+tendered his resignation. The president was absent from Washington at
+the time the letter was received, and the resignation was accepted by
+the Secretary.
+
+President Madison sincerely regretted the separation of General
+Harrison from the army, and in a letter soon after written to
+Governor Shelby, he said, that the resignation “would not have
+been accepted, had he been in Washington.” That his confidence in
+Harrison was never in the least degree weakened, is evident, from the
+fact that he afterwards employed him to conduct several extremely
+difficult negotiations with various tribes of Indians.
+
+General Harrison continued to discharge the duties of governor of
+the territory of Indiana, until it was admitted into the Union as
+a state, in 1816, when he retired to his farm at North Bend, a few
+miles below Cincinnati, in Hamilton county, Ohio. In the same year
+he was elected a member of the House of Representatives of the
+United States. He afterwards represented the district in which he
+resided in the State Senate, and in 1824 was chosen a Senator in
+Congress. As a legislator, General Harrison was distinguished for his
+practical common sense. Though he spoke but rarely, he was considered
+an efficient debater. His views on all subjects were regarded
+with respect, and those having reference to the reörganization of
+the army, and the peculiar interests of the western states and
+territories, were listened to with especial deference.
+
+[Sidenote: APPOINTED MINISTER TO COLOMBIA.]
+
+In 1828, at his solicitation, he was appointed by President J. Q.
+Adams, Minister Plenipotentiary to the Republic of Colombia. The
+distracted condition of the country prevented his accomplishing
+anything of importance, though his brief residence there was
+signalized by a letter addressed to Bolivar, replete with good
+advice, and full of noble and manly sentiments. “To be esteemed
+eminently great,” said he, “it is necessary to be eminently good.
+The qualities of the hero and the general must be devoted to the
+advantage of mankind, before he will be permitted to assume the title
+of their benefactor; and the station which he will hold in their
+regard and affections, will depend, not upon the number and splendor
+of his victories, but upon the results, and the use he may make of
+the influence he acquires from them.”--Trite and common-place as
+these sentiments may at this day seem to the American reader, had
+they but formed the rule of the public conduct of Bolivar, he would
+now be remembered only as the Liberator, not as the Dictator.
+
+On the accession of General Jackson to the presidency, in 1829,
+as the views of General Harrison in regard to the Panama question
+differed from those of the new administration, he was recalled, and
+again returned to the avocations of private life. Though he had had
+numerous opportunities of amassing wealth in the various offices
+which he had filled, he was still in moderate circumstances. In 1834,
+on the almost unanimous petition of the citizens of Hamilton county,
+he was appointed prothonotary of the county court, the duties of
+which he discharged, in person, for several years. In 1836, he was
+supported, in some of the states, though with no expectation of being
+elected, for the office of President, and received seventy-three of
+the electoral votes.
+
+He was still leading a happy and contented life in his retirement at
+North Bend,--
+
+              “A simple husbandman, in garments gray,”--
+
+when he was nominated as the candidate of the Whig party for the
+presidency, in December, 1839. In the following year, he was elected
+to the office, over his competitor, Mr. Van Buren, by an overwhelming
+majority,--receiving two hundred and thirty-four out of two hundred
+and ninety-four electoral votes. On the fourth of March, 1841, he
+took the oath of office, and delivered his inaugural address, amid
+a large concourse of spectators. Selecting as his cabinet advisers,
+some of the most distinguished statesmen of the country, from the
+party to which he belonged, he entered on his administration under
+the most flattering prospects of success.
+
+[Sidenote: ELECTED PRESIDENT.--HIS DEATH.]
+
+One brief month terminated his earthly career, and marred all the
+bright hopes of those who had elevated him to that high station.
+Instead of the brilliant _cortège_ that accompanied him on the
+occasion of his inauguration, another procession--without the joyous
+salvos of artillery, or the lively strains of martial music--but
+clothed in the habiliments of mourning, with banners shrouded in
+crape, with weeping plumes, with arms reversed, and muffled drums,
+followed his remains to the Congressional Cemetery.
+
+A few days after his arrival at Washington, the president caught a
+severe cold, which, in connection with the unaccustomed excitement,
+and the harassing nature of his new duties, soon prostrated him on a
+sick bed. In spite of the utmost efforts of his medical attendants,
+he rapidly grew worse. His system had received a fatal shock; and on
+the fourth day of April, 1841,--in the same mansion where, nearly
+thirty years before, he had attended the gay _soiree_ of Mrs.
+Madison--he died, expressing, with his latest breath, as his spirit
+gathered its pinions for its eternal flight, his anxious desire, that
+the constitution of the country should, in all things, be the guide
+of those upon whom his official duties were about to devolve.
+
+General Harrison was simple and frugal in his habits, and, until
+his last fatal illness, enjoyed good bodily health. He was tall and
+slender in person, and his dark eyes gleamed with intelligence. An
+analysis of his character presents few marked, or striking points.
+The qualities of his heart were probably more conspicuous than
+those of his head. He was liberal and friendly, social and generous
+in his disposition. “His heart,” says Governor Metcalfe, “was
+expanded, and always in the right place”:--it was brimful of kindly
+affections--overflowing with benevolence and love.
+
+He possessed a happy combination of mental faculties; he was a
+plain, practical man,--a man, not of pretence, but of action. His
+voluminous correspondence, as governor of Indiana Territory, his
+speeches in Congress, his official dispatches, and his inaugural
+address, indicate a sound judgment, strong good sense, and a
+well-cultivated mind. His integrity was of that sterling character
+which is proof against temptation. As a soldier, he was usually
+successful, because he was not rash or impulsive, but cautious and
+prudent. He was patient in adversity, and never easily disconcerted;
+he was calm, collected, and resolute--and therefore always fitted
+for an emergency, how trying soever it might be. But, what was still
+worthier and better, throughout his life, even to the closing hour
+of his existence, he was cheered and sustained, by the hopes of the
+patriot, and the consolations of the Christian.
+
+
+FOOTNOTES:
+
+        [8] The dispatch of General Wayne has been erroneously
+            printed, without the commendatory notice of
+            Lieutenant Harrison, and other officers, but it may
+            be found in the original.
+
+        [9] The expressive term among the Indians for “coward.”
+
+        [10] Among the Kentucky volunteers, concerned in this
+           expedition, were William T. Barry and Charles A.
+           Wickliffe, afterwards Postmasters-general of the
+           United States, and John J. Crittenden, for many years
+           a distinguished senator in Congress, subsequently
+           attorney general, again a member of the Senate, and,
+           at the present time, (1848,) governor of the State of
+           Kentucky.
+
+        [11] Nevertheless, it was the decided opinion of
+           Napoleon, (Las Casas, vii., 184,) that cavalry must
+           always break infantry, if led by equally brave
+           and resolute men. His cavalry won the victories
+           of Marengo, Austerlitz, and Jena; and a charge of
+           English dragoons, on the flank of his Old Guard, lost
+           him the day at Waterloo. It should be borne in mind,
+           however, that the mounted men of Colonel Johnson were
+           armed with rifles only, and, with the exception of
+           the officers, were without pistols and sabres.
+
+        [12] The honor of killing Tecumseh has been denied
+           Colonel Johnson upon strong circumstantial evidence.
+           In opposition to this we have the sincere belief of
+           the Colonel himself, that he shot the distinguished
+           Indian chief with his pistol; he could not well
+           be positive upon the subject, as he sank upon his
+           dying steed, the moment after he fired his piece,
+           completely exhausted from the loss of blood. His
+           bravery, however, cannot be questioned,--though
+           Tecumseh may not have fallen by his hand,--as he was
+           borne from the field in a blanket, while his blood
+           ran out at the ends.
+
+
+
+
+                           ANDREW JACKSON.
+
+
+“It is not in Indian wars”, said an eloquent writer and speaker of a
+by-gone age,[13] “that heroes are celebrated; but in them they are
+formed.”--Applied to the subject of this biographical sketch, the
+remark is partly correct, partly not correct. His brilliant success
+at New Orleans undoubtedly eclipsed all his former victories; but,
+had that battle never been fought, it may be questioned whether the
+Creek campaign would not have established his celebrity as a hero,
+beyond dispute. Yet it must be admitted, that his military experience
+was mainly acquired, and his military character formed, amid the
+hardships and vicissitudes, the trials and dangers, of that campaign.
+In this respect, he resembles some of the most eminent warriors that
+America has produced, many of whom laid the foundation of future
+renown and distinction, in the border wars with the aboriginal
+inhabitants, which grew out of the discovery and settlement of the
+country, or the subsequent encroachments of the whites.
+
+The father of Andrew Jackson, though a native of Ireland, was
+of Scotch descent.--During the reign of Henry II, in 1172, the
+subjugation of the Emerald Isle was effected,--not so much by the
+superior bravery of the English soldiery, as by the defection of
+her own sons. The conquest entailed, on both oppressor and victim,
+a fruitful legacy of war and bloodshed. It was followed by years of
+strife and dissension--by centuries of tyrannical misrule on the one
+hand, and resistance to wrong on the other. Time did not change the
+character of the Irish peasantry; they were no loyal subjects of
+their new masters,--neither did they remit their efforts to regain
+their independence. Among other expedients resorted to by the English
+government, for confirming their ascendancy, was the confiscation of
+all the lands in Ulster, and large portions of the other provinces.
+These were granted to new proprietors, and measures were taken to
+colonize them from England and Scotland.
+
+The Jackson family emigrated from Scotland at a very remote period,
+and settled in the county of Antrim. Whether it was on account of
+their proximity to the ancient seat of the O’Neals, in Tyrone, or
+their intermarriage and intercourse with the original natives of
+the country, is unknown; but it is nevertheless certain, that they
+soon became imbued with the spirit of disaffection that had so long
+prevailed in that quarter; and when the colonists began to experience
+the bitterness of oppression, they, too, learned to hate the name and
+authority of England.
+
+Hugh Jackson, the grandfather of General Jackson, was a linen-draper,
+and resided near Carrickfergus, on the Lough of Belfast. He had four
+sons, who were plain respectable farmers, liberal and hospitable,
+of strict integrity, and, like their forefathers, firm in their
+adherence to the Church of Scotland. Andrew, the youngest, married
+Elizabeth Hutchinson, by whom he had two sons, Hugh and Robert,
+born in Ireland. Tired of the ceaseless turmoil and confusion that
+distracted the country, and despairing of the success of any attempt
+to relieve the Irish people from the grievances of which they
+complained, he sold his farm, and, in 1765, determined to seek a more
+tranquil and peaceful home in the western wilderness. Accompanied by
+three of his neighbors, James, Robert, and Joseph Crawford, the first
+of whom had married a sister of his wife, he embarked for America
+with his family, and landed in safety, at Charleston, South Carolina.
+
+[Sidenote: HIS BIRTH.]
+
+Dissatisfied with the low country bordering on the coast, the
+immigrants pushed into the interior of the colony. Lands were
+purchased, and they all settled near each other, on Waxhaw creek,
+one of the branches of the Catawba, in Lancaster district, about
+forty-five miles above Camden, and near the boundary line of
+North Carolina. Here, in this fine and healthy region, agreeably
+diversified with hills and dales, and drained by the romantic
+Catawba, Andrew Jackson, the younger, was born, on the fifteenth day
+of March, 1767.
+
+Not long after the birth of his third son, the elder Jackson died,
+leaving to his wife and children a limited property, yet with
+an honest and unsullied name. A double duty now devolved on the
+surviving parent. Faithfully and nobly was it discharged. To the
+resolute firmness and unflinching fortitude of the Spartan mother,
+she united the piety and resignation, the trustful faith and
+confidence, of the devoted Christian. Naturally gifted with a strong
+mind, early disciplined in the school of adversity, and strengthened
+by Him who is ever the stay and helper of the widow and orphan, no
+difficulties deterred her from the accomplishment of her high and
+holy task.
+
+The property of which Mrs. Jackson was left in possession, consisted
+of a new farm, without slaves; and it required the constant practice
+of the most rigid economy and prudence, to enable her to provide
+for the maintenance and education of her three young sons. After
+her husband’s death, she took charge of Mr. Crawford’s family,--her
+sister, Mrs. Crawford, being in feeble health. Her two younger sons,
+Robert and Andrew, remained with her, and the oldest went to reside
+with a neighbor. Hugh and Robert received only a common-school
+education; but Andrew was designed by the, perhaps, partial mother,
+for a more enlarged sphere of usefulness. She intended him for the
+church, and therefore sent him to the Waxhaw Academy, then under the
+charge of Mr. Humphries, where he acquired a knowledge of the various
+English branches taught at that time, and had made considerable
+progress in the Latin and Greek languages, when the ravages of the
+revolutionary war, approaching nearer to this remote settlement, put
+an end to his studies.
+
+Sentiments of patriotism were early imbibed by the sons of Mrs.
+Jackson. Her instructions, and the example of their friends and
+kindred, inspired them, in childhood, with an ardent love of
+liberty. Reminiscences of “father-land” were often mingled with
+her teachings; she recounted deeds of cruelty and oppression that
+fired their youthful bosoms with indignation; she told them of the
+injustice under which their ancestors had suffered, and from which
+their father had fled; and she reminded them, also, that the same
+tyrannical power which had perpetrated these wrongs, was endeavoring
+to reduce the American colonists to a state of abject and hopeless
+slavery. Soon they beheld the watch-fires of liberty blazing up
+on every hill-top and mountain, and heard the deep thunders of
+war echoing through the pine-barrens and savannas of their own
+sunny clime. The young and middle-aged men, in the Waxhaws and its
+vicinity, were enrolled in companies, and met frequently for military
+discipline, while their gray-headed sires looked on approvingly, and
+bade them never shame the blood from which they sprung.
+
+Boys though they were, the young Jacksons became deeply imbued with
+the prevailing spirit. This was especially the case with Andrew, who
+longed for the hour to arrive, when he would be able to shoulder
+a musket, and perform some doughty enterprise, in defence of the
+liberties of his country.
+
+[Sidenote: INVASION OF SOUTH CAROLINA.]
+
+The officers charged with, what proved to be the Sisyphian task, of
+subjugating the colonial rebels, made their first principal efforts
+in the northern provinces.[14] Foiled, or beaten here, they turned
+their attention to the South. Savannah was reduced in December, 1778,
+and South Carolina invaded in the spring of 1779. Among those who
+marched out to meet the enemy, was Hugh Jackson, the oldest of the
+three brothers; he belonged to the company commanded by Captain,
+afterwards Colonel Davie, and was present at the battle of Stono, on
+the twentieth of June, where he lost his life from the excessive
+heat of the day. Early in 1780, a more formidable effort was made by
+the enemy, in South Carolina. Charleston was invested by a strong
+force, under Sir Henry Clinton, on the thirtieth of March; General
+Lincoln, then at the head of the southern army, stoutly defended the
+post, but was compelled to capitulate on the twelfth of May.
+
+After the surrender of Charleston, the British commander divided his
+army into three columns; one being directed to move up the Savannah
+river to Augusta, another up the Congaree and Saluda to Ninety-six,
+and the third, under Lord Cornwallis, up the Wateree to Camden. At
+this time, there were several detachments, belonging to the American
+army, in the country, who were not included in the capitulation.
+One of these, consisting of about four hundred men, with two pieces
+of artillery, was commanded by Colonel Buford, who, on the advance
+of Cornwallis, retired up the Catawba, towards Charlotte, in North
+Carolina. Colonel Tarleton was immediately dispatched, with two
+hundred and seventy mounted men, in pursuit; by making rapid marches,
+he came up with the party under Colonel Buford, at the Waxhaw
+settlement, on the twenty-ninth of May. A brief, but bloody contest,
+took place; the Americans were soon overcome by the dragoons of
+Tarleton; quarter was rarely given when demanded; upwards of two
+hundred and sixty of the detachment were killed, or desperately
+wounded; and their artillery, with their ammunition and stores, fell
+into the hands of the enemy.
+
+[Sidenote: DEFEAT OF COLONEL BUFORD’S PARTY.]
+
+A great portion of the American soldiers wounded in this conflict
+were paroled on the spot, and left at the Waxhaws, to the humanity
+of the inhabitants. The latter were not wanting in kind and generous
+feelings, and their sympathy was freely bestowed on those who had
+suffered and endured so much in behalf of the common cause. The
+meeting-house in the settlement was speedily converted into a
+hospital; nurses were provided,--Mrs. Jackson offering her services
+with others; and every attention was paid to the comfort and wants of
+the unfortunate victims of the brutal ferocity of Tarleton and his
+followers. This was the first lesson learned by Andrew Jackson from
+actual observation, in regard to the horrors of war,--and it produced
+a powerful impression on his mind. So far from being intimidated,
+however, by the sufferings which he witnessed, his desire for taking
+part in the struggle was only stimulated and quickened.
+
+Not long after this bloody catastrophe, Lord Rawdon was dispatched by
+Cornwallis into the Waxhaw settlement, with a large body of troops,
+to practice the same sanguinary measures which had been adopted in
+other parts of the province. Upon the fall of Charleston, marauding
+parties of British dragoons were sent out to scour the country;
+the timid were conciliated, and the refractory punished; rapine,
+murder, and violence, were committed with impunity; members of the
+same family were arrayed against each other, and all were made to
+suffer the misery and wretchedness ever attendant on civil war. The
+loyalists, or Tories, gladly hailed the appearance of the British
+troops; others consented to take protection, as it was called, in
+the hope, often a mistaken one, of enjoying an immunity from attack;
+but there were many who refused to waver in their allegiance to the
+Confederation.
+
+Mrs. Jackson and her two sons, with a number of the Waxhaw settlers,
+retired before Lord Rawdon, into North Carolina, where they remained
+for several days, and until he was recalled to Camden. Resistance
+had now nearly ceased; and the British officers began to flatter
+themselves with the belief that the province was completely subdued.
+But a few weeks elapsed, however, ere General Sumter, who resided
+near the Waxhaws, returned from North Carolina, where he had also
+been a voluntary exile, and raised the patriot standard, at the head
+of his small but gallant band. Other partisan corps, under Marion,
+Pickens, and Davie, were soon formed. Without pay; scantily supplied
+with clothing and subsistence; provided with guns of every form and
+calibre, and swords and lances fashioned out of the rude implements
+of husbandry; and mainly relying for ammunition on their captures
+from the enemy,--these brave yeomen rendezvoused in the swamps and
+forests of South Carolina, where they bivouacked, night after night,
+in the open air, and from which they darted forth on detached parties
+of British and Tories, like the eagle on its prey.
+
+[Sidenote: HIS FIRST BATTLE.]
+
+On the thirtieth of July, General Sumter, with about six hundred
+men, made an unsuccessful attack on the advanced post of the
+British, at Rocky Mount. Three desperate efforts demonstrated the
+impracticability of carrying the enemy’s fortifications, and being
+entirely without cannon, he was obliged to draw off his command. He
+was now reïnforced by a party of the Waxhaw settlers, under Colonel
+Davie, and, on the sixth of August, proceeded against the post
+at Hanging Rock, midway between Camden and the Waxhaws. The first
+onset was attended with complete success. The enemy were driven
+from their camp, and took shelter in the main work. Unfortunately,
+many of Sumter’s men had fasted so long, that they preferred to
+search for something to eat and drink, rather than to advance and
+secure the victory, by carrying the post, which might then have been
+easily accomplished. A quantity of liquor was found in the camp, and
+they commenced drinking, in opposition to the urgent remonstrances
+of their commander. Apprehending the worst consequences if they
+remained, he resolved to retire to his encampment before they became
+wholly ungovernable.
+
+The corps of Colonel Davie particularly distinguished itself
+on this occasion. Prominent among its members, were Lieutenant
+James Crawford, and Robert and Andrew Jackson,--the latter a mere
+stripling, but thirteen years of age; yet, in heart and soul, he was
+a man. This was his first battle, and the accounts we have of it show
+that both he and his brother rendered good service.
+
+Ten days after this affair, General Gates was terribly defeated by
+Lord Cornwallis, and, two days later, General Sumter, overburdened
+with baggage and prisoners--having recently captured a convoy of
+British stores, with their escort, coming up from Charleston to
+Camden--was surprised by Colonel Tarleton, and his band routed and
+dispersed. Following up the advantage he had gained, Cornwallis
+marched with his whole army, on the eighth of September, in the
+direction of Charlotte, whither the remnant of Gates’ army had
+fled. On his approach to the Waxhaw settlement, Mrs. Jackson again
+retired into North Carolina, passing through Charlotte, on her way to
+Guilford county, on the morning of the day upon which the British van
+approached the town. She was accompanied by her two sons, neither of
+whom, on account of their youth, was yet permanently attached to a
+military corps.
+
+Cornwallis soon found great difficulty in maintaining himself at
+Charlotte. His communications with the seaboard were cut off, and his
+supplies intercepted, by the partisans; and his position became still
+more embarrassing, upon the defeat, and almost total annihilation,
+of Major Ferguson’s command, at King’s Mountain, on the seventh of
+October. He therefore determined to retreat, before he was entirely
+surrounded by the aroused and patriotic militia of the Carolinas. On
+the fourteenth of October, he retraced his steps to the Waxhaws, and
+shortly after established himself at Winnsborough, where he awaited
+the arrival of reinforcements.
+
+Besides other affairs, of minor importance, but equally honorable
+to the American cause, the battle of the Cowpens, and the masterly
+retreat of General Greene, took place during the ensuing winter,
+while Mrs. Jackson and her sons, with other Waxhaw settlers, remained
+in North Carolina. Early in February, 1781, Cornwallis crossed the
+Yadkin, in pursuit of Greene; and she and her friends thereupon
+returned to their homes, although they were in the immediate vicinity
+of the British posts, and the country around was full of armed
+parties of Tories, whose cruelties and enormities were every day
+becoming more barbarous and revolting.
+
+[Sidenote: DARING AND RESOLUTION.]
+
+The struggle now began to assume, especially in the Carolinas, a yet
+more direful aspect. A fierce war of extermination was waged between
+Whigs and Tories. The two parties, or factions--call them what we
+may--could not exist on the same soil. The former had imperilled
+everything in the effort to secure their independence, and they
+fought for the safety, not merely of themselves, but of their wives
+and children, their property, their all! Boys, as well as men,
+engaged in this bloody warfare, and it was amid its trying scenes,
+that the stern and inflexible daring and resolution were formed and
+manifested, which distinguished Andrew Jackson in after life.
+
+The two young Jacksons kept their horses and guns, like their
+neighbors, and were always ready for any enterprise of danger or
+difficulty. Among other services which they performed, was that
+of keeping guard at the houses of the Whig officers who resided
+near them, when they desired to visit their families. The conduct
+of Andrew on one of these occasions,--his rapidity of thought and
+action,--afforded a signal presage of future ability:--
+
+A captain in the colonial service, by the name of Lands, desired to
+spend a night with his family, at his house, on the right bank of the
+Catawba, a short distance below the mouth of the Waxhaw. Robert and
+Andrew Jackson, one of the Crawfords, and five other men, including
+a recent deserter from the British army, constituted his guard. With
+the captain, there were nine men, and but seven muskets. Having no
+apprehensions of an attack, they laid down on their arms, upon the
+floor of the house, and all went to sleep, except the deserter, whose
+fears of a recapture kept him awake. Meantime a party of Tories, who
+had been apprised of Lands’ return, were on the way to surprise and
+kill him. The house was approached on the south, by a road leading
+through a wood. The Tories gained the rear of the stable, that stood
+in one corner of the inclosed yard around the house, unobserved.
+Behind this their horses were tied, and, dividing into two parties,
+they then advanced against the dwelling, which had two doors; one
+facing the east,--in front of which was a forked apple tree,--and the
+other the west.
+
+The deserter, who remained on the watch, hearing a noise about the
+stable, went out to discover from whence it proceeded. He had gone,
+but a few steps from the door, when he descried the party of Tories
+approaching the east end of the building. Instantly darting back,
+he caught Andrew Jackson, who lay nearest the door, by the hair,
+crying out in alarm, “The Tories are upon us--the Tories are upon
+us!” Andrew was on his feet in a moment; seizing his gun, he darted
+out of the house, and thrusting the piece through the fork of the
+apple tree, loudly hailed the advancing party. No answer was given.
+He repeated the hail,--still there was no reply. He then fired,
+and at the same instant a volley was returned by the enemy, which
+killed the deserter, who stood at his side. This prompt movement on
+his part, however, saved the inmates of the house. The first party
+of Tories were brought to a stand, and, in the darkness, their fire
+was mistaken by their comrades, who were moving towards the west
+door, for that of a sallying party. The latter also halted, and a
+brisk fire commenced between the two parties. After discharging his
+piece, Andrew Jackson returned into the house, and, with two others,
+commenced firing from the west door. Both his companions were shot
+down, one of them being mortally wounded; but he escaped untouched.
+The two bands of Tories still continued to pour their volleys into
+each other, and upon the house, till they were alarmed by the notes
+of a cavalry trumpet, sounding the charge, in the distance, when they
+mounted their horses, and fled in hot haste. The charge was sounded
+by a Major Isbel, who was in the neighborhood, but had not a single
+man with him. He had heard the firing, and, presuming that Lands’
+house was attacked, had taken this means to alarm the assailants,
+which fortunately proved effectual.
+
+[Sidenote: ATTACK ON THE WAXHAW SETTLERS.]
+
+After the departure of Cornwallis from South Carolina, Lord Rawdon,
+whose head-quarters were at Camden, was left in command. By this
+time, the stubborn patriotism of the Waxhaw settlers was well
+understood; and on being advised of their return, he dispatched
+Major Coffin, with a corps of light dragoons, a company of infantry,
+and a number of Tories, to capture them. On being informed of
+their danger, the settlers resolved that they would no longer fly,
+but maintain their ground at all hazards. A day was appointed for
+the male inhabitants in the settlement, capable of bearing arms,
+to assemble at the Waxhaw meeting-house, which was fixed upon as
+the place of rendezvous. Punctual, at the time and place, about
+forty of the settlers,--Robert and Andrew Jackson being among the
+number,--had collected, and were waiting for a friendly company,
+under Captain Nesbit, when they saw what they supposed to be the
+expected reïnforcement,--but which, in reality, was the detachment
+of Major Coffin, with the Tories, who wore the usual dress of the
+country, in front,--approaching at a rapid rate. The deception was
+not discovered, till the British dashed in among them, cleaving down
+all who stood in their way. Eleven of the party were taken prisoners;
+the remainder sprang upon their horses, and most of them made their
+escape.
+
+Andrew Jackson was accompanied in his flight, by his cousin,
+Lieutenant Thomas Crawford; but, in passing over a piece of marshy
+ground, the horse of the latter mired and fell, and he was wounded
+and taken prisoner. Young Jackson shortly after encountered his
+brother, who had also eluded pursuit. They remained together
+during the night, and, at dawn on the following morning, concealed
+themselves in a dense thicket, on the bank of Cain Creek, near the
+house of Lieutenant Crawford. During the day they became very hungry,
+and, deeming themselves secure, ventured out to the house. A boy was
+directed to watch the road; but while* they were satisfying their
+hunger, a band of Tories and dragoons, who had discovered their
+retreat, and captured their horses and guns, which were left behind
+them, suddenly made their appearance, and surrounded the house.
+Resistance could be of no avail, and escape was impossible. They
+therefore surrendered themselves prisoners of war.
+
+[Sidenote: TAKEN PRISONER TO CAMDEN.]
+
+Not content with the capture of the two young men, the dragoons
+and Tories commenced abusing and maltreating Mrs. Crawford and her
+children. The crockery and furniture in the house were broken in
+pieces; and the beds and bedding, and all the clothing of the family,
+including that of an infant at the breast, was torn into shreds.
+While the work of destruction was going on, the British officer, in
+command of the party, directed Andrew Jackson to clean the mud from
+his boots. As might be supposed, he indignantly refused to do the
+menial office. Enraged at this reply, the officer drew his sword,
+and aimed a dastard blow at the head of his unarmed prisoner. The
+latter parried it with his left hand, but, in so doing, received a
+cut, the scar of which was carried to his grave. Disappointed in the
+spirit of the intrepid youth, the officer turned to his brother, and
+required him to perform the task. Robert likewise refused; a furious
+blow from the infuriated Briton, was the consequence; and a wound was
+inflicted, from the effect of which his victim never recovered.
+
+Andrew Jackson was then placed on a horse, and directed, under
+a threat of instant death if he refused, to guide the party to
+the house of Major Thompson, a well-known Whig, who lived below
+Crawford’s, on the same side of the stream. Fearing that Thompson
+might be at home, our hero resorted to a stratagem to save him;
+which, though it might naturally have suggested itself to his mind,
+seems strange enough when we reflect that it was not only conceived,
+but executed, by a lad scarcely fourteen years of age.--Leading the
+party by a circuitous route, he brought them within full view of
+Thompson’s house, at the distance of a half mile. Nothing more was
+necessary. The dragoons spurred onward, but they were still several
+hundred yards distant, when they saw the major issue forth, mount
+his horse, which, as was then customary, was kept ready saddled, and
+dash towards the creek. The British darted after him in pursuit, but
+reached the stream only in time to hear his loud shout of defiance,
+as he rode leisurely off along the opposite bank. The current was so
+much swollen by the influx during the rainy season, that they dare
+not attempt to cross it, and therefore reluctantly abandoned the
+chase.
+
+After this unsuccessful attempt to capture the Whig officer, the
+two Jacksons, with about twenty other prisoners, were mounted on
+captured horses, and the party set out on their return to Camden. Not
+a mouthful of food, or drop of water, was given them on the road; and
+when they reached Camden, they were thrust into a redoubt surrounding
+the jail, in which some two hundred and fifty prisoners, besides
+those taken at the Waxhaws, were confined. Here they were stripped of
+part of their clothing,--Andrew losing his jacket and shoes; their
+wounds were undressed; no attention was paid to their wants; and when
+the relationship between the two Jacksons and Lieutenant Crawford was
+discovered, they were instantly separated, and kept in ignorance of
+each other’s fate. The Provost was a Tory from New York, who, it was
+afterwards said, took the provisions intended for the prisoners, to
+feed a number of negroes whom he had collected from different Whig
+plantations, with the intention of disposing of them for his own
+benefit. Be that as it may, the prisoners were but sparingly supplied
+with bad bread; and to add to their wretchedness, the smallpox
+appeared among them, and made frightful ravages.
+
+Amid the accumulated horrors of his prison-house, with sickness
+and starvation staring him in the face, the groans of the dying
+constantly ringing in his ears, and hourly exposed to the
+ill-treatment of his captors,--Andrew Jackson never lost the
+fearlessness of spirit which ever distinguished him. Availing himself
+of a favorable opportunity, he boldly remonstrated with the officer
+of the guard, in behalf of himself and his suffering companions. His
+remonstrances had the desired effect; meat was added to the rations,
+and, in other respects, the condition of the prisoners was decidedly
+improved.
+
+[Sidenote: BATTLE OF HOBKIRK’S HILL.]
+
+Matters were in this situation, when General Greene returned from
+North Carolina, in April, 1781, and encamped, with his army, on
+Hobkirk’s Hill, a little over a mile north of Camden, waiting only
+the arrival of his cannon, before making his dispositions to assault
+the post.
+
+On the morning of the twenty-fourth of April, Andrew Jackson
+discovered indications of a design to attack General Greene. The jail
+and redoubt stood on the eminence upon which Camden is situated, and
+a fine view would have been afforded of the encampment on Hobkirk’s
+Hill, had not the British taken the precaution to construct a
+high and tight plank fence on the redoubt, immediately after the
+arrival of the American army in the neighborhood. He was determined,
+nevertheless, to obtain a view of the anticipated conflict; and, by
+working nearly all night, with an old razor-blade, furnished the
+prisoners to cut their rations, he succeeded in digging out a knot in
+one of the planks. When Lord Rawdon led out his men, on the morning
+of the twenty-fifth, for a bold stroke at the American leader,
+Andrew mounted the breastwork, and placed himself at the look-out,
+while his fellow prisoners gathered in groups below him, listening
+attentively, as he detailed the varied incidents of the day.
+
+His voice was tremulous with apprehension, as he informed his
+companions, that the Americans had been taken unawares, and their
+pickets were driven in; it was pitched to a louder key, when the
+cannon of Greene opened their brazen throats, and vomited forth
+torrents of flame and iron, tearing and rending through the British
+columns; again it sank, as the enemy rallied, and pushed boldly
+forward; it rose once more, when the regiments of Ford and Campbell
+pressed gallantly upon their flanks--when Washington and his brave
+dragoons came thundering down in their rear--and he caught sight of
+the glistening bayonets of the 1st Maryland, and the Virginians, as
+they prepared to charge home upon their assailants; it fell again,
+as the veteran regiment of Gunby recoiled before the British fire,
+and died away into a whisper, when all hope of deliverance vanished,
+as the beaten, but not routed Greene, retired slowly over the hill,
+and the pursuit was only checked by the timely charge of Washington’s
+cavalry.
+
+[Sidenote: RELEASE FROM CAPTIVITY.]
+
+The Jacksons were not deserted by one friend, in their
+confinement--the mother who had reared them to serve their country,
+and who knew no prouder joy, than to see them do their duty well. She
+followed them to Camden, to aid and succor them, and, soon after the
+battle of Hobkirk’s Hill, procured their exchange, with five of their
+neighbors, for thirteen British soldiers, captured by a Whig partisan
+captain, by the name of Walker. Pale, emaciated, barefooted, almost
+naked, and infected with the smallpox, they presented themselves
+before their surviving parent. The wound in Robert’s head had never
+been dressed; and this, in connection with hunger, and the disease
+that had fastened itself upon him, had reduced him so low, that he
+was unable even to ride, except as he was held on a horse.
+
+There were but two horses for the whole party, consisting of
+Mrs. Jackson and her sons, and the other released prisoners, who
+accompanied them home. Mrs. Jackson rode one, and Robert was
+supported on the other by his companions. Thus wearily and sadly,
+did they perform their melancholy journey of more than forty
+miles, through a country blighted by the ravages of war, as if the
+lightnings of Heaven had scathed it. Within two hours’ ride of the
+Waxhaws, they were overtaken by a shower of rain, by which the
+company were completely drenched. The smallpox was driven in on
+both the boys; Robert died in two days; and Andrew at once became
+delirious. The fever raged violently for several days, and his
+case was regarded nearly hopeless. The kind nursing of his patient
+and devoted mother, and the attentions of his physician, at length
+triumphed over the disease, and restored him to consciousness and
+health.
+
+He had scarcely recovered his strength, when his mother, with
+characteristic energy and fortitude, in company with four or five
+other ladies, providing themselves with such necessaries as could
+be conveniently carried on horseback, set out to visit a number
+of the Waxhaw settlers, including some of the Crawfords, who had
+been taken by the enemy, and were confined on board the Charleston
+prison-ship--whose history, like that of the Old Jersey, at New
+York, is but a tale of unmitigated horror and suffering. These good
+Samaritan women reached Charleston, obtained permission to visit
+the vessel--a privilege that had always been refused to relatives
+and friends of the other sex--and delivered the supplies which they
+had brought. Mrs. Jackson, however, never returned from this errand
+of love and mercy. Enfeebled by constant care and privation, worn
+down by the numerous hardships and fatigues which she had endured,
+she was seized with the fever prevailing among the prisoners, which
+soon terminated her existence. She was buried near the enemy’s
+lines, in the vicinity of Charleston, in an unknown grave;--but her
+memory, in after times, was doubly honored, as that of the noble,
+self-sacrificing mother, of Andrew Jackson!
+
+Solitary and alone, her orphan son, at the time when he most needed
+the care and advice of a parent, was cast upon the world, to buffet,
+as he might, the billows of adverse fortune. His home was, indeed,
+desolate. Like Logan, there ran not a drop of his blood in the veins
+of any living creature. Mother and brothers,--all had perished--the
+victims of English cruelty!--Is it to be wondered, then, that he
+cherished such a feeling of animosity towards the British name; or
+that he hated everything akin to oppression, with a hatred so deep
+and fervent?
+
+[Sidenote: CLOSE OF THE WAR.]
+
+Early in the summer of 1781, the British voluntarily evacuated, or
+were driven from, all their advanced posts outside of Orangeburg.
+General Greene retired with his army, during the hot season, to the
+hills of Santee, but again made his appearance in the lower country,
+near the close of the month of August, with his command refreshed
+and reïnvigorated. In September, he fought the indecisive battle at
+Eutaw Springs. The palm of victory was disputed, but the substantial
+advantages of the action were his; and when the campaign closed, the
+enemy were cooped up in Charleston and Savannah.--In October, the war
+was finally terminated, by the surrender of Cornwallis at Yorktown.
+
+After the evacuation of Camden, the Waxhaw settlers, or rather,
+those of them who had survived the perils of war, found the security
+and repose which had so long been denied. Andrew Jackson remained,
+for some time subsequent to the death of his mother, at the house
+of Major Thomas Crawford; but, in consequence of a difficulty with
+Captain Galbraith, an American commissary, whose quarters were at
+the same place, and who became offended with him for some trifling
+cause, he afterwards entered the family of Mr. Joseph White, an uncle
+of Mrs. Crawford. Mr. White’s son was a saddler, and Andrew, though
+suffering all the while with the fever and ague, entered his shop,
+and assisted him as far as he was able.
+
+Unfortunately for him, the enemy still remained in the possession of
+Charleston, and many of its wealthiest and most polished citizens
+resided, temporarily, at the Waxhaws, and in the neighborhood. It
+was quite natural, in the reäction of his ardent temperament, after
+the first shock of his sad bereavement had passed away, that a
+carelessness and recklessness of disposition should be manifested.
+His associates were the young men from the city, and, with them, he
+spent most of his time in idle sports and amusements. The studies,
+which had been necessarily interrupted during the war, were totally
+neglected; his books were thrown aside; and a large portion of his
+little patrimony was squandered, in the vain effort to compete with
+his more wealthy associates, in the liberality of his expenditures.
+When they returned to Charleston, in the winter of 1784, he followed
+them on a fine mare belonging to him. He found some of his old
+companions in the tavern where he stopped, with whom he engaged in a
+game of dice, called “Rattle and Snap.” His mare was staked against a
+sum of money--and he won. Inspired by a sudden thought, he pocketed
+the money, paid his bill, and returned home; with a determination, to
+which he inflexibly adhered, to change his course of life.
+
+How many there are, who would have yielded, like Andrew Jackson, to
+the Circean charms and fascinations of a career of dissipation!--how
+few, like him, would have paused at the very entrance of the vortex,
+and, in an instant, effected an entire reformation!--The descent to
+Avernus is easy, said the Cumæan Sibyl:--
+
+    “Sed revocare gradum, superasque evadere ad auras,
+    Hoc opus, hic labor est.”
+
+Had he remained in Charleston another day, perhaps another hour, he
+might have gone down to an early grave, unhonored and unlamented.
+Though he came off conqueror in a dozen well-fought fields, this was
+the noblest of his victories--the conquest over himself!
+
+[Sidenote: EMIGRATES TO TENNESSEE.]
+
+Arrived at the Waxhaws, young Jackson collected together the remains
+of his small property, and, bidding adieu to his friends, repaired
+to Salisbury, in North Carolina; where he commenced the study of
+the law, in the office of Spruce McCay, an eminent counsellor, and
+afterwards a distinguished judge of that state. His untiring industry
+and zeal, his talents, and his correct and manly deportment, soon won
+the favorable esteem of Judge McCay, and other prominent citizens
+of North Carolina, whose acquaintance he formed. His professional
+studies were completed under Colonel John Stokes, and, in 1786, he
+was admitted to the bar. He remained in the state about two years
+subsequent to this, constantly gaining ground in the regard of his
+new friends and acquaintances; and in 1788, at the age of twenty-one,
+without solicitation on his part, he was appointed by the governor,
+solicitor for the western district, which afterwards became the state
+of Tennessee.
+
+Near the close of the year 1788, in company with John McNairy,
+the newly appointed judge of the western district, he crossed the
+mountains, for the purpose of entering upon his official duties, and
+establishing himself in practice. Jonesborough was then the principal
+seat of justice, and they remained there for several months.
+
+The country was rapidly filling up with the hunters of North Carolina
+and Virginia,--“the pioneers of civilization,”--who fearlessly
+entered the unbroken forest, with the axe in one hand and the rifle
+in the other. The territory lying between the Ohio and Tennessee
+rivers had long before received the name of Kentuckeè, or the
+“Bloody Land,” on account of its being the battle, as well as the
+hunting ground, of the Northern and Southern Indians. The valley
+of the Cumberland river contained some of the most fertile and
+beautiful lands, and abounded in the finest game. The principal
+tide of emigration, therefore, naturally turned in this direction,
+notwithstanding the settlers thereby brought upon themselves the
+animosity of both parties of Indians.
+
+In 1789, Judge McNairy, and his friend, first visited the infant
+settlements on the Cumberland, including that at French Creek,
+near the present site of Nashville. Most of the settlers resided
+in stations,--frequently built on the _stamping grounds_ of the
+buffalo,--which were usually connected by the _traces_ of the wild
+beasts, that everywhere intersected the surrounding forests. The log
+cabin was the abode of all classes,--but these primitive dwellings
+were, perhaps, oftener tenanted by happiness and joy, than the marble
+palaces of the great and opulent. Theirs was a life of peril, indeed;
+but it was well suited to Jackson’s adventurous disposition, and he
+gladly shared their dangers and vicissitudes, and participated in
+their sports and festivities.
+
+He was still undecided in regard to locating permanently in the
+district, when he arrived at the settlements on the Cumberland. He
+found, however, that the debtor class constituted a large proportion
+of the population, and that, having retained the only lawyer in West
+Tennessee in their interest, they were enabled to set their creditors
+at defiance. The latter flocked around him in crowds, and in a few
+days after his arrival he issued a great number of writs. Threats of
+personal violence were employed, in vain, to intimidate him; they had
+only the opposite effect, and induced him to remain, and establish
+himself in the neighborhood of Nashville. At that time there were no
+hotels, or regular boarding-houses, in the country, and none were
+needed,--as travellers, men of business, and professional men, were
+cheerfully entertained by private families. Jackson, and the late
+Judge Overton, boarded together, with Mrs. Donelson, the widow of
+Colonel John Donelson, who had, some years previous, emigrated from
+Virginia to Kentucky, and thence to Tennessee.
+
+[Sidenote: ADVENTURES IN THE WILDERNESS.]
+
+Business of a public, or private nature, often called Jackson to
+Jonesborough, about two hundred miles distant from Nashville, from
+which it was separated by a dense wilderness, with only here and
+there a small station. In those days, a journey was not the pastime
+which it has latterly become; and the traveller enjoyed few of
+the comforts, and none of the luxuries, which modern civilization
+has introduced. A horse; a rifle, to be slung over the shoulder;
+a hunting knife; a portmanteau, containing a few clothes and
+provisions; and a blanket,--constituted his preparations for the
+road. Sometimes journeys were performed singly, but, more generally,
+in companies. At night, the travellers lighted a fire with a
+tinder-box, or the flash of a rifle; and their horses were picketed.
+If they were supplied with bacon, or game, it was roasted on a stick;
+otherwise, jerked meat, parched maize, and the tough corn-dodger,
+formed their frugal repast. After partaking of this, sentinels were
+posted, if an attack from the Indians was apprehended; and, wrapping
+themselves in their blankets, they lay down to sleep, with naught but
+the blue canopy of heaven over their heads.
+
+Numerous anecdotes are related of the fearlessness and intrepidity
+displayed by Andrew Jackson, when performing these weary pilgrimages
+through the forests of Tennessee. On one occasion, in the month
+of March, he was on his way from Jonesborough to the Cumberland,
+with three companions, and reached the east side of the Emory, just
+below the gap in the mountains, shortly after dark. The fires of a
+large party of Indians being discovered on the opposite bank, he
+instantly assumed the direction of affairs, and, enjoining silence
+upon his comrades, led them back some distance into the mountains.
+They then left the road at different points, in order to elude
+pursuit,--reunited again, and proceeded up the stream, until two
+o’clock in the afternoon of the following day, when they attempted to
+cross it, at a basin between two cataracts.
+
+A raft was constructed of logs bound firmly together with hickory
+withes, upon which their clothes, blankets, saddles, rifles and
+ammunition, were placed; Jackson and one of his companions intending
+to cross first with these, and then, at a second trip, with their
+comrades, to swim the horses over alongside the raft. But on pushing
+from the shore, the under-tow seized the frail craft, and hurried
+it rapidly down the stream. Jackson and his friend vainly exerted
+themselves to arrest its progress; they were fast nearing the brink
+of the cataract, when the former, wrenching one of the rude oars
+from its fastenings, sprang to the stern, and braced himself there;
+at the same time holding out the oar to his companions on shore.
+They eagerly seized it, and drew the raft safe to land, just as it
+was quivering on the edge of the fall. On being chided for his too
+venturesome disposition, Jackson replied, “A miss is as good as a
+mile; you see how near I can graze danger--come on, and I will save
+you yet.”--The route up the stream was now resumed, and, after
+spending another night, supperless, in the woods, they found a ford
+the next day, at which they crossed, and ultimately reached a log
+cabin on the road, about forty miles in rear of the Indian encampment.
+
+[Sidenote: DESERTED BY HIS GUIDE.]
