ANDREW JACKSON, the seventh President of the United States, was born in Waxhaw Settlement, N. C. March 15, 1767,
a few days after his father’s death. His parents were poor immigrants from Ireland, and took up their abode in
Waxhaw settlement, where they lived in deepest poverty.
Andrew, or Andy, as he was universally called, grew up a very rough, rude, turbulent boy. His features were
coarse, his form ungainly; and there was but very little in his character, made visible, which was attractive.
When only thirteen years old he joined the volunteers of Carolina against the British invasion. In 1781, he
and his brother Robert were captured and imprisoned for a time at Camden. A British officer ordered him to brush
his mud-spattered boots. “I am a prisoner of war, not your servant,” was the reply of the dauntless boy.
The brute drew his sword, and aimed a desperate blow at the head of the helpless young prisoner. Andrew raised
his hand, and thus received two full gashes, -- one on the hand and the other upon the head. The officer then turned
to his brother Robert with the same demand. He also refused, and received a blow from the keen-edged sabre, which
quite disabled him, and which probably soon after caused his death. They suffered much other ill-treatment, and
were stricken with the small-pox. Their mother was successful in obtaining their exchange and took her sick boys
home. After a long illness Andrew recovered, and the death of his mother, soon left him entirely friendless.
Andrew supported himself in various ways, such as working at the saddler’s trade, teaching school and clerking
in a general store, until 1784, when he entered a law office at Salisbury, N. C. He, however, gave more attention
to the wild amusements of the times than to his studies. In 1788, he was appointed solicitor for the western district
of North Carolina, of which Tennessee was then a part. This involved many long and tedious journeys amid dangers
of every kind, but Andrew Jackson never knew fear, and the Indians had no desire to repeat a skirmish with the
Sharp Knife.
In 1791, Mr. Jackson was married to a woman who supposed herself divorced from her former husband. Great was
the surprise of both parties, two years later, to find that the conditions of the divorce has just been definitely
settled by the first husband. The marriage ceremony was performed a second time, but the occurrence was often used
by his enemies to bring Mr. Jackson into disfavor.
During these years he worked hard at his profession, and frequently had one or more duels on hand, one of which,
when he killed Dickenson, was especially disgraceful.
In January, 1796, the Territory of Tennessee then containing nearly eighty thousand inhabitants, the people
met in convention at Knoxville to frame a constitution. Andrew Jackson was one of the delegates. The new State
was entitled to but one member in the National House of Representatives. Andrew Jackson was chosen that member.
Mounting his horse he rode to Philadelphia, where Congress then held its sessions,---a distance of about eight
hundred miles.
Jackson was an earnest advocate of the Democratic party. Jefferson was his idol. He admired Bonaparte, loved
France and hated England. As Mr. Jackson took his seat, Gen. Washington, whose second term of office was then expiring,
delivered his last speech to Congress. A committee drew up a complimentary address in reply. Andrew Jackson did
not approve of the address, and was one of the twelve who voted against it. He was not willing to say that Gen.
Washington’s administration had been “wise, firm, and patriotic.”
Mr. Jackson was elected to the United States Senate in 1797, but soon resigned and returned home. Soon after
he was chosen Judge of the Supreme Court of his State, which position he held for six years.
When the war of 1812 with Great Britain commenced, Madison occupied the Presidential chair. Aaron Burr sent
word to the President that there was an unknown man in the West, Andrew Jackson, who would do credit to a commission
if one were conferred upon him. Just at that time Gen. Jackson offered his services and those of twenty-five hundred
volunteers. His offer was accepted, and the troops were assembled at Nashville.
As the British were hourly expected to make an attack on New Orleans, where Gen. Wilkinson was in command, he
was ordered to descend the river with fifteen hundred troops to aid Wilkinson. The expedition reach Natchez; and
after a delay of several weeks there, without accomplishing anything, the men were ordered back to their homes.
But the energy Gen. Jackson had displayed, and his entire devotion to the comfort of his soldiers, won him golden
opinions; and he became the most popular man in the State. It was in this expedition that his toughness gave him
the nickname of “Old Hickory.”
Soon after this, while attempting to horsewhip Col. Thomas H. Benton, for a remake that gentleman made about
his taking a part as second in a duel, in which a younger brother of Benton’s was engaged, he received two severe
pistol wounds. While he was lingering upon a bed of suffering news came that the Indians, who had combined under
Tecumseh from Florida to the Lakes, to exterminate the white settlers, were committing the most awful ravages.
