Andrew Jackson Border order order- Captain TL T i 4 f vl ha hal hay l 1 ly y 9 a c N s Y M IN FORMAL DRESS Painted by John Vanderlyn it it s believed in 1815 and hunt hung in the council chamber of the th Charleston Ch Chrle ton City hallas hall as a tribute to a native South Carolinan Reproduced from a photo photograph graph of the original l in the collection of Mrs Samuel G f Knoxville I i C CAll All pictures from Marquis James Andrew Jackson the tho Border Captain courtesy the Merrill Merrill Dobbs company 4 By ELMO SCOTT WATSON N A December day In 1814 a Brit British Ish army sent sont In a fleet of or ships to capture New Orleans made n a sur surprise O prise landing below belo that city there there- ther thereby thereby A by accomplishing what the com wander mander of ot the American forces Corces de dc- dc fending the city had been ben working day tiny and nl night ht to prevent When the news of ot this tills disaster to his Ills plans was brought to him he exclaimed to his staff officers I will smash them so help me God Then followed his brilliant night attack of December 23 3 which held the Invaders in check even though it did not net smash them That happy result was destined to take place two weeks later on on Januar January 8 1815 when this tills emphatic military lender leader won one of ot the most astounding a n pawed ned PH ed the way to the White House for him and put on the calendar of or the American people a red letter day which calls for rememberIng the name of or An- An Andrew An Andrew drew Jackson That emphatic declaration quoted above has a peculiar pecullar significance Notice It if you please that Old Hickory did not say lay WB WE will smash them lie He said I will smash them And that gives point to the title chosen by a n recent blog biographer rapier for his book Andrew book Andrew Jackson the Bor Dor Border Border der Captain by Iy Marquis James published by the Merrill Hobbs company compan For the essence of ot the border Lorder spirit was Individualism a n supreme self self- self confidence confidence on the part of or the borderer or the frontiersman If you ou prefer that name In his ability to do what he set t out to do And only the man who had bad that supreme confidence self self that will to win could l hope to be a n border captain a n leader lealler of ot borderers The extent to which Jackson had bad It Is In- In indicated In Indicated by James In telling of or his preparations for smashing the British before beCore that historic Januar January 8 as follows The inexorable Jack Jack- Jacksonian will was unleashed unleashed-an unleashed an Instrument b by which he be believed he bo could accomplish anything Had Charles Dickinson shot him through the tho brain Andrew Jackson counted on the power of sheer resolve to sustain him long enough to kill his adversary This mood possessed him now Ills determination was formed Cormell to fight tight below New Orleans it if beaten leaten there to fight In New Orleans It beaten there to fight above New Orleans New Orleans to to fight until no living thing could withstand Ills his ineradicable Impulse to victory This was fury but of ot the cool calculating sort Perhaps the Ule most surprising tiling thing about this new portrait of or Jackson Is that it paints him himas himas himas as an aristocrat Andrew Jackson an aristo aristo- aristocrat aristocrat crot crat crat Impossible you exclaim because you be- be belleve be believe lieve c the school history tradition of ot him as the typical exponent of or the frontier democracy nut But the fact Is that he was both a frontiersman and nn an aristocrat He lie was born on the tir Carolina frontier in the home of ot his bis uncle James Craw Craw- Crawford Craw ford whence wh his lils mother had gone cone after the death of ot his Ills father Cather James Crawford was as one of ot the wealthiest men of ot that lint part of ot the country A large num Dum- Dumber num- num number ber her of ot slaves tilled his Ills fields and ran his grist grist- gristmill mill grist mill and distillery Even eTen finer was the adjoining plantation of or Robert Crawford his brother who was yas called Esquire because of ot his leadership In lOCAl affairs The first 17 years of ot Jacksons Jackson's life lICe were spent In the home ot of o James Crawford and that of ot Robert Crawford was a second home to him Mm he be was there so much So he was no mere backwoodsman for he belon belonged ed to all the aristocracy there was in the Country Back Given Ghen the best education obtainable and obtainable and that was more than the majority of ot the typical Iron Iron- his had had Ills Interests were pointed toward things s classical and he mr might ht possibly have pone gone Into tho the ministry as his mother had planned for him had not the Revolution intervened Very early