+
+At another time, he reached Bean’s Station, the appointed rendezvous
+of a party with whom he designed to cross the wilderness, on the
+evening after they had left. Nowise daunted by the perils of the
+way, he provided himself with a guide, and set out to overtake
+them. He travelled all night, and, in the gray of the morning,
+came to the fires just deserted by the party before him. Pushing
+on, with increased speed, he soon discovered the trail of a body
+of Indians, twenty-two in number, who were evidently pursuing his
+friends in front. He still followed on, until he was close upon the
+savages, when the guide began to hesitate about advancing further,
+and finally refused, absolutely, to proceed. This was an unexpected
+dilemma, but Jackson neither feared danger, nor was he the man to
+desert his friends. Dividing provisions with his timid guide, the
+latter returned to the station, and he continued on cautiously, in
+the opposite direction. Presently he found that the Indians had
+turned off to the right, as he supposed, to get ahead of the party,
+and lay an ambush for them, or attack them at night. He at once
+hastened forward with greater rapidity, and came up with his friends,
+as they were preparing to encamp for the night. Being apprised
+of their danger, in a few moments they were again in motion, and
+continued their march without halting, till the evening of the next
+day. Nothing further was heard from the Indians, till the party had
+reached their destination, in safety; when it was ascertained that
+a company of hunters, who had refused to shelter them in their log
+cabins, had been murdered by the same band of savages from whom they
+had so fortunately escaped.
+
+Besides crossing the wilderness intervening between Jonesborough
+and the Cumberland twenty-two times, while the country was yet new,
+Jackson frequently volunteered, with others, to go out and meet
+parties of emigrants from Virginia, or the Carolinas, who were
+escorted half way by their friends in the states, or the settlers in
+East Tennessee. The same service was often performed for emigrants,
+or travellers, going from Nashville to Lexington. An occasion of
+this kind furnished him an opportunity to display his gallantry as
+well as bravery:--He was proceeding with a company, from Nashville
+to Lexington, among whom was a lady going to join her husband at the
+latter place. The second night out, she was suddenly taken sick, and,
+in the morning, was unable to proceed on her journey. Disregarding
+her situation, a number of the party prepared their horses as usual,
+and were about to resume the march. Jackson earnestly remonstrated
+against leaving the woman alone in the forest, but, finding words
+of no avail, and that they insisted on proceeding, he levelled his
+rifle, and solemnly declared that he would shoot the first man who
+put foot in the stirrup. His companions cowed before the chivalric
+rage that lighted up his cheek, and kindled in his eye; and they
+consented to remain for a day at the encampment, at the expiration of
+which the lady was able to travel.
+
+As the settlers in Kentucky were exposed to the irruptions of the
+Shawanese, so those in Tennessee were liable to similar visitations
+from the Choctaws and Cherokees. Whenever the savages had committed
+any depredations, volunteer parties were always formed to pursue
+them. Andrew Jackson was usually one of the first to make his
+appearance at the rendezvous. He once accompanied a party, between
+forty and fifty strong, under Colonel Elijah Robertson, on an
+expedition of this character, to the head of a creek flowing into
+Duck river. It was then proposed, that a part of the company should
+penetrate through the cane-brakes, a distance of ten miles, to the
+river, where the Indians were supposed to have encamped. Colonel
+R. Weakly, with Jackson and fifteen others, volunteered for the
+enterprise. It was accomplished with great gallantry; the savages
+were surprised, and fled without firing a gun,--leaving their camp,
+and their arms and ammunition, in the hands of their pursuers.
+
+Jackson was repeatedly engaged in affairs of the same kind, and
+acquired a high, and wide-spread reputation, for his bravery and
+skill. He also became well-known to the red warriors, and received
+from them the epithets of “Sharp Knife” and “Pointed Arrow.” The
+most important expedition in which he was concerned, was undertaken
+in 1794, when a large party from Nashville and its neighborhood,
+including himself, proceeded against the Indian town of Nickajack,
+near the Tennessee river, and razed it to the ground.
+
+[Sidenote: RACHAEL DONELSON.]
+
+When Andrew Jackson entered the family of Mrs. Donelson as a
+boarder, her daughter, Rachael, who had married a man by the name
+of Robards, in Kentucky, but had separated from him on account of
+his violent temper and vicious habits, resided with her. Judge
+Overton and himself occupied another cabin, a few steps distant from
+that in which Mrs. Donelson lived, but met with her family, at the
+same table. Mrs. Robards was as distinguished for her beauty, her
+sweetness of temper, and her winning deportment, as was her husband
+for the possession of the opposite qualities. Through the mediation
+of Judge Overton, Robards was at one time reconciled to his wife,
+rejoined her at Mrs. Donelson’s, and commenced preparations for
+erecting a cabin, on a tract of land that he had purchased, in which
+he intended to reside.
+
+Jackson was then a young man, frank and engaging in his manners,
+and fond of female society. He undoubtedly paid Mrs. Robards many
+flattering attentions, which--neither thinking aught of evil, or
+cherishing an impure thought--were reciprocated as they deserved,
+with kindness and friendly esteem, but nothing more. So far from
+rendering her husband more morose and ill-tempered, this should only
+have led him to appreciate better her charms and social virtues, and
+encouraged him to become more pleasing and agreeable. But Iagos were
+not wanting to instil the doubts and suspicions of jealousy, had
+not his gloomy and distrustful temperament predisposed him to such
+impressions. She was, in consequence, rendered very unhappy. On being
+made acquainted with this fact, Jackson sought an interview with her
+husband, and remonstrated with him, in a manly and honorable way.
+This was of no avail, and he then left Mrs. Donelson’s, and took
+board at Mansker’s Station.
+
+The excited jealousy of the husband could not be allayed, however;
+and, in a few months, he abandoned his wife a second time, and
+started for Kentucky,--declaring to a companion on the road, that
+he designed never to return. Mrs. Robards now determined that the
+separation should be final; and on being afterwards informed,
+that he intended to visit Tennessee and take her back with him to
+Kentucky, under the advice of her friends, she accompanied the
+family of Colonel Stark to Natchez, in the spring of 1791. Stark
+was an elderly man, and fearing that the Indians might attack him,
+he invited Jackson to make one of the party. The latter, perhaps
+unwisely,--though he certainly never regretted it,--accepted the
+invitation, and descended the rivers with them, to Natchez.
+
+[Sidenote: HIS MARRIAGE.]
+
+Robards had previously applied to the Legislature of Virginia for
+a divorce, and, soon after the return of Jackson to Nashville, the
+intelligence was received that his application had been granted.
+Desirous of testifying to the world, in the highest and most solemn
+manner, his confidence in her purity and innocence--pleased, alike,
+with the charms of her person, and the graces of her mind--and
+deeming her at perfect liberty to form a new connection--Jackson
+forthwith repaired to Natchez, and tendered his hand to Mrs. Robards.
+She at first hesitated, but finally accepted him. They were married
+in the fall, and she returned with him to the Cumberland, where she
+was greeted with the warm and affectionate congratulations of her
+relatives and friends.
+
+Two years after his marriage,--in December, 1793,--Jackson was
+on his way to Jonesborough, with Judge Overton, when he learned,
+for the first time, equally to his chagrin and surprise, that
+the intelligence received in 1791, and upon which he had acted,
+was incorrect.--Robards had, in 1791, procured the passage of an
+act in the Virginia Legislature, authorizing a suit to be brought
+for a divorce in a court in Kentucky, which suit had just been
+determined in his favor,--no opposition, of course, being made to
+the proceedings. Communications between the Atlantic country and
+the interior were then very irregular, and the exact particulars of
+the affair were not known, or inquired into, as it was universally
+supposed in Tennessee, that the divorce had been actually granted. On
+his return home, in January, 1794, Jackson took out a license, and
+was now regularly married.
+
+The circumstances of his acquaintance and marriage with Mrs.
+Robards, were long after seized upon by his opponents, when he
+became connected with the political controversies of the day, as
+a candidate for the presidency, and were made the foundation of
+unmerited and groundless calumnies. There were features in the case,
+which, unexplained, might appear suspicious; but the evidence of
+all who were personally acquainted with them, whose assertions are
+worthy of a moment’s consideration, acquit both parties of blame,
+and bear witness to the correct demeanor of Mrs. Robards, and the
+chivalric conduct of Andrew Jackson.--“While he would have sacrificed
+his life,” says his biographer, “to prevent Mrs. Robards’ falling
+unwillingly into the hands of her cruel tormentor, her husband
+though he was, he never cast a look upon her, or indulged a thought,
+unworthy of the purest knight in the days of honorable chivalry.
+But, when no longer restrained by law, honor or religion, pity,
+admiration, and a species of regret, though free from guilt, yet akin
+to remorse, kindled into love as pure and as holy as ever glowed
+in the heart of man. Nor was the object unworthy of this exalted
+passion. The united testimony of all who had the pleasure of her
+acquaintance, the happiness which during life she shed over the
+domestic circle, radiating into the cabins of her servants and the
+houses of her neighbors, and, above all, the sacred fervor with which
+the bosom on which she rested in youth, cherishes her memory, bear
+unequivocal testimony, that she was one of the best of those beings
+whom God has given as the companion and solace of man.”[15]
+
+[Sidenote: ANIMOSITY OF THE DEBTOR CLASS.]
+
+After his marriage, Jackson devoted himself with more assiduity than
+ever, to the practice of his profession. His firm and independent
+course in espousing the cause of the creditors, though it elevated
+him in the esteem of the better part of the community, rendered the
+debtors peculiarly inimical towards him. His daring and prowess were
+so well known, however, that those who were nominally his equals in
+standing, dared not assail him; but they stimulated others to do so,
+belonging to the very lowest class of bullies and desperadoes, so
+many of whom are always to be found in a new country, who had neither
+character nor self-respect to lose, but were not deficient in that
+brutal courage, which the philosopher of Ferney terms, “a fortunate
+quality, of which fools partake as well as great men.”
+
+A flax-breaker, of great strength and courage, was the first person
+instigated to attack Jackson; but the latter soon tamed his spirit
+with his own winding-blades, the only weapon within reach. A noted
+bully next assaulted him, while he was conversing with a gentleman
+on business, at a court in Sumner County. Jackson seized a slab, and
+in a few seconds obliged the desperado to make his escape into the
+woods.--These encounters resulted so unfavorably to those who were
+induced to come in contact with him, that he was ever after exempt
+from annoyances of a similar character.
+
+In the course of his practice as a lawyer, Jackson discovered
+that extensive frauds had been committed in the North Carolina
+Land-Office, which he deemed it his duty, as the former attorney of
+that State, to expose. Through his instrumentality, the perpetrators
+were indicted and punished. Some of the most prominent citizens of
+the western district were directly, or indirectly, concerned in these
+transactions, and had profited largely by them. Consequently, he
+incurred their hostility; and they sought by every means to injure
+him. In the state of society then existing, a man, like him, exposed
+to the hatred of powerful enemies, may be said to have constantly
+carried his life in his hand. Unawed by threats, he pursued his way
+steadily and unerringly--daily adding to the number of his friends,
+and gaining ground in the confidence and regard of the wise and good.
+
+The necessary preliminary measures for the formation of a state
+government, were taken by the citizens of Tennessee, in 1795;[16] and
+Andrew Jackson was chosen one of the delegates to the convention,
+without even offering himself as a candidate. The forest Solons and
+Numas composing that body, met at Knoxville, in the wilderness, on
+the eleventh of January, 1796, and adjourned on the sixth day of
+February following; having, in the short space of less than four
+weeks, framed and adopted a state constitution, which, for its
+republican simplicity, compared most favorably with those of other
+states.
+
+[Sidenote: REPRESENTATIVE AND SENATOR IN CONGRESS.]
+
+On the first day of June, 1796, Tennessee was admitted into the Union
+as a State, and became entitled to one representative in Congress.
+Andrew Jackson was elected to the office, with great unanimity,
+and took his seat in the House of Representatives on the fifth of
+December, 1796. His reputation and popularity continuing to increase,
+he was chosen a senator in Congress the following year, when he had
+just reached the age prescribed by the Constitution. He appeared in
+the Senate of the United States on the twenty-second of November,
+1797. At this session, the alien and sedition laws were passed.
+Jackson coïncided and voted with the republican members, and was
+therefore in the minority. During the session, he became so much
+dissatisfied with the course of the administration, to which he was
+opposed in sentiment, that he returned home in April, 1798, and
+shortly after resigned his seat. He was succeeded by his friend and
+neighbor, Daniel Smith.
+
+Upon his resignation of the office of senator, Jackson was appointed,
+by the Legislature of Tennessee, Judge of the Supreme Court of Law
+and Equity. The office was conferred on him unsolicited, and was
+accepted with reluctance. As a lawyer, he had been distinguished for
+his fair and honorable dealing; for his abhorrence of low tricks and
+artifices; and for the ability with which he seized the strong points
+of a case, and presented them to a court or jury:--as a judge, he
+became equally well known, for his firmness and independence; for his
+integrity of purpose; and his plain, common sense adjudications.
+
+His first court was held at Jonesborough, at which a man, by the
+name of Russell Bean, was indicted for cutting off the ears of his
+infant child, in a drunken frolic. The sheriff dared not arrest the
+offender, who was notorious for his strength and ferocity, though
+present in the courtyard, and returned to the court, that he would
+not be taken. Judge Jackson told the officer that such a return was
+an absurdity, and that the man must be taken, even though it became
+necessary to summon the _posse comitatus_. When the court adjourned
+for dinner, the sheriff summoned the judge and his colleagues, as
+part of the _posse_. Jackson saw that the officer desired to avoid
+performing his duty, and therefore accompanied him. Learning that
+Bean was armed, he provided himself with a loaded pistol. At sight of
+him, the former attempted to make his escape; but the judge directing
+him to stop and submit to the law, in a tone that showed he was not
+to be trifled with, his weapons were thrown down, and he quietly
+surrendered. This incident was not lost upon other turbulent spirits
+who had previously treated courts and officers with contempt, and
+nothing of the kind was afterwards attempted.
+
+His health beginning to fail under the severe labor, both mental and
+physical, required of him in the performance of his official duties,
+Jackson determined to resign the judgeship; but, when his intentions
+became public, he was urged, in such flattering terms, to abandon
+his design, in a communication addressed to him by some of the most
+prominent citizens of the state, and a large number of the members of
+the Legislature, that he consented to remain in the office.
+
+[Sidenote: DIFFICULTY WITH GOVERNOR SEVIER.]
+
+In 1801, an election was held by the brigadiers and field-officers
+of Major General Conway’s division, to fill the vacancy occasioned
+by his death. Andrew Jackson, and John Sevier, formerly governor of
+the state, were competitors for the office; and the vote was equally
+divided between them. The appointment then devolved upon Governor
+Roane, who wisely conferred it on Andrew Jackson.
+
+Governor Sevier was connected, to some extent, with a combination
+of land jobbers at Nashville, associated together for the purpose
+of manufacturing fraudulent grants of land, which Jackson had aided
+in breaking up. This circumstance, and the preference of Governor
+Roane, rendered him a most implacable enemy and opponent. In 1803,
+he was a candidate for re-election as governor, and in the course of
+the canvass, his antipathy towards Judge Jackson, was imbibed by his
+party friends. This was particularly the case in East Tennessee. In
+the fall, the Judge proceeded to Jonesborough, to hold his court;
+and, having been taken seriously ill on the road, he retired to his
+room, immediately after his arrival, and lay down on the bed. In a
+few moments he was waited on by a friend, who begged him to lock his
+door--informing him that a large mob had collected, under a Colonel
+Harrison, and loudly threatened to tar and feather him. Jackson
+declined securing his door, but throwing it wide open, sent his
+friend to Colonel Harrison, with the message, that he was ready to
+receive him and his party, whenever they chose to wait on him, and
+that he hoped the colonel’s chivalry would induce him to lead his
+men, and not follow them.--This bold message operated like a charm;
+the mob dispersed; Colonel Harrison apologized for his conduct, and
+thereafter remained on good terms with Jackson.
+
+The next court held by the latter, was at Knoxville, where the
+Legislature were then in session. They had just investigated the land
+frauds, of which mention has been made, and had found some evidence
+tending to implicate Governor Sevier. His excellency evinced a great
+deal of exasperation, and on leaving the courthouse, on the first day
+of the term, Judge Jackson found a large crowd gathered in front of
+the building, in the midst of which was Governor Sevier, with a sword
+in his hand, haranguing them in a violent manner. An altercation
+ensued between them, in which the governor was the aggressor, and
+the Judge sent him a challenge. This was accepted, but the governor
+failed to give the promised meeting, and Jackson at once published
+him in the usual form. A second meeting was then appointed to take
+place, though without any formal arrangement.
+
+Jackson repaired to the designated spot, but the governor failed to
+meet him. After waiting two days, he set out to return to Knoxville,
+but had proceeded only a short distance, when he encountered Governor
+Sevier, escorted by about twenty men, and armed with a brace of
+pistols and a sword. His friend instantly bore a challenge to the
+governor, who refused to receive it. Jackson was provided with a
+brace of pistols and a cane. On the return of his friend, with the
+insulting message of the governor, he levelled his cane, as the
+knight, in olden times, couched his spear in the rest, and dashed
+furiously upon his opponent. The latter hastily dismounted, in
+order to avoid the shock, but, in so doing, trode on the scabbard
+of his sword, and was thus rendered incapable of resistance. In the
+governor’s escort there were mutual friends of both parties, who
+interfered to prevent any further collision, and Jackson accompanied
+them back to Knoxville.
+
+[Sidenote: RETIRES TO PRIVATE LIFE.]
+
+Although Jackson was always prompt to defend himself from insult or
+injury, these altercations and disputes were by no means congenial
+to his spirit, and, anticipating their more frequent recurrence, for
+the reason that a number of cases, growing out of the fraudulent land
+sales, were about to be brought before him for decision, he concluded
+to retire from the bench; and his resignation was accepted by the
+Legislature, on the twenty-fourth of July, 1804, about six years
+after his original appointment.
+
+Previous to his resignation of the judgeship, the services of
+General Jackson, in a military capacity, were invoked by the General
+Government, in consequence of the threatening aspect of its relations
+with Spain, who had taken umbrage at the purchase of Louisiana from
+France. Preparations were made to reïnforce General Wilkinson, then
+at Natchez, at the head of a small force, with fifteen hundred
+men from the upper country, including five hundred cavalry from
+Tennessee. In October, 1803, General Jackson was requested to
+procure, without delay, a sufficient number of boats to transport the
+troops to New Orleans, and to keep them in readiness. The request was
+complied with; the boats were procured; and the general tendered his
+services to the government if they should be needed.
+
+The firmness, caution, and prudence, of Jefferson, rendered a
+resort to arms unnecessary; and in February, 1804, General Jackson
+sold the boats prepared for the expedition down the Mississippi.
+After resigning the office of judge, General Jackson retired to a
+plantation on the Cumberland, which he had purchased; to enjoy,
+what he had long coveted, the quiet scenes of domestic life, its
+gentleness and tranquillity, and the society of his devoted wife. His
+fortune was not large, but amply sufficient to satisfy his wants.
+He devoted most of his time to superintending the labor on his
+plantation, setting an example of methodical industry, and careful
+economy, worthy of general imitation, and often wielding the axe,
+or guiding the plough, with his own hands. Fond of society, and
+frank and generous by nature, he was distinguished far and wide for
+his hospitality; and it was remarked of him, that, “though he was a
+private citizen, he was the most public man in Tennessee.”
+
+He was passionately fond of fine horses, and took every pains to
+improve his stock, by importations from the Atlantic States. Like
+other planters around him, he brought his favorite animals out upon
+the race-courses, and, though not a sportsman, in the ordinary
+acceptation of the term, made many a venture upon their relative
+speed. A circumstance of this kind gave rise to a most unfortunate
+affair:
+
+[Sidenote: HOSTILE MEETING WITH DICKINSON.]
+
+A match race was agreed upon by him, and a Mr. Erwin and his
+son-in-law, Charles Dickinson, between their two horses, for a
+wager of two thousand dollars, with a forfeiture of eight hundred
+dollars, to be paid in cash notes. Erwin and Dickinson subsequently
+chose to pay the forfeit, and withdraw their horse. Some difficulty
+arose in regard to the character of the notes offered, but it was
+finally adjusted, to the apparent satisfaction of all parties. But
+the enemies of Jackson were anxious that he should fight a duel
+with Dickinson, who was reputed to be the best shot in the country.
+Through them, the dispute was revived. Several publications appeared
+in the newspapers, Dickinson grew more and more insulting, and at
+length made a direct imputation of cowardice. Jackson could endure
+his provocations no longer, and on the twenty-third of May, 1806,
+sent him a challenge. It was accepted by Dickinson, and the meeting
+was arranged to take place at Harrison’s Mills, Kentucky, on the
+thirtieth instant.
+
+Dickinson spent the intervening time in practicing; frequently
+boasting how often he had hit his opponent chalked out on a tree, and
+offering to bet that he would kill him. This was reported to General
+Jackson, and the effect on his excitable temperament may be imagined.
+The parties met, as had been agreed on. At the word, Dickinson fired,
+and the dust was seen to fly from the clothes of his antagonist.
+Jackson fired the next instant, and the other fell mortally wounded.
+
+The steadiness of nerve exhibited by General Jackson on this occasion
+has often been the subject of commendation, even with those who
+condemned the practice, then not only tolerated, but actually
+encouraged, by nearly all classes and parties, in the section of
+country in which he resided. It afterwards appeared, that he was
+himself severely wounded, at the time he fired; but his feelings had
+been so wrought upon, and the ardency of his temper was such, that he
+was insensible to physical suffering, and he declared to a friend,
+that he would have killed Dickinson, if he had been shot through the
+brain!
+
+Several years later,--in the summer of 1813,--General Jackson was
+concerned in an affray with Colonel Thomas H. Benton, so well and
+widely known, for many successive years, as a Senator in Congress,
+from the State of Missouri. The former had acted as the second of
+Governor Carroll, in a duel with a brother of Colonel Benton, which,
+the latter thought, was inconsistent with the friendly relations
+existing between himself and the general. An angry correspondence
+passed; bitter recriminations were made on both sides; and they
+afterwards encountered each other, and interchanged shots, at a
+public house in Nashville. In the affray, General Jackson’s left
+arm was shattered by a pistol shot, and he was confined to his room
+for several weeks. The imbittered feelings engendered during the
+progress of this controversy, were cherished for many years after
+the encounter, but they were subsequently entirely allayed; and when
+General Jackson became President of the United States, he had no
+firmer supporter, or warmer friend, than Colonel Benton.
+
+These personal controversies and altercations have been mentioned
+here, not because they afford valuable examples worthy, at this day,
+of imitation, but rather, for the reason, that they are not more
+illustrative of Jackson’s nice sense of honor, his stern will, and
+his indomitable courage, than of the rude state of society in which
+he lived. If, like General Wayne, he manifested “a constitutional
+attachment to the decision of the sword,” he, too, had a warm and
+generous heart; and, though like the aroused lion, when he felt
+himself the object of wrong or injustice, no man possessed more of
+the gentler and softer affections of our natures. As Sir Walter Scott
+said of the Covenanter: “His faults were those of his times and
+associates, his virtues were eminently his own.”
+
+[Sidenote: AARON BURR.]
+
+Aaron Burr made his first appearance in the western country, prior
+to the completion of his arrangements for his mysterious expedition,
+in the spring of 1805, and, on two occasions, during the summer,
+spent several days in the family of General Jackson. The people of
+Tennessee, like all the residents in the valley of the Mississippi,
+were exceedingly hostile to the Spaniards; and so long as Burr was
+supposed to be concerned in making arrangements for the invasion
+of Mexico, in the event of a war with Spain, General Jackson, with
+most of the influential citizens of that section, warmly seconded
+his projects. In 1806, Burr returned to the west and began his
+preparations. In the fall, the suspicions of General Jackson were
+awakened, and the friendly intercourse between them entirely ceased.
+Whatever may have been the designs of Burr, he dared not reveal them
+to General Jackson, though he ever entertained a high opinion of him,
+and always mentioned him in terms of respect. His patriotism was
+much too earnest and sincere to be tempted; and, notwithstanding
+his previous intimacy with Burr, the special agent dispatched by the
+President to secure the arrest of the latter, was directed to call on
+him, with instructions to order out a military force, if necessary.
+General Jackson promptly ordered out twelve companies, but Burr had
+already left the mouth of the Cumberland, and was on his way down the
+Mississippi; and on ascertaining this fact, he dismissed his troops,
+and reported his proceedings to the government.
+
+Not long after General Jackson retired to private life, he entered
+into partnership with a merchant in Nashville. For a time their
+business appeared to be prosperous; Jackson took no active part in
+its management, but trusted everything to his associate. Some slight
+circumstances at length aroused his fears, and, upon examination,
+he found that the firm was not only insolvent, but that their
+liabilities exceeded their assets, by many thousand dollars. But
+one course--that dictated by honor and right--could be pursued. He
+instantly closed the business, sold his fine plantation where he
+lived, paid off the debts of the firm, and removed to a log cabin
+on another plantation, to begin the world anew. By the exercise of
+strict economy and prudence, in a few years he once more gathered
+around him the fruits of prosperous industry.
+
+In 1811, General Jackson had occasion to visit Natchez, to bring up
+a number of negroes, who had become his property as the surety of
+a friend, or belonged to a nephew; and, on reaching the station of
+the Choctaw agency, along which the road passed, he found seven or
+eight families of emigrants, and two members of the Mississippi
+Legislative Council, whom the agent had detained, upon the pretence
+that it was necessary to have passports from the governor of
+Mississippi Territory. Justly indignant at this outrage, Jackson
+demanded what right he had to stop American citizens who were
+travelling on a public road. The agent replied, in a sharp tone,
+by inquiring whether he had a pass? “Yes, sir,” said the general,
+warmly; “I always carry mine with me:--I am a free-born American
+citizen; and that, under the constitution and laws, is my passport to
+go wherever my business calls me!” He then told the emigrants to gear
+up their wagons, and if any one attempted to obstruct them, to shoot
+him down. He himself set the example, and proceeded on his journey,
+utterly regardless of the threats of the agent.
+
+Upon his return from Natchez, he was informed that the agent had
+collected fifty white men, and one hundred Indians, and intended to
+stop him unless he produced a passport. On approaching the station,
+he armed his blacks with clubs and axes, and directed them to regard
+no order unless it emanated from him. The agent was at first inclined
+to stop him, but, being overawed by his firm and determined manner,
+made no attempt to oppose him. He afterwards reported the conduct of
+the officer to the President, and he was removed from the agency.
+
+[Sidenote: WAR WITH GREAT BRITAIN.]
+
+The period now arrived which Jackson had long anticipated.--War
+was declared against the enemy of his country and his race, on the
+eighteenth of June, 1812. It is easy to conceive the emotions which
+the intelligence must have awakened in his bosom. Recollections of
+the past came rushing and thronging into his mind. The cycles of Time
+rolled backward. Again he stood upon the threshold of his desolate
+home,--on “the forest-clad banks of the Catawba,”--orphaned by the
+cruelty of British officers and agents. Let him not be reproached,
+if motives of revenge quickened and sharpened his patriotism. His
+desire for vengeance was almost holy in its character--it was based
+on fraternal affection, on filial love!
+
+When the tocsin of war was sounded, the glad, prolonged echoes, came
+up from every valley and hamlet; but in no quarter of the country
+was the response more enthusiastic, than in the valley of the
+Mississippi. General Jackson immediately issued a stirring address to
+his division, twenty-five hundred men of which volunteered to follow
+wheresoever he saw fit to lead them. A tender of their services was
+made to the President, through Governor Blount, on the twenty-fifth
+of June, which was accepted on the eleventh of July. No immediate
+duty being required of the patriotic volunteers belonging to his
+division, General Jackson became impatient to participate in the
+struggle, and solicited the appointment of brigadier general in
+the regular army, which was conferred on General Winchester. Could
+President Madison have foreseen the sad catastrophe that occurred
+on the banks of the Raisin, in the following January; or had he
+possessed any correct idea of the military qualifications of General
+Jackson, we may well suppose that the latter would have been his
+choice.
+
+[Sidenote: EXPEDITION TO NATCHEZ.]
+
+An opportunity, however, was soon presented to Jackson, for taking
+the field. On the first of November, Governor Blount issued an
+order, in conformity with a requisition from the War Department,
+directing him to organize and equip fifteen hundred infantry and
+riflemen, with whom he was instructed to descend the river to New
+Orleans, and reïnforce General Wilkinson, then commanding that
+department. The necessary proclamation was issued, and, on the tenth
+of December, upwards of two thousand men rendezvoused at Nashville,
+many of whom had come miles upon miles, through cold, and sleet,
+and snow, undaunted by the rigors of the climate, and intent only
+on obeying the call of their country. On the thirteenth instant,
+the organization of the command, which consisted of one regiment
+of cavalry, not embraced in the requisition, but enrolled with the
+consent of Governor Blount, under Colonel Coffee, and two regiments
+of infantry, under Colonels Hall and T. H. Benton, was fully
+completed.
+
+Numerous difficulties were yet to be encountered before the troops
+could be put in motion. Arms had been sparingly furnished by the
+government, and funds for the payment of the men had not been
+provided. Discontents naturally arose, and a mutiny was threatened.
+The firmness and determination of General Jackson prevented any
+outbreak, and his energy and perseverance ultimately overcame every
+obstacle. On the thirty-first of December, Colonel Coffee commenced
+his march with the mounted men, six hundred and seventy strong, by
+the overland route, to Natchez. On the seventh and eighth of January,
+1813, General Jackson embarked on the Cumberland, in flat boats,
+with the two infantry regiments, numbering about fourteen hundred.
+Descending the rivers slowly,--his progress being constantly impeded
+by large masses of floating ice,--he reached Natchez on the fifteenth
+of February, near which he found the cavalry under Colonel Coffee.
+
+At this point, General Jackson was met by a request from General
+Wilkinson, whose headquarters were at New Orleans, to halt his
+command, and report to him his force and instructions. Wilkinson held
+the rank of brigadier general in the regular army, with the brevet
+of major general; and it is not unlikely, that he suspected it was
+the intention of the government, that Jackson should supersede him.
+His request, doubtless, was prompted by this apprehension. As there
+was no indication of an attack on New Orleans, Jackson cheerfully
+complied with it. Natchez was a much more salubrious position for his
+troops, and having disembarked them, he marched to Washington, a few
+miles distant, where a cantonment had been previously established by
+a corps of regulars. The troops were placed in comfortable quarters,
+and a strong guard was detailed to protect the boats at Natchez.
+
+[Sidenote: RETURN HOME.]
+
+Camp regulations were now adopted, and strict orders issued by the
+commanding general, to proceed with the discipline and instruction
+of the troops. Becoming impatient for active duty, he wrote to the
+Secretary of War on the first of March, suggesting the employment
+of his force on the northern frontier, if there was no prospect of
+invasion in the south, or if Congress did not authorize the taking
+possession of Florida. This suggestion was repeated in a second
+letter written on the seventh of March. Before these letters reached
+Washington, an order had been issued from the War Department,
+directing him, on the receipt thereof, to consider his force
+dismissed from the service, and to take measures for the delivery
+of all articles of public property in his possession, to General
+Wilkinson. This unfeeling mandate concluded with a cold tender of
+thanks to himself and the corps under his command.
+
+Jackson was fairly astounded at the blow. His whole command, officers
+and men, joined in denouncing, in unmeasured terms, the Secretary of
+War, General Armstrong, by whom the order was issued. He was still
+more indignant, when he discovered the probable key to the movement,
+in a letter from General Wilkinson, who suggested his encouraging
+the regular recruiting service from the troops he commanded, “in an
+appropriate general order.” Jackson did no such thing;--but, when
+a recruiting officer made his appearance, informed him that if he
+attempted to seduce a single volunteer from the corps, he would drum
+him out of the camp.
+
+The patriotic volunteers who had accompanied General Jackson to
+Natchez were mostly young men--the flower of West Tennessee--the
+sons and brothers of his dearest friends and neighbors. The order he
+had received, required him to abandon these men, who looked up to
+him as a parent, in a strange land, five hundred miles from their
+homes; to deprive them of their arms, their tents and provisions;
+and to leave the sick uncared for, and unattended. This he could
+not, and did not do. He immediately wrote to the Secretary of War,
+denouncing his order, in no very honied words, and to the President,
+complaining of its barbarity, and giving his reasons for partially
+disregarding it. The necessary orders were then given to provide
+wagons and supplies; the men were directed to retain their arms; he
+borrowed five thousand dollars of a merchant in Natchez, on his own
+responsibility, to make up deficiencies; and, as soon as everything
+could be got in readiness, set out on his return march with his whole
+command,--declaring that not a single man should be left behind, “who
+had any life in him.”
+
+Two hundred miles of the route lay through the Choctaw and Chickasaw
+country, and the only essential service rendered by the expedition
+was this homeward march, which overawed the Indians, and deterred
+them from joining the hostile Creeks and Cherokees.--Jackson paid
+every attention to the comfort of his soldiers, up to the last
+moment, strictly fulfilling his solemn pledge not to abandon one of
+them. Frequently he gave up his own horse to the sick, or exhausted
+soldier, and trudged along on foot, cheering all by his example, and
+ever ready with a kind word, to encourage those who faltered.
+
+[Sidenote: CESSION OF LOUISIANA.]
+
+Deeply chagrined though he was, at the result of the expedition to
+Natchez, General Jackson was still anxious to take part in the active
+scenes of the war. The disasters on the northern frontier in 1812,
+and the failure of the projected winter campaign under Harrison,
+in consequence of the incautious advance of General Winchester to
+Frenchtown, had produced a deep impression on his mind. His proud
+spirit smarted under the discredit of defeat; and, on the eighth
+of April, when on his way home, he wrote to the Secretary of War,
+informing him that he should be glad to execute any orders of the
+government in Canada, with his detachment, which could be augmented,
+if necessary. “I have a few standards,” said he, “wearing the
+American eagle, that I should be happy to place upon the ramparts of
+Malden.”
+
+About the middle of May, the Tennessee volunteers reached home and
+were discharged. The Secretary of War informed General Jackson
+that the order to dismiss his force was designed to reach him at
+Fort Massac, near the mouth of the Cumberland; it being supposed
+that he had not yet moved down the river. Though this explanation
+appeared inconsistent with the orders at the same time issued to
+General Wilkinson, its sincerity was not questioned by General
+Jackson. It was sufficient for him that his conduct was sanctioned
+by the government, and that he was relieved from the pecuniary
+responsibilities he had incurred.
+
+Within a few months after his return from Natchez, General Jackson
+was again called from his retirement, to lead a large body of troops
+into the Indian country on the southern borders of Tennessee.
+
+By the treaty of San Ildefonso, concluded on the first day of
+October, 1800, Louisiana was ceded by the Spanish government to
+the French republic. The territorial rights thereby acquired, were
+transferred to the United States, by a treaty concluded at Paris,
+on the thirtieth of April, 1803. Spain was highly incensed at the
+assignment of the territory, and threw every possible obstacle in
+the way of its occupation by the authorities of the United States.
+For a long time she refused absolutely, to yield up a large tract of
+country lying between the Perdido and Mississippi rivers, upon the
+pretence that it belonged to Florida.
+
+During the war on the European continent, a community of feeling
+and interest was established between Spain and England; and it
+was only by the assistance and coöperation of British fleets
+and armies, that Ferdinand VII was able finally to preserve his
+throne. When hostilities commenced between the United States and
+Great Britain,--though solemnly bound by the provisions of a
+treaty concluded with the former, in 1795, to restrain the Indians
+on the frontiers of Florida, by force, from attacking American
+citizens,--Spain, through her officers, permitted British agents sent
+from Canada, to establish themselves at the posts belonging to, or
+occupied by her, and countenanced, or connived at, their efforts to
+stir up the savages to begin an exterminating warfare.
+
+[Sidenote: THE SOUTHERN INDIANS.]
+
+The principal Indian nations in the southern part of the Union
+were the Cherokees, Creeks, Choctaws, and Chickasaws. The two last
+mentioned tribes, together about thirty-five thousand strong, resided
+on the Yazoo, Pearl, and Pascagoula rivers, in the Territory of
+Mississippi; and after the occupation of Louisiana, and the march
+of General Jackson through their country, with his large army,
+on his return from Natchez, they could not be induced to take up
+arms against the Americans. The Cherokees, also, who occupied the
+mountainous country, where the two Carolinas, Georgia, Tennessee,
+and Alabama,--the last a part of Mississippi Territory at the time
+of which I am speaking,--adjoin, or approach each other, with the
+exception of a very small portion of the younger members of the
+tribe, remained on friendly terms with their white neighbors. The
+Creeks, numbering near twenty-five thousand, inhabited the fertile
+and beautiful Aulochewan country; their settlements extending from
+the Gulf of Mexico to the Tennessee river, and from the Chatahoochee
+to the Tombigbee, in the centre of which was the famous Hickory
+Ground, a rich tract of land lying in the forks of the Coosa and
+Tallapoosa, which its aboriginal occupants, from time immemorial,
+held peculiarly sacred. Besides these tribes, there was the Seminole
+band, an off-shoot of the Creeks, who had their homes in the swamps
+and hummocks on the borders of Georgia and Florida.
+
+The Creeks and Seminoles, from their situation, in the vicinity of
+St. Augustine, St. Marks, Pensacola, and Fort Condé, were rendered
+particularly liable to be influenced by the British agents at those
+posts. In the winter of 1811–12, Tecumseh visited the Creeks, and
+exhorted them earnestly to dig up the hatchet. After his departure,
+prophets arose among them, who practiced the same rites and
+incantations with the brother of the Shawano Chief, and, like him,
+professed to have received important revelations from the Great
+Spirit.[17] The older and wiser warriors were exceedingly averse
+to war, but, through the influence and machinations of British and
+Spanish officers who attended their councils, they were overruled by
+the younger and more ambitious spirits of the tribe.
+
+Soon after war was declared, the Seminoles commenced their
+depredations; but in the following winter, a body of Georgia militia,
+with two hundred volunteers from East Tennessee, followed them into
+Florida, burned several of their towns, and returned home again
+in the spring of 1813. Matters were not yet ripe for a general
+outbreak, although it was confidently anticipated, as English vessels
+were known to be sent from the Bahamas to Florida, laden with arms,
+clothing, and ammunition, for the hostile Indians. In January,
+1813, President Madison requested authority from Congress, to take
+possession of the territory claimed by Spain, lying west of the
+Perdido. After some delay, an act was passed, and on the fifteenth of
+April, General Wilkinson appeared before Fort Condé, near Mobile, and
+demanded its surrender. The Spanish commandant made no resistance,
+and the American standard was for the first time planted in the
+disputed territory. Other prominent points in the vicinity of Mobile
+were also occupied by the American troops.
+
+Occasional outrages were committed during the summer of 1813, and
+the white settlers residing in the neighborhood of the Creeks and
+Seminoles lived in a state of constant alarm and agitation. On the
+fifteenth of August, Governor Blount, of Tennessee, was directed to
+detail fifteen hundred of the militia of that state, and hold them in
+readiness for immediate service. These troops were not called out,
+however; and as time wore on without the occurrence of any serious
+calamity, the border inhabitants began to fancy themselves almost
+secure from attack. They were soon aroused from their lethargy, by
+the glare of burning villages, and the rattling war-cry of the Indian
+warrior.
+
+[Sidenote: WAR WITH THE CREEKS.]
+
+On the thirtieth day of August, 1813, Fort Mims, about forty miles
+from Mobile, on the left bank of the Alabama river, and a short
+distance above its junction with the Tombigbee, was surprised
+by a party of Creeks, seven hundred strong, under their chief,
+Weatherford; the garrison, consisting of one hundred and fifty of the
+1st Mississippi volunteers, under Major Beasely, and twenty white
+families who had taken refuge in the fort, with their negroes, in
+all about three hundred and fifty persons, were cruelly massacred.
+But seventeen of the whites made their escape. The perpetration of
+this horrid tragedy excited the utmost consternation at the forts and
+stations on the Tombigbee, of which there were nearly twenty within
+a distance of seventy miles above Fort Stoddart. Most of the forts
+were abandoned, and the affrighted fugitives fled down the river to
+Mobile, which was itself extremely insecure.
+
+General Claiborne, and Governor Holmes of the Mississippi Territory,
+immediately called out a small militia force,--all that it was in
+their power to bring into the field,--for the protection of the
+Mobile country. In Tennessee, the alarm was universal, and the whole
+population were aroused. But little aid could be expected from the
+General Government, all whose means and energies were employed in
+the prosecution of the northern campaign, and the defence of the
+Atlantic coast from the ravages of the more civilized, but not less
+brutal enemy. A public meeting of the citizens of Nashville was held
+on the eighteenth of September, at which resolutions were passed,
+urgently recommending the adoption, by the State Legislature, of
+prompt measures for the invasion of the Creek country. In accordance
+therewith, an act was passed on the twenty-fifth instant, authorizing
+the governor to call out thirty-five hundred men, in addition to the
+fifteen hundred already required by the General Government, who were
+to be immediately put in service, and pledging the faith of the state
+to pay them, if Congress should refuse. A resolution was also adopted
+on the twenty-seventh instant, directing the governor to tender the
+services of the Tennessee troops to the United States.
+
+The public sentiment, with one accord, fixed upon Andrew Jackson
+as the leader of this force. He was still confined to his room, on
+account of the arm fractured in the affray with Colonel Benton,
+which has been mentioned; but when his country called him to the
+field, he was ready to obey her behest. On the twenty-fourth of
+September, Governor Blount directed him to call out, without delay,
+two thousand men of his division, to rendezvous at Fayetteville,--and
+to order Colonel Coffee into immediate service, with five hundred
+cavalry previously raised. The necessary instructions were issued,
+on the same day, to Colonel Coffee, who was further instructed, to
+incorporate with his regiment any companies of volunteer riflemen
+that might present themselves. He also ordered into service the
+volunteers who had accompanied him to Natchez, together with one
+thousand militia from his division.
+
+On the twenty-fifth of September, General Jackson directed a part
+of the cavalry to repair to Huntsville, by forced marches. On the
+twenty-sixth, Colonel Coffee was ordered to move upon the same point
+and wait further orders, and on the twenty-eighth, he was instructed
+to proceed to Fort St. Stephen’s which was said to be threatened by
+the enemy. The state of his health did not permit the general to
+appear at Fayetteville on the fourth of October, the day appointed
+for the rendezvous; but he was represented on that occasion, by his
+aid, Major Reid, through whom he delivered to the assembled troops a
+most eloquent and spirited address. On the seventh instant he reached
+the place of rendezvous, with his arm in a sling, where he found
+a dispatch from Colonel Coffee, who had marched a short distance
+beyond Huntsville, with near thirteen hundred men, informing him that
+the Creeks had divided their forces,--one portion moving towards
+the Georgia line, and the other advancing upon the frontiers of
+Tennessee,--and that, in consequence of this, he had not proceeded to
+Fort St. Stephen’s.
+
+[Sidenote: TROOPS IN THE FIELD.]
+
+It had been generally supposed that the next blow would be struck at
+Mobile--more particularly, because of the facilities which would have
+been afforded to the Indians, by its possession, of communicating
+with their British allies; but the report of Colonel Coffee allayed
+all the fears that had been entertained in regard to the safety of
+that post. Relieved on this point, General Jackson commenced his
+preparations for taking the field. Delay, however brief, was hardly
+admissible, as he desired to terminate the campaign by a few bold and
+decisive movements, but it was necessary, in order to furnish the
+volunteers and militia, who had rendezvoused at Fayetteville, with
+the requisite arms and supplies.
+
+The hostile Creeks, or Red Sticks, numbered only about four thousand
+warriors, and they were now surrounded by an American force large
+enough, had it been properly provided, and directed by a single
+commander, like General Jackson, to have driven them into the Gulf
+of Mexico, or exterminated them in a very few weeks. On the west of
+their settlements, there were six hundred Mississippi volunteers,
+under General Claiborne; the 3rd regiment of regular infantry, six
+hundred strong, under Colonel Russell; and two hundred militia, at
+Fort St. Stephen’s. On the north, were the Tennessee volunteers and
+militia, five thousand in number,--twenty-five hundred from West
+Tennessee, with General Jackson in person, and twenty-five hundred
+from East Tennessee, under Generals Cocke and White,--all under
+the orders of General Jackson; and in addition to these, there was
+a force of two hundred Mississippi volunteers, near Huntsville,
+under Colonel Perkins. On the east were twenty-five hundred Georgia
+militia, commanded by General Floyd. Besides the troops mentioned,
+there was a body of Cherokees and friendly Creeks, sometimes with one
+party and sometimes with another, and varying, at different times,
+from one or two, to seven or eight hundred.
+
+[Sidenote: DESIGNS OF THE BRITISH.]
+
+Had they not been grossly deceived and deluded by their prophets, the
+Creeks could never have hoped to accomplish anything against this
+formidable array. Indeed, they seem to have been strangely infatuated
+throughout; for, instead of concentrating their whole force in an
+attack on Mobile, or the Mississippi or Georgia troops, neither of
+whom were yet fully prepared for the field, they advanced with their
+main body, weakened by a detachment sent towards the frontiers of
+Georgia, against the column under General Jackson, who was ready to
+meet them at any odds, and determined to defeat, when he did meet
+them. It is not probable that the British agents who instigated the
+Creeks to hostilities, anticipated that the latter would achieve any
+certain success. They only supposed that the savages would hold the
+Americans at bay, until a British army could be brought to succor
+them. The resistless energy and perseverance of General Jackson,
+defeated any such project. Long before England was able to dispatch a
+considerable force to the Gulf, he had fallen upon the Creeks like a
+thunderbolt, scattered their warriors, who escaped the deadly aim of
+his rifles, like chaff before the wind, spread terror and devastation
+through their settlements, and forced them, as suppliants, humbly to
+beg for peace.