Decisive action became necessary. Gen. Jackson, with his fractured bone just beginning to heal, his arm in a sling,
and unable to mount his horse without assistance, gave his amazing energies to the raising of an army to rendezvous
at Fayettesville, Alabama.
The Creek Indians had established a strong fort on one of the bends of the Tallapoosa River, near the center
of Alabama, about fifty miles below Fort Strother. With an army of two thousand men, Gen. Jackson traversed the
pathless wilderness in a march of eleven days. He reached the fort, called Tohopeka or Horse-shoe, on the 27th
of March, 1814. The bend of the river enclosed nearly one hundred acres of tangled forest and wild ravine. Across
the narrow neck the Indians had constructed a formidable breastwork of logs and brush. Here nine hundred warriors,
with an ample supply of arms were assembled.
The fort was stormed. The fight was utterly desperate. Not an Indian would accept of quarter. When bleeding
and dying, they would fight those who endeavored to spare their lives. From ten in the morning until dark, the
battle raged. The carnage was awful and revolting. Some threw themselves into the river; but the unerring bullet
struck their heads as they swam. Nearly every one of the nine hundred warriors were killed. A few probably, in
the night, swam the river and escaped. This ended the war. The power of the Creeks was broken forever. This bold
plunge into the wilderness, with its terrific slaughter, so appalled the savages, that the haggard remnants of
the bands came to the camp, begging for peace.
This closing of the Creek war enabled us to concentrate all our militia upon the British, who were the allies
of the Indians. No man of less resolute will than Gen. Jackson could have conducted this Indian campaign to so
successful an issue. Immediately he was appointed major-general.
Late in August, with an army of two thousand men, on a rushing march, Gen. Jackson came to Mobile. A British
fleet came from Pensacola, landed a force upon the beach, anchored near the little fort, and from both ship and
shore commenced a furious assault. The battle was long and doubtful. At length one of the ships was blown up and
the rest retired.
Garrisoning Mobile, where he had taken his little army, he moved his troops to New Orleans, And the battle of
New Orleans which soon ensued, was in reality a very arduous campaign. This won for Gen. Jackson an imperishable
name. Here his troops, which numbered about four thousand men, won a signal victory over the British army of about
nine thousand. His loss was but thirteen, while the loss of the British was two thousand six hundred.
The name of Gen. Jackson soon began to be mentioned in connection with the Presidency, but, in 1824, he was
defeated by Mr. Adams. He was, however successful in the election of 1828, and was re-elected for a second term
in 1832. In 1829, just before he assumed the reins of the government, he met with the most terrible affliction
of his life in the death of his wife, whom he had loved with a devotion which has perhaps never been surpassed.
From the shock of her death he never recovered.
His administration was one of the most memorable in the annals of our country; applauded by one party, condemned
by the other. No man had more bitter enemies or warmer friends. At the expiration of his two terms of office he
retired to the Hermitage, where he died Jun 8, 1845. The last years of Mr. Jackson’s life were that of a devoted
Christian man
Portrait and Biographical Album of Whiteside County, Illinois 1885 - Transcribed by, Marji Turner
Another Bio:
Andrew Jackson, soldier, lawyer and statesman, familiarly known throughout the civilized world as "Old Hickory,"
was prominently identified with the early history of Tennessee, and also with the history and progress of the American
Republic. He was born in what was known as the Waxhaw settlement, near the boundary line between North and South
Carolina. Considerable discussion has been indulged in as to which state was really his birth place, and though
a majority of his biographers have fixed it as being in North Carolina, Jackson himself twice publicly announced
that he was born in South Carolina. One of these occasions was in the proclamation to the "Nullifiers,"
in 1832, and in his last will and testament he calls South Carolina his "native state." A similar difference
of opinion exists regarding the dwelling place of his ancestry. Some confidently state that his ancestors for
several generations lived near the town of Carrick Fergus, on the north coast of Ireland, while others say his
father was a Scotchman by birth, who came to America in 1765, and died a few years after his arrival in this country.