he be showed aristocratic tendencies lIe He loved good company and he loved loyed good horses lIe engaged In horse racing and cock fighting two o typical Interests ot of o the Colonial gentleman When ho Lo went down to Charleston to receive a Inheritance he proceeded to get rid of oC It In a gentlemanly way amon among the gentility ot of that old Southern town who accepted him as one of ot them Then he Le studied law at Salisbury and became I IThen a leading social light In that frontier settle settle- settle which had decidedly aristocratic leanings of ot the opportunities there were for tor a I THE BRAVE BOY OF THE W WS A print by Currier and Ive Ives which appeared in 1876 and has bu of course no authority as asa a historical document other than that which time and the affections affection of the tho American people have bestowed upon the productions of of these famous lithographers From tM the gallery of the North Carolina Historical Commission Raleigh q qt t r 1 F Fw w iv S t r q Ml MlA A PRESENTATION A miniature on ivory done at New Orleans RACHEL JACKSON JACKSON in 1815 1615 by Jean Francois Vallee a Frenchman A miniature on no ivory y which Jackon Jackson wore under the tho spell of the tho Napoleonic tradition about hu his neck for thirty years yeara Painted by Anna C Peale in Washington December 1815 young attorney beyond the mountains he turned toward Tennessee with the comfortable assur ance of ot the post of ot attorney general and goodly fees He lie early joined up with the Blount faction In n politics associated with gentlemen who who acquired lands far and near nar rev led a trigger trigger hair sense of or honor which resulted In an appalling number of oC challenges and duel duels and gathered to himself the good things of oC the region In the form of or political offices and military lead lead- leadership leadership He lie had a period In both hoth the house and senate of the United States He lie became a major general In the state militia Without undue struggle or hardship he lie acquired both hoth place and power Thus one reviewer of or Marquis James biography i If It Jackson Jaclson had aristocratic leanings In his I south they became all nil the more apparent In his manhood Within a few years after acter he lie had come cometo cometo cometo to Tennessee he was a wealthy man with even greater riches In sight At tt one time or another he owned outright or In partnership more than acres of or land At different rent times he owned a n distillery a ta ta ern and ami licensed ordinary ordinary nary a n boat yard a race course a large trading establishment with three stores In Tennessee and agents In New Orleans and Philadelphia and he was a stockholder In the Nashville bank the first In Tennessee He lIe lived In a fine tIne house on a model planta planta- plantation plantation tion called Hunters Hunter's Hill huh and that as well as ns his later homes the two Hermitages were ver very much a country scat But nut Jack Jack- Jackson Jackson Jackson son was IlS not as good a business man as he was wasa wasa a fine gentleman All of or his enterprises except the race track and the bank lost money Soon he became so Involved In debt that he hl had to sell sen Hunters Hunter's Hill to payout pay out and antl he moved Into a blockhouse which became the thc first Hermitage Then It was discovered ered that he had sold settlers set set- settlers set settlers a large tract of ot land to which he did not possess a clear title and that threatened to take the last dollar he owned A crafty lawyer told him how he could find a legal loophole through which ho he could evade responsibility Jacksons Jackson's reply was typical of or the man lIe He declared that he would protect the settlers titles It if It made him a pauper Fortunately for tor him he was able to protect them without Impoverishing himself It was such traits of ot character as these which helped make him a border captain Whatever faults he lie may have had there was never ne any question of ot his Ills personal Integrity Particularly was this true of ot him as a judge durin during his early career In Tennessee Of Ot this James writes Ills His rec record rd Is clean Barring a little finesse In In- In Indian Indian In Indian dian matters which was customary no hint ot of Irregularity renders the dim beginnings of ot his career of or a color with those of ot a few tew of ot our other western Immortals On the bench Jackson was rectitude tulle embodied Ills His law library was WitS pro pre and his acquaintance with It ample for tor forthe forthe the time and place No written decision by him Is known that practice being Inaugurated by Jacksons Jackson's successor John Overton Overton- But tradition tradition I tion preserves the essence of ot his Ills frequent charge to juries Do what Is s RIGHT HIGHT