+
+About one o’clock in the morning of the eleventh of October, an
+express from Colonel Coffee,--who had crossed the Tennessee river
+south of Huntsville, at Ditto’s Landing, and posted his command on
+a high bluff on the opposite shore,--arrived at Fayetteville, with
+the information that the Red Sticks were rapidly approaching his
+position. Jackson instantly replied, that he would be on the march to
+reïnforce him, in two hours. It had been sometime before understood,
+between General Jackson and General Cocke, that the latter would
+send supplies down the river, from East Tennessee, where provisions
+were abundant, to meet the other column at Ditto’s Landing. Hoping,
+rather than believing, that he would be supplied with provisions,
+in sufficient quantities, if he advanced into the enemy’s country,
+Jackson ordered all his disposable force under arms, and left
+Fayetteville early in the morning of the eleventh.
+
+Rumors of Indian massacres and outrages reached the command at every
+stage of their progress. They scarcely halted during the day, and at
+eight o’clock in the evening were in Huntsville, thirty-two miles
+distant. Here General Jackson ascertained that the report in regard
+to the advance of the Creeks was not well founded; and he therefore
+concluded to rest his men till the following morning, when he resumed
+his march, and in the evening effected a junction with the troops
+under Colonel Coffee.
+
+From the positive assurances contained in letters received from
+Generals Cocke and White,--the latter of whom had concentrated
+about eight hundred and fifty men, at Highwassee Garrison, in the
+Cherokee country, on the fourth of October,--General Jackson was
+led to believe that he should find ample stores of provisions when
+he reached the Tennessee river. On the thirteenth of October, he
+dispatched Colonel Coffee, with six hundred men picked from his
+regiment, against Blackwarriors’ Town, on the Blackwarrior river,
+about one hundred miles south of Ditto’s Landing. Day after day
+passed by, and still the supplies did not arrive. The time was
+profitably spent, under the circumstances, in drilling the troops,
+but the delay was, nevertheless, intolerable. Repeated messages
+were received from Chenubby, Pathkiller, and other friendly chiefs,
+informing him that they and their families were liable to be cut off,
+at any moment, by the Red Sticks, who were collecting in force near
+the Ten Islands, on the Coosa River, and urging him to hasten to
+their assistance. He at length determined that he would not longer
+remain inactive.
+
+[Sidenote: ADVANCE TO THOMPSON’S CREEK.]
+
+As his contemplated route to the Coosa lay, for some distance, up
+the Tennessee river, he resolved to advance, hoping to meet the
+stores which he supposed were descending the stream; and so confident
+was he upon this point, that he sent forward expresses to stop them
+at Thompson’s Creek. On the nineteenth of October, he commenced his
+march for that point, with scarcely a week’s rations on hand, having
+previously dismissed the former contractors for his army and supplied
+their places with others.
+
+He was obliged to cut a road for the passage of his wagon train
+through dense forests, and over almost impassable mountains; but he
+only smiled at obstacles when he possessed the means to overcome
+them. On the twenty-second instant, he arrived at Thompson’s Creek,
+but it was only to be again disappointed. No supplies were to be
+found, and nothing could be heard of any. Other generals would have
+given up in despair; but it was not in his nature to falter. Though
+environed by difficulties, which might well have appalled a braver
+spirit, he formed the stern resolution to breast them nobly and
+manfully. To retreat now, would be to abandon the friendly Creeks,
+of whose danger he was again reminded, by a message from Pathkiller,
+at Turkey Town, to their fate,--and to leave the southern frontiers
+of Tennessee exposed to the ruthless ravages of the savage enemy.
+Though the hideous monster, Famine, stared him in the face at every
+step, he resolved to advance to the Ten Islands, and then sweep down
+through the country where the hostiles, or Red Sticks, as they were
+called, in allusion to the emblems which they had adopted, were
+concentrating, to the forks of the Coosa and Tallapoosa.
+
+He addressed earnest and importunate letters to the governors of
+Tennessee and Georgia, to Colonels Meigs and McKee, the Cherokee
+and Choctaw agents, to General Flourney, the commander of the
+seventh military district, to the friendly chiefs, and several
+private citizens of wealth and influence, urging them to leave no
+means untried to throw forward the necessary supplies for his army,
+and pledging himself, if properly furnished in this respect, to
+terminate the war in a very few weeks. While at Thompson’s Creek, he
+received a letter from General White, who had increased his force at
+Highwassee to about thirteen hundred men, besides one or two hundred
+friendly Cherokees, informing him that no flour could be spared at
+that post. He immediately dispatched expresses to Generals Cocke and
+White, apprising them of the condition of his troops in regard to
+provisions, and requiring them to join him as soon as possible in the
+Creek country.
+
+On the twenty-fourth of October, Colonel Coffee returned from his
+expedition, having destroyed Blackwarriors’ Town, and captured three
+hundred bushels of corn, though he had not seen an Indian. The
+provisions of his men were so nearly exhausted, that, during the
+last four days of their excursion, they were obliged to subsist on
+parched corn. In the evening of the twenty-fourth, the preparations
+of General Jackson for a forward movement were completed; a dépôt
+was established at Thompson’s Creek, called Fort Deposit, and means
+provided for forwarding such supplies as might arrive; and, on the
+morning of the twenty-fifth, he put his army in motion for the
+interior, marching, as was his invariable custom, in three columns,
+so arranged that they could be instantly formed in order of battle,
+if attacked in front or in rear, or on either flank.
+
+In two days General Jackson reached Wills’ Creek, a tributary of the
+Coosa, where he encamped till the morning of the twenty-ninth, to
+collect corn from the neighboring Indians,--his army being entirely
+out of bread. On the twenty-eighth instant, Lieutenant Colonel
+Dyer was detached with two hundred cavalry, against the village of
+Littefutchee, which he attacked the following night; the village was
+burned; twenty-nine prisoners were taken; and considerable corn,
+and a number of beeves, were collected from the vicinity. While at
+Wills’ Creek, Jackson was again obliged to remove his contractors,
+and employ others. On the thirtieth instant, he reörganized his
+troops. General Hall was placed in command of the first brigade,
+consisting of the first and second regiments of volunteer infantry,
+under Colonels Bradley and Pillow; and General Roberts in command
+of the second brigade, consisting of the first and second militia
+regiments, under Colonels Wynne and M’Crory. General Coffee, promoted
+from colonel, was placed in command of the cavalry brigade, which
+consisted of the volunteer regiment, Colonel Alcorn, and the mounted
+rifles, Colonel Cannon.
+
+[Sidenote: BATTLE OF TALLUSCHATCHEE.]
+
+The march was then resumed for the Ten Islands. While General Jackson
+was cutting his way over the Coosa mountain, General Coffee was
+ordered to cross the river, at the fish-dams, with one thousand
+men of his brigade, to scour the country in the direction of the
+Ten Islands, and attack the Indian town of Talluschatchee, about
+thirteen miles distant, in an easterly direction, where a large
+force of the enemy had collected. The orders issued to General Coffee
+were gallantly executed. On the morning of the third of November he
+approached the town; the savages in vain attempted to oppose his
+march; and they were driven rapidly back upon their buildings, in and
+about which a fierce and bloody contest took place, that terminated
+in their complete rout and overthrow. Both men and women fought with
+the utmost desperation. One hundred and eighty-six of the enemy,
+including one of their prophets, and a number of women and children,
+were found dead on the field of battle; and there were eighty-four
+taken prisoners, all of whom were women and children. General Coffee
+had five men killed and fourteen wounded. Having destroyed the town
+and buried his dead, he rejoined the main army, at the Ten Islands,
+in the evening of the same day, with his wounded and prisoners.
+
+[Sidenote: KINDNESS TO THE ORPHAN.]
+
+Harassed by constant care and anxiety,--exposed, at every turn,
+to vexatious delays and hindrances, that fretted and annoyed
+him,--General Jackson never lost that kindness and gentleness of
+spirit, which bloomed, bright and pure, amid the intenser passions
+that burned and blazed around it. Among the prisoners taken at
+Talluschatchee, was an infant boy found clinging to the breast of
+his dead mother. He was brought to camp with the others, and General
+Jackson endeavored to hire some of the captive women to take care
+of him. They refused, saying, “All his relations are dead; kill
+him too!”--Jackson then caused him to be fed with sweetened water,
+and afterwards sent him to Huntsville, where he was nursed at his
+expense. After the close of the campaign, he took the little orphan,
+who was named Lincoyer, home with him to the Hermitage, where he was
+reared and educated with parental care and kindness. At a proper age,
+he was apprenticed to a saddler in Nashville; but he never lost his
+Indian tastes. His health began to fail before he reached the age of
+manhood, and he was removed to the Hermitage. He sunk rapidly into
+a consumption, and soon died, sincerely mourned and lamented by the
+general and his wife, who had watched over his sick bed with untiring
+assiduity.
+
+At the Ten Islands, General Jackson established a post, called Fort
+Strother, on the right bank of the Coosa, opposite the mouth of
+Talluschatchee creek. The prisoners brought in by General Coffee
+were forthwith sent to Huntsville. No supplies had yet arrived;
+the army could not be furnished with regular rations; and it was
+hardly known, one day, what they were to subsist on the next. Once
+more the commanding general appealed to the contractors, by every
+consideration of humanity and patriotism, to forward the provisions
+which could alone save his troops from starvation. He likewise again
+wrote to General White, who had arrived at Turkey Town, twenty-five
+miles above Fort Strother, to join him immediately. His dispatch was
+written on the seventh of November, and, late in the evening, before
+it was closed, a runner came in from Lashly’s fort, at Talladega,
+about thirty miles south of Fort Strother, and a short distance east
+of the Coosa, with the intelligence that a large body of Red Sticks
+had encamped near that place, which was occupied by friendly Indians,
+and were preparing to destroy it and the inmates. General Jackson
+could not hesitate to grant the desired succor. He determined to
+march forthwith; the urgent circumstances which induced him to
+advance, were mentioned in the dispatch to General White; and the
+latter was entreated to lose no time in reaching Fort Strother, to
+protect his dépôt and cover his rear.
+
+Marching orders were issued in a few moments after the arrival of
+the runner, and at midnight General Jackson was on the march for
+Talladega, with his whole disposable force, consisting of twelve
+hundred infantry, and eight hundred cavalry and mounted rifles. His
+sick, wounded, and baggage, were left at Fort Strother. Crossing the
+Coosa in the night, he pressed forward with such celerity--officers
+and men vieing with each other in zeal--that, on the evening of
+the eighth instant, he encamped within six miles of the fort at
+Talladega, which was occupied by one hundred and sixty friendly
+warriors, with their women and children. About midnight the chief
+Chenubby arrived from Turkey Town, with a letter from General White,
+informing General Jackson that he had received an order from his
+division commander, General Cocke, to join him at Chattooga, higher
+up the Coosa, and that he could not, therefore, advance to Fort
+Strother.
+
+[Sidenote: BATTLE OF TALLADEGA.]
+
+Jackson’s cup of disappointment was almost full. Neither General
+Cocke, nor General White, wanted in patriotism; but they seem, more
+particularly the former, to have been impressed with the belief,
+that by remaining aloof from General Jackson, they would secure a
+larger share of the honors of the campaign. It seems almost painful
+to contemplate the struggles of the proud and ambitious spirit
+constantly thwarted by their unwise movements. Had they joined him
+at once, the war would have been brought to a close in a few weeks;
+but they preferred to linger behind, in safety and security, eating
+up the provisions better deserved by those who were enduring the
+severest fatigues and privations; and when they recovered from their
+inactivity, and advanced to strike a blow, it proved to be the only
+unfortunate one of the whole campaign.
+
+The dispatch from General White made no change, however, in the
+determination of General Jackson. He resolved to dispose of the
+enemy in his front, and then fall back, with all possible speed,
+to Fort Strother, before the enemy would have time to profit by
+its defenceless condition. The prospect before his troops was
+disheartening in the extreme; if they conquered, there would be no
+food to refresh or reïnvigorate them; yet his example inspired them
+with confidence, and they obeyed his commands without hesitation or
+reluctance.
+
+Long before daylight on the morning of the ninth of November, the
+army was again in motion. Silently threading their way through the
+luxuriant forests, winding over the hills, and crossing the rich
+intervals, that separated them from the enemy, they approached their
+position. Within a mile, they were halted, and formed in order of
+battle. The infantry brigades were placed in the centre,--General
+Hall’s on the right, and General Roberts’ on the left. They were
+flanked, on the right, by Colonel Alcorn’s volunteer cavalry, and, on
+the left, by the mounted rifles of Colonel Cannon. An advanced corps
+of riflemen, spies, and artillery, was formed under Colonel Carroll,
+the inspector general, and a strong reserve of two hundred and fifty
+mounted men, under Lieutenant Colonel Dyer.
+
+At eight o’clock the attack was ordered; and the whole column moved
+rapidly forward, all full of animation and enthusiasm. Colonel
+Carroll preceded the main body, with the advance, having received
+orders to rouse the enemy from the thicket on the banks of a small
+rivulet, in which they had concealed themselves, and then to retire
+towards the centre. The sharp quick report of his rifles, and the
+hideous yells and screams, soon apprised the remainder of the column
+that the savages had been started from their cover. Meantime, the
+infantry regiments, which had previously advanced by heads of
+companies, had displayed, in accordance with the orders of General
+Jackson, and the cavalry were extending themselves, to the right
+and left, so as to encircle the enemy. The orders issued by the
+commanding general required the cavalry to keep up their connection
+with the flanks of the infantry. This was neglected on the right, and
+the plan of attack, which was most skilfully formed, was partially
+defeated by this untoward circumstance. Colonel Bradley, the officer
+commanding the infantry regiment on the right, also halted his men on
+a rising ground, before he came in contact with the enemy, and the
+gap was thereby considerably widened.
+
+[Sidenote: DEFEAT OF THE ENEMY.]
+
+When the fronts of the cavalry columns met on the further side of the
+enemy, they faced inwardly, and a general rush was made towards the
+centre. The Indians did not appear inclined to fly, at first, but
+made a bold onset upon the right wing of General Roberts’ brigade.
+Three of the companies, after delivering their fire, began to
+stagger, and finally fell back in the rear. Colonel Bradley was then
+ordered to advance with his regiment, and fill up the vacancy. This
+he declined doing; and General Jackson, much against his will, as he
+designed the reserve to pursue the enemy if they attempted to escape,
+was forced to direct Lieutenant Colonel Dyer to dismount his men, and
+engage them. Observing this movement, the retiring militia rallied
+and did good service.
+
+The action was not of long continuance. The savages could not
+withstand the destructive fire poured in upon them from every side,
+and in fifteen minutes they commenced flying hither and thither,
+within the circle, seeking some avenue of escape. Whichsoever way
+they turned, they encountered the rifle and the bayonet. At length,
+they discovered the opening between Colonel Alcorn’s regiment of
+cavalry, on the right, and the volunteers of Colonel Bradley.
+Through this numbers of them dashed, hotly pursed by both cavalry
+and infantry, who followed them for nearly three miles, strewing the
+ground throughout the whole distance with their dead bodies. The
+Indian force numbered one thousand and eighty warriors, of whom two
+hundred and ninety-nine were found killed on the field of battle, and
+many more must have perished in the woods. The Americans lost but
+fifteen killed, and eighty-five wounded, some of the latter mortally.
+
+The occupants of the fort thus timely relieved, crowded around
+General Jackson and his brave troops, and poured forth their thanks
+in eloquent and impressive terms. There were only one hundred and
+sixty warriors, with their women and children, and the arrival of
+the Tennesseans was most opportune, as the Red Sticks were to have
+assaulted the fort in a few hours. They had been entirely cut off
+from their supply of water, and had suffered considerably for want of
+it. Their stock of provisions was also limited; but on discovering
+the condition of Jackson’s troops, who had left Fort Strother with
+but little over one day’s rations, they cheerfully furnished them all
+they had to spare, which scarcely amounted to a single meal.
+
+General Jackson complimented his troops, in the highest terms, for
+their gallantry in this action. All the officers, with the exception
+of Colonel Bradley, who was placed under arrest, but afterwards
+released, were mentioned in his dispatches in terms of marked
+approbation.
+
+[Sidenote: DESTITUTION OF THE TROOPS.]
+
+An instant retreat to Fort Strother was now necessary. The
+horses were suffering for the want of forage, and the men were
+half-famished, when they turned their backs on the field of victory,
+and commenced their retrograde march. Jackson was with the van of the
+army, and on the way discovered a quantity of acorns lying on the
+ground. Dismounting from his horse, he threw the bridle over his arm,
+and, having gathered a few of the nuts, sat down on the roots of a
+tree to eat them. He was thus engaged in satisfying his hunger, when
+a soldier approached him, and demanded something to eat. “I never
+turn away the hungry,” said the general, “while I have anything to
+give them.” He then offered the soldier a few acorns, adding, “I will
+most cheerfully divide with you such food as I have.” Mortified and
+surprised, the man shrunk back among his companions, who thereafter
+repressed every disposition to murmur or complain.
+
+The army reached Fort Strother on the evening of the eleventh
+of November, but it was only to be once more disappointed. No
+provisions, except the limited quantities forwarded by the
+contractors, had yet arrived; and the private stores of the general
+had been almost exhausted, in order to supply the wants of the sick
+and wounded. Still he assumed a cheerful and confident tone, though
+sad enough at heart, and resorting to the slaughter-pens, provided
+himself with tripes, with which he made what he termed a comfortable
+repast. His example was imitated by the soldiers, who seemed inclined
+willingly to endure the hardships of the campaign.
+
+But matters could not long continue in this situation. The battles of
+Talluschatchee and Talladega had satisfied, to a considerable degree,
+the desire for adventure which had previously animated the troops in
+the midst of the most embarrassing difficulties, and they soon began
+to pine for the comforts of home. Starvation was far more terrible to
+them than “an army with banners.” They were brave,--this could not
+be doubted,--and they would have gladly followed their general into
+the very heart of the Creek country, if they could only have been
+assured that a reasonable supply of food would be provided; of the
+two enemies whom they met in the wilderness, they feared the savage
+least; and was it not asking too much that they should encounter both?
+
+Disaffection gradually gained ground, and, in a few days, the whole
+army was on the verge of mutiny. The militia regiments were the
+first to make known their determination to leave the camp, and return
+to Tennessee. Apprised of their intention, General Jackson ordered
+the volunteer brigade under arms, and when the militia attempted to
+move off, the former were directed to fire upon them unless they
+returned to their duty. This had the desired effect. The overawed
+militia retired to their tents, but, on the following morning,
+they were themselves paraded, in a similar manner, to prevent
+the volunteers from deserting their colors. This arraying of one
+species of force against another was a bold and happy conception of
+Jackson’s; but it would not bear repetition. No one could be better
+aware than himself, that the men had reasonable cause for complaint,
+even though he insisted on a rigid compliance with his orders to
+remain at Fort Strother. The horses were suffering so much, however,
+for the want of forage, that the mounted men received permission to
+go back to Huntsville, upon their pledge to return promptly when
+required to do so.
+
+[Sidenote: SUPPRESSION OF THE MUTINY.]
+
+Having been positively assured by the new contractor, Colonel
+Pope, in reply to his earnest and pathetic appeals, that supplies
+would soon reach his camp, General Jackson made a most eloquent
+and animated harangue to his troops on the fourteenth of November,
+exhorting them, by every consideration and argument which should
+influence brave and patriotic citizens, not to abandon the service,
+and leave the frontier settlements exposed to the desolating
+incursions of the Indians. He also promised them, that if a supply
+of provisions did not arrive within two days, he would himself
+lead them back where there was plenty. The militia consented to
+remain; but the volunteer regiments, forgetful of the heavy debt
+of gratitude which they owed to their commander, for his refusal
+to desert them the previous winter, at Natchez, when they had been
+abandoned by their government, determined to march forthwith to
+the settlements. Discovering that it was useless longer to attempt
+compulsory measures, General Jackson issued the necessary orders to
+General Hall, to conduct his brigade to Fort Deposit. Before the
+march was commenced, the second regiment wisely reconsidered their
+determination, and concluded to stay with the general; whereupon the
+first regiment moved off alone.
+
+The specified time elapsed, and still no provisions had arrived.
+On the sixteenth, General Jackson commenced his preparations for
+the abandonment of Fort Strother; but, on reflecting how much
+this movement would reïnspirit the savages, he declared that he
+would not leave the post, if only two men would remain with him.
+Captain Gordon, of the spies, instantly volunteered to be one of
+his companions, and through his exertions, and those of some of the
+members of the general staff, one hundred and nine men were found who
+agreed to stay.
+
+Feeling confident, however, that supplies were close at hand, General
+Jackson marched with the militia, apprising them, in advance, that
+they would be ordered back if his expectations should be realized.
+Within ten or twelve miles of the fort, they met one hundred and
+fifty beeves. The column at once halted; the cattle were knocked
+down, and eagerly cooked and eaten by the half-starved troops. But
+when the order to return was issued, none obeyed it. One company,
+indeed, had resumed the march, before the general discovered the
+mutinous disposition which prevailed among the troops. He immediately
+dashed ahead of the men who were moving off, and with General Coffee,
+a part of the staff, and a few soldiers, formed a line across the
+road, and declared that he would fire on them if they endeavored
+to pass. Well knowing that he was not the man to forfeit his word,
+they fell back to the main body, who were soon discovered to be
+likewise infected with the spirit of mutiny. Arguments and entreaties
+proved of no avail,--the troops all formed, and were on the point of
+continuing their march to Fort Deposit. As a last resort, the general
+snatched a musket, threw it across the neck of his horse, and placing
+himself in front of the column, declared that he would shoot down the
+first man who moved a single step in advance.
+
+The piece which General Jackson had seized was too much out of order
+to be fired, and his arm was so weak that he could not aim it with
+any precision; but the men before him knew nothing of this, or, if
+they did, thought not of it. They only saw his flashing eye, and his
+determined look. General Coffee and some of the staff took their
+places in silence beside him. Two faithful companies also formed in
+his rear. All were ready to fire when he gave the signal. For several
+moments not a word was uttered. At length the power of numbers
+quailed before the iron will, the moral greatness of that one man.
+The mutineers signified their willingness to return, and in a short
+time they were retracing their steps to Fort Strother.
+
+[Sidenote: DESTRUCTION OF THE HILLABEE TOWNS.]
+
+While General Jackson was engaged in quelling the disturbances in
+his camp, the East Tennesseans, under General White, were proceeding
+against the Hillabee towns, the warriors from which had been present
+at the battle of Talladega. Intimidated by the result of this action,
+they had applied to General Jackson, on the thirteenth of November,
+for terms of peace. On the seventeenth he replied, making known to
+them the conditions upon which their request would be granted. On the
+same night, General White, who had been detached for this service by
+General Cocke, on the eleventh of November, with all his cavalry and
+mounted infantry, approached the principal Hillabee village, having
+previously destroyed Little Oakfuskie, Genalga, and Netta Chaptoa.
+At daylight the town was surprised, sixty warriors were killed, and
+two hundred and fifty taken prisoners, without the loss of a drop of
+blood on the part of General White’s command.
+
+This unfortunate movement--unfortunate, inasmuch as the blow fell
+with crushing weight upon a people already subdued, and anxious to
+make peace on any terms--confirmed General Cocke in the opinion which
+he had previously formed and communicated to General Jackson on the
+fourteenth of November, that it was far better to unite his forces
+with those of the latter, and act in concert with him, than, by
+remaining separate, to paralyze his efforts, and defeat his plans.
+Thereafter he made no attempt to operate independently of General
+Jackson, and on the twelfth of December joined him at Fort Strother,
+with fourteen hundred and fifty men.
+
+Meanwhile the Georgia militia, under General Floyd, though, like the
+Tennessee troops, much embarrassed by the want of supplies, had been
+advancing from the frontier of that state into the Creek country.
+Early in the morning of the twenty-ninth of November, they surprised
+the Indian town of Antossee, situated on the left bank of the
+Tallapoosa, about twenty miles above its junction with the Coosa, and
+which the savages had been taught by their prophets to consider holy
+ground. The force under General Floyd consisted of nine hundred and
+fifty Georgians, and between three and four hundred friendly Indians.
+Antossee, and another town about five hundred yards lower down, were
+occupied by large parties of the enemy. Both were attacked at the
+same moment; the houses were set on fire; and a furious contest took
+place amid the surrounding flames. The Indians were ultimately routed
+and dispersed, with the loss of two hundred killed and wounded.
+General Floyd was himself severely wounded; and there were eleven
+of his men killed, and fifty-four wounded. As the principal Creek
+towns were within a short distance of Antossee, he completed the work
+of destruction, and immediately retired to the Chatahoochee, which
+he reached without molestation. On the ninth of December, another
+detachment of Georgia militia, under General Adams, consisting of
+five hundred and thirty men, marched on a second expedition against
+the towns on the Tallapoosa. They were unable to bring the enemy to
+action, but destroyed two of their villages, and then returned to
+camp.
+
+[Sidenote: ECCANAHACA DESTROYED.]
+
+While these operations were going on, east and north of the Creeks,
+the regulars and militia on the west, though cut off from all
+communication with the other columns, by the trackless forests which
+separated them, were not inactive. On the thirteenth of December,
+General Claiborne moved up the Alabama river, from Fort Stoddart,
+with a detachment, in order to destroy the towns above the mouth of
+the Cahawba. On the twenty-third instant he attacked Eccanahaca, or
+Holy Ground, a new town erected since the commencement of the war,
+in the midst of tangled thickets, and almost impenetrable swamps
+and morasses. This village was the general dépôt of the Indians in
+this section, and contained large quantities of property and stores
+of provisions. It consisted of about two hundred houses, and was
+occupied by a considerable body of the enemy, under the half-breed
+chief, Weatherford. General Claiborne advanced upon the town, with
+his force divided into three columns. The Indians were quickly driven
+out, leaving thirty dead on the ground. Having no facilities for
+removing the property or provisions, the general ordered them to be
+consumed with the town. He also destroyed another village, containing
+sixty houses, eight miles higher up the river.
+
+Among the slain at Eccanahaca were three Shawnee warriors, who had
+probably joined the hostile Creeks after the terrible defeat of their
+tribe on the banks of the Thames, in October previous; and among
+the trophies of the expedition, was a letter to Weatherford, from
+Manriquez, the Spanish governor of Florida, dated at Pensacola, the
+twenty-ninth of September, affording ample and conclusive evidence of
+his connivance with the Red Sticks.[18]
+
+The troops called out under the authority of the Legislature of
+Tennessee, were accepted by the General Government, and on the
+seventh of November, General Pinckney, previously in charge of
+the sixth military district, was ordered to assume command of the
+seventh. His plan of conducting the campaign contemplated the
+junction of the various corps operating in the Creek country, at the
+confluence of the Coosa and Tallapoosa; and instructions were issued
+by him to the different commanders, requiring them to take possession
+of the country as they advanced, so as, at all times, to keep open
+their communication in the rear.
+
+[Sidenote: ANOTHER MUTINY.]
+
+After allaying the mutiny in his camp, in November, General Jackson
+visited Fort Deposit and Ditto’s Landing, to make arrangements for
+supplying his army, preparatory to another forward movement which
+he had in contemplation. Requisitions were issued for furnishing
+a suitable number of rations at Fort Strother, Talladega, and the
+junction of the Coosa and Tallapoosa, together with wagons and
+pack-horses for their transportation. He then returned to Fort
+Strother with the first regiment of volunteers. Shortly after
+his return a new cause of disturbance arose. The volunteers had
+originally engaged to serve for twelve months, and they claimed that
+their term of service would expire on the tenth of December. General
+Jackson, however, contended that the period which elapsed between the
+time of their dismissal, after their return from Natchez, and that
+of their subsequent remuster, at Fayetteville, must be deducted. Each
+party insisted on its particular view of the case; and in the evening
+of the ninth of December, General Jackson was informed by General
+Hall, that his brigade were preparing to move off, with, or without
+permission, on the following morning.
+
+General Jackson had become familiar with scenes of this character,
+and he immediately issued an order, stating that an actual mutiny
+existed in the camp, and commanding all officers and soldiers to
+unite in putting it down. He further directed the volunteer brigade
+to parade on the west side of the fort; the company of artillerists
+were ordered to take post, with one piece in front, and one in rear,
+of their line; and the militia, under Colonel Wynne, were instructed
+to occupy the eminences in advance. These dispositions being made,
+the general rode in front of the volunteers, and addressed each
+company separately, in eloquent and animated terms, informing them
+that he had submitted the question in dispute to the governor, and
+that, until his decision was known, or reïnforcements joined him, he
+could not dispense with their services. He appealed to every noble
+and worthy motive to induce them to remain; but declared, that he
+should do his duty, regardless of consequences; and that they could
+not leave him, without passing over his dead body. “Now,” said he, in
+conclusion, “argument is at an end; and you must choose, and that at
+once, whether you will go or stay!”
+
+Not a word was uttered in reply, by the volunteers. He then demanded
+a prompt answer. Still there was no response. He now ordered the
+artillerists to prepare their matches. Ere the order was obeyed, the
+obstinacy of the men gave way before his unyielding firmness. “Let us
+return,” was whispered from one to another, with trembling lips; and
+the officers soon came forward, and pledged themselves and their men,
+to remain until the general should hear from the governor, or the
+expected reïnforcements arrive.
+
+On the twelfth of December, General Cocke reached the camp, from Fort
+Armstrong, with the East Tennesseans. General Jackson then issued
+an address to the volunteer brigade, offering to permit those who
+desired to leave him, to return at once to Nashville, and those who
+chose to remain, to organize themselves into a separate corps, with
+officers of their own selection. But one man in the whole brigade,
+Captain Williamson, consented to stay; the remainder were marched
+back to Nashville, by General Hall, and soon after discharged from
+the service.
+
+The regiment of volunteer cavalry belonging to General Coffee’s
+brigade, claimed the same indulgence with the volunteer infantry,
+and the mounted rifles insisted that they were only bound for a
+three months’ tour of duty. About one-half the brigade abandoned the
+service, at Huntsville, and the other half returned to Fort Deposit,
+but they also subsequently deserted their commander,--General
+Coffee exerting himself, in vain, to induce them to remain,--and
+returned home. These defections, and the expiration of the terms of
+service of a portion of General Cocke’s division, reduced the force
+under General Jackson, at Fort Strother, to six hundred militia,
+two companies of spies, under Captains Gordon and Russell, one of
+artillery, under Captain Deadrick, and a few volunteers from the
+various corps, who had been, “faithful among the faithless found.”
+The militia demanded their discharge at the expiration of three
+months, although it had been supposed they were enlisted for six, and
+it was not thought advisable to compel them to remain.
+
+All these difficulties in keeping the troops in the field arose from
+the want of sufficient supplies. Had General Jackson been properly
+supported in this respect, it is probable there would not have been
+a single case of defection, and the first of January, 1814, would
+have witnessed the complete subjection of the Creeks. Still he was
+determined to prosecute the campaign, as soon as he should be in
+a condition to move forward. After the return of the militia, he
+was left with only about one hundred men, and was, in consequence,
+obliged to employ the friendly Cherokees in garrisoning Fort
+Armstrong and protecting the stores at Camp Ross. Generals Cocke and
+Roberts, Colonel Carroll, and Major Searcy, the aid of the commanding
+general, were at this time absent in Tennessee, exerting themselves
+to raise additional troops.
+
+[Sidenote: LETTER TO GOVERNOR BLOUNT.]
+
+On being informed of the situation of General Jackson, Governor
+Blount advised him to fall back from his advanced posts, and content
+himself with defending the frontiers of the state, until he was
+placed in sufficient force to carry on the war. On the twenty-ninth
+of December, 1813, the general unburthened his whole soul to the
+governor,
+
+           “In thoughts that breathe, and words that burn.”
+
+“What!” said he, in his letter, “retrograde under such
+circumstances! I will perish first. What! a governor of a patriotic
+state, whose citizens pressed for war, who bawled for permission
+to exterminate the Creeks, to pause or hesitate at such a crisis
+as this? Such conduct cannot be justified, cannot be excused. Hear
+the voice of a friend: If you compel me to retrograde, the awful
+responsibility must and will be ascribed to you.... I shall do my
+duty. I will retain the post, or die in the struggle, unless ordered
+to retreat by my commanding general!”
+
+The earnest appeals of General Jackson, whose intrepidity of spirit
+and resoluteness of purpose appeared only the more conspicuous, when
+fortune smiled the most unkindly on him, were not without effect. On
+the thirteenth of January, 1814, he was joined at Fort Strother, by
+two regiments of mounted men, eight hundred and fifty strong, under
+Colonels Perkins and Higgins, who had volunteered for sixty days.
+Previous to this time, he had ascertained that the hostile Indians
+from several towns on the Tallapoosa, had concentrated in a bend of
+the river, thirty-five miles south-east of Talladega, near the mouth
+of the Emuckfaw Creek, and were either preparing to attack Fort
+Armstrong, or the Georgia troops.
+
+The volunteer, cavalry having been enlisted for so short a period,
+it was necessary to act speedily if he desired to avail himself of
+their services. On the day of their arrival at Fort Strother, he
+issued orders directing them to hold themselves in readiness for the
+march, and, on the fifteenth and sixteenth of January, crossed the
+Coosa with his whole force, numbering seven hundred and sixty-seven
+men, though the official reports, which were not corrected lest the
+army should be intimidated by the knowledge of its weakness, showed a
+total of nine hundred and thirty.
+
+[Sidenote: BATTLE OF EMUCKFAW.]
+
+At Talladega, General Jackson was joined by two hundred friendly
+Creeks and Cherokees. The march was continued without intermission,
+and on the night of the twentieth instant, he encamped at
+Enotochopco, one of the Hillabee villages, within twelve miles of
+Emuckfaw. In the morning of the twenty-first, the army proceeded
+direct towards the bend of the river where the enemy were said to be
+fortified. About the middle of the afternoon, the spies discovered
+two Indians, who were pursued, but made their escape. Advancing a
+short distance further, they came upon the main trail of the savages.
+The general then determined to encamp and reconnoitre the surrounding
+country. A proper position having been selected, the army encamped
+in a hollow square. Pickets and spies were thrown out on every side;
+the sentinels were doubled; fires were built in a circle around the
+encampment; and every precaution taken to guard against a surprise.
+
+Though General Jackson knew it not, as his spies could obtain but
+little information, he was in the immediate vicinity of the three
+principal, and most formidable, bands of the Red Sticks. Girded by
+the belt of watch-fires which their vigilant and sagacious commander
+directed to be formed, in order to prevent the approach of an enemy
+undiscovered, his troops reposed in security. All remained quiet till
+ten o’clock in the evening, when three of the savages were descried
+stealing cautiously towards one of the pickets. They were instantly
+fired on, and one of them was shot down. About an hour later, the
+spies came in, and reported that there was a large Indian encampment
+three miles distant, and that its occupants were whooping and
+dancing, as if preparing to go out on the war-path. The general was
+further informed by one of the spies, an intelligent Indian, that the
+enemy were sending away their women and children--a sure indication
+that they intended to decamp, or attack him, before morning. Orders
+were now given for the men to be prepared for action, at any moment.
+
+Moments and hours passed by in anxious suspense. From time to time
+the orders enjoining strict caution and vigilance were repeated.
+The darkest hour of the morning--the time usually selected by the
+Indians for their attacks--approached; and when everything was the
+most quiet and undisturbed, all at once there rose a loud pealing
+yell on the left of the encampment, and with it came a hurtling
+volley of rifle-balls. A deafening responsive shout went up, within
+that fiery circle, like the wild pibroch of some Gaelic clan, rousing
+the martial spirit of all who heard it. The enemy kept up a rapid
+and unintermitting fire; but they could not approach near enough to
+effect any execution, without entering the line of light which the
+timely precaution of Jackson had thrown around his men; and whenever
+a single swart form, or painted visage, was disclosed, the American
+bullet sped away on its sure errand of death.
+
+[Sidenote: THE ENEMY REPULSED.]
+
+When the alarm was first given, General Coffee, Colonel Carroll, and
+Colonel Sitler, the adjutant general,--who, with a number of other
+officers previously belonging to different detachments, had remained
+with the commander to whom they were devotedly attached, and formed
+themselves into a corps, without privates,--mounted their horses
+and rode to the left. Their presence inspirited and encouraged the
+troops, and the savages were held firmly at bay till the dawning
+light enabled objects to be distinguished with precision. A company
+of infantry was then ordered to that flank, and thus strengthened,
+General Coffee, supported by Colonels Higgins and Carroll, led the
+whole line to the charge. The red warriors were driven from their
+coverts at the point of the bayonet, and pursued for more than two
+miles; the friendly Indians joining in the chase, and marking their
+pathway with the blood of the slain.
+
+The enemy having been effectually repulsed, General Coffee was
+ordered to advance to the Indian encampment, with four hundred men
+and all the friendly warriors, and destroy it. On approaching it, he
+found that it was too strongly fortified to be carried by assault,
+and therefore returned to bring up the company of artillery. Before
+he again set out, his services were required at the camp. Within half
+an hour after his return, a body of savages were observed on the
+right, who opened a brisk fire on a party searching for the Indian
+shot by the picket on the previous night. General Coffee solicited
+the honor of attacking them. He was directed to take two hundred
+men with him, but through some mistake, he was followed by only
+fifty-four men, all of whom belonged to the company of volunteer
+officers which he commanded. With this small force, he fell with such
+fury on the left flank of the assailants, that they were forced to
+take shelter in a thicket on the bank of a small creek.
+
+In the meantime, as had been anticipated by General Jackson, who
+supposed the demonstration on the right to be a mere _ruse de
+guerre_, the main body of the enemy came rushing like demons, with
+the most hideous and discordant yells, on the left of the American
+encampment. He instantly repaired thither in person. His men always
+knew how to fight under his eyes, and they stood their ground with
+veteran intrepidity and firmness. A few well-directed and effective
+volleys were delivered, and resort was then had to the bayonet; the
+men advancing to the charge under the orders of Colonel Carroll. Once
+more the enemy fled with precipitation, and were hotly pursued some
+distance from the camp.
+
+The savages were now completely repulsed on the left, and General
+Coffee and his little band, who had been forced back into the open
+wood where the battle commenced, were reïnforced by one hundred
+friendly warriors. General Coffee, though severely wounded in the
+fierce conflict, which had deprived him of several of his best
+officers, including his aid, Major Donelson, placed himself at the
+head of the united force, and charged home upon the assailants. They
+could no longer make head against him, but retreated in confusion.
+The pursuit was continued for about three miles, in which forty-five
+of the enemy were killed.
+
+Victorious as he was, General Jackson was still in a precarious
+position. His men had but few rations left, and the horses had not
+had corn or cane, for two days. The main object of the expedition--a
+diversion in favor of the Georgia troops--had been accomplished; yet
+his small force was seriously crippled, and it was to be feared, if
+he remained at Emuckfaw, that the Red Sticks would rally in greater
+numbers, and attack him once more, under all his disadvantages.
+He therefore decided to fall back to Fort Strother as soon as
+practicable. The remainder of the day was spent in burying the
+dead, in taking care of the wounded and preparing litters for their
+transportation, and in fortifying the camp. The militia sentinels
+were repeatedly alarmed during the night, probably by their own
+fancies, as no enemy was discovered; and on the morning of the
+twenty-third, without having been again molested, the army commenced
+the return march.
+
+Not a solitary Indian was seen through the day, except those attached
+to the command. They defiled, without interruption, through a
+hurricane, covered with the huge bolls of prostrate oaks and pines,
+with straggling branches of trees flung in every direction, and
+closely-matted weeds and brambles, in which there were numerous
+hiding-places that might have afforded shelter to an enemy; and just
+before sunset, they arrived at Enotochopco, where they halted for the
+night, selecting a strong position, which they fortified, within a
+quarter of a mile of the creek.
+
+[Sidenote: BATTLE OF ENOTOCHOPCO.]
+
+In the evening, small parties of the hostile savages were seen
+prowling about the encampment, although no attack was made. This
+circumstance, in connection with the fact that he had not been
+molested during the day, convinced General Jackson that the enemy had
+got in the advance, and were lying in wait for him at a dangerous
+defile where he had forded the creek on his outward march. He
+therefore sent out his pioneers, who discovered another crossing,
+about six hundred yards lower down, which was approached through open
+woodlands; and, unlike the other, its banks sloped gently down, and
+were tolerably free from reeds and underbrush. The lower ford was, of
+course, selected, in preference to the one above.
+
+Presuming that the Indians would rush upon his men, when they were
+engaged in passing the stream, the general made his preparations with
+great care, and issued his orders with unusual precision. Colonel
+Carroll was ordered to take command of the centre of the rear-guard;
+Colonel Perkins of the right column; and Colonel Stump of the left.
+Captain Russell was directed to bring up the rear with his company
+of spies. If attacked, Colonel Carroll was instructed to face about,
+display, and maintain his ground; while the right and left columns
+were to face outward, wheel back on their pivots, and then attack the
+Indians on both flanks.
+
+[Sidenote: SUDDENNESS OF THE ATTACK.]
+
+In this order the crossing proceeded on the morning of the
+twenty-fourth. The front-guard, the wounded, and a part of the flank
+columns, had passed over; and the artillery were in the act of
+entering the creek--General Jackson being on the bank superintending
+the movement--when an alarm gun was fired in the rear. The instant
+after, the whole troop of Indians, who had discovered the effort to
+turn their position, came plunging down upon the rear-guard. Captain
+Russell received them gallantly, and fell back in good order. Colonel
+Carroll had scarcely given the order to halt and form, when the right
+and left columns, headed by their officers, broke and fled down the
+bank. Colonel Stump was among the foremost, and as he approached
+General Jackson’s position, the latter attempted to cut him down with
+his sword.
+
+All was now confusion and disorder. The panic was communicated to the
+rear-guard, most of whom followed the example of their companions.
+Colonel Carroll, and Captain Quarles, were left with only twenty-five
+men, yet they sustained the unequal contest with unflinching bravery.
+The savages were checked in their advance, but the men were rapidly
+falling, and the iron hail came thicker and faster. General Jackson
+fairly boiled over with rage and indignation; yet, smothering his
+passion, he gave his orders coolly and calmly, but in a tone that
+rang like the blast of a trumpet. Words of encouragement were not
+wanting; and when the fearless and intrepid Coffee sprang from
+his litter into the saddle, he cried, “We shall whip them yet, my
+men!--the dead have risen and come to aid us!”
+
+The company of artillery, who were armed with muskets, now rushed
+up the acclivity, and ranged themselves by the side of Colonel
+Carroll and his little band, while their commander, Lieutenant
+Armstrong[19]--Captain Deadrick being absent--and a few of his men,
+dragged up their six pounder. The gun had been unlimbered at the
+foot of the height, and when they prepared to load it, the rammer
+and picker were missing. No time was to be lost, as the savages were
+fast closing upon them. One of the men instantly wrested off his
+bayonet, and rammed the cartridge home with his musket; another used
+his ramrod as a picker, and primed with a musket cartridge. Twice was
+the gun loaded and fired with grapeshot. At the second discharge, the
+enemy were thrown into confusion, when Colonel Carroll pressed upon
+them with the bayonet, and forced them to retire a short distance,
+though they still persisted in the attack.
+
+Meanwhile, Captain Gordon, whose company had been in the advance, had
+moved round and thrown himself upon the left flank of the Indians;
+and a few moments later, General Jackson brought up a considerable
+number of the rear-guard and flankers, whom he had rallied and
+reformed, with the assistance of General Coffee, Colonel Higgins, and
+other officers. Finding themselves baffled at every point, the enemy
+gave up the contest and made a hasty retreat, throwing away their
+packs as they fled, and leaving twenty-six of their warriors dead on
+the field.
+
+In this series of engagements, at Emuckfaw and Enotochopco, General
+Jackson lost twenty men killed, and seventy-five wounded, four of
+them mortally. One hundred and eighty-nine dead bodies of the enemy
+were counted; but they removed all their wounded, and, probably, many
+who were killed outright.
+
+[Sidenote: A NEW ARMY RAISED.]
+
+Important as were these actions in their immediate results, they
+assumed additional consequence, as effecting a fortunate diversion
+in favor of the troops under General Floyd. He was attacked by the
+savages, at Camp Defiance, shortly before daylight, on the morning
+of the twenty-seventh of January, three days after the battle of
+Enotochopco. The furious onset of the savages was with difficulty
+resisted, and they were only repulsed with the loss of seventeen
+men killed, and one hundred and thirty-two wounded. Three hundred
+warriors, at the least, were rendered _hors du combat_ in the several
+contests with General Jackson, and many more were intimidated from
+again taking up arms; and had they been present, the Georgia force
+might, not unlikely, have been overpowered.
+
+After caring for his dead and wounded, General Jackson resumed his
+march, and arrived at Fort Strother on the twenty-seventh of January.