Andrew was the youngest of three sons born to Andrew and Elizabeth (Hutchinson) Jackson. The death of his father
left the family on a half-cleared farm in the Waxhaw district, with no slaves to aid in its cultivation. The support
of the family, therefore, devolved upon the two older sons, and as soon as Andrew was old enough to be of any assistance
he was made to bear his part. But it was the rugged life of the frontier that developed in him those sturdy traits
of character that in after years became so widely known and added to his fame. His education was of the most limited
character, being confined to reading, writing and the simplest calculations in arithmetic. Much of his education
was acquired under the teachings of his mother, who also sent him to schools kept by clergymen, in the hope that
he would someday enter the ministry. But Andrew would rather fight than preach. In boyhood he was fonder of athletic
sports than books, and if those sports contained an element of personal danger they became all the more attractive.
He has been described as a wild, impetuous, reckless boy, with great moral and physical courage, and a will-power
that at times descended almost to obstinacy. When the battle of Lexington was fought he was eight years old.
His two brothers entered the Colonial army and the eldest lost his life at Stono Ferry. In 1778 Andrew, though
but thirteen years old, entered the service, and fought with his remaining brother, Robert, under General Sumter,
until the close of the war. Toward the close of the war he and his brother were captured. The British commander
ordered Andrew to brush his boots, but the high-spirited lad refused. The officer struck him twice with his sword,
wounding him upon the arm and also on the head. Robert, who spoke up in defense of his brother, was knocked down.
The two boys were then put in prison at Camden, S. C., where they saw the defeat of General Greene at Hobkirk
Hill. Through the influence of their mother the young prisoners were exchanged. Robert soon afterward died of
small pox, at the Waxhaw home, and Andrew was sick for several months. As soon as he had sufficiently recovered,
his mothe4r left home to nurse American soldiers in prison at Charleston, and there died in 1781. Andrew was now
left alone in the world, broken in health and practically penniless. His courage did not desert him, however,
and he went to work to learn the trade of saddler, but soon afterward found employment as a school teacher in the
Waxhaw district. After the independence of the country was established, he went to Salisbury, N. C., and entered
the office of Spruce McCay, as a law student. Notwithstanding the fact that he frequently deserted his studies
to attend a horse race, or some other such sport, he was admitted to the bar before he was twenty years of age.
Jackson first appears in what is not the State of Tennessee, on May 112, 1788, at Jonesboro, on which day he was
formally admitted by order of court to practice law. The same year he was appointed public prosecutor in that
section. His duties in connection with this appointment were rather arduous, requiring him to ride on horseback
about 1,000 miles each year through a country infested by troublesome Indians. In 1790 became the romance of Jackson's
life. He engaged rooms with a Mrs. Donelson, who husband, John Donelson, had come from North Carolina some years
before and settled near Nashville, where he died. Their daughter Rachel, who has been described as a bright, vivacious
girl, married Capt. Lewis Robards, of Kentucky. Her husband seems to have been of a rather moody disposition and
jealous to an inordinate degree. For a time they lived with Captain Robards' mother, but Rachel finally returned
to her mother's home to escape the persecutions of her husband. About this time Jackson became a boarder at the
Donelson home. He found in Mrs. Robards a congenial companion, because of her lively disposition, though their
relations were recognized as being correct in every respect. Nevertheless, her husband became incensed, went before
the Kentucky legislature and applied for the passage of an act granting him a divorce, charging his wife with undue
familiarity with the young prosecutor. The bill was passed and Jackson, supposing it to be a complete decree of
divorce, went with Mrs. Robards to Natchez, in 1791, and was there married. It was not until two years later that
the couple learned that the act of the legislature was not a complete decree, and they were remarried after a full
divorce had been obtained by Captain Robards. Several times in subsequent years this marriage cast a shadow over
Jackson's life, being used as a weapon by his political opponents. Mr. Jackson made his first appearance in the
political arena as a delegate to the convention to formulate the first Tennessee constitution, and was a member
of the committee to draft that document. When the state was admitted, in 1796, he was elected the first representative
to Congress, and took his seat in December of that year. He soon became identified with Jefferson and his co-laborers
in opposition to some of the acts of Washington's administration, and particularly to the policy of Alexander Hamilton.
His first speech in Congress was in favor of remuneration for services against the Indians. Some of his opponents
accused him of a selfish motive, as he had been engaged in warfare with the Indians during the early settlement
of Tennessee, and with such prowess that he had won from the savages the complimentary appellations of "Sharp
Knife" and "Pointed Arrow." But nothing was farther from Jackson's mind than the intention to profit
personally by the passage of such a measure. In fact, his notions of economy were so rigid that he opposed an
appropriation to furnish the president's residence, "except in the plainest manner." In 1797 he was
elected to the United States senate, but he felt out of place in that body, senatorial courtesy seeming to him
tedious and ridiculous. He therefore resigned in April, 1798, and was soon after elected to a judgeship in the
Tennessee superior court of law and equity at a salary of $600 a year. This position he held until 1804, when
he resigned to settle up his private affairs, which had been seriously affected by a Philadelphia failure in 1798.