between these par par- parties parties ties That hat Is what the law always MEANS Just as ns he lie was a leader In civil 1 life so he be- be became be became came an outstanding military leader conscious ot of the fact that the leader lender must sacrifice him him- himself himself himself I self for tor his people So when the War of ot 1812 broke out there was ev every ry good reason why An- An Andrew Andrew An Andrew drew Jackson should have bave remained at the hermitage enjoying the honors that already had come to him and the companionship of ot his beloved belo Rachel Hache Certainly he had paid a II hl high h prIce for tor the right to enjoy the latter risking his life time after time In challenges to duels and In duels themselves to shield her good name from slanderous whispers about the Irregularity ot of otheir th their lr marriage Irregular marriage Irregular only because of ot a legal technicality In her lier divorce from her first hus hus- husband band Lewis Robards Even Iven though he lie had hall been elected major gen major oral eral of ot the Tennessee militia ten years ears before there was no compelling reason for him to leave Rachel Hachel and march away to the wars But he In- In Instantly In Instantly offered to President Madison a n militia division of ot 2500 O trained men and promised to tomake tomake tomake make a successful Invasion of ot Canada within 00 days But nut his offer was disregarded and had It not been for Governor Blount of ot Tennessee who signed Ills his commission as major-general major of ot Unit Unit- United United ed d States volunteers he might not have got Into the war tsar at all Through the machination of ot Gen James Wilk- Wilk Wilkinson Inson Inson a n scoundrel In hl high h places If It there ever er was one all of ot Jacksons Jackson's efforts to serve Isle country were about to come to naught when the news came of ot the Creek uprising and the massacre at Fort hints MInn In Alabama So Jack ton Jack son on started on the campaign which was to bring him his first military glor glory But nut early In that campaign difficulties arose Before he lie could win wina winn a decisive victory over o the Creeks the term or of enlIstment of at the majority of ot the volunteers un- un under un under der his command e expired and the men prepared to go home without waiting for Cor the arrival ot of reinforcements to take their places Then Governor Blount mount threw up the sponge advising the evacuation of ot Fort Strother and a retreat to Tennessee It was a literal summons to Join the dismal file of ot funking military chieftains whose crowded march Into the limbo had dis- dis distinguished dis distinguished our management of or the war One calculated OneIll-calculated Ill calculated step and Andrew Jackson should bear benr company with the dim shapes of ot Hull Dear Dearborn born Hampton Izard Chandler Winder Winder the list could be lengthened So Jackson wrote a letter to Blount rouse trouse from Crom yr r despise despise fawning smiles or snarling with frowns frowns with energy e exercise yr tunc- tunc functions the tir campaign must rapidly progress or yr country ruined Call out tho the full tull quota execute execute the orders of ot the tb Secy of ot War arrest the officer who omits his Ills duty and let popularity popularity larity perish for tor the moment Save Sa save savo Mobile the Territory save Territory save yr frontier from becoming drenched In bloodW blood What hat retrograde under these circumstances 7 I will perish first That was In December 1813 A year later Inter faced with a similar situation of or Impending dis die disaster disaster aster although redcoats not redskins were the enemy this time Jackson was duplicating hIs I will perish first with the statement I will smash them so help me God I Smash the tb Creeks eks he did at Tohopeka or the Great Bend II and Jacksons Jackson's return to Tennessee was a trI trI- trIumphal tri trl triumphal progress A year later he also smashed the tho British and to a n country that had almost I completely lost faith In Itself to a country that hall had almost learned to cringe tills this news came like a reprieve to a n man upon the gallows It was literally crazed with joy and In Its Ils delirium It hung the name of ot Andrew Jackson against the th stars starl Later to a 11 su suggestion that he bo might become lecome a candidate for tor President he tr replied Do you think I 1 am such a dd d-d d d d fool No sir I knoW I what 1 I am fit lit for tor I 1 can con command a body hOdy or of ormen men In la a rough way ay but I 1 am nm not fit to be Pres Pres- PresIdent President President ident Thirteen years later American democracy democracy democracy racy thought differently So It sent this border captain to the tir White House C 0 by kr western Newspaper Caloa I l