+On the twenty-eighth, General Coffee and his corps of officers were
+directed to return home, and wait the orders of the government; and
+on the thirty-first instant, General Roberts was ordered to conduct
+the volunteer regiments, whose bravery and patriotism were highly
+commended by the commanding general, back to Fayetteville, where they
+were discharged.
+
+The brilliant successes of General Jackson in the Creek country now
+began to attract unusual attention. The commander of the military
+district, General Pinckney, referred to his conduct in terms of
+strong approbation, and suggested his name to the Secretary of
+War, for an appointment in the regular army. He had fought himself
+into the confidence and affections of the public, and he had no
+further need to depend on the reluctant services of a disorderly and
+half-mutinous soldiery.
+
+So far from being offended at the tone and language of General
+Jackson’s letter, Governor Blount properly appreciated the feelings
+of the writer, and made every possible exertion to send him both
+troops and supplies. Men were not wanting to enrol their names;
+but there were hundreds and thousands who longed to fight beneath
+the standard, and under the eye, of Andrew Jackson. On the third of
+February, General Doherty arrived at Camp Ross with two thousand
+men from East Tennessee; and, shortly after, General Johnston
+reported himself at Huntsville, with over seventeen hundred men,
+from West Tennessee. Two regiments of cavalry, one from each section
+of the state, under Colonels Dyer and Brown, also appeared, and
+were organized into a brigade, under General Coffee. On the sixth
+of February, the 39th infantry, under Colonel Williams, about six
+hundred strong, joined General Jackson at Fort Strother, and about
+the same time, the Choctaws took up the hatchet against the Red
+Sticks, and offered him their services.
+
+It was the intention of General Jackson to advance as soon as
+possible towards the bend of the Tallapoosa, near which the battle
+of Emuckfaw had been fought, and where, he was assured, the main
+strength of the enemy lay. The want of supplies, as usual, retarded
+his movements. It was now the rainy season; the streams were very
+much swollen, and the bridges swept away; the roads were soaked with
+water, and terribly cut up; and, although he kept five hundred men
+at work on the route between Fort Deposit and Fort Strother, several
+weeks elapsed before he was able to collect twenty days’ rations at
+the latter place.
+
+[Sidenote: PREPARATIONS TO TAKE THE FIELD.]
+
+While the general was making his preparations at Fort Strother, most
+of the detachments composing the force under his command remained in
+the rear, that the supplies thrown forward to that post might not be
+too quickly consumed. During this period of inaction, the spirit of
+mutiny again made its appearance, among the West Tennessee troops. He
+felt that he had so far dealt too leniently with this offence, and
+determined to visit it with summary punishment. A private belonging
+to General Johnston’s command was convicted of open mutiny, and
+sentenced to death. This was his second offence, and the general
+firmly refused to pardon him. The sentence was carried into effect,
+and the example thus presented exerted a most salutary influence on
+the whole army.
+
+Early in March, General Jackson had finally completed his
+arrangements. Colonel Dyer was ordered to scour the country between
+the Coosa, Blackwarrior, and Cahawba, as low down as the old Coosa
+towns; the Choctaws and Chickasaws were directed to watch the
+country west of the Tombigbee, and prevent the escape of any of
+the Red Sticks beyond the Mississippi; and the Cherokees received
+instructions to range about the headwaters of the Tallapoosa. At
+the same time, there was a large force of North Carolina and South
+Carolina militia, under Colonel Pearson, who had relieved the Georgia
+troops under General Floyd, on the eastern borders of the Creek
+country, in readiness to coöperate in any simultaneous movement upon
+the fastnesses of the hostile Indians.
+
+Leaving a garrison of four hundred and fifty men at Fort Strother,
+under Colonel Steel, General Jackson commenced descending the Coosa,
+having embarked his stores in boats, with the remainder of his force,
+on the sixteenth day of March. Arrived at the mouth of Cedar Creek,
+he established a dépôt at this point, and commenced the construction
+of a fort, which he named Fort Williams. The work on the fort being
+in a sufficient state of forwardness, he took up the line of march
+across the country to Emuckfaw, on the morning of the twenty-fourth
+instant, with about two thousand men. A strong detachment was left at
+Fort Williams, to protect the supplies, and continue the labor on the
+fortifications.
+
+Not far from five miles below the battle-ground of the twenty-second
+of January, at Emuckfaw, is the great bend of the Tallapoosa, called
+by the Indians, Tohopeca, or Horse Shoe. At this place, the warriors
+from the hostile towns of Oakfuskie, Oakchoya, Eufaulee, New Youca,
+the Hillabees and Fish Ponds, had concentrated their forces, near
+one thousand strong, for a last desperate struggle. Across the
+narrow neck of land, or isthmus, by which the peninsula formed by
+the crooked river was entered, they had erected a breastwork of
+logs, from five to eight feet high, with double portholes, arranged
+with no little skill and ingenuity. Within the inclosure, there were
+about one hundred acres of land; the centre was high ground, covered
+with brush and fallen timber; and on the river bottom, at the lower
+extremity of the peninsula, was the Indian village.
+
+[Sidenote: TOHOPECA.]
+
+On the night of the twenty-sixth of March, General Jackson encamped
+within six miles of the Horse Shoe, and early on the following
+morning, General Coffee was detached, with the mounted men and most
+of the friendly Indians, under instructions to cross the river at
+a ford two miles below Tohopeca, and take possession of the high
+grounds on the opposite bank, so as to cut off all chance of escape
+in that quarter. General Jackson then marched the remainder of his
+force to a position in front of the enemy’s breastworks, where he
+halted his men, until the preärranged signal announced that General
+Coffee had drawn a cordon of soldiers around the elevated ground
+overlooking the river and the hostile town and fortification. The
+main column immediately moved forward; the two pieces of artillery, a
+six and a three pounder, were planted on a hill eighty yards distant
+from the left of the enemy’s line; and at half past ten o’clock in
+the forenoon, the action was opened by a brisk fire, which was warmly
+returned by the Red Sticks.
+
+The firing on the American side was mainly confined to the artillery,
+though a rifle or musket was occasionally discharged, whenever the
+dark warriors incautiously exposed their persons. For nearly two
+hours, the cannonade was kept up, with spirit and activity, though
+without producing any sensible impression. Meantime the friendly
+Indians had advanced to the left bank of the river, while General
+Coffee remained on the high ground with the rest of his troops. Some
+of the Cherokees now discovered that the enemy’s canoes, which were
+drawn up on the shore, near their village, had been left unguarded.
+They instantly plunged into the stream, swam across, and, in a few
+moments, returned with a number of the canoes. Means being thus
+provided for passing over, the Cherokees, headed by their chief,
+Richard Brown, and Colonel Morgan, and Captain Russell’s company of
+spies, crossed to the village, set it on fire, and attacked the enemy
+in the rear.
+
+Surrounded though they were, the hostile Indians fought with the
+utmost bravery and desperation. Every avenue by which they might
+have fled was occupied by the American troops, and their habitations
+were in flames; still they refused to surrender, and successfully
+resisted every attempt of the spies and Cherokees to dislodge them.
+The soldiers with General Jackson, clamored loudly to be led to the
+assault, but he hesitated to give the order, till he became convinced
+that the party in the rear were not strong enough to overcome the
+opposition they encountered. The command to storm the works was then
+received with shouts and acclamations. General Doherty’s brigade,
+and the 39th infantry, under Colonel Williams, promptly advanced to
+the attack. The result of the contest did not long remain in doubt.
+A fierce struggle was maintained for a short time, through the
+portholes, muzzle to muzzle; the action being so close, as remarked
+in the dispatch of the commanding general, that “many of the enemy’s
+balls were welded to the American bayonets.” Major Montgomery, of the
+39th infantry, was the first to spring upon the breastwork, but was
+shot dead among his comrades, who were rushing forward to sustain
+him. A smothered cry for vengeance rolled along the line,--and the
+whole column dashed over the feeble barrier, like the avalanche,
+crushing and bearing down everything before it.
+
+[Sidenote: THE RED STICKS COMPLETELY ROUTED.]
+
+The Indians, fighting with the fury of despair, met the shock with
+clubbed muskets and rifles, with the gleaming knife and tomahawk.
+Some few attempted to escape by swimming the river, but were
+shot down in their flight, by the spies and mounted men under
+General Coffee. Most of them, however, fought and died, where they
+stood--behind the ramparts which they were unable to defend. The
+conflict--nay, we may call it, without reproach to the victors,
+the butchery--was continued for hours. None asked for quarter. The
+Tallapoosa ran red with the blood of the savages, and the dead were
+piled in mangled heaps upon its banks.
+
+Driven from the breastwork, a considerable number of the enemy took
+refuge among the brush and fallen timber on the high ground in the
+centre of the peninsula. General Jackson sent them an interpreter,
+to offer terms of capitulation, but they fired on and wounded him.
+The cannon were brought to bear on their position, and a partially
+successful charge was made, yet they were not dislodged. Finally,
+the brush was set on fire. The flames spread with rapidity, snapping
+and crackling as they caught the dry bark and leaves, and licking up
+everything in their way, like some huge, greedy monster. The Indians
+were now forced from their concealment; and all who attempted to fly,
+or offered resistance, were shot down. Night at length put an end to
+the carnage, and, under cover of the darkness, a few of the survivors
+of that fatal field escaped into the adjoining forests.
+
+Five hundred and fifty-seven dead bodies of the enemy were found
+within the peninsula; and there were over three hundred taken
+prisoners, nearly all women and children. The total loss of the Red
+Sticks, in killed alone, must have been near eight hundred; as a
+number of the dead were thrown into the river previous to the final
+rout, by their surviving friends, or shot by General Coffee’s men
+while attempting to make their escape. Among the slain were three
+prophets, one of whom, by the name of Monohoe, was struck by a
+grapeshot in his mouth, out of which had issued the lies which had
+lured his nation to their ruin.
+
+General Jackson lost fifty-five men killed, and one hundred and
+forty-six wounded. Twenty-three of the killed, and forty-seven of the
+wounded, were friendly Creeks and Cherokees.
+
+After completing the destruction of the Indian fortifications
+at Tohopeka, General Jackson commenced his return march to Fort
+Williams, where he arrived on the second of April. He instantly began
+his preparations for scouring the country lying in the forks of the
+Coosa and Tallapoosa; and, on the seventh of April, his army was in
+motion for Hoithlewalee, one of the principal towns on the Hickory
+Ground;--the men being provided with eight days’ rations, which they
+carried on their backs. The campaign was now drawing to a close, but
+its hardships were not quite ended. The roads were flooded by the
+heavy rains, and the streams scarcely fordable; and, consequently,
+the march was tedious and difficult. General Jackson was much worn
+by the fatigues and privations which he had encountered, but his
+capability of endurance was not yet exhausted; and the strength of
+constitution he manifested, though belied by the apparent weakness of
+his frame, gave rise to the _sobriquet_ of “Old Hickory,” which was
+applied to him by his soldiers, and adhered to him through life.
+
+[Sidenote: INDIAN TOWNS DESTROYED.]
+
+The terrible vengeance taken at Tohopeka, for the massacre at Fort
+Mims, and the other monstrous cruelties perpetrated by the Red
+Sticks, put an end to the war. The great body of the hostile savages
+fled in dismay, before the advancing columns of General Jackson. Many
+of the fugitives were killed by a detachment of the 3rd infantry,
+under Colonel Russell, but numbers effected their escape into
+Florida, on account of the remissness of Colonel Milton, the officer
+in command of the South Carolinians, who were then on the left
+bank of the Tallapoosa, not far above its junction with the Coosa.
+McQueen, one of the most prominent chiefs among the Red Sticks, was
+captured, but afterwards escaped to the Escambia river, with five
+hundred adherents.
+
+Arrived at Hoithlewalee, General Jackson found the town abandoned.
+On the fourteenth of April it was destroyed, with several other
+villages in the vicinity. The general then divided his command
+into two columns; one scouring the country on the left bank, and
+the other, with which he remained in person, advancing down the
+right bank of the Tallapoosa, to the confluence, where a fort was
+constructed, called by General Pinckney, in honor of the gallant
+Tennessee commander, Fort Jackson. At this point most of the Hickory
+Ground chiefs came in and submitted to the conqueror. Weatherford
+also voluntarily surrendered, and the great prophet of the Creeks,
+Hillinghagee, was taken prisoner. The only terms prescribed by
+the victorious general were, that all who surrendered themselves
+should retire to the country north of Fort Williams, where, if their
+conduct was good, they would be permitted to remain proposition was
+made known, numbers of the fugitives were on their way to the neutral
+territory.
+
+On the twentieth of April, General Pinckney arrived at Fort Jackson,
+and on the following day assumed the command. General Jackson shortly
+after repaired to his home in Tennessee, to recruit his health and
+strength, which had suffered materially during his long and arduous
+campaign. The thanks of the government and the applause of the nation
+followed him in his retirement. An opportunity was soon afforded for
+rewarding his services by an appointment in the regular army.--On
+the resignation of General Harrison, President Madison nominated
+him as a brigadier general, and major general by brevet; and, a
+short time afterwards, he was appointed a full major general, to
+fill the vacancy occasioned by the retirement of General Hampton.
+Both commissions were received at the same time, and the latter was
+accepted.
+
+In the summer of 1814, General Jackson was ordered to take command
+of the seventh military district, and established his headquarters
+at Mobile. Associated with Colonel Hawkins, he concluded a favorable
+treaty with the Creek nation, by which, with the exception of a
+small portion of the tribe who chose to remain in Florida, they were
+prevented from again taking up arms during the continuance of the war
+with England.
+
+[Sidenote: THE SPANISH AUTHORITIES IN FLORIDA.]
+
+The hostile tribes were now entirely quieted, and a chain of military
+posts established through the former theatre of their outrages. No
+sooner had this been done, than the attention of General Jackson
+was directed to the alarming state of affairs at Pensacola. He had
+long been convinced that the Spanish authorities in Florida were
+lending their aid and assistance to the English, in the prosecution
+of hostilities. Indeed, the facts and circumstances which forced
+him to such a conclusion, were so glaring and palpable, that it was
+impossible to form any other opinion. It is barely probable that
+Spain was the passive agent of Great Britain in this respect; but
+if so, her pusillanimity, in thus tamely surrendering her neutral
+rights and character, was equally censurable. If she was, in fact,
+the coädjutor of England, the measures adopted by General Jackson
+were justifiable; but if she was the creature only, they were
+necessary. This is the only argument that need be offered, in defence
+of the attack on Pensacola, which, in after times, was so severely
+criticised and censured, by his political opponents.
+
+In the month of August, Captain Gordon, of the spies, visited
+Pensacola, and ascertained that a large body of savages had been
+organized there by Colonel Nicholls, of the British army, and were
+then being instructed and drilled by British officers, in the
+presence, and with the knowledge, of the Spanish governor; that Fort
+Barrancas was occupied by between two and three hundred British
+troops; and that there were three armed vessels belonging to the
+same nation, in the bay, from which a considerable quantity of arms
+and provisions had been disembarked. Another reconnaissance was
+subsequently made by Lieutenant Murray, of the Mississippi militia,
+which fully confirmed the report made by Captain Gordon. On the
+twenty-ninth of August, also, Colonel Nicholls issued a proclamation,
+dated at his “headquarters, Pensacola,” addressed to the inhabitants
+of the southern and southwestern states, and inviting them to join
+his standard, in which he informed them that he was “at the head of
+a large body of Indians, well armed, disciplined, and commanded by
+British officers; a good train of artillery, with every requisite;
+seconded by the powerful aid of a numerous British and Spanish
+squadron of ships and vessels of war.”
+
+General Jackson was not disposed to stand idly by, and see the rights
+of his country violated, and her interests jeoparded. He forthwith
+dispatched an express to the governor of Tennessee, requesting the
+whole quota of the militia of that state to be brought into the
+field without delay, and commenced his preparations for a march on
+Pensacola. On the fifteenth of September Colonel Nicholls appeared
+before Fort Bowyer, thirty miles below Mobile, at the entrance of
+the bay, with four vessels, containing a number of siege pieces, and
+several hundred sailors, mariners, and savages. The heavy guns were
+landed, the fort invested, and a lively cannonade opened upon it.
+Major Lawrence, of the 2nd infantry, the commander of the post, with
+its garrison of one hundred and twenty men, made a brave defence, and
+finally forced the enemy to retire, with the loss of one of their
+ships, and over two hundred killed and wounded.
+
+[Sidenote: CAPTURE OF PENSACOLA.]
+
+Having been joined by about two thousand men from Tennessee, General
+Jackson took up the line of march for Pensacola, with all his
+disposable troops. His whole force consisted of upwards of three
+thousand men, but a small part being regulars, and the remainder
+militia from Mississippi and Tennessee, with a few Choctaw warriors.
+On the sixth of November he arrived near Pensacola, and sent a flag
+to the Spanish governor, to communicate the purpose of his visit. The
+bearer of the flag was fired on from the batteries in the town, and
+forced to return. Dispositions were then made for carrying the fort
+by assault, which was discovered to be defended by both British and
+Spanish troops, on the following day. On the morning of the seventh,
+the general entered the town with his troops, under a heavy fire
+from the fort, and the British flotilla in the harbor, and carried
+one of the advanced batteries at the point of the bayonet. The
+governor now supplicated for mercy, and surrendered the town and fort
+unconditionally; the British troops retiring to Fort Barrancas, and
+their savages allies seeking shelter in the everglades of Florida,
+whither they were driven by a detachment from the American army under
+Major Blue.
+
+On the morning of the eighth of November, just as General Jackson
+was making ready to march upon Fort Barrancas, the British spiked
+and dismounted the cannon, blew up the works, and retreated to
+their shipping. The object of his visit to Pensacola being thus
+accomplished, and the enemy driven from the rendezvous, where they
+had been invited, or welcomed, by the Spanish authorities, General
+Jackson restored the town and fort to Governor Manriquez, and
+immediately returned to Mobile with his troops.
+
+Intimations of an intended attack, or descent, on the southern
+frontier of the United States, had been previously given, and they
+were corroborated by the statements of the pirates of Barrataria,
+who, with their leader, Lafitte, had been solicited by Colonel
+Nicholls to join the projected expedition, but were afterwards
+induced, under a promise of pardon for their offences, to take an
+active and important part in the defence of New Orleans. It was for
+a long time uncertain at what point the blow would be struck; but,
+early in September, it became known that formidable preparations
+were making for the invasion of Louisiana, and the reduction of
+New Orleans. Governor Claiborne promptly ordered the two militia
+divisions of the state, under Generals Villeré and Thomas, to hold
+themselves in readiness to march at a moment’s notice, and issued a
+patriotic address to his fellow citizens, calling upon them to turn
+out, in a mass, if necessary, in defence of their homes and families.
+No immediate attack was then made, however, and the alarm subsided.
+It was renewed again towards the close of November; the apprehensions
+of danger were evidently well founded, and General Jackson at once
+hastened to the city of New Orleans, giving directions, before he set
+out, for his troops to follow as rapidly as possible, and dispatching
+an express to expedite the movements of the Kentucky militia, who
+were required to join him without loss of time.
+
+[Sidenote: THE CITY OF NEW ORLEANS.]
+
+Important as was the position of New Orleans, as the great emporium
+of the southwestern part of the Union, commanding the extensive
+trade and navigation of the Mississippi and its tributaries, the
+means provided for its defence were lamentably insufficient. It had
+been understood for some time, that the expedition under Admiral
+Cochrane, baffled at Baltimore, but subsequently reïnforced by a
+large body of troops, supposed, after the conclusion of the Treaty of
+Paris, to be no longer needed in Europe, was destined, ultimately,
+to operate upon the Gulf coast. Although New Orleans was the most
+liable to attack, and the most vulnerable point, in that quarter, few
+preparations were made for its protection; for the reason, probably,
+that the plundering and harassing warfare carried on by the enemy
+on the Atlantic shore, and the operations on the Niagara frontier,
+furnished constant employment for all the men and means at the
+disposal of the General Government. Late in the fall of 1814, the new
+levies raised in Kentucky and Tennessee, were ordered to proceed to
+that city, and supplies of arms and ammunition were also sent down
+the Mississippi.
+
+New Orleans, at this time, contained about twenty thousand
+inhabitants,[20] a great number of whom were of Spanish or English
+descent, and, consequently, but little reliance was to be placed on
+their fidelity to the American cause; so far from this, many were
+known to be in correspondence with the enemy, and only waiting for
+a favorable opportunity to act in a more open and decided manner.
+General Jackson arrived in the city on the second of December, and
+found everything in confusion and alarm. The apprehended invasion was
+the principal topic of conversation in every _café_ and _boudoir_.
+The opponents of the administration there, as elsewhere throughout
+the union, confidently predicted that New Orleans must fall; and its
+friends more than half feared that the prediction would be verified.
+
+It was no easy task to reänimate those who had grown faint-hearted
+under the influence of the pitiful Jeremiads which were constantly
+sounding in their ears. The American commander was accompanied by
+but few of his men, and his presence alone could not go very far
+towards the restoration of confidence. Yet he set himself vigorously
+to the work, and in a brief space of time, his impulsive energy, his
+earnest zeal, and his determined patriotism had wrought marvellous
+changes. The timid were reässured; the wavering were encouraged
+to remain steadfast; and those who had never doubted or faltered,
+derived new strength from his example. As yet, there were but a few
+hundred regular troops in the city, and the imminence of the danger
+was such, that it was necessary to commence operations without delay.
+The general was deficient both in the _personnel_ and the _matériel_
+of war; but the exigencies of his military career had long since
+taught him to rely on his own unaided efforts. He was ever full of
+resources,--but never more than now.
+
+The geographical position of New Orleans was highly favorable to its
+defence. It is situated on the left bank of the Mississippi, around
+a bend of the river, shaped like a crescent, about midway between
+the high ground at Baton Rouge, and the Gulf. On either side of the
+river, there is a strip of arable alluvion, protected from inundation
+by levees, and varying in width, from three hundred, to one thousand
+yards. Beyond this there are dense cypress brakes and swamps, with
+here and there a few acres of salt prairie, extending, on the east,
+to Lakes Borgne and Pontchartrain. The river debouches into the Gulf
+through several mouths, which are obstructed by numerous sand bars;
+and its ascent, at all times difficult, is especially so in high
+water, when the current is unusually rapid. Under the direction of
+General Jackson, the militia were imbodied; the defences of Forts
+St. Philip and Bourbon, on the Mississippi, below New Orleans,
+were enlarged and strengthened; batteries were constructed at the
+Rigolets, and on the Chef Menteur; all the numerous bayous and
+inlets, intersecting the lower valley of the river, between the Chef
+Menteur and the Atchafalaya, were obstructed, or guarded by strong
+pickets; and lines of intrenchments and fortifications were traced,
+below the city, extending from the Mississippi to the swampy grounds,
+and their construction commenced. Commodore Patterson, the officer
+in command of the naval station, zealously coöperated with General
+Jackson, in carrying out the measures of defence which he projected.
+
+[Sidenote: APPROACH OF THE BRITISH FLEET.]
+
+Positive intelligence was received in New Orleans, on the ninth of
+December, that the British fleet had been descried standing off
+the Chandeleur islands; and Lieutenant Thomas ap Catesby Jones was
+immediately dispatched by Commodore Patterson, with a flotilla of
+five gun boats, and one hundred and eighty-two men, to watch the
+motions of the enemy. On the twelfth instant, they were discovered
+in such force, off Cat island, at the eastern extremity of Lake
+Borgne, that Lieutenant Jones judged it safer to retire up the lake
+and guard the passes leading towards the city. On the following day,
+the schooner Seahorse, which had been sent to the bay of St. Louis,
+to assist in the removal of some public stores at Shieldsboro, was
+attacked by three of the enemy’s barges. These were driven off,
+but they soon returned with four others. The crew then abandoned
+the vessel and blew her up; and the storehouse on the bay was set
+on fire. The flotilla under Lieutenant Jones was attacked on the
+fourteenth instant, while becalmed, by a detachment of seamen and
+marines, twelve hundred strong, under Captain Lockyer, in forty-two
+launches and barges. Lieutenant Jones and his men made a brave
+defence; but after an obstinate contest of more than an hour, during
+which the enemy lost two of their boats, and over three hundred men,
+they were obliged to surrender, with the loss of forty killed and
+wounded.
+
+In the meantime, large appropriations had been made by the
+legislature of Louisiana for the defence of New Orleans; but that
+body appeared extremely reluctant to adopt all the suggestions of
+General Jackson and Governor Claiborne. Many of the members were
+disaffected, and others had been led to believe, by the British spies
+and emissaries who infested the city, that all attempts at resistance
+would be unavailing, and that it would be far wiser to propose terms
+of capitulation, immediately upon the appearance of the British
+force. General Jackson in vain urged the legislature to suspend the
+_habeas corpus_ act; and despairing of accomplishing anything, except
+by the adoption of rigorous and decided measures, as a last resort,
+he finally ordered martial law to be proclaimed in the city and its
+vicinity. The functions of the civil authorities were only suspended
+in part, however, and the legislature continued its sessions.
+
+[Sidenote: PROCLAMATION OF MARTIAL LAW.]
+
+This high-handed exercise of power, rendered necessary by the
+temporizing and vacillating course of the legislature, naturally
+provoked considerable comment. Those who were really and truly
+devoted to the American cause had no fears, when they saw the
+general wielding the authority which he had seized into his own
+hands; those only clamored against what they termed this infraction
+of the rights of the citizen, who were prepared to surrender the city
+to the enemy, at the first summons. The proclamation of martial law,
+though, perhaps, scarcely warranted by the law and the constitution,
+was one of those acts which are sometimes absolutely requisite in
+great emergencies. The power acquired under such circumstances, is,
+doubtless, liable to abuse; but in the hands of one whose patriotism,
+like that of Andrew Jackson, is _sans peur, sans reproche_, there can
+be no danger. “_Silent leges, inter arma_,” is a maxim, as applicable
+to free, as to monarchical governments. General Jackson was extremely
+loth to assume any questionable power, until he became penetrated
+with the conviction that the safety of the country demanded this
+step, and he surrendered it the very moment he felt assured that the
+crisis was past. His course was subsequently approved by the General
+Government, and pronounced by the Secretary of War, both “just as it
+respected the responsibility of the commanding general, and safe as
+it respected the liberties of the nation.”
+
+A new impetus was given to every movement, by the active and
+energetic conduct of General Jackson. The fruitful and varied
+resources of his great mind were in constant requisition. His
+determined spirit, manifested in his expressive remark to Governor
+Claiborne--that he would “defend the country, or die in the last
+ditch!”--was communicated to those around him. Treason shrunk abashed
+from his presence, and cowardice assumed the appearance of valor at
+his side.
+
+After the capture of the flotilla under Lieutenant Jones, it became
+impossible to watch the movements of the British squadron; and
+hence it was extremely difficult to foretell what point would be
+first attacked. Large requisitions were made by General Jackson,
+of negroes to work on the projected fortifications, intended to
+secure the different approaches; and all those found in the streets,
+together with the drays and carts, were impressed for the same
+purpose. The militia were ordered out _en masse_, and disciplined
+regularly every day. Orders were likewise again sent to hasten
+the march of the reïnforcements; and to General Coffee, who was
+rapidly approaching with his brigade of mounted men from Tennessee,
+the commanding general said, “You must not sleep until you arrive
+within striking distance!” The order was obeyed with characteristic
+promptitude;--General Coffee marched his command eighty miles on
+the last day, and arrived near the city late in the evening of the
+twenty-first of December.
+
+All the arrangements of General Jackson for the defence of New
+Orleans were made with consummate skill. The batteries commanding the
+passes from Lake Borgne into Lake Pontchartrain were well manned; the
+colored battalion, under Major Lacoste, with the Feliciana dragoons,
+were ordered to take post on the Chef Menteur, to cover the Gentilly
+road; Major Plauche’s battalion, with Lieutenant Wagner’s company of
+light artillery, were stationed at Fort St. John, on the bayou of
+that name; the Tennessee cavalry and infantry, under Generals Coffee
+and Carroll, remained about four miles above the city; the regular
+troops, and the remainder of the state militia, occupied the city,
+and the fortifications on the river below; and the schooner Caroline
+and brig Louisiana were moored in the stream.
+
+[Sidenote: LANDING OF THE ENEMY.]
+
+The watchful care and vigilance of the American commander were
+frustrated, however, by the want of due caution on the part of a
+picket posted near the mouth of the bayou Bienvenu, which led up
+from Lake Borgne. On the twenty-second of December, the picket
+was surprised by a party of the enemy, belonging to the division
+of General Keane, whose whole command, about four thousand five
+hundred in number, with their heavy cannon and stores, immediately
+proceeded, in their small boats, up the bayou, and, at four o’clock
+in the morning of the twenty-third, arrived opposite the opening of
+Villeré’s canal, which connected with the Mississippi. They halted at
+this point for a few hours, and then continued up the canal. Early
+in the afternoon of the same day, they gained the bank of the river
+unmolested, and established themselves on the plantations of General
+Villeré, Colonel La Ronde, and Major Lacoste, about eight miles below
+the city.
+
+General Jackson did not wait to be attacked. Within an hour after
+receiving the information that the enemy had effected a landing,
+he put his troops in motion. Anticipating that the city might be
+simultaneously threatened by way of the Chef Menteur, General Carroll
+was left posted on the Gentilly road, with his command and the city
+militia; and the remainder of the troops, under General Jackson
+in person, consisting of General Coffee’s brigade, Major Hind’s
+dragoons, a detachment of artillery and marines, under Colonel
+McRea, parts of the 7th and 44th infantry, the battalions of Majors
+Plauche and Daquin, and two six pounder guns in charge of Lieutenant
+Spotts, moved down the left bank of the river, to attack the enemy
+who had landed below. The schooner Caroline, Captain Henley, with
+Commodore Patterson on board, and the brig Louisiana, Lieutenant
+Thompson, also dropped down the river. It was understood that the
+signal of attack would be the fire of the Caroline, when she had
+arrived opposite the position of the British troops.
+
+At six o’clock in the evening of the twenty-third, the different
+corps composing the main column, in all not far from two thousand
+men, effected a junction at the canal Rodriguez, within sight of
+the watch fires of the enemy, which were discovered gleaming dimly
+in the distance. The night was prematurely dark, owing to the dense
+fog rising from the river. This circumstance, however, favored
+the movement, as it was thereby concealed from the enemy; and the
+very best spirit pervaded the whole command. The troops were now
+formed for the attack;--the artillery and marines, and the regular
+infantry, on the right; the battalions of Plauche and Daquin, both
+under Colonel Ross, in the centre; and the brigade of General Coffee,
+dismounted, on the left. General Coffee was directed to turn the
+enemy’s right, and attack them in the rear; while the rest of the
+column advanced against them in front.
+
+[Sidenote: NIGHT ATTACK.]
+
+At half-past seven o’clock, the long looked-for signal was given
+by the Caroline. The first intimation received by the enemy, of
+the approach of the Americans, was the raking broadside of the
+schooner, which completely swept their encampment. Before they had
+fairly recovered from their astonishment, General Jackson fell upon
+them like a thunderbolt. Though taken by surprise, General Keane
+ordered his fires to be extinguished, and finally succeeded in
+forming his men to beat off the attack. Before order was entirely
+restored, General Coffee had forced his way into the enemy’s camp,
+and General Jackson was moving upon them in front with equal daring
+and impetuosity.
+
+Notwithstanding the intense darkness, the American soldiers were
+kept to their duty, and displayed the most praiseworthy gallantry.
+The enemy were driven from their position, and several successive
+charges were made, with great success. At length, it was discovered
+that the troops were falling into confusion, on account of the thick
+mist which shrouded everything around, and General Jackson thought
+it best to call off his men. During the remainder of the night they
+lay on the field of battle, and in the morning fell back to the canal
+Rodriguez, about two miles nearer the city, where the swamp and the
+Mississippi approached within a few hundred yards of each other.
+
+The American loss in the engagement on the evening of the
+twenty-third, was twenty-four killed, one hundred and fifteen
+wounded, and seventy-four taken prisoners; that of the British
+was forty-six killed, one hundred and seventy-four wounded, and
+sixty-four missing. But the most important result of the action, was
+the check given to the operations of the enemy. They were taught to
+respect their antagonists far more than they had done; and, when they
+were informed by their prisoners, who designed to deceive them, that
+the American force was at least fifteen thousand strong, they began
+to think the conquest of New Orleans would not, after all, be a mere
+holiday affair.
+
+General Jackson decided to make a stand at the position to which
+he retired on the morning of the twenty-fourth of December, as it
+was ascertained that reïnforcements were constantly arriving at the
+enemy’s camp. The work of fortifying it was instantly commenced.
+The canal Rodriguez, which was about four feet deep, served the
+purpose of a ditch; and, behind this, a breastwork was constructed,
+stretching from the Mississippi on the right, about one thousand
+yards, to the cypress swamp on the left. The line extended some
+distance into the marsh and then inclined to the right, in order to
+prevent any attempt to turn that flank. The underbrush and trees in
+this quarter were also cleared away for a considerable space, so
+that an assailing column could not approach without being exposed to
+a destructive fire. Earth being scarce in this low country, General
+Jackson had recourse to a novel expedient. Bales of cotton, in large
+numbers, were brought from the city, which were placed in line and
+covered over with dirt. Flank bastions to enfilade the works, and
+strong batteries, were also constructed, at irregular intervals.
+
+On the right bank of the Mississippi, about half a mile in advance of
+General Jackson’s main position, a line of intrenchments, extending
+from the river to the low grounds, was also formed, and a heavy
+battery of fifteen guns established, which enfiladed the whole front
+©f the position on the left bank. In addition to this principal line
+of intrenchments, there were others formed in the rear, to which
+General Jackson designed to retreat, in succession, if the enemy
+forced him to abandon his first position. Another precautionary
+measure was likewise adopted, to render his main line more secure
+against attack. Sluices were opened through the levee, and the
+plains in front flooded with water from the river. The general was
+so carried away with zeal and enthusiasm, and so deeply impressed
+with the great responsibility resting upon him, and the importance
+of every step, that for four days and nights, while his preparations
+were in progress, he scarcely took a moment’s rest. No crisis seemed
+to be too great for him; his vigilance became more keen sighted,
+and his spirits rose higher, as dangers thickened around his path;
+his resources grew more ample as the occasion required, and his
+resolution hourly grew more stern and unbending.
+
+[Sidenote: SKIRMISHING.]
+
+Sir Edward Packenham, the Commander in Chief of the British land
+forces, joined General Keane on the twenty-fourth of December with
+heavy reïnforcements, and an additional supply of artillery. Frequent
+skirmishes took place between detached parties of the hostile
+commands, and on the twenty-seventh instant, the schooner Caroline,
+which had been prevented from ascending the river by a strong
+norther, was blown up by hot shot thrown from a battery erected by
+the enemy, on the night of the twenty-sixth. Fortunately, the crew of
+the vessel had previously made their escape. A similar attempt was
+made upon the brig Louisiana, but her commander, Lieutenant Thompson,
+succeeded in getting her up the river, and anchored her on the right
+of General Jackson’s position.
+
+It was at first designed by the British commander, to commence
+regular approaches against the formidable line of intrenchments
+occupied by the American troops. On the twenty-eighth of December,
+a brisk cannonade was opened from a battery planted near the levee,
+within half a mile of the river. Showers of Congreve rockets were
+also thrown, which, although a new implement of warfare,[21] failed
+to excite either fear or astonishment in the opposing ranks. The
+firing was kept up for several hours without producing any sensible
+effect; and the attack was then relinquished. During the night of
+the thirty-first, heavy batteries were constructed on the plain,
+directly in front of the American position; and the advent of the new
+year was welcomed by a tremendous burst of artillery, accompanied by
+incessant flights of rockets, which was continued till three o’clock
+in the afternoon, when the batteries were effectually silenced by the
+American guns. The casualties on these two occasions were,--on the
+side of the Americans, eighteen killed and thirty-one wounded; and,
+on the side of the enemy, forty-eight killed, and eighty-two wounded.
+
+These repeated efforts having proved of no avail, General Packenham
+decided to carry the works by a _coup de main_. For a number of
+days all his men were employed in deepening Villeré’s canal, for
+the passage of the boats, by which a detachment could be thrown
+across the river to attack the fortifications on the right bank.
+On the sixth instant, General Lambert joined the main body of the
+enemy, already on shore, with his division; and the whole command was
+thus increased to upwards of twelve thousand men. Everything being
+in readiness for the contemplated assault, on the evening of the
+seventh instant, it was directed to take place at dawn of day on the
+following morning.
+
+Meanwhile General Jackson had been actively employed in completing
+his preparations. Near the river, and in advance of the cotton
+embankment, he commenced the construction of a redoubt, with
+embrasures, calculated to rake the ditch in front of the
+intrenchments, and the road down the levee; but this was still
+incomplete on the eighth of January. The line Dupré, about two
+miles in rear of the main line, to which he designed to retreat and
+make a second stand, if he should be compelled to retire, was also
+strengthened as far as practicable. Various devices were employed
+to mislead the enemy in regard to his position, and the strength of
+his command, which was daily rendered more necessary, on account
+of the increasing disaffection in the city. The number of his men
+was represented to be greater than it was; their deficiency in arms
+was carefully concealed; and no intercourse was allowed between the
+lines and the city, except through officers in whom he had the most
+implicit confidence.
+
+[Sidenote: DISAFFECTION IN THE CITY.]
+
+In spite of all his precautions, the enemy were informed by their
+agents of every movement that took place, and the disaffection which
+they eagerly fomented, ultimately increased to such an extent,
+that it was seriously proposed that terms of surrender should be
+offered by the legislature. On being apprised of this treasonable
+design, General Jackson directed Governor Claiborne, whenever such
+a proposition was made, to close the doors of the state-house.
+The order was misunderstood by the governor, who closed the doors
+forthwith, and the members of the legislature were thus prevented
+from assembling. The commanding general did not design to interrupt
+their ordinary deliberations, but it was probably fortunate for the
+safety of the city, that they were not allowed to convene.
+
+On the fourth of January, the anxiously-expected reïnforcements
+from Kentucky, under Generals Thomas and Adair, twenty-five hundred
+strong, reached New Orleans. They were poorly furnished with arms,
+however, and, like most of the other troops, were nearly destitute of
+clothing. The city was ransacked in search of weapons, but a scanty
+supply could be obtained; and the other deficiency was partially
+remedied, by the patriotic exertions of Mr. Girod, the mayor, and the
+ladies of New Orleans.
+
+General Jackson now made a final disposition of his troops.
+Governor Claiborne was posted on the Gentilly road, with a portion
+of the Louisiana militia; another portion, under General Morgan,
+was stationed on the right bank of the river, and the battery on
+that shore was manned by the sailors and marines under Commodore
+Patterson. General Morgan was further reïnforced, on the night of
+the seventh of January, when it was ascertained that the enemy were
+opening a passage into the river, by a detachment of the Kentucky
+troops. On the left bank, General Jackson was posted with his main
+column, consisting of about thirty-five hundred men. There were eight
+distinct batteries along the line, mounting, in all, twelve guns and
+two howitzers. On the right, were the 7th and 44th infantry, between
+which were the battalions of Majors Plauche, Lacoste, and Daquin;
+in the centre was General Carroll’s command, supported by that of
+General Adair; and, on the extreme left, were the Tennessee rifles
+under General Coffee. The remainder of the Kentucky troops, under
+General Thomas, remained in the rear.
+
+The brave troops whom General Jackson had gathered around him calmly
+awaited the approach of the enemy, behind the breastwork of cotton
+bags which their sagacious commander had provided, not as a shelter
+for cowardice, but as a protection against the onset of a superior
+force. Night after night they slept upon their arms; the soldiers
+of Coffee lying far out in the swamp, on heaps of logs and brush,
+half benumbed with the cold, and covered with the moist ooze of the
+morass; yet all indifferent to the inclemency of the weather, to
+hardship and suffering, and anxious only to win new laurels for the
+general whom they loved and honored.
+
+[Sidenote: THE EIGHTH OF JANUARY.]
+
+The wintry dawn was just breaking, and the cold silvery sheen of the
+early morning was rapidly spreading over the plains of Chalmette, on
+the memorable eighth of January, 1815, when the dark masses of the
+British assaulting columns were discerned from the American lines, as
+they emerged from the thick veil of mist which intercepted the view
+of their encampment, and rapidly pressed forward to the storm. At the
+same time, their batteries, planted on the previous night, within
+eight hundred yards of the intrenchments, commenced an active fire,
+which soon deepened into a continuous roar, that shook the whole
+valley, and started the inhabitants of the city from their slumbers.
+
+Simultaneously with the movement on the left bank of the river,
+Colonel Thornton crossed the stream with five hundred picked men,
+ascended the levee, and, by a sudden charge, turned the position, and
+made himself master of the battery, which formed the strong point of
+the line. General Morgan was at the head of a much superior force,
+but finding himself unable to maintain his ground, he fell back
+towards the city, followed slowly by the British troops.
+
+Upon the other shore, the most desperate and unflinching valor failed
+to achieve the least substantial success. The main attack, on this
+bank of the river, was made in two columns, sixty or seventy deep;
+that on the right, between eight and nine thousand strong, led by
+General Gibbs, moving upon the centre of Jackson’s position; and the
+left, about twelve hundred in number, under General Keane, advancing
+along the levee road. The British troops moved forward slowly and
+steadily, many of them carrying scaling ladders and fascines. “Beauty
+and booty” was the watchword which inspired their zeal, and quickened
+their steps.[22] A great number of them had served in the Spanish
+Peninsula; and it is not to be wondered that this appeal to the
+unholy passions that were suffered to riot unchecked at the storming
+of St. Sebastian, produced its legitimate effect.
+
+[Sidenote: TERRIBLE SLAUGHTER OF THE ENEMY.]
+
+Three hearty cheers rose from the American lines, when the enemy
+came within range. Every piece was instantly put in requisition.
+A well-sustained rolling fire welcomed the assailants as they
+approached. Still, the regularity of their array was unbroken.
+Torrents of grape and round shot, hissing hot, swept through the
+solid columns, rending them asunder like ropes of sand. Yet they
+pressed on undaunted, through the driving storm of missiles poured
+upon them from the different batteries, whose converging fires smote
+them more and more heavily at every step of their advance, and
+strewed the plain with the dying and the dead.
+
+Meantime the American infantry and riflemen had remained at their
+posts, with their hands clenched about the locks of their pieces,
+attentively watching the movements of the enemy. General Jackson
+himself occasionally rode along the lines, to cheer and animate his
+men. It was, indeed, a critical period for his own fame, for the
+martial reputation of his country. His chivalric courage, his proud
+and lofty self-reliance, rose with the emergency. His eagle eye
+blazed with an almost unearthly light, and the shrill notes of his
+trumpet voice rang high above the roar of battle.
+
+Making their way through the heaps of their comrades, who lay
+weltering in their gore, pale, distorted, and stiffening in death,
+the British soldiers advanced within reach of the American rifle and
+musket. In an instant, a vivid stream of fire rolled down from the
+whole line of intrenchments. The way was now blocked by a glistening
+wall of flame. The bravest shrank back aghast. Stout-hearted men,
+who had never faltered amid the sea of carnage whose crimson waves
+dyed the ramparts of Badajoz, trembled like the aspen. The American
+fire was never for a moment interrupted,--the western riflemen making
+their mark at every discharge, and the men in the rear constantly
+loading and exchanging pieces with their companions in front. At the
+head of the glacis, the right column of the assailants staggered and
+halted. Generals Pakenham and Gibbs dashed forward, eager to retrieve
+the fortunes of the day ere all was lost. In vain was every effort to
+turn the tide of battle. Both officers fell mortally wounded, while
+hundreds were swept down around them, as the grass before the mower.
+Some few pressed on,--on and on,--to sure destruction!
+
+[Sidenote: FINAL REPULSE OF THE ASSAILANTS.]
+
+On the left, the advance of General Keane’s column, led by Colonel
+Rennie, gained the redoubt in front of the line of intrenchments;
+but it was only to find a soldier’s grave. A murderous fire was at
+once directed upon them from the main fortification, and every man
+who had entered the work, including the gallant officer who headed
+the attack, was cut down. General Keane made an ineffectual effort
+to rally the troops for another onset, and was borne from the field
+severely wounded. The command now devolved on General Lambert, who
+promptly led up the reserve; but on discovering the dreadful havoc
+which had been made in the shattered and terrified column before
+him, he gave the signal to retire.
+
+At mid-day the battle was ended; the bright sun looked down on that
+red waste, everywhere marred by the ploughing shot, and dotted
+all over with huge piles of festering corruption; and the cool
+breeze that murmured among the acacia and orange groves, was loaded
+with scents of slaughter, with the steam of the battle-field. The
+appalling fire from the American lines was most terrible in its
+effects. The British lost two hundred and ninety-three killed,
+twelve hundred and sixty-seven wounded, and there were four hundred
+and eighty-four taken prisoners. The American loss was trifling in
+comparison; there were but thirteen killed, thirty-nine wounded, and
+nineteen missing, on both sides of the river, during the day.[23]
+
+General Lambert determined, on the day after this bloody repulse,
+not to prosecute further the hopeless enterprise. The detachment
+thrown across the river was recalled, and preparations commenced for
+the reëmbarkation. The ditches and field in front of the American
+line, were cleared of the débris of the assaulting army, and a warm
+cannonade was kept up by the artillery for several days; but, on the
+night of the eighteenth of January, the enemy evacuated all their
+positions, and retreated to their shipping. Eight of their heavy guns
+were abandoned, and eighty of their wounded were left to the humanity
+of General Jackson, a duty which, in the language of a not too
+partial historian, he discharged “with a zeal and attention worthy
+of the ability and gallantry he had displayed in the action.”[24]
+About the same time, the British fleet, which had ascended the
+Mississippi, and bombarded Fort St. Philip, unsuccessfully, for about
+eight days, from the eleventh to the nineteenth of January, retired
+down the river. Having taken the land forces on board, the squadron
+proceeded to Mobile bay and invested Fort Bowyer, which surrendered
+after a short resistance. This proved a barren victory, however, as
+a treaty of peace had been concluded in December previous, which was
+officially proclaimed on the eighteenth of February.
+
+All immediate danger having vanished, General Jackson, and his
+victorious troops, entered the city of New Orleans in triumph, on
+the twentieth day of January. Fêtes and rejoicings now took the
+place of the consternation and alarm which had prevailed. The hero
+of Chalmette was “the observed of all observers,” and no festive
+occasion could be complete without his presence. A procession was
+formed to the cathedral, in the midst of which walked the gallant
+conqueror, ladies dressed in white strewing his path with flowers.
+_Te Deum_ was chanted, and a solemn thanksgiving offered to Divine
+Providence.
+
+[Sidenote: FINED BY JUDGE HALL.]
+
+Treason and disaffection still lingered in the city; and anonymous
+articles appeared in one of the public journals, designed to excite
+mutiny and sedition among the American troops. These were traced
+to one Louailler, a member of the state legislature, whom General
+Jackson instantly ordered to be arrested. A writ of _habeas corpus_
+was shortly after issued by Judge Hall, the district judge, for
+the purpose of procuring the release of the prisoner. The order
+proclaiming martial law was still in force, and the judge was
+promptly ordered into confinement. Two days later, intelligence was
+received of the conclusion of the treaty of peace. On being restored
+to his authority, Judge Hall summoned General Jackson before him. The
+latter readily obeyed the summons, and appeared with his counsel.
+The judge, whose only title to immortality is this one act of
+injustice, refused to hear either reason or argument, and, to satisfy
+his offended dignity, imposed a fine of one thousand dollars on the
+general, for disregarding the writ of _habeas corpus_. A spontaneous
+burst of indignation at once rose from the spectators, but General
+Jackson magnanimously interposed to shield the trembling judge from
+outrage. The fine was paid, and when he left the court room the
+multitude followed him in crowds. In a few moments, he was waited
+on by a committee of ladies, who had already raised the amount of
+the fine among the citizens of New Orleans, and now entreated him to
+accept it. He refused to take the money, and, at his suggestion, it
+was distributed among the widows and orphans of those who had fallen
+in defence of the city. After the lapse of many years, at the session
+of Congress in the winter of 1843–4, tardy, though merited justice,
+was done to General Jackson, by the passage of a bill directing the
+amount of the fine to be refunded to him, with interest.
+
+General Jackson remained in command at New Orleans, until the month
+of March, when he was relieved by General Gaines. He immediately
+retired to the tranquillity of the Hermitage, though compelled to
+witness, everywhere on his homeward route, the evidences of the
+respect and gratitude which thrilled the hearts of his countrymen.
+The war with the Seminole Indians on the southern frontiers of
+Georgia again called him from his retirement, in the winter of
+1818.[25] Shortly after the breaking out of hostilities, he was
+ordered to assume the command of the forces operating in that
+quarter. On the ninth of March, 1818. he joined General Gaines at
+Fort Scott, with nine hundred Georgia militia. Early in April, he
+was reïnforced by one thousand volunteers from West Tennessee, and
+fifteen hundred friendly Creek warriors, under their chief, McIntosh.
+
+[Sidenote: THE SEMINOLE WAR.]
+
+General Jackson now found himself at the head of four thousand five
+hundred men, with whom he marched to the Indian town of Mickasauky,
+which he laid waste. The hostile savages fled into Florida, whither
+he followed them, and took refuge in the neighborhood of St. Marks,
+the Spanish authorities of which endeavored to protect and shelter
+them. Accordingly, the American commander took possession of the
+town, and sent the garrison to Pensacola. On the sixteenth of April,
+he destroyed the Suwanee villages, and then returned to St. Marks,
+where two of the principal instigators of the Indian outrages, whom
+he had captured, a Scotchman and an Englishman, whose names were
+Arbuthnot and Ambrister, were tried by a court martial, sentenced
+to death, and executed. Not long after, intelligence was received
+that the governor of West Florida, at Pensacola, in violation of
+the treaty with Spain, was affording countenance and protection to
+the fugitive Seminoles. General Jackson proceeded thither without
+delay, seized Pensacola, on the twenty-fourth of May, and on the
+twenty-seventh Fort Barrancas surrendered to his authority. St.
+Augustine was also captured by a detachment under General Gaines.
+The seizure and occupation, by the American troops, of these places
+of refuge for the hostile Indians put an end to the outbreak, and in
+the month of June, General Jackson, whose health had become seriously
+impaired by the unfriendliness of the climate, returned home, and
+subsequently resigned his commission.
+
+The Spanish posts in Florida seized by General Jackson were
+afterwards ordered to be restored, but his conduct was approved
+by President Monroe, and a resolution of censure, offered in the
+House of Representatives, was voted down by a large majority. Any
+difficulty with Spain that might have grown out of his proceedings
+was obviated, by the cession of Florida to the United States, in the
+winter of 1819. General Jackson was very appropriately selected by
+the American Executive, as the commissioner to receive the territory,
+and on the first of July, 1821, he issued a proclamation at
+Pensacola, officially announcing its annexation to the United States.
+His administration of the executive affairs of the new territory,
+owing to the bad state of his health, was quite brief; during
+it, however, he came in collision with the Spanish ex-governor,
+in an effort, which proved successful, to protect the rights of
+several orphan females. His firm and unyielding will, and his
+determined purpose, were never exhibited in a more characteristic,
+or more creditable manner. His health continuing to grow worse, he
+transferred the authority with which he had been clothed, to his
+secretaries, on the seventh of October, 1821, and immediately set out
+for Nashville.
+
+The gallant soldier was not forgotten. In August, 1822, he was
+nominated for the presidency as the successor of Mr. Monroe, by
+the legislature of Tennessee. In 1823 he declined the appointment
+of minister to Mexico, tendered to him by the President, and, in
+the same year, he was elected to the Senate of the United States.
+On becoming a prominent candidate for the presidential office, he
+resigned his seat. At the election in 1824, he received a plurality
+of the electoral votes, but as there was no choice by the colleges,
+the question was referred to the House of Representatives, by whom
+his principal competitor, John Quincy Adams, was elected to the
+office. In 1828, he was again a candidate, and received one hundred
+and seventy-eight of the two hundred and sixty-one electoral votes.
+In 1832 he was elected for a second term, by a still larger majority.
+
+It is not within the scope of this work, to notice in detail the
+political services of General Jackson. A brief recapitulation of
+some of the most important acts of his administration must suffice.
+On the twentieth of May, 1830, he vetoed the Maysville road bill,
+and on the tenth of July, 1832, the bill to recharter the United
+States Bank. On the sixteenth of January, 1833, his celebrated
+nullification message, recapitulating the facts, and many of the
+arguments, contained in his proclamation of December previous, was
+issued. In October, 1833, the public deposits were removed from the
+United States Bank. On the fifteenth of April, 1834, he protested
+against the resolutions of censure adopted by the Senate, which were
+afterwards, in January, 1837, expunged from their journal; and on the
+fifteenth of January, 1835, his warlike, but patriotic message, in
+regard to the refusal of the French government to pay the stipulated
+indemnity, made its appearance.
+
+[Sidenote: FINAL TERMINATION OF HIS PUBLIC CAREER.]
+
+His long public career finally terminated on the third of March,
+1837, when he issued a farewell address to the people of the
+United States, and retired forever from the harassing cares and
+responsibilities of an official position, to the peaceful shades of
+his own quiet Hermitage. The wife whom he had so ardently loved, no
+longer lived to bless him with her affection, and cheer him with her
+smiles;--she had been taken from his side, by death, in December,
+1828,--yet her memory was ever a sweet solace throughout the closing
+hours of his earthly pilgrimage.
+
+General Jackson had gained a world-wide reputation by the bravery and
+skill displayed in his Indian campaigns, and in the war with Great
+Britain. Lafayette was a guest at the Hermitage, on his visit to
+this country in 1825, and, twenty years later, the portrait of the
+general was painted, when almost in a dying condition, to adorn the
+gallery of Louis Philippe, the King of the French. He was known and
+honored by the great and good in every land. Whatever may be said of
+the domestic policy of his administration, in his intercourse with
+foreign nations he inspired or enforced respect, and few, perhaps
+none, of our presidents, Washington alone excepted, ever commanded
+greater consideration abroad.
+
+A peaceful close was vouchsafed to the stormy and eventful life,
+the prominent incidents of which have been briefly portrayed in
+this sketch. The Imperial prisoner of St. Helena died amid a raging
+storm, shouting, in imagination, to his marshalled legions, while the
+winds howled and shrieked above his head; the words, _Tête d’armée!_
+were the last to leave his lips, as his eye glazed in death, and
+his frame was convulsed with the last agony. At the close of a
+Sabbath afternoon, in the bright summer time, when Nature had spread
+her richest garniture over her wide domains, and grove and forest
+were vocal with sweetest melody; in the presence of his family and
+friends; by his own fireside; on the eighth of June, 1845; Andrew
+Jackson calmly yielded up his spirit. For weeks and months he had
+suffered under a painful disease, yet not a murmur escaped him.
+His heart was stayed on a noble hope--a hope sure, steadfast, and
+unfading--the priceless hope of the Christian!
+
+        “Serene, serene,
+    He pressed the crumbling verge of this terrestrial scene,
+        Breathed soft, in childlike trust,
+          The parting groan;
+        _Gave back to dust its dust,--
+          To Heaven its own!_”
+
+In person General Jackson was tall and thin. His frame was well knit,
+but gaunt. He had an iron visage, and a commanding look. His eyes
+were a deep blue, bright and penetrating. He was frank and easy in
+his manners, courteous and affable in his address.
+
+[Sidenote: HIS CHARACTER.]
+
+His character was decidedly pronounced. It was full of salient
+points, remarkable for their strength, and the fitness and harmony
+of their combination. He was kind and affectionate, benevolent and
+humane; pure and earnest of purpose; inflexibly honest; physically
+and morally brave; ardent and sincere in his patriotism; direct in
+his professions; and resolute and unflinching in determination.
+He possessed a firm will, was clear in judgment, and rapid in his
+decisions. His temperament was restless, though not mercurial. He had
+an abundance of what the French call _fortes emotions_. His passions
+were intense, and what he did, he did with all his might. Like
+Cicero, he was a _new man_; and, by his own unaided exertions, raised
+himself from comparative obscurity, to the highest distinction. He
+was a good hater, but he never forgot his friends; and there are many
+who still prize his friendship, bestowed while in life, as a favor
+from heaven.[26]
+
+All these traits and characteristics were strikingly exhibited, both
+in his civil, and military career. His style as a writer partook of
+his mental peculiarities; it was rugged and uneven as the mountain
+torrent; yet it had a nervous eloquence, that never failed to produce
+a deep impression, and indicated a powerful grasp of thought.
+As a soldier, he was fruitful in expedients; he had the genius,
+perseverance and skill, of Hannibal,--the indomitable will and
+energy, without the selfishness, of Napoleon. He was persevering,
+cool, and intrepid,--hardy in endurance, and gifted with rare
+courage. In a word, as the historian remarks of the French soldier of
+fortune,--“He was not a great man because he was a great general: he
+was a great general because he was a great man”![27]
+
+
+FOOTNOTES:
+
+       [13] Fisher Ames.
+
+       [14] An attempt was made on Charleston, in June, 1776;
+            but the enemy were repulsed with great loss.
+
+       [15] Kendall’s Life of Jackson.
+
+       [16] In 1790, the “Territory South of the Ohio,” of
+            which Tennessee formed a part, was erected. Kentucky
+            was admitted into the Union as a State, in 1792.
+
+       [17] See Memoir of General Harrison, _ante_.
+
+       [18] Manriquez stated in his letter, that he had
+            requested the Captain General, at Havana, to forward
+            him a supply of arms and ammunition, for distribution
+            among the Indians. This was one of the circumstances
+            which justified the attack on Pensacola, by General
+            Jackson, in the fall of 1814.
+
+       [19] Lieutenant Armstrong evinced the utmost bravery on
+            this occasion. He was shot down, when the action was
+            at its height, but cried out to his men, as he lay
+            upon the ground,--“My brave fellows some of you must
+            fall, but _save the cannon_!”
+
+       [20] In 1810, the population was 17,242.
+
+       [21] Rockets were first used at the battle of Leipsic,
+            in October, 1813. The English rocket brigade in
+            that bloody engagement, was commanded by Captain
+            Bogue; and, after playing ten minutes on a solid
+            square of French infantry, they forced them to
+            surrender.--_Lord Londonderry’s War in Germany_, 172.
+
+       [22] In 1833, a card was published by General Lambert,
+            and four other British officers, of high rank, who
+            were engaged in the expedition against New Orleans,
+            denying, most emphatically, that this was the
+            countersign on the occasion alluded to in the text.
+            An order-book was found, however, on the field of
+            battle, which shows that the watchword was given. It
+            is very possible that the word may have been used
+            by a different division from that to which those
+            officers belonged; this is much more probable than
+            that they could be mistaken in their assertion.
+
+       [23] There is one consideration not often noticed in
+            connection with the defence of New Orleans, which
+            gives it additional importance. It is extremely
+            doubtful, whether the city would have been
+            surrendered to the Americans, under the treaty of
+            peace, had it been captured. Spain never cordially
+            acquiesced in the transfer of the territory of
+            Louisiana from France to the United States, and
+            her minister at Washington, the Marquis of Trujo,
+            formally protested against it. At this time England
+            was peculiarly zealous in taking care of Spanish
+            interests, and in a letter addressed to the American,
+            by the British Commissioners, at Ghent, on the 8th of
+            October, 1814, these facts were stated, and the right
+            of France to make the cession was seriously called in
+            question.
+
+       [24] Alison’s History of Europe, chap. lxxvi.
+
+       [25] See Memoir of General Gaines, _ante_.
+
+       [26] “L’amitie d’un grand homme, est un bienfait des
+            dieux.”--_Voltaire’s Oedipe._
+
+       [27] Alison’s History of Europe, chap. lxx.
+
+
+
+
+[Illustration: ALEXANDER MACOMB.]
+
+
+
+
+                          ALEXANDER MACOMB.
+
+
+Alexander Macomb, late General-in-Chief of the Army of the United
+States, was one of the first fruits of the military institution
+at West Point, suggested by General Washington, and established
+during the administration of President Jefferson. Like all the most
+prominent officers in the army, at the close of the war of 1812, he
+was indebted, however, for his rapid promotion, to that “exfoliation
+of veteran commanders,” which, says Mr. Ingersoll, in his Historical
+Sketch of the second war with Great Britain, “was one of the
+processes which the young army of that war had to suffer, before
+becoming fit for action.”[28]
+
+He was born at Detroit, then a frontier garrison town, on the third
+day of April, 1782. His father, whose name was, also, Alexander
+Macomb, was of Irish parentage, though a native of the city of New
+York; he was highly esteemed as a citizen, and subsequently became
+a member of the New York legislature; and it is said, to his honor,
+that he furnished five sons for the regular army and the militia,
+in the war of 1812. The elder Macomb removed to Detroit, just
+previous to the American Revolution, and engaged in the fur trade,
+in which he acquired a large property. His wife, the mother of
+young Alexander, was a grand-daughter of Robert de Navarre, a French
+officer, who came to America in 1745, and was appointed Notaire Royal
+and Sub-Deligué, on the early establishment of Detroit.
+
+Shortly after the restoration of peace, and while Alexander was yet
+a mere infant, his father returned with his family to New York.
+When the latter was eight years of age, he was placed at the Newark
+Academy, in New Jersey, then under the charge of Bishop Ogden.
+Many of his associates at this institution were the sons of French
+_emigrés_, whom the revolution in France had driven to seek an asylum
+in the western world. In their society, he acquired that polished
+grace, and that polite ease of manners, for which he was always
+remarkable, after he had arrived at the age of manhood.
+
+He early manifested an unusual fondness for military studies and
+accomplishments, and his infantile recollections were associated
+with the martial displays he had witnessed at Detroit. When
+preparations were made for the defence of the country, on account of
+the threatening aspect of our relations with Great Britain, he, with
+other lads of the same age, assisted in throwing up the projected
+works; and when the nation became agitated with the almost certain
+prospect of a war with France, his playmates and companions divided
+themselves into parties, he being usually selected as the leader of
+the American faction, and, like Napoleon and his school-fellows at
+Brienne, built forts and castles in the snow, which they alternately
+stormed and defended.
+
+[Sidenote: RECEIVES A COMMISSION.]
+
+In May, 1798, though still but a lad, young Macomb was elected a
+member of a select company, called the “New York Rangers,” attached
+to the third regiment of the state militia, who took their name
+from those provincial bands, that, from 1755 to 1763, formed the
+_élite_ of the armies operating on the borders of Canada. Congress
+had recently passed a law authorizing the enrollment of a large
+body of volunteers, and the services of this corps were tendered
+to the General Government, and accepted. Previous to this time,
+when only fourteen years of age, young Macomb had intimated to his
+father a desire to enter the army or navy, but the latter gave no
+encouragement to his wishes. He was bent, however, on accomplishing
+the object which was now the favorite one of his heart; and, in the
+autumn of 1798, he applied for a commission in the regular service,
+through the commander of his regiment, Colonel Jacob Morton. His
+application was supported by the recommendation of General Alexander
+Hamilton, who had been attracted by his manly bearing, and his
+personal and mental accomplishments; and on the tenth of January,
+1799, he was commissioned a cornet of light dragoons, under the act
+providing for the enlistment of an additional force of regulars.
+
+Immediately after his appointment, through the kind partiality of
+General Hamilton, he was selected as an assistant adjutant general,
+and assigned to duty in the office of General North, the Adjutant
+General of the Army. No opportunity was offered for signalizing
+himself in the field, on account of the amicable settlement of the
+matters in dispute with France; though, by the prompt and faithful
+discharge of the duties which devolved upon him, he secured the
+respect and confidence of his superior officers. With the permission
+of General Hamilton, he visited Canada, to make himself acquainted
+with the discipline and tactics in the British service; he was
+kindly received by the officers at Montreal, visited the troops in
+their quarters, and was present at several reviews for manœuvre and
+inspection.
+
+The American army was now reduced to a peace establishment; a great
+portion of the troops were disbanded; and most of the officers
+returned to private life. Macomb, however, was retained in the
+service, and on the tenth of February, 1801, was appointed a second
+lieutenant of dragoons. Upon his return to the United States, he was
+ordered to Philadelphia, on the recruiting service. While in this
+city, he eagerly embraced every opportunity to cultivate and improve
+his mental abilities, by reading, and associating with learned and
+scientific men. The valuable public libraries were open to him, and
+he became a constant visitor. He here met with a French officer of
+engineers, under whom he passed through a course of instruction
+in fortification and military topography. He likewise formed the
+acquaintance of Major Williams, of the 2d artillery, the Inspector of
+Fortifications, an able and intelligent officer, who was afterwards
+placed at the head of the corps of engineers, and the Military
+Academy at West Point.
+
+Having raised a body of recruits, he received orders to conduct
+them to Pittsburg, the headquarters of General Wilkinson. Being
+accompanied by a number of subaltern officers of infantry, he
+cheerfully waived his privilege of being mounted, and walked
+with them on foot, enlivening the weary march by his sprightly
+conversation, his gay good humor, and his friendly attention to the
+wants of those under his command.
+
+Arrived at Pittsburg, Lieutenant Macomb was employed in instructing
+the recruits preparatory to joining their respective regiments. He
+also renewed his intimacy with Major Williams, then on a tour of
+inspection upon the Niagara frontier, whom he assisted in preparing
+his drawings, calculations, and estimates. He was subsequently
+attached to the military family of General Wilkinson, as an extra
+aid-de-camp, and accompanied him, in that capacity, to the camp of
+instruction formed at Wilkinsonville, at the mouth of the Ohio,
+for practicing the evolutions of the line. In August, 1801, he was
+selected as the secretary of the commission, consisting of Generals
+Wilkinson and Pickens, and Colonel Hawkins, appointed to treat with
+the Indian tribes inhabiting the Southwestern territory. He was
+engaged in this service, and in other collateral duties, until June,
+1802--spending the winter of 1801–2 in the Creek nation--when he was
+dispatched to Washington by the commissioners, with the treaties
+and accounts. During all this time, he kept a journal, in which he
+carefully noted the geological and geographical features of the
+country which he traversed; and he also constructed a topographical
+map of the Tennessee and Mississippi rivers, which was deposited
+in the War office, and noticed by President Jefferson in the most
+commendatory terms.
+
+[Sidenote: APPOINTED A LIEUTENANT OF ENGINEERS.]
+
+Upon his arrival at the seat of government, he found that the corps
+to which he belonged had been disbanded, but that he had been
+retained, and attached to the 1st infantry, with the rank of first
+lieutenant. At the same time authority had been given to raise
+a corps of engineers, to consist of one major, two captains, two
+first, and two second lieutenants, and ten cadets--which corps, when
+organized, was to constitute the Military Academy. Being dissatisfied
+with his new appointment, he remonstrated with the Secretary of War;
+Major Williams, the head of the corps of engineers, seconded his
+appeal; and, in consequence, he was transferred to that corps, as a
+first lieutenant, in October, 1802.
+
+He now proceeded to West Point, to take his place as a student,--the
+lieutenants, as well as the cadets, being obliged to go through
+the course of study,--in conformity with the provisions of the law
+organizing the Academy. He was one of the first graduates, and was
+then appointed adjutant of the corps. It was his duty to instruct the
+cadets in their military exercises, and he was the first officer who
+organized them into a body, and put arms in their hands.--This was
+the beginning of an institution, which has since made the world ring,
+with the heroism and daring of the gallant officers whose military
+character and education were there formed and acquired.
+
+In July, 1803, Lieutenant Macomb was married to his cousin,
+Catharine Macomb, a young lady of rare beauty, of refined mind, and
+highly-polished manners.
+
+So highly were his talents appreciated, that in the autumn of the
+same year, he was appointed Judge Advocate of a general court-martial
+held at Frederick, Maryland, for the trial of Colonel Butler. In
+discharging this duty he acquitted himself with such marked ability,
+that the members of the court suggested to him the preparation
+of a treatise on the subject of courts-martial,--a work which he
+afterwards executed.
+
+On the eleventh of June, 1805, in pursuance of the strong
+recommendation of Colonel Williams, who was ever warmly attached to
+his _protége_, he was further promoted to the rank of captain in
+the corps of engineers; and, immediately thereafter, was ordered
+to Portsmouth, to oversee the repairs on the fortifications in
+that harbor. The next year he was appointed superintendent of the
+public works, then erecting at Mount Dearborn, on the Catawba river,
+thirty-six miles above Camden, where it was designed to establish
+a national armory and dépôt. While at this place, he prepared his
+treatise on courts-martial,--receiving the benefit of the advice
+and suggestions of General William R. Davie, and General Charles
+C. Pinckney, both equally accomplished as soldiers and civilians.
+The work was soon after printed, and submitted to the President and
+Secretary of War, by whom it was adopted as the standard for the
+government of courts-martial.
+
+[Sidenote: MADE LIEUTENANT COLONEL.]
+
+Captain Macomb remained at Mount Dearborn, until 1807, when he was
+instructed to take the general direction, as chief engineer, of the
+works then in process of construction for the defence of Georgia and
+the two Carolinas. He made a careful reconnaissance of the whole
+coast, from Ocracoke inlet to the river St. Mary’s, and projected a
+complete system of defences for all the principal harbors and inlets.
+In February, 1808, he was raised to the rank of major, and, in 1811,
+was made a lieutenant colonel. He remained at Charleston, and in
+its neighborhood, superintending the fortifications on the coast,
+till the month of April, 1812, when he was called to Washington, to
+assist the Secretary of War in organizing, arranging, equipping, and
+providing supplies, for the new regiments ordered to be raised, in
+anticipation of a collision with England.
+
+War was declared in June following, and Colonel Macomb promptly
+solicited a command in the line of the army. Much to his chagrin
+this was refused, as being incompatible with the existing rules of
+the service.[29] Still he was not to be balked in his determination
+to take a far more active part in the approaching contest, than as
+a mere cabinet and staff officer. He now applied for an appointment
+in one of the new regiments of artillery; the delegation in Congress
+from the State of New York endorsed his application; and, on the
+sixth of July, 1812, he received a commission as colonel of the 3rd
+artillery, a double regiment, to consist of twenty companies, of one
+hundred and eighteen men each.
+
+Colonel Macomb forthwith repaired to New York, and by his own
+personal efforts and exertions, soon succeeded in raising the
+requisite number of men to compose his regiment. The different
+companies rendezvoused at Greenbush, where they were completely
+organized and instructed. Their fine state of discipline, their
+soldierly appearance and deportment, and the high character of their
+officers for ability and intelligence, attracted general attention,
+and elicited tokens of approbation in every quarter. In November, the
+colonel marched his regiment to Sacketts Harbor, with the intention
+of embarking it on board the fleet, and making an attack on Kingston.
+On his arrival at that post, he found that Commodore Chauncey had
+sailed in quest of the enemy, whereupon, in accordance with the
+advice of a council of war, the contemplated movement was abandoned,
+and the regiment went into winter quarters.
+
+[Sidenote: STATIONED AT SACKETTS HARBOR.]
+
+During the winter, Colonel Macomb was invested with the command of
+the land forces at Sacketts Harbor. In addition to his own regiment,
+there was a large body of militia and volunteers stationed there,
+together with a number of sailors and marines belonging to the
+squadron. All the troops were drilled with great regularity and
+precision--being often paraded on the frozen lake, to inure them to
+the cold, and to fit them for a projected march, across the ice, upon
+Kingston. This was ascertained to be practicable, by a reconnaissance
+made by Captain Crane, and in order to cover the design, a rumor was
+set afloat, to the effect that Sir George Prevost was concentrating
+his forces at Kingston for an attack on Sacketts Harbor.[30] By some
+means or other, the rumor reached the ears of General Dearborn, the
+commander-in-chief, at Albany, in such a shape, that he could not
+be induced to believe it was a mere device designed to lull the
+suspicions of the enemy. He left Albany in a sleigh drawn by four
+horses, reached Sacketts Harbor in forty-eight hours, and soon after
+ordered up the brigades of Chandler and Pike from Plattsburg.
+
+Kingston, therefore, remained unmolested,--and the army at Sacketts
+Harbor continued inactive, till the opening of the lake navigation
+in the spring of 1813, when General Dearborn proceeded against York
+with the greater part of his forces. A portion of Colonel Macomb’s
+regiment took part in the expedition, but their commander himself,
+much against his own inclination and wishes, was left at Sacketts
+Harbor,--it being deemed of the highest importance that an officer of
+skill and ability should be placed in command of that post.
+
+Having made every possible preparation for the defence of Sacketts
+Harbor, and received permission to join General Dearborn on the
+Niagara frontier, Colonel Macomb sailed up the lake, in company with
+Commodore Chauncey, with the remainder of his regiment, and joined
+the main army on the twenty-fourth of May; passing, in the night,
+a schooner dispatched by the general-in-chief, with an officer on
+board, bearing positive orders for him to remain at the post he had
+left. The arrangements for the attack on Fort George had previously
+been made; but a sort of second reserve was formed, under Colonel
+Macomb, consisting of his regiment and the marines. The attack was
+made on the twenty-seventh of May, and was eminently successful. None
+of the troops participated in the action, except the advanced guard
+under Colonel Scott, and the brigade of General Boyd; consequently,
+Colonel Macomb had no opportunity to gather the laurels he longed to
+win; and, immediately after the battle took place, he was ordered to
+return to Sacketts Harbor, with four companies of his regiment.
+
+Upon what trifling, and apparently unimportant circumstances, does
+the destiny of individuals, like that of nations, depend!--The
+temporary absence of Colonel Macomb from Sacketts Harbor enabled
+General Brown, then only an officer of the militia, to distinguish
+himself, and to obtain a high command, followed by rapid promotion,
+in the regular service; while the former, though equally brave and
+patriotic, was defeated in his most ardent hopes, by his impatience
+and anxiety to meet the enemy in the field.
+
+[Sidenote: EXPEDITION DOWN THE ST. LAWRENCE.]
+
+In the summer of 1813, General Wilkinson relieved General Dearborn
+in the command of the Northern army. Colonel Macomb accompanied him
+in the fruitless and unfortunate movement down the St. Lawrence,
+in the autumn of that year.[31] He was placed at the head of the
+_corps d’élite_, which consisted of his own regiment, the 20th
+infantry, Forsyth’s rifles, and Major Herkimer’s New York volunteers,
+numbering, in all, about twelve hundred men. On the march over land,
+to avoid the fire of the British batteries at Prescott, he led the
+advance; and when the army resumed its progress down the river, he
+was detached with his corps, to remove obstructions from the stream,
+and drive the enemy’s skirmishers and light troops from the line of
+the route. While on this service, several slight affairs occurred
+with the enemy, in which he and the officers and men of his command,
+displayed commendable zeal and gallantry.
+
+Being in the advance, Colonel Macomb had no part in the action fought
+on the eleventh of November, near Williamsburg. After the death of
+General Covington, who fell on that occasion, Macomb succeeded to
+the command of his brigade, and conducted it to the winter quarters
+of the army, at French Mills, where he was placed in command of the
+artillery.
+
+On the twenty-fourth of January, 1814, Colonel Macomb was promoted to
+the rank of brigadier general, and, on the receipt of his commission,
+was regularly assigned to the command of Covington’s brigade. In
+conformity with orders from the War Department, the cantonment at
+French Mills was broken up in February, 1814, and the troops divided
+into two columns,--one moving to Sacketts Harbor, under General
+Brown, and the other proceeding to Plattsburg and Burlington, under
+Generals Wilkinson and Macomb. The latter was appointed to the
+command of the troops on the eastern shore of Lake Champlain, and
+established his headquarters at Burlington.
+
+In the month of March following, General Wilkinson concentrated his
+forces at Champlain, on the New York frontier, in order to make a
+demonstration, or attack, as might be most practicable, upon the
+British outposts. General Macomb joined him with his brigade, and
+proceeded, with the column, to La Cole Mill, on the St. John’s, a
+strongly fortified position of the enemy. An attempt was made to
+carry the work on the thirtieth of March, which wholly failed of
+success. General Macomb, who had opposed, to the last, the order of
+attack laid down by the commanding general, and suggested an entirely
+different plan of operations, commanded the reserve, and displayed
+his usual ability in covering the retrograde march to Odletown.
+
+[Sidenote: INVASION OF NEW YORK.]
+
+Shortly after this affair, General Wilkinson was recalled, and
+General Macomb assumed the command of the army, till the arrival
+of General Izard. Commodore Macdonough was then actively engaged in
+constructing and equipping his fleet, at Vergennes. Early in May, the
+enemy’s flotilla appeared off Plattsburg, on their way towards the
+naval dépôt, intending, doubtless, to destroy the vessels and stores.
+General Macomb instantly penetrated their design, and dispatched the
+light artillery under Captain Thornton, to man the batteries which he
+had caused to be erected on Otter Creek, to protect the dépôt. The
+British flotilla attempted to pass up the creek, but were so roughly
+handled by the American batteries, that they judged it expedient to
+return to the Isle Aux Noix.
+
+When General Izard arrived at Plattsburg and took the command,
+General Macomb resumed his position at Burlington, till the departure
+of the former, on the twenty-seventh of August, 1814, with the
+greater part of his troops, to reïnforce General Brown on the Niagara
+frontier.
+
+Meanwhile, the British force in the Canadas had been largely
+augmented, by the arrival of successive detachments from Wellington’s
+victorious army on the Garonne. At the close of the month of August,
+there were, at least, sixteen thousand regular soldiers, under the
+orders of the governor-general, Sir George Prevost,--twelve thousand
+of whom were in the lower province. This formidable force was
+designed for the invasion of the United States, by the way of Lake
+Champlain, in conjunction with the fleet then preparing to coöperate
+with it, under Commodore Downie. At the same time, a strong naval
+expedition, under Sir John Sherbrooke and Admiral Griffith, was
+moving along the New England coast, landing at different places
+on their route, and encountering but a feeble opposition, except
+on the part of the regular troops or the navy. These two movements
+were parts of a general plan, formed by the Prince Regent and his
+cabinet--based, in all probability, on the well-known disaffection
+in the New England States. But Sir George Prevost found, to his
+cost, that the want of patriotism manifested in Massachusetts, Rhode
+Island, and Connecticut, was not shared, to any considerable degree,
+by the yeomen of New Hampshire, Vermont, and New York.
+
+The preparations of the English commander for the projected invasion
+were nearly completed, when General Izard set out for the theatre
+of General Brown’s operations. General Macomb, whose brigade was
+now broken up, was left in command at Plattsburg, to which he
+again removed his headquarters. His whole force numbered about
+twenty-five hundred men, most of whom, however, were convalescents,
+or new recruits belonging to different regiments; there was but one
+organized battalion in the entire command; many were sick; and,
+on examination, it was found that there were only fifteen hundred
+fit for duty. This was, indeed, a dilemma; and especially so, as
+there was no time given to bring up new regular troops,--it being
+announced, on the first of September, that the advance of Sir George
+Prevost’s army had that day crossed the lines at Odletown, where he
+was issuing his proclamations inviting the inhabitants to remain
+neutral, and impressing wagons and teams--thus plainly indicating
+his intention to sweep down the western shore of the lake, in the
+direction of Plattsburg.
+
+General Macomb never paused to count the number of his enemies, or
+to consider his own weakness, any further than was necessary for the
+defence of his position, which he was determined to maintain at all
+hazards. General Mooers, of the New York militia, was invited to
+consult with him, and to coöperate in the obstruction of the enemy’s
+advance, with all the troops under his orders. Messengers sped off
+in every direction, bearing spirited appeals from General Macomb,
+to arouse the people of Vermont and New York; and every exertion
+was made, in the meantime, to reduce the confusion prevailing
+at Plattsburg into something like order, and to strengthen the
+fortifications prepared to resist the “rushing onslaught” of the
+British legions. A spirit of emulation was carefully fostered among
+the officers and men, who were divided into detachments, and placed
+near the different forts; General Macomb announcing, in orders, that
+each party must be the garrison of its own work, and defend it to the
+last extremity.
+
+[Sidenote: DEFENCES OF PLATTSBURG.]
+
+The village of Plattsburg is situated on the north-western bank of
+the Saranac river, which flows into Cumberland bay, an arm of Lake
+Champlain. On the south-east, between the river and the bay, there
+is a triangular peninsula, from four to six hundred yards wide.
+The American works were constructed, under the direction of Major
+Totten, of the engineers, on this peninsula. There were, at first,
+three redoubts, and two strong blockhouses. The principal work,
+called, by General Izard, Fort Moreau, stood in the centre,--having
+on its right, on the Saranac, Fort Brown, and on its left, resting
+on the lake, Fort Scott; so named by General Macomb, in honor of
+his gallant brothers in arms. Fort Brown and Fort Scott were deemed
+inaccessible, on their water fronts, as the banks of the river and
+bay were high and precipitous. On all the other sides, the several
+works were surrounded by deep and wide ditches; they were defended by
+_caponnières_; and each glacis was covered with rows of abattis. The
+blockhouses occupied favorable positions for guarding the river, and
+the ravines on the northern bank leading to the redoubts. The general
+afterwards constructed a fourth redoubt, which he called Fort Gaines,
+in advance of the other forts, on the south side of the river.
+
+All the works occupied by the American troops were well supplied
+with artillery, and their position was further strengthened, by the
+presence of the fleet under Commodore Macdonough, which lay moored in
+the bay on the right of their position. Besides the regular garrisons
+detailed for the different redoubts, General Macomb formed four
+small corps of observation,--placing two hundred and fifty men under
+Major Wool, of the 29th infantry; two hundred under Major Sproul, of
+the 13th; one hundred rifles under Captain Grosvenor, of the 26th;
+and one hundred and ten rifles under Lieutenant Colonel Appling.
+These corps were thrown forward on the different routes, to watch
+the movements of the enemy. Most of the citizens of Plattsburg had
+fled with their families and effects, but a small party of young men
+remained behind, received rifles, and organized themselves into a
+separate company. They also did good service as skirmishers.
+
+[Sidenote: ADVANCE OF SIR GEORGE PREVOST.]
+
+The advance of Sir George Prevost was slow and cautious. The example
+and fate of Burgoyne were before him, and he desired to profit by
+the lesson. He wished to penetrate into the country as far as Crown
+Point and Ticonderoga, before the winter set in, but he did not care
+to be caught in a trap. He therefore felt his way at every step,
+repeatedly urging Captain Downie, however, to hasten the completion
+and equipment of his fleet. Without the command of the lake he
+naturally felt that his position, far advanced into the enemy’s
+country, would be extremely hazardous and insecure. On the third of
+September, the whole British army entered the town of Champlain,
+and on the following day moved forward upon Plattsburg. They found
+the roads blocked up with felled trees, the passes obstructed by
+_chevaux-de-frise_ and abattis, and the bridges broken down,--the
+corps of observation pushed out by General Macomb having faithfully
+obeyed his orders, to impede, in every way, the progress of the
+enemy’s troops.
+
+The eloquent appeals of the American general to the yeomanry of
+Vermont and New York were nobly answered. Hundreds and thousands
+of the brave Green Mountain boys, and the patriotic militia and
+volunteers of New York, daily poured into his camp. Those who
+were destitute he furnished with arms, and all were supplied with
+provisions. The militia were, of course, organized and enrolled under
+their respective commanders, but the volunteers, at his suggestion,
+usually separated into small parties, to lie in wait in the woods, to
+fall upon detached parties of the enemy, to annoy their flanks, to
+harass them by every possible means, and to obtain information and
+intercept stragglers.
+
+On the fourth of September, General Mooers, with seven hundred
+militia, advanced about seven miles on the Beekmantown road,--which
+passes over the swelling uplands overlooking the lake, and the lower,
+or lake road, on its margin,--to reconnoitre, and obstruct the
+approaches. Captain Sproul was then at Dead Creek bridge, on the lake
+road, with his corps and two pieces of artillery; while Lieutenant
+Colonel Appling and his rifles, who had been stationed on the Great
+Chazy, were still further in front. When the enemy moved forward, on
+the fourth instant, Appling retreated leisurely before them, tearing
+up the bridges, cutting down trees and flinging them across the road,
+and throwing every possible obstruction in the way of their advance.
+
+[Sidenote: BATTLE OF PLATTSBURG.]
+
+Sir George Prevost halted his troops at Little Chazy, on the fifth
+instant, and it was the same day ascertained by General Macomb, that
+they would take up the line of march on the following morning, in two
+columns, on the Beekmantown and lake roads, which divided below Chazy
+village. The general was urged by many warm and zealous friends, to
+abandon Plattsburg to its fate, to remove the stores while there was
+yet time, and to retire higher up the lake. He was not the man to
+follow such advice; though a retreat, under the circumstances, could
+not justly have been termed dishonorable. He had already decided to
+dispute every inch of ground, and he felt confident, that if the
+narrow peninsula, between the Saranac and the Champlain, should,
+indeed, prove the Thermopylæ of himself and his gallant little band
+of regular soldiers, the sacrifice would not be in vain. The militia
+and volunteers who had flocked around his standard, or were operating
+in the neighborhood, numbered from eight to ten thousand men, and
+before the enemy could have improved any advantage gained over his
+command, the forests around them would have been filled with an
+overwhelming force of citizen soldiers, burning with impatience to
+drive back the invader.
+
+In the evening of the fifth instant, Major Wool was ordered forward
+with his corps, to support the militia on the Beekmantown road. It
+was designed to reïnforce him with two pieces of artillery, before
+daylight; but the officer having charge of the guns did not join him
+in season. At early dawn on the sixth, the enemy were in motion.
+The column on the Beekmantown road, consisting of the divisions of
+Generals Power and Robinson, pushed forward with great rapidity.
+Major Wool and his men withstood them for some time with matchless
+hardihood and bravery, killing Lieutenant Colonel Wellington, of
+the Buffs, the leader of the advanced parties; but the militia were
+seized with an unhappy panic, occasioned, in part, by the red coats
+of the New York cavalry, stationed as look-outs on the hills, whom
+they mistook for the British soldiers. The firmness and intrepidity
+of Major Wool and his command failed to encourage them, and their
+premature flight soon compelled him to retire.
+
+The right column of the enemy having approached within one mile of
+Plattsburg, General Macomb dispatched his aid, with orders to Captain
+Sproul, to fall back by the lake road; and to Lieutenant Colonel
+Appling, to attack the British right. Appling retired just in time
+to escape being cut off; as he soon after encountered the head of a
+detachment from the left column, which had made a _détour_ through
+the woods for that purpose. A destructive fire from his rifles, at
+rest, checked their advance, and enabled him to effect his retreat
+in safety. The different corps, under Appling, Wool, and Sproul, now
+united, and slowly continued their retrograde movement; the field
+pieces were kept actively playing; the gunboats lying off the mouth
+of Dead Creek, poured a lively and galling fire upon the enemy; and
+their advanced parties were severely handled.
+
+[Sidenote: SKIRMISHING.]
+
+Every road and lane leading into Plattsburg was now full of British
+soldiers. The artillery, which had supported the American advanced
+corps, was pushed across the bridge in the town, where it was placed
+in battery, to cover the retreat of the infantry, who retired in
+alternate detachments. As the last platoons reached the southern
+bank of the river, the planks of all the bridges spanning the stream
+were torn up, by order of General Macomb, and breastworks formed
+from them, to protect the parties left to guard the crossings. The
+enemy promptly entered the town, flattering themselves that the
+victory was more than half completed. The heavy artillery in the
+redoubts immediately opened on them, and the staff officers, who
+ascended the roofs and balconies to reconnoitre, were speedily
+dislodged by the hot shot, poured upon them “like burning lava,”
+while the buildings of which they had taken possession were set on
+fire. The British commander, discovering that his men were suffering
+considerably from the fire of the heavy metal, and not being prepared
+to force the passage of the river, drew off the main body of his
+army,--leaving only a few light troops to skirmish at the different
+fords and bridges,--and encamped in a semicircle, about two miles
+from the American forts. It was of the highest importance that the
+weakness of his army should be concealed from the enemy, and General
+Macomb took extraordinary precautions to prevent their obtaining
+any positive information, and to deceive them in regard to his real
+strength. All the troops were paraded at guard-mounting; and, as
+several days elapsed before anything of moment transpired on either
+side, a portion of the barracks constructed for General Izard’s army
+was burned every night, to prevent the enemy from approaching the
+works unobserved, and to march the troops through the light, as if
+they were reïnforcements just arriving from the opposite shore of the
+lake.
+
+From the evening of the sixth of September, till the morning of the
+eleventh, Sir George Prevost was zealously engaged in planting his
+batteries, both open and masked, and bringing up his heavy artillery.
+During all this time he refrained from offensive operations, though
+there were constant skirmishes between advanced corps of the two
+armies, at the bridges and fords. The reason alleged for the delay
+on his part, was the want of his battering train, that came up very
+slowly; but the absence of the fleet under Captain Downie, which had
+not yet arrived,--and without which, as appeared in the sequel, he
+dared not make an attempt on the American position,--was, probably,
+the main consideration that influenced him.
+
+In the meantime, a lively and effective cannonade was directed upon
+the enemy’s lines from the American forts,--the sullen thunder of
+their artillery echoing for many a mile through the sweeping forests
+whose rich foliage enamelled the borders of Lake Champlain. The
+repeated assaults of the enemy at the different crossings of the
+river were repelled with ease and alacrity; and on one occasion,
+Captain M‘Glassin, of the 15th infantry, gallantly crossed the river
+in the night, with fifty men; attacked a working party one hundred
+and fifty strong, constructing a battery opposite Fort Brown;
+defeated both them and their support, also one hundred and fifty in
+number, killing seven of the enemy; and completely demolished the
+work. The regular troops, besides performing regular tours of duty
+at the bridge and fords, labored incessantly, in strengthening the
+fortifications.
+
+On the night of the tenth of September, General Macomb was apprised
+of the intention of the enemy to make an attack the next day; and,
+by his orders, the roads and passes leading to the south of his
+position, as he suspected they designed to turn it, were covered with
+felled trees, and strewed with leaves, so as to deceive them, and a
+new road was opened leading towards Salmon river.
+
+[Sidenote: REPULSE OF THE ENEMY.]
+
+At the earliest dawn of day, before the welkin began to glow with
+the purple light of morning, a general movement was reported, by the
+advanced parties, to be making in the enemy’s camp; and when objects
+could be distinguished from the main line, all their different corps
+were observed under arms. Shortly afterwards, the British fleet
+rounded Cumberland head. As the Confiance, the flag ship of Captain
+Downie, entered the bay, she scaled her guns,--the signal agreed
+on with Sir George Prevost for the commencement of the action. A
+desperate conflict, of rather more than two hours’ duration, now
+took place between the rival squadrons, at the termination of which
+Commodore Macdonough obtained a signal triumph over his opponent, who
+fell mortally wounded in the action.
+
+Nearly all the enemy’s vessels were captured or destroyed, and
+their crews, with the exception of those who were killed during the
+engagement, were taken prisoners.
+
+Sir George Prevost only waited to give his men their breakfast, when
+the attack was ordered on the land. Showers of bombs, shrapnels,
+balls, and rockets, were hurled across the river; and immediately
+after the bombardment commenced, the enemy advanced to force a
+passage across the stream, and assault the American works, in three
+columns--one approaching the bridge in the village, another the
+upper bridge, and the third a ford about three miles above the
+forts--all of which were provided with scaling ladders. The attack
+was vigorously met by the American artillerists; fire answered fire;
+and the ringing shot and shout resounded far and wide.
+
+The two columns of the enemy which attempted to pass the bridges,
+were gallantly driven back by the regulars; the remaining column was
+led astray in the woods--the artifices of the American commander
+being entirely successful--and after spending a long time in marching
+and countermarching to no purpose, wearied and worn with fatigue,
+they arrived in sight of the American works, only to hear the glad
+shouts of victory at the brilliant success of the brave Macdonough.
+A further advance was no longer to be thought of; the recall was
+sounded; the scaling ladders were thrown down; and a hasty retreat
+was made. The volunteers and militia stationed in this quarter,
+pressed warmly upon them, and succeeded in cutting off an entire
+company of the 76th foot, not a single man of whom escaped. The
+cannonade was kept up till sunset, when the enemy’s batteries were
+all silenced by the effective fire from the American forts.
+
+Before another morning dawned, Sir George Prevost and his powerful
+army had all disappeared, like “the baseless fabric of a vision.”
+Their sick and wounded were left behind, with a message to the
+American general commending them to his kindness and generosity. Vast
+quantities of provisions were also abandoned or destroyed, together
+with large stores of ammunition, tents, and intrenching tools.
+The retreat was made so unexpectedly, and with such extraordinary
+precipitance, that it was not discovered till the enemy had nearly
+reached Chazy, about eight miles distant. The light troops,
+volunteers, and militia, were instantly detached in pursuit of the
+flying Britons; but a violent storm of rain impeded their progress,
+and they were only able to capture a few prisoners, and to cover
+the escape of between three and four hundred deserters. Sir George
+Prevost succeeded in effecting his return to Canada, without further
+molestation, where he resigned the command of the army and demanded a
+court martial. Before the investigation took place, he died, as it is
+said, of grief and mortification at the ill-success of an expedition
+so well equipped and provided, and upon which depended so many hopes
+and expectations.
+
+The actual loss of the British army in this expedition was only
+two hundred and fifty killed and wounded, but there were over four
+hundred deserted in the retreat. Of the Americans, there were
+thirty-seven killed, sixty-two wounded, and twenty missing.
+
+The double victory of Macomb and Macdonough was everywhere hailed
+by their countrymen with acclamations of joy. The legislatures of
+New York and Vermont were foremost in offering their thanks and
+congratulations. The freedom of the city of New York was presented to
+General Macomb, in a gold box, and the State legislature voted him a
+magnificent sword. Congress also passed a vote of thanks, and ordered
+that a gold medal, emblematical of the victory, should be struck and
+presented to him. The brevet of major general was likewise conferred
+on him--his commission bearing date on the memorable eleventh of
+September, 1814.
+
+[Sidenote: RETURN OF PEACE.]
+
+Upon the conclusion of the treaty of peace, the negotiations for
+which were undoubtedly hastened to a close by the disastrous result
+of the expedition under Sir George Prevost, the army was reduced
+to the peace establishment, which was fixed at ten thousand men.
+Two major generals, and four brigadier generals, were retained in
+the service; among them was General Macomb, who stood at the head
+of the brigadiers. He was now assigned to the command of the 3rd
+military department, and established his headquarters at New York;
+subsequently he was transferred to the 5th department, and removed
+to Detroit. While in charge of the latter department, he established
+the posts at Fort Gratiot, Chicago, Mackinaw, Prairie du Chien, St.
+Peter’s, and St. Mary’s. So highly was he esteemed by the people
+of Detroit, that when he was called to Washington, on the further
+reduction of the army, in June, 1821, to take charge of the Engineer
+Bureau, an address, in their name, with a piece of plate, was
+presented to him, by Governor Cass; and the clergy, and all the most
+prominent citizens, called upon him to take their leave, and express
+their regret at his departure.
+
+General Macomb now removed to Georgetown, in the District of
+Columbia, in order to enter upon the duties of his appointment as
+Chief Engineer. His military studies, his talents and experience,
+eminently fitted him for this post; and it is not strange, therefore,
+that he should have received, as he did, the repeated thanks of every
+head of the War Department, during his administration of the affairs
+of the engineer bureau. Millions of dollars were appropriated under
+his directions, not a single cent of which was unaccounted for to the
+government.
+
+In the first year of his residence at Georgetown, General Macomb was
+called upon to mourn the loss of his excellent wife, who had so long
+shared with him the toils and dangers, the hardships and sufferings,
+of a soldier’s life. He was married a second time, in May, 1826, to
+Mrs. Harriet Balch Wilson, a lady richly meriting the praise awarded
+to the possessor of so many graces and accomplishments.
+
+On the death of General Brown, in February, 1828, General Macomb
+was raised to the full rank of major general, and appointed
+General-in-Chief of the army. His claims to this preference were
+disputed by Generals Scott and Gaines, the two brigadiers; but
+President Adams, and his successor, General Jackson, decided in favor
+of Macomb, on the ground that his military service was the longest,
+and that, even if this were not the case, the Executive possessed
+the unquestioned right to go beyond the pale of the army, if thought
+advisable, in making the selection.
+
+While at the head of the army, General Macomb devised and recommended
+various plans for its improvement, and that of the military school
+at West Point, many of which were adopted by Congress, or the War
+Department, and all of which would no doubt materially conduce to
+the elevation of the military character of the country. He was not
+again required to take the field, except that he was absent for a
+few months in Florida, during the second Seminole war, and, in 1839,
+concluded a treaty of peace with the refractory Indians, which proved
+to be illusory and deceptive.
+
+[Sidenote: HIS DEATH.]
+
+As General Macomb advanced in years, he grew somewhat corpulent, and
+became subject to apoplectic attacks. On the occasion of the funeral
+ceremonies of President Harrison, in the city of Washington, he
+commanded the funeral escort; and his tall and manly form, his noble
+and dignified presence, rendered him the most conspicuous personage
+in that brilliant pageant. But little more than two months elapsed,
+when he was struck by the same relentless enemy of our race. He died
+in a fit of apoplexy, on the twenty-fifth of June, 1841, universally
+lamented by his associates and brethren in arms, and by his numerous
+friends and acquaintances throughout the Union.
+
+The personal appearance of General Macomb was decidedly in his favor.
+He was above the ordinary height, and, until a few years previous to
+his death, was finely proportioned. His eyes were blue, and beamed
+with intelligence and kindness. His look was lofty and imposing, and
+his whole cast of countenance indicated great decision and firmness,
+coupled with intellectual ability of the highest order.
+
+He was polished and easy in his manners; at all times accessible;
+but never forgetting his own self-respect, or losing sight of the
+dignity of his position. In his military career, he evinced unusual
+promptness and energy, appropriately tempered by wisdom and prudence.
+He made no pretences to extraordinary courage; but a braver soldier,
+in the better sense of the term, never lived. His scientific
+attainments in the line of his profession, and in general literature,
+were remarked, and admired, by all who had the pleasure of his
+acquaintance. He was singularly accurate in his judgment; correct
+and exact in the discharge of every duty; patient and assiduous, but
+decided, in anything he undertook. His disposition and character were
+equable; and he wore well, as a soldier and a citizen,--as a friend,
+a father, and a husband.
+
+
+FOOTNOTES:
+
+       [28] Vol. I. p. 288.
+
+       [29] Colonel Williams, the chief of the corps of
+            Engineers, resigned his commission in 1812, for the
+            reason that he was denied a command in the line of
+            the army, which he solicited.
+
+       [30] The post was attacked in May, 1813, (see Memoir
+            of General Brown, _ante_,) but not until after the
+            withdrawal of the troops for the expedition against
+            York and Fort George.
+
+       [31] See Memoir of General Brown, _ante_.
+
+
+
+
+                       ZEBULON MONTGOMERY PIKE.
+
+
+This gallant officer, whose fate so closely resembles that of the
+chivalric, ardent, and romantic Montgomery, was bred in a camp, lived
+a soldier’s life, and died a soldier’s death.
+
+          “Brief brave, and glorious, was his young career!”
+
+Like Sidney before the walls of Zutphen, he perished in the hour of
+victory, when he had just plucked the coronal of his fame; like him,
+too, rejoicing that his death was for the honor of his country.
+
+General Pike was descended from a family of soldiers. One of his
+ancestors, Captain John Pike, was highly distinguished, according to
+the traditionary accounts, in the early Indian wars of the colony.
+His father, Major Zebulon Pike, entered the army of the United
+States as a captain of infantry, in 1792, having served, with high
+credit, in the levies of the previous year, and was promoted to
+the rank of major in 1800. His son, the hero of this sketch, was
+born at Lamberton, New Jersey, the residence of the family for many
+generations, on the fifth day of January, 1779. While he was yet a
+child, his father removed to Bucks County, Pennsylvania, and thence
+to Easton. In his boyhood, he was remarkable both for his spirit and
+bravery, and his thoughtful and studious habits. He enjoyed but few
+advantages, and obtained a knowledge only of the ordinary branches of
+an English education.
+
+At an early age, he accompanied his father to the western frontiers
+of the Union, and served for some time as a cadet in his company.
+On the third of March, 1799, he received a commission as ensign
+in the 2nd infantry, and on the twenty-fourth of April, 1800, was
+promoted to a first lieutenancy in the same regiment. During the
+year 1800, he was transferred to the 1st infantry. Unlike most of
+the young officers around him, who contented themselves with going
+through the customary routine of barrack duty, he devoted all his
+leisure time to reading and study. Without the aid of an instructor,
+he became tolerably well acquainted with the French, Latin, and
+Spanish languages, and made considerable proficiency in mathematics
+and general science. He was not indifferently versed in polite
+literature, though much could not have been expected from him in this
+respect, as his reading and studies were very desultory in their
+character. He possessed an inquiring mind, habits of investigation
+and reflection, and was a nice observer of men and things; he
+was likewise patient and assiduous in his efforts to improve his
+mind,--but all these good qualities did not make up for the absence
+of a regular system.
+
+In March, 1801, Pike was married to Miss Clarissa Brown, of
+Cincinnati. He was tenderly and devotedly attached to his wife, and
+had several children by her, only one of whom, a daughter, survived
+him.
+
+[Sidenote: EXPEDITION UP THE MISSISSIPPI.]
+
+After the purchase of Louisiana from France, Mr. Jefferson projected
+several expeditions of discovery in the territory newly acquired.
+Captain Lewis and Lieutenant Clarke were selected to ascend the
+Missouri, to cross the mountains, and trace the Columbia river to its
+mouth; and about the same time, Lieutenant Pike was ordered by his
+commanding officer, General Wilkinson, to conduct an expedition to
+the sources of the Mississippi. On the ninth of August, 1805, he left
+St. Louis in a keel boat, seventy feet long, with provisions for four
+months; his whole party consisting of one sergeant, one corporal,
+and seventeen private soldiers. There was not a scientific man
+attached to the expedition; his men were totally unacquainted with
+the country; and Pike himself was required to perform the duties, as
+he remarks in the Preface to his published Narrative, “of astronomer,
+surveyor, commanding officer, clerk, spy, guide, and hunter.”
+
+He was absent on this expedition nearly nine months. He visited
+a great number of Indian tribes, attended several councils, made
+treaties with them, and purchased valuable tracts of land. On the
+sixteenth of October he erected a stockade, and established a winter
+station for his men, two hundred and thirty-three miles above the
+falls of St. Anthony. He was determined to pursue his explorations
+still further, and accordingly commenced his preparations as soon
+as practicable. While he remained at the encampment, its tedious
+monotony was relieved by the excitement of the chase. In December,
+he continued his journey in canoes and on foot--his men drawing
+their baggage on sleds over the frozen snow. After visiting Sandy,
+Leech, and Red Cedar lakes, and making his surveys and examinations,
+he returned to his stockade, where he had left his sergeant, and
+invalid soldiers, on the eighteenth of February, 1806. He was
+compelled to wait here till the breaking up of the ice in the spring,
+when he descended the river to St. Louis, arriving there on the
+thirtieth of April.
+
+General Wilkinson was so well pleased with the manner in which
+Lieutenant Pike had conducted the expedition up the Mississippi, that
+within four months after his return, he selected him to undertake
+a similar enterprise. On the fifteenth of July, 1806, he embarked
+at St. Louis, with his party, consisting of one lieutenant, one
+sergeant, two corporals, sixteen privates, and an interpreter,
+together with forty Osage captives, who had recently been recovered
+from their enemies, the Potowatomies. Dr. Robinson, a professional
+gentleman, accompanied the expedition as a volunteer.
+
+Proceeding up the Missouri river to the Osage country, Lieutenant
+Pike restored the captives to their friends, and then made his way
+to the Pawnee towns, with whom he partially succeeded in cultivating
+friendly relations. His efforts, however, were in a great measure
+frustrated, by their proximity to the Spanish settlers of New Mexico,
+a large body of whom had lately visited their country.
+
+Having fulfilled the duties required of him in the Indian country,
+Lieutenant Pike proceeded to obey his further instructions, to
+explore the territory lying on the headwaters of the Arkansas and
+Red rivers. After leaving the Indian neighborhood, he and his party
+encountered the severest hardships and fatigues. On reaching the
+Arkansas, he directed Lieutenant Wilkinson to descend the river to
+the military post on its lower waters, with seven men of the party.
+He then held on his way with the remainder of his command, and, at
+length, after days and weeks of toil and suffering--he and his men
+being compelled for a portion of the time to carry seventy pounds
+each on their backs--he arrived on what he supposed to be the bank of
+the Red river, but which proved to be the Rio Grande.
+
+[Sidenote: TAKEN PRISONER TO CHIHUAHUA.]
+
+While encamped in the vicinity of the river, he was visited by a
+detachment of Spanish and Mexican lancers, by whom he was conducted
+to Santa Fé. The Spaniards were at that time extremely inimical
+towards the people of the United States, and it was probably supposed
+that Pike was connected with the expedition of Colonel Burr. He was
+treated with great respect, however, but was carefully watched,
+and shortly afterwards sent, with his party, to Chihuahua, the
+residence of the Captain-general of the Internal Provinces, under
+a strong escort. All his papers, with the exception of his private
+journal, were here taken from him, and he was then permitted to
+return home, accompanied by an escort, by way of San Antonio and
+Nacogdoches,--though he was forbidden to take any notes, or make any
+observations, on the route. He evaded this prohibition, by making
+his memoranda on small scraps of paper, which were concealed in the
+gunbarrels of his men. On the first of July, 1807, the long and
+arduous expedition terminated, by the arrival of himself and party at
+Natchitoches.
+
+On his return to the United States, Pike found himself promoted to
+the rank of captain. His conduct received the express approbation of
+the Secretary of War, and his zeal, perseverance, and intelligence,
+elicited a high, but richly deserved encomium, from a committee of
+Congress. He subsequently prepared a Narrative of his Expedition,
+abounding in interesting and useful information, and accompanied with
+valuable maps and charts, which was published in 1810.
+
+In 1809, Pike was raised to a majority in the 6th infantry, and, in
+1810, was appointed lieutenant colonel of the 4th infantry. Being
+engaged on detached service at the southwest, he was not present at
+the battle of Tippecanoe, in November, 1811, in which his regiment
+bore so prominent a part. While holding the rank of lieutenant
+colonel, he was appointed deputy quartermaster general, the duties of
+which office he discharged with commendable fidelity and punctuality.
+
+On the twentieth day of May, 1812, Colonel Pike was present at a
+numerous meeting of the citizens of Philadelphia, held in the State
+House yard, the object of which was to embolden the government
+to declare war against Great Britain. He took no part in the
+proceedings, but was not an uninterested spectator. His whole soul
+was in his profession; his heart glowed with the noble ambition of
+the soldier; and he gladly welcomed these expressions of the popular
+will, as the certain indications that he would soon be summoned to
+the field. He panted for action, for glory and fame. His ardent wish
+was soon gratified, by the declaration of war in June following,
+and on the increase of the army, in July, he was promoted to the
+colonelcy of the 15th infantry.
+
+Shortly after receiving his new commission, Colonel Pike proceeded
+to the Champlain frontier, where he was stationed for some months,
+under the immediate orders of General Dearborn, with a command
+consisting of twenty-five hundred men. He found the troops in great
+need of discipline, and labored earnestly and indefatigably to
+correct the difficulty. No regular system of tactics had then been
+adopted; some officers adhering to that of “Old Steuben,” in vogue
+during the revolution, and others adopting the more modern French
+system. Pike was active in his temperament, enthusiastic, ambitious
+to excel, and, perhaps, too fond of innovations. He felt himself
+at liberty to choose for himself, and therefore drilled his own
+regiment in three ranks, according to the French mode; the rear rank
+being provided with short guns and long pikes. They made a bristling
+appearance in the charge, but were not very serviceable, and soon
+became known in the army as “Pike’s regiment of _pikes_.” After his
+death the short guns and pikes were no longer used.
+
+One of the innovations introduced by Pike, was that of drilling
+his men with snow shoes, in anticipation of a winter campaign in
+Canada; and there are many amusing anecdotes related of the singular
+appearance presented by his men when going through their manœuvres
+and evolutions on parade.
+
+[Sidenote: INCURSION INTO CANADA.]
+
+In October, 1812, Colonel Pike made a successful incursion into
+Canada, with his regiment; the northern army being then stationed
+near the frontier, in the town of Champlain. On the nineteenth
+instant, he surprised a body of British and Indians stationed at a
+blockhouse, destroyed a large quantity of public stores, and returned
+to camp without sustaining much loss. In the winter of 1813, he
+was assigned to the command of a brigade, and was ordered from
+Plattsburg to Sacketts Harbor, in consequence of a report that Sir
+George Prevost designed to attack that post.[32]
+
+At the opening of the campaign of 1813, Pike was promoted to the
+rank of brigadier general, and accompanied General Dearborn in his
+expedition against York. It was the great fault committed by our
+generals in the war of 1812, that no permanent lodgment was made on
+the Canada shore, between Kingston and Montreal. Had this been done,
+the two provinces would have been effectually detached, and the upper
+one must of necessity have submitted to the authority of the United
+States. The instructions issued from the War Department to General
+Dearborn, in the spring of 1813, specified Kingston and York, Forts
+George and Erie, as suitable points of attack. It was, of course,
+designed that an attempt should be first made on Kingston; but the
+commanding general was deceived by a false report as to its strength,
+intended by the enemy to produce that effect, and therefore selected
+York, the capital of Upper Canada, now known as Toronto.
+
+Pike was constantly employed at Sacketts Harbor, in drilling the men
+intended for the expedition, which was to be a secret one,--it being
+understood that he was to have the actual command of the forces,
+though General Dearborn decided to accompany him. The troops, to
+the number of about seventeen hundred men, were embarked on board
+Commodore Chauncey’s fleet, on the twenty-third of April, 1813,
+and set sail on the twenty-fifth instant. On the morning of the
+twenty-seventh, they hove in sight of York, and the landing instantly
+commenced, in the small boats, under the direction of General Pike,
+who had previously made all the necessary arrangements, and issued
+the most precise orders, which were directed to be read at the head
+of every corps.
+
+[Sidenote: EXPEDITION AGAINST YORK.]
+
+It was originally designed that the debarkation should take place
+on the open shore, near the ruins of old Fort Toronto, about two
+miles above York; but the prevalence of a strong east wind forced
+the boats on a part of the coast fringed with trees and underbrush,
+which afforded an excellent cover to the enemy’s sharpshooters. Major
+Forsyth led the descent with his rifle corps. His men cheered lustily
+as their boats skimmed over the blue waters, and rapidly neared the
+beach. The alarm had already been communicated to General Sheaffe,
+the commandant of the garrison at York; a strong body of grenadiers,
+with the Glengary fencibles, were paraded on the shore to oppose the
+landing; a still larger force of regulars and militia, at least seven
+hundred strong, were observed in the rear; and there were five or six
+hundred Indians scattered through the woods in detached parties.
+
+As Major Forsyth approached the shore, a heavy fire of musketry and
+rifles was poured on his command. He at once ordered his men to rest
+a few seconds on their oars, and return the enemy’s fire. General
+Pike was at this moment standing on the deck of his ship, intently
+surveying the scene with his glass. Observing what he thought a
+cowardly pause on the part of the advance, he exclaimed to his staff,
+“I can stay here no longer,--come, jump into the boat!” As he spoke,
+he leaped into the boat, followed by his officers, gave the order to
+make way, and pushed into the thickest of the fire.
+
+Meantime, Major Forsyth and his men had gallantly driven the enemy
+from the bank, and effected a landing. They then sheltered themselves
+behind the trees and bushes, and opened a lively fire. The first
+volley of the enemy had killed their armorer, the best shot in the
+corps, and they now made the woods ring with the shrill report of
+their pieces, and their loud shouts for vengeance.
+
+General Pike soon landed, with Major King’s infantry, the light
+artillery under Major Eustis, the volunteer corps of Colonel
+McClure, and Lieutenant Riddle’s rifles. The general placed himself
+at the head of the platoon first formed, and ordering the rest to
+follow, dashed up the bank under a fierce shower of bullets from
+the grenadiers. His noble example inspired his men with confidence.
+Willing hearts found ready hands. At the word they sprang forward
+with the utmost vivacity and firmness, and charged impetuously upon
+the enemy, who almost immediately broke, and retired in disorder
+towards their works in the town. At the same instant, Forsyth’s
+bugles pealed forth their merry notes of victory. The effect on the
+Indians was electrical; they gave a loud yell and fled in every
+direction; but the Glengary fencibles still maintained an irregular
+fire. A fresh body of grenadiers now issued from the wood, and made
+a dash at Major King’s regiment; at first, the latter faltered under
+the terrible crash of the bayonet, but they speedily rallied,
+returned the charge with a will, and drove the enemy from the field.
+
+All the troops having landed, they were formed in order of attack,
+and led on by General Pike in person, against the enemy’s works.
+Advancing through the wood, they came within range of a twenty-four
+pounder gun planted in one of the batteries. The battery was stormed
+and cleaned in an instant. A second work was soon after entered,
+which had previously been abandoned. The assailants then moved
+forward, in columns, upon the principal intrenchment, whither the
+enemy had retreated. On approaching it, the barracks appeared to have
+been evacuated. Suspecting some trick, General Pike ordered a halt,
+and sent Lieutenant Riddle forward to reconnoitre.
+
+[Sidenote: EXPLOSION OF THE MAGAZINE.]
+
+In the meanwhile, General Pike, ever as humane and generous, as he
+was brave, had aided in removing a wounded British soldier with his
+own hands to a place of safety, and then sat down on the stump of a
+tree with one of the enemy’s sergeants who had been taken prisoner.
+He was busily employed in examining him, with the assistance of his
+aids, when the hill-side was suddenly convulsed as if with the throes
+of an earthquake. The magazine in the main work of the enemy exploded
+with a deafening roar. Huge volumes of smoke darkened the air;
+vast columns of flame shot up towards the sky; and large masses of
+fragments were thrown into the air, where they hung suspended for a
+moment, and then descended with a sharp hissing sound, crushing into
+the earth both friends and foes within a circuit of three hundred
+yards.[33] The magazine was constructed of stone, and one of the
+heaviest masses fell upon the group gathered about General Pike. All,
+except one of the aids, were mortally wounded,--the general himself
+receiving a severe contusion on the breast.
+
+The American troops for an instant recoiled before this terrible
+catastrophe; but they were quickly reformed by Colonel Pearce, of
+the 16th infantry, who now assumed the command, and his subordinate
+officers; the lively strains of martial music soon reïnspired them;
+and they were again led forward to the attack, rending the air,
+as they advanced, with their loud hurrahs. As they filed past the
+suffering, but heroic Pike, whose breast and sides were literally
+crushed in, he said, “Push on, my brave fellows, and avenge your
+general!”--They instantly dashed on with redoubled zeal; though the
+plume of their gallant leader was no longer to be seen, his influence
+was still upon them; and in a few hours the victory was completed,
+by the capture of the town and fort; General Sheaffe making a
+precipitate retreat with his regulars, in the direction of Kingston.
+The public buildings and barracks were destroyed, and the military
+stores removed; and the place was then abandoned. The enemy lost
+about two hundred men in killed and wounded, and nearly three hundred
+were taken prisoners. The loss of the Americans was three hundred and
+twenty killed and wounded, principally caused by the explosion of the
+magazine. Between thirty and forty of the enemy were also killed and
+wounded by the explosion.
+
+[Sidenote: HIS DEATH.]
+
+After the advance of the troops, Pike was taken up by some of his
+men, under the direction of the surgeons, to be conveyed on board
+the ship. As they reached the shore of the lake, a loud prolonged
+shout was heard, evidently proceeding from his brigade. The cheering
+sound revived the dying hero. Like Wolfe upon the plains of Abraham,
+he turned his head with an inquiring look. This was noticed by a
+sergeant beside him, who instantly cried, “The British union jack
+is coming down, general--the stars are going up!” Pike struggled
+to speak, but the effort was vain; he heaved a deep sigh, and a
+glad smile lighted up his fine features. He was then rowed to the
+Commodore’s ship and taken on board. He lingered a few hours in great
+pain, being unable to articulate a single syllable. Just before he
+breathed his last, as his eye was glazing in death, the British
+standard was brought to him; he made a sign to have it placed under
+his head, and calmly breathed his last.
+
+The personal intrepidity of General Pike was not his only good
+quality. He was devotedly attached to his profession, and jealous of
+the preservation of its honor,--as was evinced by the orders issued
+on the morning of the fatal twenty-seventh of April. Among them
+was one, in which he prohibited any molestation of the persons or
+property of private citizens, and strictly enjoined upon his troops
+that they should refrain from committing outrages of every character,
+however much they might be provoked. He was pure-minded, frank and
+ingenuous; firm in danger, and resolute in adversity; blameless in
+life, and heroic in death,--exemplifying, under circumstances that
+required the exhibition of unusual fortitude and resignation, the
+truthful sentiment of the Roman poet--
+
+               “Dulce, et decorum est, pro patria mori!”
+
+On the day previous to the embarkation at Sacketts Harbor, General
+Pike addressed a letter to his father, in which he said: “I embark
+to-morrow in the fleet at Sacketts Harbor, at the head of a column
+of fifteen hundred choice troops, on a secret expedition. If success
+attend my steps, honor and glory await my name; if defeat, still
+shall it be said that we died like brave men, and conferred honor,
+even in death, on the American name. Should I be the happy mortal
+destined to turn the scale of war, will you not rejoice, O my father?
+May Heaven be propitious, and smile on the cause of my country! But
+if we are destined to fall, may my fall be like Wolfe’s--to sleep in
+the arms of victory!”
+
+[Sidenote: HIS CHARACTER.]
+
+The hero’s wish was gratified. The same breeze that fanned his cheek,
+and cooled the aching forehead on which the death-damp was rapidly
+gathering, unfurled the victorious banner, welcomed, as it shook
+its star-gemmed folds above the heads of his brave soldiers, with
+a deafening shout that went up like the gush of many waters. He
+desired no higher, or greater distinction, in life, than to serve his
+country in the tented field--he asked no nobler death than that which
+awaited him, in the hour of his proud triumph:--
+
+    “He died, as hearts like his should die,--
+    In the hot clasp of victory!”
+
+[Illustration: WINFIELD SCOTT.]
+
+
+FOOTNOTES:
+
+       [32] See Memoir of General Macomb, _ante_.
+
+       [33] Some of the escapes made on this occasion were
+            rather amusing;--one officer saved himself by dodging
+            under a gun, and another by springing into an
+            empty pork barrel. It was for a long time supposed
+            that the explosion was the work of design, and
+            the circumstance of finding the lighted trains at
+            Fort George, (See Memoir of General Scott.) in May
+            following, tended to strengthen this impression.
+            General Sheaffe, however, repelled the dishonorable
+            imputation, and declared that it was wholly
+            accidental. The most critical and reliable biographer
+            of General Pike, (See Memoir of Pike, by Colonel
+            Whiting, in Sparks’ American Biography.) adopts the
+            opinion that it was a mere accident, and could not
+            have been designed.
+
+
+
+
+                           WINFIELD SCOTT.
+
+
+On learning the particulars of the defeat of Marshal Ney at
+Dennewitz, says St. Cyr, in his _Histoire Militaire_,[34] Napoleon
+remarked, that “he knew of but one general who had constantly
+gained by experience, and that was Turenne, whose great talents
+were the result of profound study.” A similar remark might, not
+inappropriately, be applied to WINFIELD SCOTT, the General-in-Chief
+of the Army of the United States. For more than forty years he has
+been in the military service of the American people, constantly
+improving in reputation, as in the knowledge appertaining to his
+profession,--the experience of each year furnishing new and useful
+lessons to its successor, which have not been permitted to remain
+unimproved,--and he now stands before the country and the world,
+occupying a high place among the heroes of modern times, and towering
+far above his compeers, in stature and in fame.
+
+[Sidenote: BIRTH AND EDUCATION.]
+
+Among the Scottish gentlemen who rallied around Charles Edward, when
+he unfurled the banner of his kingly race on the hills of Glenfinnan,
+on the nineteenth of August, 1745, were two brothers, by the name
+of Scott. They adhered to “the young Chevalier” through weal and
+woe, through good and evil report, till the fortunes of the Stuarts
+sank forever on the bloody field of Culloden. The elder brother
+sealed his loyalty with his life on that fatal day; and the younger,
+being seriously compromised by his participation in the rebellion,
+emigrated to America, and established himself in the practice of
+the law, in the then Colony of Virginia. His son William, a farmer
+by occupation, married into one of the most respectable families in
+Virginia, and died in 1791, leaving two sons and several daughters.
+The elder son, James, commanded a regiment of Virginia militia, at
+Norfolk, in 1812; the younger was Winfield, the subject of this
+biographical notice, who was born near Petersburg, Virginia, on the
+thirteenth of June, 1786.
+
+Within two years after the death of his father, young Scott was
+also deprived of his mother, and, at the age of seventeen, was left
+his sole master, possessed of but limited means, to make or mar his
+fortune, as he himself decided to guide the little bark freighted
+with his boyish hopes and aspirations. Happily, he had been early
+accustomed to habits of self-government and self-reliance. He was
+frank and ingenuous by nature; ardent, ambitious, and chivalric,
+in his temperament; gifted with a superior intellect; industrious
+by inclination, as well as from a consciousness of its importance;
+quick to perceive, and ready to learn. Qualities like these, properly
+improved and directed, are always sure to reward their possessor a
+hundred fold; for mind, like water, will, sooner or later, find its
+own appropriate level.
+
+Scott was originally designed for the legal profession. He pursued
+a regular course of instruction in mathematics and the classics,
+in the High-School at Richmond, then in charge of a distinguished
+teacher of the name of Ogilvie, and afterwards repaired to William
+and Mary College, where he spent between one and two years, and
+attended a course of law lectures. His legal studies were completed
+in the office of David Robertson, a learned and able lawyer, and
+in 1806 he was admitted to the bar. He spent the following year in
+his native state, riding the circuit two terms in the vicinity of
+Petersburg, and residing most of the time with Benjamin Watkins
+Leigh, subsequently one of the most eminent counsellors and advocates
+in Virginia. In the fall of 1807, he visited South Carolina,
+intending to establish himself in practice in the city of Charleston.
+Failing, for want of time, to procure the passage of a bill by the
+legislature, specially exempting him from the statutory provision
+requiring a year’s residence in the state, he returned to Virginia.
+
+This was, perhaps, the most fortunate disappointment he has ever
+experienced. The whole country was then in a complete ferment of
+agitation. The attack on the Chesapeake took place in June previous,
+and a war was confidently predicted as the inevitable result.
+President Jefferson issued a proclamation prohibiting British armed
+vessels from entering the harbors of the United States, and bodies
+of militia were called out for the defence of the coast, and the
+enforcement of the prohibition. The first blast of the trumpet roused
+young Scott from his studies, and dissolved many of his gayest
+and brightest dreams of future eminence and distinction among the
+gentlemen of the gown and wig. He enrolled himself as a member of a
+volunteer troop of horse raised in Petersburg, and, in the summer of
+1807, performed a tour of duty on Lynnhaven Bay.
+
+Visions of military greatness and renown danced constantly before
+him, while on his visit to South Carolina, which more than half
+compensated for his disappointment. He took a deep interest in
+the progress of the difficulties with England and France, and his
+sympathies were warmly enlisted in behalf of his country. His voice
+and his pen were both employed in defence of the administration of
+Mr. Jefferson, and of that of his successor, Mr. Madison; and from
+the time of the attack on the Chesapeake, till the declaration of
+war, he was an active and energetic supporter of war measures.
+
+[Sidenote: APPOINTED A CAPTAIN OF ARTILLERY.]
+
+Immediately after his return to Virginia, he determined to abandon
+his profession and enter the army. Accordingly, he applied to the
+President, for a commission in one of the new regiments proposed to
+be raised by a bill introduced in Congress at the session of 1807–8.
+The bill lingered sometime on its passage, and, in the meanwhile,
+Scott returned to his circuit. It finally became a law in April,
+1808; and on the third day of May following, through the influence of
+his friend, the Hon. Wm. B. Giles, then a senator in Congress, and
+afterwards governor of the State of Virginia, he was commissioned,
+by President Jefferson, a captain of light artillery. Briefs and
+black-letter tomes, red tape and parchment, were now thrown aside;
+his company was raised and organized; and early in 1809, he joined
+the army under General Wilkinson, at New Orleans.
+
+The character of the connection of Wilkinson with the intrigues
+of Colonel Burr, as indicated by the testimony elicited on the
+trial of the latter, which took place while Scott was in Virginia,
+had not produced a very favorable impression on his mind. General
+Wilkinson, however, was pleased with the appearance and talents of
+his subordinate; he mentioned him as a young man “who could speak,
+and write, and fight”, and made repeated attempts to attach him to
+his interest. Scott calmly, but firmly, declined to meet his advances
+in a similar spirit, and took no pains to conceal the opinions he
+had formed. In the autumn of 1809, General Wilkinson was relieved by
+General Hampton, in the command of the southern army,--the main body
+of which was stationed near Natchez. Scott was now more unguarded
+in his conversation, and on one occasion, perhaps unwisely, though
+his sincerity cannot be doubted, indulged in the strongest terms of
+reprehension. Charges were soon after preferred against him,[35]
+and in January, 1810, he was tried and found guilty, of having
+uttered disrespectful language towards his superior officer, General
+Wilkinson. The sentence of the court was, that he should be suspended
+“from all rank, pay, and emoluments, for the space of twelve months.”
+
+The following year was spent by Captain Scott, at Richmond, in the
+family of his friend, Mr. Leigh, who tendered him the free use of
+his large library. The opportunity thus afforded, for benefiting
+his mind, was faithfully improved. The greater part of the period
+of his suspension was spent in the careful and diligent study of
+works on military science; and he thus laid the foundation of that
+vast and comprehensive information, which subsequently embraced
+every department of knowledge belonging to, or connected with, his
+profession.
+
+[Sidenote: PROMOTED TO LIEUTENANT COLONEL.]
+
+A further augmentation of the army, consequent upon the declaration
+of war against Great Britain, was made in the summer of 1812, and in
+the month of July, upon the urgent recommendation of the Virginia
+delegation in Congress, Scott was promoted to the rank of lieutenant
+colonel in the 2nd artillery. He at once proceeded to the Niagara
+frontier, with two companies of his regiment, and took post at Black
+Rock, to protect the naval dépôt at that place.
+
+It is well known that the venerable Albert Gallatin, whose varied
+learning, and great abilities, are so highly honored and esteemed at
+home and abroad, was decidedly opposed, as a member of Mr. Madison’s
+cabinet, to the war with England, or to a war with any foreign power;
+and the younger, and more ardent and ambitious, members of the
+party to which he belonged, often complained that he did not render
+that hearty support to the administration, in the management of the
+affairs of his department, necessary to the vigorous prosecution
+of hostilities. On one occasion he is reported to have doubtingly
+inquired of Lieutenant Elliott, of the navy, what they were to do
+for vessels on Lake Erie, when they had none, and there was no money
+to build any? “Take them!” said the lieutenant, in whose patriotism
+calculations of dollars and cents had no place.--The theory of the
+young officer was gallantly put in practice on the night of the
+eighth of October, 1812, on the shores of the Niagara. The Caledonia,
+a British brig of war, the next year employed in Perry’s squadron,
+and the Detroit, formerly the Adams surrendered by Hull, were cut out
+from under the guns of Fort Erie, where they were lying at anchor,
+and brought off with their crews, by a party in two boats, headed
+by Elliott in person. Captain Towson, of the 2nd artillery, and a
+portion of his company, belonging to Scott’s command, took part in
+the expedition. Scott himself volunteered to accompany his men, but
+was not permitted to go; he rendered important assistance, however,
+by the fire of his guns, in preventing the recapture of the Detroit,
+which grounded on Squaw Island. It being found impossible to get her
+off, she was subsequently burned, by order of General Smythe.
+
+Early in the month of October, 1812, there were near fifteen hundred
+regular troops at Buffalo and Fort Niagara, under the command of
+General Smythe; and General Stephen Van Rensselaer, of the New York
+militia, the commander of the united force, known as the Army of the
+Centre, had concentrated about twenty-five hundred men at Lewiston.
+Nothing was talked of but the invasion and conquest of Canada. The
+successful enterprise under Elliott infused new zeal into the breasts
+of the really patriotic, but raw and undisciplined militia; and all
+that was then required to have terminated the campaign, and perhaps
+the war, by a bold and successful stroke in the upper province, was
+the presence of resolute and energetic general officers. General
+Smythe possessed few of the qualifications requisite in a skilful and
+successful soldier, and there was very little cordiality of feeling
+existing between him and General Van Rensselaer,--when, had they
+zealously coöperated together, and made a vigorous irruption into the
+enemy’s country, at the head of their combined forces, the power of
+England in Upper Canada, would have been at an end in three weeks.
+
+[Sidenote: ATTACK ON QUEENSTON.]
+
+General Van Rensselaer was high-minded and patriotic, and not
+deficient in ability or personal bravery, but he was, to some extent,
+jealous of the regular officers, and did not infuse that energy into
+his operations, which, after all, is the great secret of converting
+militia into reliable troops. Day after day passed by, and the army
+still remained inactive. Action and excitement are always necessary
+to keep up the spirits of a newly organized militia force. Nothing
+was done in this respect, until the men threatened to return home,
+when an attack was planned on the British post at Queenston, nearly
+opposite Lewiston; it being understood that the greater part of the
+enemy’s forces had been withdrawn from the peninsula, for the defence
+of Malden.
+
+The morning of the eleventh of October was fixed upon for the attack;
+but on account of the violence of the weather, and the want of a
+sufficient number of boats, it was postponed to the thirteenth, when
+it was arranged to take place in two columns, one of militia, and
+the other of regulars, each to consist of three hundred men. Colonel
+Solomon Van Rensselaer, of the New York militia, and Lieutenant
+Colonel Chrystie, of the 13th infantry, were selected to command the
+two columns. Lieutenant Colonel Fenwick was to follow the movement
+with a force of two hundred regulars, under Major Mullaney.
+
+The arrangements for storming the heights of Queenston were completed
+on the twelfth of October, and late in the evening of that day
+Lieutenant Colonel Scott hastened to Lewiston, through mud, and
+rain, and sleet, and entreated General Van Rensselaer to permit him
+to serve as a volunteer with the attacking force. His services were
+declined, but he was authorized to bring his command to Lewiston,
+there to act as circumstances might require. He instantly returned
+to Schlosser, where his men were posted, ordered them under arms,
+and just before daylight arrived at Lewiston, bringing with him two
+pieces of artillery which were conveyed down the river in a boat,
+in consequence of the bad state of the roads. The troops under Van
+Rensselaer and Chrystie had already passed the river,--though with
+not much regularity, on account of the deficiency of boats,--under
+a heavy fire from the enemy’s batteries; and they were now warmly
+engaged on the opposite bank. Colonel Van Rensselaer and Lieutenant
+Colonel Chrystie were both known to be severely wounded, and
+Scott was finally ordered to cross over and take the command. The
+detachment under Major Mullaney, had previously attempted the
+passage, but their boats being seized by the eddies, they were
+driven below the point designated for the landing, and directly
+under the British batteries; the whole detachment, therefore, with
+the exception of Major Mullaney and a few of his men, who made their
+escape, were obliged to surrender themselves as prisoners of war.
+
+[Sidenote: CROSSES THE RIVER.]
+
+Leaving his train in battery on the American shore, under the command
+of Captains Towson and Barker, who opened an effective fire on the
+enemy, Scott crossed the stream, about eight o’clock in the morning,
+when he found that the British force, consisting of two flank
+companies of the 49th, and a body of militia, had been driven from
+their position; that Captain Wool had stormed the heights south of
+the town, with three companies of the 13th infantry, and carried the
+enemy’s batteries; and that the British commander, General Brock,
+had been killed in an unsuccessful charge, which he had gallantly
+headed in person. He also ascertained that General Wadsworth, of the
+New York militia, had reached the Canada shore, though without the
+knowledge of General Van Rensselaer, and, of course, was entitled
+to the command. General Wadsworth, however, magnanimously waived
+all claims of superior rank, and requested Scott to make such
+dispositions as he thought proper.
+
+Although the American detachments, who had made a lodgment on the
+Canada shore, remained for several hours unmolested, it was not
+doubted that the enemy would rally again before night. Scott arranged
+his men, therefore, so as both to cover the ferry, in order that
+he might be reinforced if necessary, and to repel an attack. About
+the middle of the day, General Van Rensselaer came over, and having
+examined and approved of his arrangements, returned to superintend
+the crossing of the remainder of the troops. But the sight of the
+action in the morning had cooled the ardor and impatience of the
+militia. Some few parties were induced to cross over,--though most of
+them might as well have remained behind; but the great body of the
+command had entirely forgotten their former boisterous professions of
+patriotism. General Van Rensselaer alternately coaxed and threatened,
+but it was all to no purpose. Every circumstance was calculated to
+discourage them; many of the boats, originally too few in number, had
+been crippled, the current was rapid, the stream one complete sheet
+of eddies, and the weather cold, wet, and stormy. They would not, and
+they did not go; but they stood still, and with the utmost unconcern
+and indifference, saw their countrymen sacrificed on the opposite
+shore of the river, when their presence would have changed the fate
+of the day.
+
+Between two and three o’clock in the afternoon, small parties of the
+enemy were seen hovering along the slopes of the hills, and, shortly
+after, the action was fiercely renewed by the rallied militia and
+grenadiers, and about four hundred Indians, under Norton, who had
+heard the previous firing, and had hurried down from Chippewa. With
+a mixed command of regulars and militia, not far from three hundred
+and fifty strong--nearly four hundred of the militia being seized
+with a panic, and refusing to take part in the action--Scott boldly
+encountered the enemy. A sharp conflict ensued for a few moments, and
+the assailants were then driven back, and put to flight, by a forward
+movement of the bayonet.
+
+[Sidenote: GALLANTRY AND INTREPIDITY.]
+
+The protection of the ferry rendered a pursuit impossible. Scott
+therefore reformed his line, in readiness for another attack. He
+had just returned to the rear, to direct his men how to unspike a
+captured cannon, when the enemy rallied again, and forced in the
+advanced picket. The main line, too, had commenced a retreat ere
+he could reach them. Instantly springing to the front, by great
+exertions, in which he was ably seconded by General Wadsworth and
+Lieutenant Colonel Chrystie, he brought the retreating line to the
+right about. His earnest enthusiasm produced a sudden revulsion of
+feeling, and the enemy were soon a second time repulsed.
+
+Meanwhile, General Sheaffe, who commanded the troops at Fort George,
+had hastily collected all his disposable forces, and the provincial
+militia in the neighborhood, and was rapidly approaching the scene of
+action. About four o’clock, his column, numbering rather more than
+eight hundred men, emerged into open view just below the village of
+Queenston. He advanced with much caution, though fully aware that
+the Americans were greatly inferior to his own force in point of
+numbers, especially when he had effected a junction with the light
+troops and Indians. Leaving Queenston on his left, he took a wide
+circuit through the woods, gained the heights, and opened the action
+anew, with a rapid fire of musketry and artillery. For half an hour,
+the little band headed by the dauntless and heroic Scott, manfully
+held their ground, and breasted the volleys that met them on every
+side. All that bravery and skill could do, was nobly performed,--but
+performed in vain!
+
+Scott fearlessly exposed his person to the enemy’s bullets. His tall
+form, six feet and five inches in height, was the most conspicuous
+object on the field. He was arrayed in full uniform, and was
+entreated again and again to cover up or change some part of his
+dress. “No, no!” said he, smiling; “I will die in my robes!” Others
+were constantly falling around him, but he escaped unharmed.--After
+the action, when he had surrendered himself a prisoner of war,
+an Indian warrior came up to him, and surveying him attentively,
+said--“You are not born to be shot; so many times--(holding up all
+the fingers of both hands)--so many times did I fire at you!”
+
+The bloody and desperate contest was soon ended. Overpowered by
+superior numbers, and nearly surrounded on all sides, the Americans
+retreated to the bank of the river, under cover of the precipice,
+where they found the faint-hearted militia concealed in the clefts
+and fissures. Retreat was hopeless; the troops were disheartened;
+there were no boats in which they could cross the river; and the
+twilight was fast settling over the field of combat. General
+Wadsworth and the other principal officers now held a consultation,
+and it was decided that they should surrender themselves to the
+enemy. Several messengers were sent with a flag, but they failed to
+reach the British commander, as they were shot down on the way by
+the Indian rifles. Scott then volunteered to go himself. He attached
+a white handkerchief to his sword, and, accompanied by Captains
+Totten and Gibson, made his way to the enemy’s rear, by taking a
+circuitous route under cover of the precipice overlooking the river.
+He and his companions had all the while been exposed to a random fire
+from the Indians, and on approaching the road leading up from the
+village to the heights, they were suddenly beset by two warriors,
+who discharged their rifles at them, and were preparing to rush
+forward with their knives and hatchets,--paying no heed to the sacred
+character of the flag which they carried,--when a British officer
+came up with a file of men, and compelled them to desist.
+
+[Sidenote: TAKEN PRISONER.]
+
+The three officers were forthwith conducted to the presence of
+General Sheaffe, and terms of capitulation agreed on. The force
+surrendered with Wadsworth and Scott, consisted of one hundred and
+thirty-nine regulars, and one hundred and fifty-four militia; about
+four hundred militia, who had taken no part in the engagement, were
+afterwards included in the surrender; and there had been about
+one hundred killed during the day--making a total of casualties,
+including the two hundred regulars under Major Mullaney, who
+surrendered in the morning, of near one thousand.
+
+This disastrous action was the first, as it was the most unfortunate,
+in which Scott was engaged. His conduct throughout the day was
+worthy of all praise. He was but a few years older than young Condé,
+when the latter routed the famous corps of Spanish infantry; yet he
+exhibited the skill and intrepidity of a veteran officer, and had
+he been supported by anything like an equal force, it can scarcely
+be doubted that the setting sun would have witnessed the American
+banners floating in triumph on the heights of Queenston.
+
+After the surrender, the American prisoners were taken to the
+village of Niagara, or Newark, under an escort, and the officers
+temporarily lodged in an inn. While there, a message was brought in
+that some one at the door wished to see the “tall American.” Scott,
+presuming, of course, that he was intended by the designation, went
+out into the hall, where he was surprised to find the two warriors
+who had so cowardly attacked him when bearing the flag of truce.
+Both were distinguished chiefs--one being the son of the renowned
+Mohawk leader, Joseph Brant, and the other known by the name of
+Captain Jacobs. They eagerly commenced questioning him in regard to
+his wounds, and attempted to examine his person. Scott bore with
+them for some time, but they soon became angry and insulting, and at
+length Jacobs seized him by the arm to turn him round. Scott promptly
+resented the indignity, and hurled the savage from him, with ease,
+exclaiming, “Off, villain!--you fired like a squaw!”
+
+The savages at once clenched their knives and tomahawks, and sprang
+towards him, crying out--“We kill you now!--we kill you now!”
+Fortunately, in one corner of the hall, underneath the staircase,
+stood the swords of the American officers. Scott darted back, caught
+up a long heavy sabre, turned upon his heel, and in a breath stood
+on his defence; with an unflinching eye and look regarding the dark
+warriors, whose painted visages lowered fiercely upon him. At this
+moment, Captain Coffin, a member of General Sheaffe’s staff, entered
+from the street; he instantly cried out for the guard, caught Jacobs
+by the arm, and placed his pistol at the head of young Brant. This
+had the desired effect. The Indians were intimidated, and on the
+appearance of the guard, retired from the inn. Their people, however,
+were so much excited, that Scott could not venture out into the
+street, during his stay at Niagara, even to dine with the British
+commander, without a strong escort.
+
+General Brock was buried on Queenston Heights, immediately after the
+surrender of the American troops, and at the request of Lieutenant
+Colonel Scott, who so well knew what was due to the memory of the
+gallant dead, minute guns were fired from Fort Niagara, on the
+American shore, during the sad ceremony.
+
+[Sidenote: INTERFERENCE IN BEHALF OF PRISONERS.]
+
+Scott was sent to Quebec with the other prisoners, where he was
+placed on a cartel to be conveyed to Boston; and in January, 1813, he
+was regularly exchanged. When the transport was about leaving Quebec,
+a party of British officers came on board, and commenced mustering
+the prisoners, with a view of selecting those who were ascertained to
+be Irishmen, by their speech, to be sent to England for trial. Great
+Britain has ever denied the right of expatriation in the subject, and
+hence these men, if found in arms against her authority, were liable,
+according to her laws, to be convicted of the crime of treason. Scott
+was seated in the cabin; but hearing the tumult, he rushed upon deck.
+By this time, the British officers had selected twenty-three men
+from the detachment. On learning the cause of the disturbance, he
+forbade the remainder of the prisoners to utter a single syllable,
+when questioned. The men readily obeyed him; the British officers
+threatened to use violence, but he was in nowise intimidated by their
+menaces; he felt, justly, that the honor of his country was for the
+time in his keeping, and, in spite of threats and frowns, persisted
+in the order he had given.
+
+The British officers were finally obliged to retire with the
+twenty-three prisoners, but before the latter left the side of the
+vessel, Scott pledged himself to secure their liberation, if it were
+possible; but if not, he solemnly declared that he would retaliate,
+on the first prisoners whom the fortune of war should place in his
+power. He faithfully kept his word. On his return to the United
+States, he made a full and faithful report of the transaction to
+the Secretary of War, and in May, 1813, at the capture of Fort
+George, selected twenty-three prisoners to be held as hostages for
+the unfortunate Irishmen. The British government persisted in their
+determination to try the men and execute them; consequently, they
+ordered forty-six other prisoners into confinement; the Americans
+reciprocated their conduct, in kind; but after venting a great deal
+of spleen and ill humor to no purpose, the British ministry finding
+their braggadocio of no avail, tacitly surrendered their position,
+and shortly after the peace, the twenty-three prisoners taken to
+England from Quebec, were sent home to the United States. Twenty-one
+of them--the remaining two having died natural deaths--landed in New
+York, in July, 1815. Almost the first object which they encountered,
+was the tall form of the gallant Scott, upon whose brow the laurels
+were yet fresh and green which he had won at Chippewa and Niagara.
+They eagerly hailed him as their deliverer, caught him in their arms,
+and nearly overwhelmed him with their enthusiastic manifestations of
+gratitude.
+
+At the opening of the campaign of 1813, Scott was appointed adjutant
+general in the staff of General Dearborn, the head of the army, and
+the commander of the ninth military district. It was stipulated,
+however, on his part, that he should be entitled to his command in
+the line, on all extraordinary occasions. On the second of March,
+he was promoted to the colonelcy of the 2nd artillery, a double
+regiment, consisting of twenty companies.
+
+The campaign of this year opened auspiciously. The forests of
+Canada were scarcely robed in the bright array of spring, when the
+American soldiers precipitated themselves on her shores. On the
+twenty-seventh of April, York capitulated to the surviving comrades
+of the heroic Pike.[36] General Dearborn remained for several days
+in the vicinity; but on the fifth of May he reëmbarked, and, having
+been joined by successive reinforcements, increasing his command to
+about five thousand men, effected a landing on the American shore,
+at Four Mile Creek, on the evening of the eighth instant. Colonel
+Scott joined the army shortly after the capture of York. The duties
+devolving upon him, as chief of General Dearborn’s staff, were
+intricate and multifarious, as the army was newly organized, or
+composed of different corps recently brought together; but they were
+performed with untiring zeal and industry, and in a manner that gave
+satisfaction to all parties concerned.
+
+[Sidenote: ATTACK ON FORT GEORGE.]
+
+The next object of attack, was the British post of Fort George,
+situated opposite Fort Niagara, at the mouth of the river. The
+boats built for the occasion were launched on the afternoon of
+the twenty-sixth of May, and their stations assigned; and careful
+reconnaissances were made of the Canada shore, in order to ascertain
+the most feasible points for landing. The movement in the American
+camp being discovered by the enemy, a severe cannonade was opened on
+Fort Niagara and the adjacent batteries. The roar of the howitzers
+was incessant; and peal on peal of heavy ordnance reverberated
+along the beach, with a loud crashing noise, and then died away, in
+deafening echoes, among the distant hills and ridges. The fire was
+soon returned from the American fort; shells were rained without
+intermission on the enemy’s batteries, and balls sent whistling
+through the lanes and streets of the village of Niagara.
+
+[Sidenote: CAPTURE OF THE FORT.]
+
+At three o’clock in the morning of the twenty-seventh of May, all was
+in readiness for the expedition, and the signal was given for the
+flotilla of boats to get under weigh. The descent was to be made in
+six divisions of boats, though, in consequence of the early retreat
+of the enemy, all the troops were not landed. In the first division
+was the advanced guard, or forlorn hope, of five hundred picked men,
+led by the intrepid Scott; in the second was the field train, under
+Colonel Porter; and these were followed, in the order of attack, by
+the brigades of Generals Boyd, Winder and Chandler, and a second
+reserve under Colonel Macomb. Owing to a strong wind then prevailing,
+the rapid current, and the heavy surf, the landing on the Canada
+shore was not effected as easily as had been anticipated. Under cover
+of the guns of the fleet and of Fort Niagara, which opened a terrible
+fire, that crushed down the walls and batteries in and about Fort
+George, in huge masses, at nine o’clock in the morning, Colonel Scott
+gained the beach, and prepared to land. General Vincent, the British
+commander, had previously disposed his whole regular force, about
+nine hundred strong, with five or six hundred militia, in a ravine
+near the shore; and as the Americans approached, they were met by
+several warm volleys of musketry.
+
+With shouts and cheers, the American advance leaped into the water,
+and waded to the beach. They instantly formed on the shingle,
+covered by an irregular bank, from seven to twelve feet high, above
+which flashed the bristling bayonets of the enemy. Colonel Scott
+forthwith ordered a charge. The first attempt to scale the bank
+was unsuccessful; on the second, the men clambered up in spite of
+resistance,--Scott himself being among the foremost, and knocking
+up the British bayonets with his sword. The enemy retired a short
+distance, and stoutly maintained the ground for twenty minutes;
+but on the arrival of Colonel Porter and General Boyd, with their
+commands, portions of which participated in the skirmish near its
+close, they commenced retreating in haste, in the direction of
+Queenston,--having already laid trains to their different magazines.
+Scott pushed his column after them, without delay, and, at the
+village of Niagara, was joined by the 6th infantry, under Colonel
+Miller.
+
+On approaching Fort George, one of its magazines exploded. The sad
+calamity that befel the American troops at York, had produced its
+probably natural effect; and a similar mishap was the _bête noire_
+which they always dreaded throughout the early part of the campaign.
+Colonel Scott was struck by a piece of timber, thrown from the horse
+which he had borrowed from a British colonel taken prisoner, and
+considerably bruised; but he sprang to his feet in an instant, and
+accompanied by a few equally brave spirits, forced the gate, and
+entered the fort.[37] Captains Hindman and Stockton extinguished
+the lighted matches, and General Boyd and Colonel Scott made their
+way to the flag staff. The British standard soon fluttered in the
+wind,--Captain Hindman being the fortunate individual who first
+seized it, though the staff was cut down by Scott,--and the stars and
+stripes speedily rose in its place.
+
+Colonel Scott continued the pursuit for some distance beyond the
+fort,--Lieutenant Riddle, with his party, following the enemy almost
+to Queenston, and picking up a number of stragglers--but he was
+soon recalled by General Boyd, in conformity with the directions of
+General Lewis, who had assumed the command on shore. With the return
+of the advanced corps, the battle terminated. The Americans had
+thirty-nine killed and one hundred and ten wounded in the attack;
+while the British lost one hundred and eight killed, and one hundred
+and sixty wounded,--and there were one hundred and fifteen regulars,
+and five hundred militia, taken prisoners.
+
+After the loss of Fort George, General Vincent withdrew all his
+forces from the peninsula, including those previously stationed at
+Chippewa and Fort Erie, to Burlington Heights; and the Americans
+established themselves in a solid manner on the Niagara frontier.
+This lodgment would undoubtedly have been permanent, had it not been
+for the inaction--the pest and bane of the northern army during
+the campaigns of ’12 and ’13--which characterized the subsequent
+operations of our principal officers in that quarter.
+
+It has been said that the campaign of 1813 opened auspiciously. So,
+indeed, it did,--but it terminated in disaster and disgrace. The
+bold stroke of Lieutenant Colonel Harvey, which resulted in the
+capture of Generals Chandler and Winder, on the third of June, and
+the defeat and surrender of Colonel Boerstler on the twenty-fourth of
+the same month, were, in themselves, affairs of no great importance;
+or rather, they would not have been considered such, had they been
+relieved, as might, and should have been the case, by those successes
+which it was in the power of the American army to have achieved.
+Immediately after the surrender of Boerstler, General Dearborn was
+recalled, and subsequently resigned his commission. General Boyd
+succeeded to the command, during the summer, but the War Department
+refused to give him authority to act offensively; consequently,
+he remained cooped up the whole season in Fort George, with four
+thousand men, when General Vincent had very little over two thousand.
+
+[Sidenote: EXPEDITION AGAINST BURLINGTON HEIGHTS.]
+
+General Dearborn surrendered the command on the fifteenth of July,
+and Colonel Scott then returned to his duty in the line, and took
+charge of his regiment. In September, an expedition was projected
+against Burlington Heights, and he volunteered to command the
+land troops. Embarking on board Commodore Chauncey’s fleet, he
+proceeded to the Heights, but found neither enemy, nor stores, at
+that point. On his return, he landed at York, burned the barracks
+and storehouses, and brought off a large quantity of provisions,
+clothing, and ammunition, together with eleven armed boats and
+several pieces of cannon.
+
+Upon the resignation of General Dearborn, the command of the army
+was given to General Wilkinson, under whose auspices the famous
+expedition down the St. Lawrence, in the fall of 1813, was conducted.
+In the original arrangements of Wilkinson, Colonel Scott was to be
+left in command at Fort George, which had been considerably enlarged
+and strengthened after its occupation by the American troops. At
+the urgent request of the latter, who ardently desired to take part
+in the great movement of the campaign, his orders were made so far
+discretionary, that he was authorized to give up the fort to General
+McClure, of the New York militia, when it had been placed in a
+proper state of defence, provided it was not seriously threatened
+by the enemy. The works were soon completed, and the enemy retired
+to Burlington Heights, and afterwards concentrated at Kingston,
+which post they supposed to be threatened by General Wilkinson.
+On the thirteenth of October, General McClure took charge of Fort
+George, and Colonel Scott proceeded with the regular troops, who had
+previously garrisoned the post, to the mouth of the Genesee river,
+where he expected to find transportation for his men. Disappointed
+in this, he marched his column, with all possible expedition, to
+Utica, and then directed his course towards Sacketts Harbor. A short
+distance north of Utica, he met General Armstrong, the Secretary of
+War, who informed him that the expedition had already set out, but
+gave him permission to leave his command with Major Hindman, and to
+join Wilkinson, in person, on the St. Lawrence, at whatever point he
+could.
+
+[Sidenote: SKIRMISH AT HOOPHOLE CREEK.]
+
+Thirsting for distinction, Scott eagerly availed himself of the
+permission granted, and dashed off on horseback, through the rain and
+mud. On the sixth of November, he joined the army at Ogdensburgh,
+and accompanied General Brown in the descent of the river, with the
+flotilla, under the heavy fire of the British batteries at Prescott.
+Being without a command, Colonel Macomb magnanimously surrendered
+to him one of his battalions, which he had reserved for himself in
+case the regiment was divided; and, on the seventh instant, he was
+regularly assigned to the _corps d’élite_. He commanded the advanced
+guard during the subsequent movement of the army down the river,
+almost daily encountering and defeating large or small parties of
+the enemy. He was not concerned in the action on the eleventh of
+November; but, on the following day, he engaged a detachment of
+the enemy, under Colonel Dennis, about equal to his own command in
+numbers, at Hoophole Creek, near Cornwall, routed them with ease,
+captured a number of prisoners, and hotly pursued the remainder of
+the enemy till dark. The army now retired into winter quarters at
+French Mills,--the young and ambitious officers, like Brown and
+Macomb, Gaines and Scott, literally overcome with mortification and
+chagrin.[38]
+
+Not long after this memorable expedition terminated, Colonel Scott
+was relieved from duty, and made a visit to his friends in Virginia,
+and at the seat of government. By the direction of the president,
+he spent a part of the winter at Albany, engaged in making
+preparations, in connection with Governor Tompkins, for the ensuing
+campaign.
+
+On the ninth of March, 1814, when scarcely twenty-eight years of
+age, Colonel Scott was promoted to the rank of brigadier general,
+and immediately joined General Brown, then moving with his column
+from Sacketts Harbor to Buffalo. At the latter place, a camp of
+instruction was established by General Scott,--General Brown leaving
+him temporarily in the command, while he returned for a few weeks to
+Sacketts Harbor, with authority to adopt such measures as he thought
+proper, to secure the efficient discipline and instruction of the
+troops, preparatory to taking the field.
+
+New officers,--more active, more ambitious, and more
+enterprising,--were now at the head of affairs on the Niagara
+frontier. General Brown properly appreciated the skill and abilities
+of the talented Scott, and gave him almost unlimited power. The
+latter infused new spirit and energy into every corps belonging
+to the army; superannuated, infirm, or incompetent officers, no
+matter how high in rank, were relieved from duty; the strict
+rules of military discipline were rigidly enforced; and the whole
+command was daily paraded for instruction. All were drilled, from
+the highest to the lowest, officers as well as men, under the eye
+of Scott himself,--first in squads, then in companies, then in
+battalions, and, finally, carried through the evolutions of the line.
+The brilliant, but practical genius, of the youthful general, his
+unwearied efforts and exertions, accomplished wonders. When General
+Brown crossed the Niagara on the third of July, he crossed it with
+an army of soldiers, not merely of men!
+
+[Sidenote: CAMP OF INSTRUCTION AT BUFFALO.]
+
+The fruits of the camp of instruction at Buffalo, established
+and directed by General Scott, were witnessed on the plains of
+Chippewa,--on the blood-stained heights of Niagara,--when “Greek met
+Greek,” when steel clashed against steel, and the American soldiers
+stood firm and unflinching as the rocks beneath their feet. They
+may still be witnessed, in the wide-spread renown and eminent glory
+indissolubly connected with the achievements of the gallant army
+which Brown and Scott led out to battle,--in the noble deeds and
+feats of lofty daring, paralleled only on the brightest pages of
+by-gone martial story.
+
+The incidents of the campaign on the Niagara frontier, in the summer
+of 1814, have been so fully detailed in the memoir of General
+Brown,[39] that it seems unnecessary to recapitulate them here. On
+the third of July, the American commander crossed the Niagara with
+his whole army, little more than three thousand strong, consisting
+of the regular brigades of Scott and Ripley,--the former leading the
+van,--and the militia under Porter. Fort Erie was reduced on the same
+day, and, immediately thereafter, he proceeded against the position
+of General Riall, at Chippewa. On the fourth of July, General Scott
+had a running fight for more than sixteen miles, with the 100th
+British foot, under the command of the Marquis of Tweedale, whom he
+drove at full speed across the Chippewa.
+
+On the fifth of July, the battle of Chippewa was fought,--mainly by
+the first brigade, under General Scott. “To him more than any other
+man,” said General Brown, in his official dispatch, “am I indebted
+for the victory.” This was high praise; but it was well deserved by
+the personal intrepidity, the chivalric bearing, and the dashing and
+dazzling manœuvres, which decided the result of the action. The day
+had opened with skirmishes of light troops, but the main action was
+brought on about four o’clock in the afternoon, when Scott dashed
+across Street’s creek, and engaged the British army on the plain
+south of the Chippewa. The light troops on the left of the field were
+in the meantime warmly engaged, but the principal struggle took place
+in the open field, which was as brief as it was decisive.
+
+Scott’s brigade numbered only about fourteen hundred men, consisting
+of three small battalions, and the battery of Captain Towson. After
+crossing Street’s creek, he continued alternately to advance, halt,
+and fire, till he was not more than eighty yards from the enemy’s
+line. It being evident that preparations were making to outflank
+him, he detached one of his battalions into the woods on his left,
+to protect that flank. With the remainder of his small force, he
+prepared to meet the enemy, who were making ready to charge,--their
+artillery having been already silenced. Spurring his horse through
+the dust and smoke, he dashed up to the side of Captain Towson, who
+was posted on the Chippewa road, on the right of the field, and
+directed him to maintain his ground, and pour a raking fire into the
+British columns as they came up.
+
+[Sidenote: BATTLE OF CHIPPEWA.]
+
+This order being given, he returned to his place in the rear of his
+two infantry battalions. He now directed them to throw forward their
+outer flanks, so as to form a reëntering angle, but taking care to
+flank the enemy on the left.[40] The two battalions did not touch
+each other; but the interval would be every instant lessened by the
+movement which he contemplated. Having given the necessary orders, he
+cried out to the battalion of Major McNeil--the 11th infantry, which
+had not a recruit in it--on the left,--“The enemy say we are good at
+long shot, but cannot stand the cold iron! I call upon the Eleventh
+instantly to give the lie to that slander!”--“Charge!” he added, as
+the shot from Towson’s guns ploughed through and through the British
+ranks. “Charge!--Charge!” he repeated in thundering tones, rising up
+in his stirrups, and waving his men on with his sword.
+
+This masterly charge, so well conceived and executed, put an end
+to the contest. The front lines of the enemy staggered, and rolled
+back in a confused mass on the reserve. All caught the infection of
+defeat, and the slope leading down to the Chippewa was soon darkened
+by a cloud of fugitives. The pursuit was ordered, but was checked
+when the Americans reached the stream, by the hostile batteries that
+frowned on the opposite shore.
+
+The bloody battle on the heights of Niagara followed, on the night of
+the twenty-fifth of July.[41] General Scott opened the action with
+his brigade, and for nearly two hours gallantly sustained himself
+against the vastly superior numbers of the British army. When the
+enemy’s batteries were ordered to be stormed, he piloted Colonel
+Miller, who was directed to execute this daring enterprise with the
+21st infantry, through the smoke and darkness, and the iron shower
+that swept unceasingly down the hill-side. Twice, during the height
+of the engagement, after being relieved by the troops under Ripley
+and Porter, Scott precipitated his brigade on the British left and
+right. Two horses were shot under him--one literally torn from its
+rider. Though badly wounded in the side by a spent ball, he persisted
+in remaining on the ground, wading on foot through the blood and
+carnage, and his clear ringing voice ever and anon heard above the
+roar of artillery, as he cheered and encouraged his men. At length,
+about eleven o’clock, he was finally disabled by a musket ball, which
+shattered his left shoulder; and at midnight, just as the battle
+closed, he was borne from the field, with his aid, Lieutenant Worth,
+also severely wounded.
+
+[Sidenote: COMPLIMENTARY RESOLUTIONS.]
+
+For more than a month it was extremely doubtful whether General Scott
+would recover from his wounds. Kind friends were not wanting, to
+provide for the comfort, and to soften the pillow, of the gallant
+soldier. He remained for several weeks,--suffering, in the meantime,
+great pain,--at Buffalo, Williamsville, and Batavia, and was thence
+borne, in a litter, to Geneva, to the house of his friend, the Hon.
+John Nicholas. As soon as he became able to travel, he proceeded to
+Philadelphia and Baltimore, in order to procure the best surgical and
+medical aid in the country. His journey was like the triumphal march
+of a conqueror. Passing through Princeton on commencement day, he
+was waited on by a committee of the faculty of the College of New
+Jersey, who requested his presence at the exercises. He complied with
+the invitation, and was received by the large audience assembled,
+with the most rapturous demonstrations of applause. Before he left
+Princeton, he was also complimented with the honorary degree of
+Master of Arts, bestowed upon him by the authorities of the College.
+As he approached Philadelphia, he was met by Governor Snyder at the
+head of a division of militia, who formed his escort into the town.
+
+Being incapacitated by his wounds, which were a long time in
+healing, from any active duty, General Scott was prevailed upon,
+at the instance of the congressional delegations from Maryland and
+Pennsylvania, to take the nominal command of the troops collected
+for the defence of Baltimore and Philadelphia. On the sixteenth of
+October, 1814, he entered upon the duties of commanding officer of
+the tenth military district,--his headquarters being at Washington
+city.
+
+On the third day of November, 1814, Congress passed a resolution of
+thanks, complimenting General Scott for his skill and gallantry at
+Chippewa and Niagara, and for his uniform good conduct “in sustaining
+the reputation of the arms of the United States.” A massive gold
+medal was also struck and presented to him, by order of Congress,
+and he was brevetted a major general. Resolutions of thanks were
+likewise adopted by the Legislatures of New York and Virginia, and
+splendid swords publicly presented to him, in accordance with their
+directions. He was further honored, by being chosen an honorary
+member of the State Society of Cincinnati in Pennsylvania, in the
+year 1815.
+
+After the ratification of the treaty of peace, in February, 1815,
+General Scott was requested, temporarily, at least, to take charge
+of the War Department. This he declined, but solicited permission to
+travel in Europe, for the restoration of his health and professional
+improvement. The request was granted without hesitation. Having
+assisted in reducing the army to the peace establishment--being
+himself retained as one of the four brigadier generals--he embarked
+for England, and then crossed over to the Continent. While abroad,
+he was honored with the notice of Kosciusko, who gave him letters
+of introduction to the most distinguished marshals of France. He
+attended several courses of public lectures, in the most eminent
+literary institutions, and visited all the principal fortresses
+and naval establishments in western Europe. He returned home in
+1816, fully restored in strength and spirits; and in the same year
+was assigned to the command of the Eastern Division, with his
+headquarters at the city of New York.[42]
+
+In March, 1817, General Scott was married to Miss Maria Mayo,
+a Virginia lady, distinguished alike for rare beauty and
+accomplishments. By her he has had several daughters, but no living
+son.
+
+Shortly after his marriage, General Scott purchased a residence in
+the village of Elizabethtown, New Jersey, which he still regards as
+his home. For nearly twenty-five years, from the fall of 1816 to the
+summer of 1841, with brief intervals, he was continued in command of
+the Eastern Division, and his family, during that period and since,
+have spent most of their time at Elizabethtown.
+
+[Sidenote: PUBLICATIONS ON MILITARY SUBJECTS.]
+
+The commanding talents, and extensive military information of
+General Scott--his whole life having been spent in storing up
+valuable knowledge in every department of science connected with his
+profession--have been of vast service to his country, even in time
+of peace. In 1821, he published an octavo volume, entitled “General
+Regulations for the Army, or Military Institutes,”--a complete manual
+for both regular and militia officers. In the winter of 1814–15, he
+was president of a board appointed to prepare a system of infantry
+tactics, similar to that taught in the camp of instruction at
+Buffalo, which was afterwards revised by another board, of which he
+was also president, and published in 1825. In 1826, he presided over
+another board, composed of regular officers and militia generals,
+ordered to convene by the War Department, and to report--1. A plan
+for the organization and instruction of the whole body of the militia
+of the Union--2. A system of tactics for the artillery--3. A system
+of cavalry tactics--and 4. A system of infantry and rifle tactics.
+
+The reports made by the board, on the first and fourth subjects, were
+prepared exclusively by General Scott, and reflect high credit on his
+military knowledge and abilities. They were published for the use
+of the army, and the information of the country; and in 1835, under
+a resolution of Congress, he prepared a new edition of his system
+of Infantry Tactics, in three small volumes, containing all the
+improvements made subsequent to the general peace of 1815.
+
+On the death of General Brown, in February, 1828, General Scott was a
+candidate for the vacant office of General-in-Chief. His claims were
+founded, mainly, on the fact, that his commission as a brevet major
+general, which bore date July 25, 1814, was older than that of Macomb
+or Gaines, both of whom were candidates for the same station. It was
+decided, however, by President Adams, and, subsequently, by President
+Jackson, that brevet rank was merely honorary in its character; and
+the appointment was therefore conferred on General Macomb, the oldest
+brigadier.[43] Pending the decision of this question, a warm personal
+controversy sprung up between the different parties concerned, in
+regard to brevet rank; and on the decision of the government being
+made known, General Scott tendered his resignation. Under the advice
+of his friends, he afterwards reconsidered this hasty step, withdrew
+his resignation, and resumed the command of the Eastern Division.
+
+On the fourth of July, 1831, the melancholy duty devolved upon
+General Scott, of closing the eyes of his esteemed and venerable
+friend, Ex-President Monroe, who expired at the city of New York on
+that day.
+
+[Sidenote: WAR WITH THE SACS AND FOXES.]
+
+In the summer of 1832, General Scott was ordered to assume the
+command of the troops sent to suppress the disturbance with the
+Sacs and Foxes, under Black Hawk, on the Illinois frontier.[44] He
+embarked at Buffalo, in July, on board a steamer, with two hundred
+and twenty men; Colonel Twiggs proceeding on another vessel, with a
+detachment of four hundred; and a third detachment, of over three
+hundred men, taking still another vessel. Bunches of cypress, rather
+than wreaths of laurel, were the trophies of this expedition. On the
+route to Chicago, the command was overtaken by that terrible scourge,
+the Asiatic Cholera. More than one half of the men composing the
+detachments died of the disease, or were left in hospital. General
+Scott paid every necessary attention to the wants of his soldiers;
+nurses and medical attendants, suitable food and clothing, were
+provided; and everything in his power was done, that could assuage
+the sufferings of disease, or the pangs of death. After a long
+delay, he left Chicago, at the head of only four hundred men. With
+these he pushed forward as rapidly as possible, but did not come up
+with General Atkinson, the officer in command of the troops then
+operating in that quarter, till the third of August, the day after
+the battle of the Bad-Axe, which put a finishing stroke to the war.
+On the twenty-seventh instant, Black Hawk surrendered himself to the
+American officers, and in September following, advantageous treaties
+were concluded with the Sacs and Foxes, and the Winnebagoes, by
+General Scott, and Governor Reynolds, of Illinois.
+
+During the agitation of the nullification question, when a conflict
+was daily expected to take place between South Carolina and the
+General Government, General Scott was ordered to Charleston and
+Savannah, to take command of the regular troops in that section, if
+a collision should become unavoidable. His firmness, and manly and
+dignified conduct, were productive of the happiest results. The state
+receded from her position, and the angry waters which discord had
+lashed into fury, were hushed and stilled by the blessed influence of
+Peace.
+
+Osceola, or Asceolah, “the black drink,”--as the name signifies,--and
+the hostile Seminoles of Florida under his command, commenced their
+depredations in the summer of 1835, and in the autumn the everglades
+resounded with their shrill war-whoop. On the twenty-eighth of
+December, Major Dade and his command were attacked and massacred,
+when on the march from Fort Brooke, and General Thompson, the Indian
+agent, and several companions were waylaid and killed, in sight of
+Fort King. On the thirty-first instant, General Clinch encountered
+the savages, under Osceola, on the banks of the Withlacoochee, and
+after a severe action, though of brief duration, put them to flight.
+
+[Sidenote: THE FLORIDA WAR.]
+
+Immediately on the receipt of the intelligence of this outbreak,
+General Scott was ordered to take command of the army in Florida.
+At four o’clock in the afternoon of the twentieth of January,
+1836, he reported to the Secretary of War, and was asked when he
+could set out? “To night!” he replied promptly. His instructions,
+however, could not be prepared until the following day; and, on
+the twenty-first instant, he left Washington, travelling night and
+day until he reached Florida. On the twenty-second of February, he
+arrived at Picolata, and issued his orders forming the army into
+three divisions.--Previous to this time, General Gaines had repaired
+to the seat of war and commenced offensive operations; but he now
+surrendered the command to General Scott.[45]--The troops on the
+west of the St. John’s were placed under General Clinch; those on
+the east of the river under General Eustis; and those at Tampa Bay
+under Colonel Lindsay. The three divisions then moved towards the
+Withlacoochee, where they met, in what was supposed, with good
+reason--as this had been the theatre of the disturbances--to be the
+heart of the Indian country; but they failed to discover the retreats
+of the savages.
+
+The object of this expedition not having been attained, another
+movement was ordered. Six different corps were organized, with which
+the whole country, between the twenty-eighth and thirtieth degrees of
+north latitude, was effectually scoured. One of these detachments was
+led by General Scott in person. Passing the scene of the massacre on
+the twenty-eighth of December, he crossed the Ocklewaha, and ascended
+the St. John’s from Volusia, in a steamboat. Still the Indians could
+not be discovered, in any large bodies, though very small parties
+were occasionally seen, with whom the troops had several skirmishes.
+The soldiers had suffered considerably by their long and fatiguing
+marches through the sickly and malarious swamps in the interior, the
+deadly exhalations of which brought on severe diseases, and filled
+the hospitals with the sick and suffering. It was now rendered
+certain that the savages had retired among the dense live oak and
+cypress forests, and the marshy hummocks, in the southern part of the
+peninsula. To follow them, at that time, was out of the question;
+and General Scott decided to suspend his operations until another
+campaign. He then repaired to the Creek country, in Georgia and
+Alabama, where a number of outrages had recently been committed. Here
+he had fewer difficulties of climate or country to contend with. He
+arrived in Georgia, in May, and in less than one month, nearly five
+hundred of the refractory Creeks had surrendered themselves.
+
+While General Scott was actively engaged in the discharge of his
+duties in the Creek country, he was unexpectedly recalled, and, on
+the ninth of July, gave up the command to General Jesup. It being
+evident that he labored under the displeasure of the Executive,
+General Jackson, he demanded a court of inquiry, on his arrival at
+Washington. The court assembled at Frederick, Maryland, in October,
+and after a long and tedious investigation, fully approved of
+his conduct. The finding of the court was sustained by the then
+president, Mr. Van Buren, and General Scott soon after returned to
+the command of the Eastern Division. He requested permission to
+be again sent to Florida, but as the war was at that time being
+prosecuted by other officers, it was not thought advisable to comply
+with his request, and thus disturb the arrangements which had been
+made subsequent to his recall.
+
+[Sidenote: THE NORTH EASTERN BOUNDARY.]
+
+In the winter of 1837–8, General Scott rendered efficient services
+in the preservation of neutrality on the northern frontier, and in
+preventing the war which threatened to grow out of the outbreak in
+Canada, and what was called “the patriot excitement.” No collision
+took place with the British forces, although General Scott was
+fully prepared for such an emergency. In the summer of 1838, he was
+ordered to take command of the troops in the Cherokee country,--in
+Georgia, Alabama, North Carolina, and Tennessee,--and to superintend
+the removal of the Indians west of the Mississippi. This duty was
+discharged with so much promptitude and humanity, that he received
+the grateful thanks of the Cherokees, as well as the express
+approbation of his own government.
+
+Having terminated his mission among the Cherokees, General Scott
+hastened to the north, where his almost unbounded popularity had
+produced such a favorable result the previous year, to take command
+of the troops ordered to preserve the integrity of the territory
+of Maine, a large part of which had long been in dispute, and the
+subject of negotiation, between the governments of England and
+the United States. He found in Sir John Harvey, the lieutenant
+governor of New Brunswick--in the campaign of 1813, Lieutenant
+Colonel Harvey--an old acquaintance, whom he had known during the
+late war with England. The former discovered that the militia of
+Maine were too numerous, and too well disposed, to be attacked by
+his inferior force, and he readily met the friendly, but dignified
+advances, of General Scott, in a similar spirit. A cessation of all
+hostile movements and operations, was mutually agreed on between
+them,--which received the approval of the Governor of Maine, the
+American Executive, and the British Minister. The disputed boundary
+was finally adjusted, under the Treaty of Washington, concluded in
+1842.
+
+Though taking no active part in the political contests of the day,
+and never solicitous to venture in “the fiery chase of ambition,”
+the opinions of General Scott on all leading questions, were so well
+known to coincide with those of the Whig party, that he was warmly
+supported as a candidate for the presidency, at their National
+Convention, held at Harrisburg, in December, 1839. He received
+sixty-two votes, on the last ballot but one; the choice of the
+convention, however, fell on General Harrison, who was elected to the
+office in the autumn of 1840. In the summer of 1848, General Scott
+was again proposed as a candidate for the same high station, by his
+numerous friends in different sections of the Union, and received a
+highly flattering vote in the Whig National Convention, which met
+at Philadelphia in the month of June,--though the nomination was
+conferred on General Taylor, also a distinguished officer of the army.
+
+General Macomb, the commanding general, died at Washington on the
+twenty-fifth of June, 1841, and General Scott, to the universal
+satisfaction of the American people, was elevated to the head of the
+army, with the full rank of major general. The services performed by
+him in this capacity were chiefly those of a cabinet officer, and
+nothing more need be said of them, than that they were faithfully and
+appropriately rendered.
+
+[Sidenote: THE WAR WITH MEXICO.]
+
+We now approach the most brilliant epoch in the military history of
+General Scott,--his splendid campaign amid the burning sands and
+lofty mountains of Mexico--the land of the citron and the orange, of
+the fragrant acacia and the spreading banana; whose valleys teem with
+the glowing vegetation of an unending summer, and whose hill-tops
+are covered with eternal snow;
+
+             “where the stars,
+    In tropic brightness gleam,”--
+
+and the overhanging rocks and rough buttresses of the sierras,
+intrenched by the “deep scars of thunder,” look down upon sweet
+Paphian bowers, blooming with the fragrant shrubs and flowers whose
+soft intoxicating odors lull the senses to repose, and bright with
+the plumage of the parrot and mocking bird, and the scarlet and
+purple blossoms of innumerable creepers, twining about the columnar
+stems of the tulip tree, or depending in heavy festoons from the
+graceful palm. Like the Alpine scenery, to which the reviewer[46]
+compares the poetry of Milton, “Nooks and dells, beautiful as fairy
+land, are imbosomed in its most rugged elevations. The roses and the
+myrtle bloom unchilled on the verge of the avalanche!”
+
+Repeated insults and outrages, for a long series of years, were
+heaped upon the American people and the American flag, by the
+authorities of Mexico. Her weakness, and her position as one of the
+family of republics on the Western Continent, alone shielded her
+from attack. Injuries perpetrated by her were tolerated, which, had
+they been committed by a monarchical power, would have been promptly
+redressed. At length, after the annexation of Texas to the United
+States--the citizens of which had revolted from her authority and
+achieved their independence--on the twenty-fourth of April, 1846, a
+body of Mexican lancers committed an unprovoked attack upon a small
+party of American troops, on the left bank of the Rio Grande, and
+within what was claimed to be the territory of the State of Texas.
+The Congress of the United States was at this time in session, and
+on receiving official intelligence of the transaction, an act was
+passed, with great unanimity, declaring that a state of war existed
+between the two countries “by the act of the republic of Mexico.”
+Provision was made for filling up the regular regiments, the
+President was authorized to accept the services of fifty thousand
+volunteers, and the sum of ten millions of dollars was appropriated
+to carry on the war.
+
+Consultations were immediately held between the President, the
+Secretary of War, and General Scott; and the various staff officers
+and heads of bureaus were directed to prepare estimates, and furnish
+the _matériel_ for the large army about to be called into the field.
+It was originally intended that General Scott, whose abilities as a
+skilful and scientific officer were admitted to be unequalled in the
+American service, should proceed to the seat of war and assume the
+chief command. An unfortunate misunderstanding, however, occurred
+between him and the Executive, and he was directed to remain at
+Washington. During the summer of 1846, nearly twenty thousand men
+were thrown forward. General Taylor, the officer commanding on the
+Rio Grande, was largely reïnforced, and strong columns of attack
+were directed upon Chihuahua and New Mexico, under Generals Wool and
+Kearny. Previous to this, General Taylor had driven the Mexicans from
+the left bank of the Rio Grande, by a series of brilliant victories,
+and taken possession of Matamoras. On the arrival of reïnforcements
+and supplies, he proceeded against Monterey, the capital of New Leon,
+where the shattered columns of the enemy had rallied; and after a
+stout resistance, this town also surrendered to his arms, on the
+twenty-fourth of September.
+
+[Sidenote: EXPEDITION AGAINST VERA CRUZ.]
+
+Before the close of the campaign, most of the northern provinces
+of Mexico had been overrun, or occupied, by the American troops.
+Victory everywhere perched on our banners. Still, the enemy made no
+propositions for peace. Artful demagogues, availing themselves of
+the dissensions which they had fomented among the Mexican people,
+had obtained the control of affairs; and they hoped to preserve
+their influence and authority, only by the successful prosecution
+of hostilities. It was therefore determined to land a strong and
+well-appointed column at Vera Cruz, and after reducing the formidable
+castle of San Juan de Ulua--the Gibraltar of America--to march upon
+the Mexican capital. This service demanded the highest military
+talents in the Nation, and, in accordance with the general desire,
+the hero of Chippewa and Niagara was selected to lead the American
+armies to victory and triumph.
+
+The expedition against Vera Cruz and San Juan de Ulua, was planned by
+General Scott; great pains had been taken to procure the necessary
+information in regard to the defences of the city and castle; and he
+was engaged for several weeks in making the necessary preparations. A
+corps of sappers and miners, mountain howitzer and rocket batteries,
+heavy ordnance, large quantities of missiles and ammunition,
+transport vessels, bomb-ketches, and surf-boats, to land the troops,
+were ordered to be organized and prepared, and dispatched to the
+Gulf of Mexico without delay. The troops destined to take part in the
+expedition, who were to proceed from the United States, were ordered
+to rendezvous at the island of Lobos, lying just off the Mexican
+shore, about one hundred and twenty miles northwest of Vera Cruz--a
+lovely perfumed island, hanging suspended in the waters like a basket
+of flowers. The remainder of the force was to be withdrawn from the
+army under General Taylor, and to embark for the same point, at
+Tampico, or the Brazos.
+
+General Scott received his final orders on the twenty-third of
+November, 1846, and on the twenty-fourth left Washington for New
+York, where he embarked for New Orleans. From thence he proceeded
+to the Rio Grande, and, having selected the troops to compose his
+column, repaired to the general rendezvous.
+
+It was late in the month of February, 1847, before all the troops
+reached the island of Lobos; the arrangements were then speedily
+completed; and just before nightfall on the fifth of March, the whole
+fleet came bearing down into the roadstead of Vera Cruz, under a
+full press of canvas, and blocking up the bay with a dense forest
+of masts and spars. The American naval squadron, under Commodore
+Conner, previously employed in blockading the Mexican ports, was
+present to coöperate in the expedition. Careful reconnaissances of
+the enemy’s coast were immediately made by the Commodore and General
+Scott, and the debarkation was ordered to take place on the ninth
+of March, opposite the island of Sacrificios, between four and five
+miles south of the city of Vera Cruz. The surf-boats, sixty-five in
+number, were properly marked, and the troops arranged in divisions,
+and transferred from the transports to the vessels of war, so as not
+to crowd the contracted anchorage with too many sail.
+
+[Sidenote: LANDING OF THE TROOPS.]
+
+At eleven o’clock in the morning of the ninth, the squadron weighed
+anchor, and at three in the afternoon hove to abreast of Sacrificios.
+The arrangements of Commodore Conner and General Scott were all
+perfect; nothing was amiss or in confusion; and not a single accident
+occurred to interrupt the movement. The small boats, which had been
+towed astern of the larger vessels, were ranged alongside, manned by
+the sailors, and received their complements of men, all fully armed
+and equipped, and their bright muskets and bayonets glistening with
+sunbeams. The steamers Spitfire and Vixen, with five gun boats, then
+formed a line parallel with the beach, within good grape range, to
+cover the descent. The regular brigade of General Worth, was the
+first to land. As the signal gun fired from the Massachusetts boomed
+over the waters, the line of boats darted for the shore.
+
+The day was highly favorable for the landing. It was bright and
+clear, and a soft southeasterly breeze, fresh from groves of balm
+and forests of citron trees, just rippled the surface of the bay,
+and died away in gentle murmurs on the sandy beach. The harbor was
+crowded with American, and foreign vessels of war; and every deck,
+mast and spar, were alive with anxious spectators. But a few moments
+elapsed ere the boats reached the shore, and the American flag was
+unfurled amid the joyous shouts and loud hurrahs of the brave tars
+and gallant soldiers. The remainder of the troops--the volunteer
+division of General Patterson, and the regular brigade of General
+Twiggs--numbering, in all, between ten and eleven thousand men, were
+landed by the surf-boats, in successive trips, before ten o’clock in
+the evening.
+
+No attempt was made by the enemy to oppose the disembarkation of
+General Scott’s army. There were between six and seven thousand men
+in the city and castle, all under the command of General Morales,
+Governor of the State of Vera Cruz; but that officer contented
+himself with remaining in security behind his defences, which he
+might well have deemed almost impregnable. The city was entirely
+surrounded by a stone wall, with towers at irregular intervals,--the
+two most important ones, the Santiago and the Conception, being on
+the water-front, twelve hundred and seventy yards distant from each
+other. The castle of San Juan de Ulua, the reduction of which was
+the great object of the expedition, stood on a bar, or small island,
+in front of the town, one thousand and sixty-two yards from the main
+land. The armament of the castle was very heavy; it contained about
+one hundred and fifty guns, of different calibre; and there were over
+one hundred guns mounted upon the fortifications of the city. In the
+rear of the town was a wide stretch of country, dotted here and there
+with thickets of chaparral, originally a level plain; but the loose
+sand had been drifted into hillocks, from twenty to two hundred and
+fifty feet high, by the perpetual blowing of the fierce _nortes_.
+
+[Sidenote: LINE OF INVESTMENT.]
+
+General Scott landed on the morning of the tenth of March, and made
+immediate preparations to invest the town. He had rendered himself
+familiar with the topography of the country, and his columns moved
+as regularly to their positions, as if they had been on parade;
+General Worth occupying the right of the line with his command,
+General Patterson the centre, and General Twiggs the extreme left.
+Though half blinded by the whirling sand, the men cheerfully mounted
+over the clumps and ridges, dragging after them their baggage,
+tents, and artillery, and entirely indifferent to the fire of the
+enemy’s guns, which kept up a continued and incessant roar. Several
+slight skirmishes occurred, but the Mexicans appeared nowhere in
+force outside their strong fortifications, frowning with cannon,
+and bristling with bayonets. The investment was completed on the
+thirteenth of March, and on the same day safeguards were sent to the
+foreign consuls in the town. The whole line, extending from the beach
+opposite Sacrificios, to the hamlet of Vergara, on the coast north of
+Vera Cruz, was about seven miles in length, with an interval of from
+two and a half to three miles between it and the city.
+
+The plan of attack fixed upon by General Scott, was, in the first
+place, to compel the city to surrender, and then to take up battering
+positions near it, and assault the castle. A succession of severe
+northers cut off all communication with the fleet for several
+days, and prevented the landing of the mortars and heavy guns; but
+in the afternoon of the twenty-second of March, three batteries
+were finally established, within eight hundred yards of the city,
+under the direction of Colonel Totten, the Chief Engineer, and
+seven mortars planted. The city was then regularly summoned; but
+Governor Morales affected to regard the castle as being embraced
+in the demand, and peremptorily refused to capitulate. Orders were
+therefore given to open the fire, and the squadron, under Commodore
+Perry, who had relieved Commodore Conner, moved up to prevent any
+further intercourse between the town and the foreign vessels of war.
+The command of the trenches was assigned to Colonel Bankhead, of
+the 2nd artillery; and shortly after four o’clock on the afternoon
+of the twenty-second, the three batteries commenced bombarding the
+town. A strong battery, manned by officers and men of the navy, and
+mounting three 8-inch Paixhan guns, and three long thirty-two’s,
+opened its fire on the following day; and early in the morning of
+the twenty-fifth, a fifth battery, with four 24-pounders and two
+8-inch howitzers, added its deep-toned thunders to the ceaseless din.
+The enemy returned the fire, with considerable spirit, from their
+batteries in the city and castle; but little injury was done to the
+trenches, and the Americans sustained but a trifling loss.
+
+In the city, the horrors of a bombardment were soon witnessed.
+The American fire was terribly destructive. Deep channels were
+ploughed in the streets, and the walls sunk in large masses. The
+air was full of blazing shells; houses were set on fire, and the
+affrighted inmates fled hither and thither, seeking, in vain, some
+place of refuge and safety. The city resounded, in every quarter,
+with the groans of the dying, the shrieks of pale-faced women and
+orphaned children. On the night of the twenty-fourth, the foreign
+consuls dispatched a memorial to General Scott, praying him to
+grant a truce to enable the neutrals to withdraw, with the Mexican
+women and children. All the terrors which they depicted, had been
+foreseen by the American commander, and they had been forewarned in
+time. They had chosen to remain in the city till it was too late.
+There could now be no alternative but a surrender. The request of
+the memorialists was therefore refused, and the siege pressed with
+increased vigor.
+
+[Sidenote: THE BOMBARDMENT AND CAPITULATION.]
+
+The firing was continued without intermission during the day,
+on the twenty-fifth, and the following night. Governor Morales
+resisted every appeal on the part of the inhabitants of Vera Cruz,
+to surrender, and it was only when the streets had become deluged
+with blood, that he resigned the command to General Landero, who
+immediately opened negotiations with General Scott, which terminated
+in the capitulation of the city and castle, with their armaments,
+and the surrender of the garrison as prisoners of war. The American
+batteries ceased playing on the morning of the twenty-sixth; and on
+the twenty-ninth, the Mexican troops marched out and lay down their
+arms, while the victors entered and took possession of the formidable
+strongholds which they had evacuated.
+
+There were but thirteen killed, and sixty-three wounded, on the side
+of the Americans, including the losses sustained by the navy, during
+the operations before the city of Vera Cruz, from the landing to the
+capitulation; except that there were a few casualties occurred on the
+twenty-fourth and twenty-fifth of March, in brief skirmishes with
+mounted parties of the enemy, who made their appearance in the rear
+of the line of investment, but were driven off by detachments under
+the command, respectively, of General P. F. Smith and Colonel Harney.
+The loss of the Mexicans during the siege was not ascertained, but
+was variously estimated at from one to two thousand.
+
+Anticipating the speedy arrival of the dreaded _vómito_ on the low
+and sickly coast of Mexico, General Scott hastened to put his army in
+motion for the interior, hoping to find among the cool retreats of
+the _terra templada_, a refuge from the scorching sun of the tropics.
+Lieutenant Colonel Belton, of the 3rd artillery, was left in command
+of Vera Cruz and the Castle, with a suitable garrison; and, on the
+eighth of April, General Twiggs took up the line of march for Jalapa,
+about ninety miles distant. The remaining columns followed in a few
+days.
+
+Meanwhile, Santa Anna, the Provisional President of Mexico, and
+General-in-chief of her armies, had sustained a terrible repulse
+near Buena Vista, on the twenty-third of February, when he had
+attacked the American army under General Taylor, with a force four
+times greater than that of his opponents. Escaping from the scene of
+disaster, with the wreck of his forces,--as the Americans did not
+design to penetrate further into the country in that direction,--and
+augmenting their numbers by forced levies, together with large
+additions from the National Guard, and considerable bodies of
+guerillereros, he proceeded to the heights of Cerro Gordo, nearly
+thirty miles east of Jalapa, and commenced fortifying his position.
+The National Road, along which the victorious columns of General
+Scott were approaching, here commences the ascent from the _tierra
+caliente_, to the elevated table land of Mexico.
+
+[Sidenote: THE HEIGHTS OF CERRO GORDO.]
+
+After crossing the Rio del Plan, the road winds up among the
+hills--now scaling a bold sierra, and now disappearing in the
+wooded depths of some dark ravine--until, at the distance of two
+or three miles, it enters a narrow defile, flanked, on the left,
+by three ridges jutting out from the plateau above,--beyond which
+is the impassable channel of the river,--and, on the right, by the
+tall mountain peak of Cerro Gordo, crowned with the _Telegrafo_, a
+fortified citadel, or tower. Intrenchments were thrown up on the
+eastern extremities of the hills on the left, which terminated
+abruptly, and upwards of twenty guns placed in battery. In addition
+to the work on the lofty summit of Cerro Gordo, which contained six
+guns mounted on carriages, there was a strong battery, of six large
+brass guns, at the foot of the height, which completely enfiladed the
+defile. Breastworks for the protection of infantry were constructed
+in and about this chain of defences, within which Santa Anna posted
+about one half of his army, altogether consisting of not far from
+fifteen thousand men. With the remaining half, he encamped on the
+National Road, about half a mile west of the tower, where he had,
+also, a battery of five guns.
+
+The march of the American army from Vera Cruz to the Rio del Plan was
+entirely unobstructed,--though, on account of the deep sandy roads,
+very tedious and difficult. For most of the distance, the wayside
+was skirted with thickets of chaparral, with occasional openings,
+through which glimpses could be caught of plantations of maguey,
+whose bright clustering flowers shed their rich golden radiance
+on everything around; of waving fields of corn and sugar cane; of
+groves of citrons, oranges, and pomegranates,--the trees bending
+down with their luscious fruit, or loaded with rare foliage; or of
+sylvan nooks, where the waters of some gentle streamlet trembled in
+the faint light stealing softly down through the overhanging branches
+of the majestic plane-tree, the dark-leaved banana, the lofty cedar,
+or the gigantic arbutus. Now and then, too, they passed the rude
+sheds, covered with green palmetto leaves, of the _jarochada_,--the
+humblest class of Mexican peasantry,--who looked upon the advent of
+these strange warriors, with emotions similar to those with which the
+ancient Aztecs regarded the mail-clad followers of Hernando Cortés.
+
+General Twiggs arrived at the Plan del Rio, on the eleventh of April,
+with his division, and encamped for the night; his advanced guard,
+under Colonel Harney, having driven a party of Mexican lancers from
+the ground. On the following day reconnaissances were pushed in the
+direction of the enemy’s position, which, it was ascertained, could
+be turned on the right, by the construction of a road leaving the
+main route some distance below the defile, and winding round to the
+north of the height of Cerro Gordo. The first and third brigades of
+General Patterson’s volunteer division, commanded by Generals Pillow
+and Shields, came up on the twelfth instant; the second brigade,
+under General Quitman, did not arrive in time to take part in the
+action. General Scott soon followed, and, on the sixteenth of April,
+General Worth reached the ground with his division. Dispositions were
+forthwith made for carrying the whole Mexican line of intrenchments
+by assault. The operations on the line reconnoitred by General
+Twiggs, were pushed with great activity, and a road was constructed,
+extending for two or three miles, through thickets of chaparral,
+underneath jutting precipices, and across deep stony chasms. The
+fatigue parties continued at work, until they came within range of
+the enemy’s batteries, and orders were then issued to prepare for the
+storm.
+
+[Sidenote: STORMING THE FORTIFICATIONS.]
+
+The division of General Twiggs was thrown forward on the new road,
+and in the afternoon of the seventeenth, his advanced parties seized
+a commanding eminence directly below the frowning height of Cerro
+Gordo, upon which several heavy guns were planted, that were drawn
+up during the evening by the 4th artillery and the volunteers of
+General Shields, who had been directed to reïnforce the regular
+division. The main attack was now ordered to be made at sunrise on
+the eighteenth of April; General Twiggs being directed to carry the
+works on the right of the road, with his division and the brigade of
+General Shields; and General Pillow receiving orders to attack the
+intrenchments on the series of hills on the left, aided by the fire
+of an 8-inch howitzer put in position on the heights, on the opposite
+bank of the Rio del Plan. General Worth was required to follow the
+movement under General Twiggs with his division.
+
+With the first light of dawn, the command of General Twiggs was in
+motion. The main height of Cerro Gordo, from the sides of which the
+enemy’s skirmishers were driven by the fire of the mounted rifles,
+was gallantly ascended by the 1st artillery,[47] and the 3rd and 7th
+infantry, headed by Colonel Harney, under a plunging and withering
+fire of grape and musketry, and the fortified work on its summit
+carried at the point of the bayonet. General Shields crossed a
+ravine, hitherto deemed impassable, further to the west and right,
+with his brigade, and boldly attacked the battery in the rear near
+the principal camp of Santa Anna; being desperately wounded, he gave
+up the command to Colonel Baker, who promptly led on the column,
+and, with the assistance of Colonel Riley, who moved up with the
+2nd infantry and 4th artillery, succeeded in carrying the battery
+and routing the main body of the enemy. The private carriage of the
+Mexican President, his baggage, and the military chest of the army,
+were captured; but Santa Anna himself, and his principal officers,
+succeeded in effecting their escape.
+
+General Pillow was less successful in the attempt to carry the
+batteries and intrenchments on the left of the road. The fire of the
+enemy proved so destructive, that he was obliged to call off his men;
+but, nothing daunted by one repulse, they were preparing for a second
+and more determined effort, when white flags were thrown out over
+the breastworks,--the Mexican force in this quarter being completely
+in the power of the American troops, who had carried the height of
+Cerro Gordo and the battery in the rear. A large number of the enemy
+having escaped just previous to the capture of the works, the way
+was cleared, and the mounted men and light batteries, with portions
+of the infantry, dashed after them in pursuit, under Generals Twiggs
+and Patterson. The intrenchments and fortifications were all carried
+before the sun had reached its meridian, and at eventide the advanced
+corps halted and encamped within sight of the white towers of Jalapa.
+
+[Sidenote: DEFEAT AND PURSUIT OF THE ENEMY.]
+
+The American force in this action barely exceeded eight thousand
+men; but the network of defences constructed by Santa Anna to impede
+their advance, proved as frail and powerless as the gossamer’s web.
+Yet the victory was not achieved without a severe loss; there being
+four hundred and thirty-one officers and men killed and wounded.
+The Mexican loss, however, was much greater; there were upwards
+of one thousand killed and wounded, and over three thousand taken
+prisoners, including five general officers. Forty-three pieces of
+artillery, four thousand stands of arms, and a large quantity of
+fixed ammunition, were also captured by the Americans.
+
+Jalapa surrendered to the victors on the nineteenth of April, and
+on the twenty-second General Worth took possession of the important
+castle of Perote. No resistance was now made to the arms of General
+Scott. Panic and dismay were visible on every side, and had the
+American commander been in a situation to advance immediately upon
+the Mexican capital, it is more than probable that he would have
+encountered but feeble opposition. But, when he arrived at Jalapa,
+the terms of service of more than three thousand of his volunteer
+force were about to expire; and they returned at once to the
+coast, to reëmbark for the United States before the sickly season
+came on. Although his army was thereby reduced to less than seven
+thousand effective men--a feeble band left to maintain themselves
+in the heart of the enemy’s country, whose communications with the
+sea-board were soon after cut off by the guerilleros, who swarmed
+during the whole season on the road to Vera Cruz--he determined,
+nevertheless, to surrender not one of the advantages which he
+had gained, but to penetrate still further into the interior.
+Accordingly, General Worth moved forward, in May, to Puebla de los
+Ángelos--the City of the Angels--with his division and the volunteer
+brigade of General Quitman, in all but little more than four thousand
+men. On the fourteenth instant, near Amasoque, he had a slight
+skirmish with a body of lancers three thousand strong, under Santa
+Anna; but he drove them before him with ease, and on the fifteenth
+instant entered the city and took formal possession.
+
+Like Jackson and Harrison, General Scott had no sooner evolved
+his plans, than he found them counteracted by the orders or
+proceedings of the War Department. The experience, oftentimes the
+bitter experience, of the Revolution and the second war with Great
+Britain,--in which it was over and over again demonstrated, that it
+was essential to success that there should be as little interference
+as possible with the details and incidents of a campaign,--seemed
+to be forgotten by the Executive authorities at Washington. The
+general object of a campaign, or expedition, may, perhaps should be,
+designated by the President, as commander in chief of the army; but
+it may be unhesitatingly affirmed, that no officer is fit to conduct
+either, to whom a large discretion may not be safely confided. He
+will find cares and vexations enough, without being fretted by
+petty annoyances, or thwarted, at every turn, in the most trifling
+circumstance.
+
+[Sidenote: MARCH FROM PUEBLA.]
+
+It was a long time before General Scott found himself in sufficient
+force to warrant him in continuing his march upon the Mexican
+capital. On the twenty-second of May, General Twiggs marched from
+Jalapa for Puebla, with his division. General Scott followed him
+on the twenty-third, in company with Mr. Trist, the American
+Commissioner sent to confer with the Mexican government, in case
+negotiations for peace should be proposed. Strong garrisons were
+left at Jalapa and Perote, under Colonels Childs and Wynkoop. At
+Puebla another tedious delay took place; but the time was wisely and
+profitably spent in drilling the troops. At length, the long-expected
+reïnforcements began to arrive. Generals Pillow and Cadwalader
+reached Puebla on the eighth of July, with over three thousand men,
+including the command of Colonel Childs; and on the sixth of August,
+General Pierce came up with twenty-five hundred men. Both columns had
+repeated, and, in every instance, successful encounters, with the
+guerilleros.
+
+Arrangements had already been made for the contemplated movement
+towards the far-famed halls of the Montezumas. The army, now
+consisting of ten thousand seven hundred men, moved forward _en
+échelon_; General Twiggs marching on the seventh instant with his
+division, preceded by the cavalry brigade of Colonel Harney, and
+the remaining divisions, under Generals Quitman, Worth, and Pillow,
+following on successive days. General Scott left Puebla in person on
+the eighth instant, and on the same day overtook, and then continued
+with, the leading division, under General Twiggs. The line of march
+followed the National Road, which ascends gradually through a rich
+rolling country, to the _tierra fria_, the third of the great
+terraces into which Mexico is divided.--Elated with past victories,
+and the brilliant promise of future triumphs, the serried columns
+press on, through groves and gardens decked out in the most gorgeous
+array, through fields of maize and barley, and amidst towering cedars
+and lofty pines:
+
+    “Through rocky pass, o’er wooded steep,
+    In long and glittering files they sweep.”
+
+Not an enemy appeared to obstruct their march, until, on emerging
+from the pass of Rio Frio, they commenced descending into the valley,
+in the midst of which, like some bright vision of fairy land, lay
+the city of Mexico, whose shining domes and sculptured façades were
+bathed in the rich flood of golden light that streamed down through
+the transparent atmosphere. On approaching the hacienda of Buena
+Vista, Major Sumner, of the 2nd dragoons, who commanded the advanced
+corps, descried a party of Mexican lancers apparently drawn up to
+defend the passage. Dashing fiercely upon the enemy, without pausing
+to count their numbers, he compelled them to make a hasty retreat.
+General Twiggs’ division halted at Ayotla, fifteen miles from Mexico,
+on the eleventh of August, and as the other divisions came up, they
+encamped in the rear, about the head of Lake Chalco.
+
+The Mexican capital lies about three miles west of Lake Tezcuco,
+and six miles from the northwest point of Lake Xochimilco. It is
+approached by six principal roads, which terminate in massive stone
+causeways, elevated from ten to twenty feet above the low marshy
+grounds that surround the city. On the east, is the National Road,
+along which the American army moved; on the south, the Acapulco road,
+entering on the San Antonio causeway; on the south-west, the Tacubaya
+road and causeway; on the west, the San Cosmé road and causeway; and
+on the north, are the remaining two roads.
+
+[Sidenote: FORTIFICATIONS OF MEXICO.]
+
+After his repulse at Amasoque, Santa Anna returned to the capital,
+and began diligently to fortify it. The National Road, which runs
+close to the southern shore of Lake Tezcuco, was defended by El
+Peñon, an isolated hill three hundred feet high, seven miles from the
+city, on the south side of the road; this was garnished with twenty
+batteries mounting fifty-one guns, and fifteen infantry breastworks;
+and there was, also, a strong battery on the road, or causeway, four
+hundred yards in advance of the height, another by its side, and a
+third about a mile from the gate of San Lazaro. Between the National
+Road and Lake Xochimilco, is a lateral road, leading to the San
+Antonio causeway by way of the village of Mexicalcingo, which lies on
+the outlet or canal reaching from the lake to the city. The bridge
+over the outlet was fortified, and flanked by strong works,--there
+being, in all, eight batteries, with thirty-eight guns, and one
+breastwork for infantry.
+
+On the opposite side of Lake Xochimilco, upon the San Antonio
+causeway, was a _tête du pont_ of heavy mason work, at the bridge
+over the Churubusco river, over two miles south of the city. To
+the left of the bridge, were the church and convent of San Pablo,
+surrounded by a high wall and designed to be used for purposes of
+defence. Between two and three miles further south, at San Antonio,
+there were extensive field works, containing seven batteries,
+mounting twenty-four heavy guns, and two infantry breastworks. Five
+miles northwest of the _tête du pont_, on the Tacubaya causeway, and
+distant only one and a half miles from the Belén garita, or fortified
+gateway, was the frowning fortress of Chapultepec, situated on a
+rocky eminence in an oblong inclosure, the walls at the foot of
+which, on the north and south, were formed by aqueducts extending
+into the city, over heavy arches, by the Tacubaya and San Cosmé
+causeways, which were thus divided into double roadways. On the
+heights of Chapultepec, there were seven batteries, including those
+in the main fortification, which mounted nineteen guns, and seven
+infantry breastworks. Beneath this fortress, on the west, twelve
+hundred yards distant from the acclivity, was El Molino del Rey--“the
+Mill of the King”--a long range of stone buildings now occupied by
+the Mexican troops; and four or five hundred yards further to the
+west, on a retired line, was Casa de Mata, an old square building,
+with thick stone walls, and surrounded by ditches and bastioned
+intrenchments.
+
+In addition to the exterior chain of defences, there was an interior
+line equally formidable. A wide and deep navigable canal, extremely
+difficult, if not impossible, to bridge in the face of an active
+enemy, girded the city throughout its greater extent. There were
+eight main entrances, at each of which there was a fortified garita;
+and on the left and north of the Tacubaya causeway, a short distance
+in rear of the garita Belén, was the Ciudadela, or citadel, a
+rectangular work, containing fifteen heavy guns. Batteries and
+redans were constructed upon and near the causeways and garitas, and
+preparations were made to connect all the works of the interior line
+by a continuous chain of redoubts. Guns could not be obtained in
+sufficient quantities to arm all the works, but it was the intention
+of the Mexican commander to withdraw his pieces from the outer
+batteries, whenever it became necessary to take up a new position.
+For the defence of these fortifications, and the protection of the
+city, he had collected an army of over thirty thousand men, mainly
+consisting of the battalions of the National Guard, but all well
+armed and equipped.
+
+[Sidenote: RECONNAISSANCES.]
+
+From his camp at Ayotla, General Scott threw forward several
+reconnoitering parties, through whom he obtained definite and
+reliable information in regard to the enemy’s fortifications. He was
+able to break through the chain at any point, but his army was weak
+in numbers, and no reïnforcements could be expected for some time to
+come; consequently, he decided to husband his strength, and avoid
+the more important and stronger works at El Peñon and Mexicalcingo,
+by making a détour to the left, round Lakes Chalco and Xochimilco.
+He had long had this project in contemplation, and on the fourteenth
+of August, a reconnaissance was made in that direction, which
+demonstrated its entire practicability. Directions were forthwith
+given for the columns to be put in motion. The order of march was
+now reversed; General Worth leading the van, with Colonel Harney’s
+brigade in the advance, and the other divisions closely following the
+movement.
+
+The enemy’s light troops and skirmishers were repeatedly encountered
+while making the circuit of the lakes; the route was found to be low
+and uneven, sometimes crossing deep pits and marshes, and at others
+running underneath overhanging scaurs which threatened to fall down
+upon the heads of the soldiers; but the tedious march was terminated
+on the evening of the seventeenth of August, by the arrival of
+General Worth at San Augustin, on the Acapulco road,--twenty-seven
+miles from Ayotla by this circuitous route, and nine miles south of
+the city of Mexico. In the morning of the eighteenth, General Worth
+moved along the causeway, towards San Antonio, to allow the other
+divisions to close on him.
+
+Reconnaissances having been made by the engineer officers, it was
+found that the fortifications at San Antonio commanded the causeway
+and the marshes on their left, as far as Lake Xochimilco. West of the
+road there was a vast field of volcanic rocks, called a _pedregal_,
+utterly impassable for cavalry or artillery, and nearly so for
+infantry, which extended some four or five miles, to the San Angel
+road, leading from the factory of Magdalena, down the valley of the
+Churubusco river, to the San Antonio causeway. General Scott again
+resolved that the skill of the enemy should avail them nothing. His
+plan--to gain the San Angel road, and then move round to the attack
+of San Antonio in rear--was soon formed, and the necessary orders
+given to carry it into effect. A mule path was discovered running
+westward from San Augustin, and connecting with the San Angel road,
+which the engineers reported could be made practicable for artillery.
+On the morning of the nineteenth instant General Pillow advanced
+to open the path with his division and the corps of sappers and
+miners,--the movement being covered by the division of General Twiggs.
+
+[Sidenote: CONTRERAS AND CHERUBUSCO.]
+
+In the meantime, Santa Anna had moved his forces to the southern
+side of the city. Eight guns were planted in battery at the _tête
+du pont_; the defences of San Pablo were increased, and seven guns
+mounted; and General Valencia was thrown forward on the San Angel
+road, with a corps of seven thousand men, and twenty-four pieces
+of artillery, half of which were of heavy calibre. In the morning
+of the eighteenth of August, he had been directed to fall back to
+Coyoacan, near San Pablo; but he proceeded to the Hill of Contreras,
+situated in a bend of the San Angel road, opposite the opening of the
+mule path leading from San Augustin, where he intrenched himself and
+planted his guns.
+
+The working parties under General Pillow encountered innumerable
+difficulties, but they overcame them all, with cheerfulness and
+alacrity; and at three o’clock in the afternoon, he opened a lively
+and well-directed fire from a battery of field pieces, and a mountain
+howitzer battery, which he had planted within nine hundred yards
+of the Hill of Contreras. The fire was answered with spirit; and
+slugs, shot, and fragments, were thrown from the enemy’s guns with
+terrible effect. Meanwhile, Colonel Riley had moved round to the
+right, with his brigade of General Twiggs’ division, across the field
+of lava,--officers and men, the latter divested of their knapsacks,
+picking their way on foot,--to attack the Mexicans in the rear.
+Strong detachments of the enemy’s infantry, supported by heavy
+guns, being discovered moving up the slopes west of the San Angel
+road, General Pillow detached General Cadwalader, with his brigade,
+to the support of Colonel Riley. General Smith also crossed the
+_pedregal_, with the remaining brigade of General Twiggs’ division;
+and, subsequently, General Scott dispatched Colonel Morgan, with the
+fifteenth infantry, and General Shields, with his brigade, in the
+same direction.
+
+No serious impression being made against the heavier metal of the
+enemy, by the American guns, they ceased playing after nightfall. A
+violent storm of wind and rain now came on, which served to heighten
+the anxiety of General Scott and his officers, to learn the situation
+and prospects of the troops who had crossed the _pedregal_. Late
+at night, when all was uncertainty and gloom, Captain Lee, of the
+engineers, returned from the opposite side of the bed of lava, with
+the information that General Smith, who had taken the command of the
+detachments, numbering altogether about thirty-three hundred men,
+would storm the camp of General Valencia at sunrise. Shortly after
+the day broke on the twentieth instant, the intrenchments on the hill
+of Contreras were gallantly carried, as had been promised, and the
+enemy driven from their position with great loss.
+
+General Scott immediately followed the mule path to the San Angel
+road, with the brigades of General Pierce and Colonel Harney,
+and ordered a rapid pursuit of the retreating enemy, who were
+concentrating at San Pablo and the _tête du pont_. At the same time,
+General Worth moved against San Antonio in front, with his division;
+but the enemy evacuated their works on his approach, and retired to
+the bridge, whither he pursued them as rapidly as possible.
+
+[Sidenote: ROUT OF THE ENEMY.]
+
+A general action, of more than two hours’ duration, which was hotly
+contested on both sides, now took place in and about the _tête du
+pont_ and the defences of San Pablo. At length, the fierce onset of
+General Worth compelled the enemy to give way on the right; the whole
+line soon staggered and broke, and a complete rout ensued. At the
+request of Colonel Harney, the way was cleared, and he was permitted
+to follow the retreating columns of the enemy along the San Antonio
+causeway, to the very gates of the city. His squadrons dashed through
+and through the files of Mexican infantry, smiting terrible blows on
+every side; spurring in upon the crowding fugitives, they cleft down
+all who refused to surrender; and up to the very garita, their shouts
+and cheers, their pistol shots and sabre strokes, spread terror and
+alarm.
+
+In this action, the old war-spirit of General Scott was fully
+aroused. When the clangor of the battle was the wildest and the
+highest, careless and indifferent in regard to the exposure of his
+person, he ventured again and again within range of the enemy’s guns.
+In the course of the engagement, he received a slight wound from a
+grape-shot, but he entered the church of San Pablo soon after it was
+taken, and was received by his brave soldiers with many a glad hurrah.
+
+This series of bloody contests finally terminated at sunset. During
+the day, the enemy lost four thousand men in killed and wounded,
+and there were over twenty-five hundred taken prisoners. Among
+the prisoners were eight general officers. Thirty-seven pieces
+of artillery, and large quantities of small arms and ammunition,
+standards, pack-mules and horses, were also captured. The American
+loss was far less in proportion, yet it was very severe; there were
+one hundred and thirty-seven killed, eight hundred and seventy-nine
+wounded, and forty missing.
+
+It is not improbable, that General Scott might have forced his way
+into the city, on the night after this action; but it was far too
+hazardous an undertaking for eight thousand men to enter a hostile
+town, containing a population of two hundred thousand souls, whose
+convents and public edifices could be readily converted into
+fortifications, and the _azoteas_, or flat roofs, of whose dwellings,
+would afford a secure shelter for thousands upon thousands of
+sharp-shooters. It was not half so well provided for defence, when
+Guatemozin, “the last of the Aztecs,” resisted for three months the
+utmost efforts of Cortés, though the latter was aided by two hundred
+thousand Tlascalan allies.
+
+[Sidenote: THE ARMISTICE.]
+
+On the night of the twentieth of August, while the thunders of the
+battle were yet echoing among the gorges of the Cordilleras, and
+ere the dark flocks of the _zopilote_--the voracious vulture of the
+country--which hovered over the ensanguined plain, had descended to
+their unhallowed carnival, General Scott was visited by the British
+Consul, and other foreign residents of the Mexican capital, at whose
+suggestion, in the spirit of a magnanimous victor, he addressed a
+note to Santa Anna on the following morning, proposing an armistice
+with a view to negotiation. Previous to this time, on the morning
+of the twenty-first, General Scott was waited on by General Mora y
+Villamil, who came out to propose a truce; but the terms not being
+satisfactory, nothing was agreed on. Upon the receipt of General
+Scott’s note, Santa Anna appointed commissioners to confer with such
+as might be appointed on the other side. An armistice was ultimately
+signed, and ratified on the twenty-fourth instant.
+
+Negotiations were instantly opened; but the duplicity and bad faith
+of the Mexican government daily became more and more apparent.
+Infractions of the armistice constantly took place; and on the
+sixth of September General Scott notified Santa Anna, that unless
+full satisfaction was made, before twelve o’clock, meridian, on the
+following day, he should consider it at an end from and after that
+hour. The reply of the Mexican President was both insulting and
+evasive,--and General Scott made immediate preparations to renew
+offensive operations. Having been informed that there was a cannon
+foundry in El Molino del Rey, to which a number of bells had been
+sent from the city to be cast into guns--though this afterwards
+proved to be a mistake--and that there was a large deposit of powder
+in Casa de Mata, he determined to drive the enemy from these works,
+and to seize the powder and destroy the foundry. The performance
+of this service was confided to General Worth, with his division,
+reïnforced by the brigade of General Cadwalader and other small
+detachments. It was brilliantly executed on the eighth of September,
+in spite of the opposition of nearly the whole Mexican army, but
+with the loss of near eight hundred men killed and wounded, out of
+thirty-four hundred.
+
+The capital itself still remained in the possession of the enemy, who
+labored night and day to complete their defences. Including the works
+at the garitas, there were forty-seven batteries, designed for one
+hundred and seventy-seven guns, and seventeen infantry breastworks,
+constructed around the city. All the batteries, however, could
+not be manned at the same time, in consequence of the deficiency
+in artillery. The most formidable works were at the garita of San
+Antonio, and on the heights of Chapultepec.
+
+After completing his reconnaissances, General Scott made a
+demonstration before the southern gates of the city, with the
+divisions of Generals Pillow and Quitman, on the afternoon of the
+eleventh of September, in order to deceive the enemy; but when it
+became dark, he directed those officers to join him with their
+columns, at Tacubuya, whither his headquarters had been sometime
+previous removed. General Twiggs was left at Piedad with his
+division, to threaten, or make false attacks, on the batteries near
+the garita of San Antonio.
+
+On the twelfth instant, four heavy batteries were planted, and
+opened, on the castle of Chapultepec, less than a mile distant from
+Tacubaya,--while General Twiggs directed a vigorous fire upon the
+batteries in the vicinity of the southern gates. The cannonade was
+very effective; the enemy were driven from their outworks on the
+heights of Chapultepec, and the main fortification was seriously
+crippled. On the night of the twelfth, final arrangements were made
+for storming the castle early on the following morning. Before midday
+on the thirteenth, the works were bravely carried at the point of
+the bayonet, by the divisions of Generals Pillow and Quitman,--the
+former being supported by the division of General Worth, and the
+latter by the brigade of General Smith. Immediately after the
+reduction of the castle, Generals Worth and Quitman followed the
+retreating masses of the Mexican troops along the San Cosmé, and
+Chapultepec, or Tacubaya causeways. The latter was the first to gain
+a foothold in the city; the garita of Belén being carried by his
+men shortly after one o’clock in the afternoon. The route taken by
+General Worth was much longer, but he steadily advanced on his way,
+driving the enemy from every redoubt and battery; and, during the
+evening, he securely established himself inside of the garita of San
+Cosmé. Between nine and ten o’clock, a few shells were thrown from
+a mortar brought up to his column, in the direction of the National
+Palace, on the great plaza, in order to obtain the exact distance.
+
+[Sidenote: CAPTURE OF MEXICO.]
+
+Santa Anna and his ministers did not think it advisable again to
+encounter the American army, or to bring upon the city the horrors
+of a bombardment. During the night of the thirteenth, the Mexican
+commander hastily evacuated the capital with all his forces; and on
+the morning of the fourteenth of September, General Scott entered
+and took possession with his troops,--the civil officers making an
+unconditional surrender of the town. For upwards of twenty-four
+hours, the Americans were annoyed by the _leperos_, and lower classes
+of the populace, who fired, and hurled missiles upon them, from the
+roofs and windows. The vigilant measures of General Scott speedily
+checked the _émeute_, and the American flag waved undisturbed over
+the Palacio of Mexico.[48]
+
+A rigid system of police was at once established and enforced by the
+American commander,--whose watchful care for the comfort and welfare
+of his men, whose regard for the rights of the citizens, and whose
+respect for his vanquished opponents, manifested at all times and on
+all occasions, won golden opinions from both friends and foes.
+
+The brilliant campaign of General Scott,--especially remarkable
+for the wonderful display of his military knowledge and ability,
+his rapidity of decision, the power and compass of his mind, the
+clearness of his plans, and the strategical skill which so often
+rendered all the labors of the enemy completely nugatory,--terminated
+with the fall of the Mexican capital. Large reïnforcements were sent
+to join him, by the aid of which his communications with the seacoast
+were effectually opened. For a few weeks, Santa Anna, who had
+resigned his office of provisional president, attempted to continue
+the war, but he eventually abandoned the contest and quitted the
+country. The new administration exhibited a more friendly and pacific
+disposition; the negotiations were resumed, and on the second day of
+February, 1848, a treaty of peace was signed at Guadalupe Hidalgo,
+which was subsequently duly ratified.
+
+[Sidenote: RETURN TO THE UNITED STATES.]
+
+On the nineteenth of February, General Scott was relieved from duty
+in Mexico, at his own request; and shortly thereafter he returned to
+the United States, where he was received with the most flattering
+demonstrations of respect. The thanks of Congress and a gold medal
+were voted to him. Resolutions of congratulation were adopted by a
+number of State Legislatures, and in the city of New York and other
+towns, public processions and festivities were had, in honor of the
+gallant commander and successful soldier.
+
+The athletic frame and robust constitution of General Scott indicate
+that his life may be prolonged for many years. While he is still
+living, and occupying so high a place in the estimation of his
+countrymen, it would, perhaps, be as unwise, as it is unnecessary,
+to speak of his character more in detail. It may be, that he is
+reserved for other and higher honors,--but whatever fortune befal
+him, it will ever be a proud satisfaction to his friends, to point
+to his triumphant march to the Mexican capital, as the most splendid
+achievement recorded in modern history.
+
+
+THE END.
+
+
+FOOTNOTES:
+
+       [34] Tom. iv., p. 150.
+
+       [35] The charge was, in substance, that General Scott
+            remarked at a public table, that he had never seen
+            but two traitors, viz.: Generals Wilkinson and
+            Burr,--and that General Wilkinson was a liar and a
+            scoundrel. Whatever may have been the justice of
+            Scott’s sentence, for violating the rules of military
+            subordination, he had certainly strong reasons for
+            associating the name of Wilkinson with that of Burr,
+            inasmuch as there were then weighty suspicions
+            attaching to the conduct of the former which have
+            never been wholly removed.
+
+       [36] See Memoir of General Pike, _ante_.
+
+       [37] Close behind Scott was Colonel Porter, who
+            complained that the long legs of the former gave him
+            an undue advantage.
+
+       [38] See Memoirs of Brown and Macomb, _ante_.
+
+       [39] _Ante_, p. 34, et seq.
+
+       [40] Captain Towson, with his three guns, was on the
+            other flank, opposite the enemy’s left.
+
+       [41] _Ante_, p. 45, et seq.
+
+       [42] He visited Europe again in 1829, and made the tour
+            of France, Belgium and Germany--his principal object
+            being to procure professional information.
+
+       [43] See Memoirs of Generals Gaines and Macomb, _ante_.
+
+       [44] See Memoir of General Gaines, _ante_.
+
+       [45] See Memoir of General Gaines, _ante_.
+
+       [46] Macaulay.
+
+       [47] The artillery regiments in the American service,
+            are equipped, and act, as infantry, with the
+            exception of the detached companies serving with
+            batteries.
+
+       [48] The casualties consequent upon the capture of
+            Chapultepec and the reduction of the city, on the
+            side of the Mexicans, were 1,000 killed, 1,500
+            wounded, and 823 taken prisoners. The Americans lost
+            130 killed, 704 wounded, and 29 missing. Among the
+            captures of the latter, were 100 pieces of artillery,
+            a number of colors and standards, and small arms and
+            ammunition in sufficient quantities to supply an army
+            during a campaign.
+
+
+
+
+             BOOKS RECENTLY PUBLISHED BY DERBY & MILLER.
+
+
+  =The Lives of Mary and Martha, mother and wife of Washington=: by
+     Margaret C. Conkling, with a steel portrait, 18mo, scarlet cloth.
+
+MISS CONKLING, who is a daughter of Judge Conkling of Auburn, is
+favorably known as the author of Harpers translation of “Florian’s
+History of the Moors of Spain.” She also wrote “Isabel, or the Trials
+of the Heart.” In the preparation of the pretty little volume she has
+done a praiseworthy deed, and we hope she will receive the reward she
+merits. She has taught us in the work
+
+        “how divine a thing
+    A woman may be made.”
+
+The mother and wife of Washington were, in many respects, model
+women, and the daughters of America will do well to study their
+character--which is finely drawn on these pages.--_Literary
+Messenger._
+
+
+This beautifully printed and elegantly bound little work, reflecting
+the highest credit upon the skill and task of the publishers,
+contains biographical sketches of Mary, the mother, and Martha, the
+wife of the Father of his country. It is a most valuable contribution
+to the history of the American people, embracing not only the great
+public events of the century during which the subjects lived, but
+those pictures of home life, and that exhibition of social manners
+and customs, which constitute the most important part of life, but
+which, from the fact of their apparent triviality and intangibility,
+the historian generally passes over. The authoress evidently
+sympathises earnestly with her subject, and feels that in the
+exhibition of those womanly virtues which characterized the heroines
+of her narrative, she makes the most eloquent plea in favor of the
+dignity of her sex. It is dedicated to Mrs. WM. H. SEWARD, and
+contains a finely executed engraving of the wife of Washington. We
+cordially commend it to the public, and most especially our lady
+readers.--_Syracuse Journal._
+
+
+This acceptable and well written volume goes forth upon a happy
+mission,
+
+   “To teach us how divine a thing
+    A woman may be made,”
+
+by unfolding those charms of character which belong to the mother and
+wife of the hero of the Land of the Free; and in the companionship
+of which, while they illustrated the watchful tenderness of a
+mother, and the confiding affections of a wife, is shown those
+influences which made up the moral sentiments of a man, whose moral
+grandeur will be felt in all that is future in government or divine
+in philosophy; and one whose name is adored by all nations, as the
+leader of man in in the progress of government, to that perfection of
+human rights where all enjoy liberty and equality. To say that Miss
+Conkling has fulfilled the task she says a “too partial friendship
+has assigned her” faultlessly, would perhaps be too unmeasured
+praise, for perfection is seldom attained; but it will not be denied
+but that her biographies are traced in the chaste elegances that
+belong to the finished periods of a refined style, which fascinates
+the reader with what she has thus contributed to our national
+literature.
+
+The design of the volume is, to picture a _mother_ fitting the
+“Father of his Country” in a light full of the inexhaustible
+nobleness of woman’s nature, and yet as possessing that subdued and
+quiet simplicity, where Truth becomes the Hope on which Faith looks
+at the future with a smile. The mother of Washington was tried in
+a school of practice where frugal habits and active industry were
+combined with the proverbial excellences of those Virginia matrons,
+who were worthy mothers of such men as Washington, Jefferson,
+Marshall, and Henry. Miss C. has pictured with fidelity and elegance,
+her views of this remarkable woman; not less beautifully has she
+sketched the character of Martha, the wife; following her from
+her brilliant manners as the Virginia belle, through the various
+phases of her lite, she gives a rapid but comprehensive view
+of those characteristics which make up the quiet refinement of
+manners native to her, and which ever gave her the reputation of an
+accomplished wife and lady. And with peculiar delicacy Miss Conkling
+has portrayed the thousand virtues with which she embellished a
+home; her amiable disposition and winning manners made the happiest
+to the purest and best of all men fame has chosen for its noblest
+achievements.--_Syracuse Star._
+
+
+  =The Life of Gen. Zachary Taylor=, 12th President of the United
+     States, brought down to his inauguration. Steel portrait, 12mo.,
+     muslin; a new edition, by H. Montgomery.                  $1,25.
+
+           ∵ 18,000 of the above work have been sold by us.
+
+
+“THE LIFE OF GEN. Z. TAYLOR.”--_H. Montgomery_, Esq., editor of the
+Auburn Daily Advertiser, has found leisure, amid the multitude of his
+engagements, to get up the most respectable looking and carefully
+prepared biography of the old General we have yet seen. It makes a
+neat volume, and is printed on excellent paper and new type, and
+bound in the very best style. It cannot fail to find a tremendous
+sale; a result due alike to the book itself, and the enterprise of
+its busy publishers.--_Albany Evening Journal._
+
+
+“LIFE OF GENERAL ZACHARY TAYLOR, by _H. Montgomery_,” is the latest
+and most complete of the numerous volumes purporting to be ‘Lives’
+of the General. The author of this work--likewise editor of the
+Auburn Journal--is already known as a forcible and pleasing writer,
+handling his subject with a masterly hand; these characteristics are
+fully developed in the book before us. The stirring incidents of
+General Taylor’s life, and the recent battles on Mexican soil are
+well portrayed--the very fair and impartial style of narration being
+a rare quality in depicting battle scenes. The book will repay an
+attentive perusal.--_N. Y. Tribune._
+
+
+THE LIFE OF MAJOR GENERAL ZACHARY TAYLOR. _By H. Montgomery._--Another
+and still another “illustrated” Life of the great American, (would
+that he had as many lives as the publishers give him,) the American
+whom Carlyle would recognise as “a hero” worthy of his pen’s most
+eloquent recognition; THE MAN OF DUTY in an age of Self. An American
+in everything; in valor, in strong muscular sense; in simplicity and
+directness and cordiality of feeling; an American in every thing,
+save in devotion to our new political God of Expediency.
+
+The volume before us is put forth in Auburn, by the editor of the
+Auburn Daily Advertiser, whose vigorous, fluent style, and skill
+in compressing his materials, must make his elegant volume very
+generally acceptable. Many of the traits ascribed to General Taylor
+have been assimilated by some of his admirers to the leading military
+characteristics of Frederick the Great. But, unlike Frederick, Taylor
+is anything but a martinet in discipline; and, though his movements
+of small bodies of troops against vast odds, are characterized by
+the vigorous will and iron determination of Frederick, the arbitrary
+disposition of the Prussian despot is wholly alien to his tolerant
+and candid nature. Taylor’s affectionate and almost parental relation
+to his soldiers, perhaps, alone first suggested the parallel, as we
+find it hinted in the following stanza of some verses upon one of his
+battles, quoted by Mr. Montgomery:
+
+   “‘OLD ZACH!’ ‘OLD ZACH!’ the war cry rattles
+      Among those men of iron tread,
+    As rung ‘OLD FRITZ’ in Europe’s battles
+      When thus his host Great Frederick led.”
+
+                                                     _Literary World._
+
+
+Transcriber’s Note:
+
+Page headers are displayed as sidenotes. Footnotes were renumbered
+sequentially and were moved to the end of each chapter.
+
+Words and phrases in italics are surrounded by underscores, _like
+this_. Those in bold are surrounded by equal signs, =like this=.
+Words may have multiple spelling variations, inconsistent
+hyphenation, or inconsistent use of diacriticals. Eleven misspelled
+words were corrected. Obvious printing errors, such as backwards,
+upside down, or partially printed letters and punctuation, and
+missing or excess space between words, were corrected. Final stops
+missing at the end of sentences were added.
+
+
+*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 79059 ***