He sold his estate at "Hunter's Hill," together with some 25,000 acres of land in other parts of the
state, and paid off his debts. He then retired with his slaved to a log house, afterward known as "The Hermitage,"
about eleven miles from Nashville, and engaged in agricultural pursuits. About this time he was visited by Aaron
Burr, who enlisted his cooperation in a proposed war with Spain. A ball was given in Burr's honor, Jackson introducing
him to the guests, and a little later he supplied Burr with boats and provisions to begin the conquest of the Southwest.
But soon afterward his suspicions were aroused that Burr was not acting in good faith, and he wrote to Governor
Claiborne and President Jefferson, giving his opinions of the movement. He remained Burr's personal friend, however,
and although a witness against him in the trial was zealous in his defense. Jackson continued to live at the Hermitage
until the declaration of war against Great Britain, in 1812. He was at that time the commander of 2,500 men of
the state militia, whose services he tendered, in connection with his own, to the government. In October the governor
of Tennessee was asked to send a force of 1,500 men to the assistance of General Wilkinson, who was in command
at New Orleans. Two thousand infantry and cavalry were assembled at Nashville, under the command of Jackson.
The former were sent down the river in boars, while the latter made their way overland. The two forces united
at Natchez, where they remained until March, when they received orders from Washington to disband. Jackson refused
to obey the order, as it mean the dismissal of his men 500 miles from their homes, without pay, provisions or transportation,
and he marched them back in a body to Nashville, where they were formally disbanded on May 22, 1813. His action
was finally approved by the government and the men paid for their time. The war with the mother country had aroused
the Indians to hostilities, emissaries of England going among them, with all sorts of fair promises, to enlist
their aid against the United States. The massacre at Fort Mimms, Aug. 30, 1813, aroused the whole State of Tennessee,
and General Jackson, as commander-in-chief of the militia, issued a call for volunteers. In September he sent
Colonel Coffee with 500 men against the Creeks, and a month later followed with a still larger force. On November
9th, was fought the battle of Talladega, in which the Creeks were defeated, leaving nearly 300 of their number
dead on the field. The warfare was kept up until the following spring, when the Indians received another crushing
defeat on the Tallapoosa river, which ended the trouble. Immediately after this engagement Jackson started for
New Orleans, which was now the objective point of the British in the South. He arrived at New Orleans on December
2nd, and at once set about putting the city in a state of defense. His forces consisted of about 6,000 men, six
gunboats, two armed vessels and a few regulars in the forts. Many of the men were inexperienced in war, and some
of the Kentuckians were with arms, as the vessel carrying guns had been delayed on the river. With this force
he had to do battle against a fleet of fifty ships, the pride of the British navy, manned by 20,000 veterans under
the command of Sir Edward Pakenham. After preliminary engagements the battle of New Orleans was fought on Sunday,
Jan. 8, 1815, some weeks after the treaty at Ghent had been made. The assault was made by the British early in
the morning, hoping to take the Americans at a disadvantage, but Jackson was not that kind of a commander. He
was always ready for a fight. So fierce was the fire of the Americans that in twenty-five minutes the British
were completely routed, General Pakenham being among the killed. Within two hours every British gun was silenced
and the assailants driven from the field. The English lost in killed, sounded and prisoners, about 2,600 men,
while Jackson lost but eight killed and thirteen wounded. This affair made him a hero, and for many years the
Eighth of January was celebrated with almost as much enthusiasm as the Fourth of July. Jackson's name was now
frequently mentioned in connection with the presidency. In November, 1817, his military skill was again called
into requisition to suppress an uprising of the Seminoles in Florida. Here he found the Indians abetted by the
Spanish authorities, and he invaded Spanish territory and seized a garrison of that province. Although he was
censured for his action, President Monroe sustained him, and when Florida was, soon after, ceded to the United
States, appointed him governor of the new territory. But the duties of the position were uncongenial, and after
a few weeks in office he resigned and returned to the Hermitage. In 1823 he was again elected to the United States
senate, and at the same time the legislature nominated him for the presidency. He received the nomination of the
Democratic party, in 1824, and received ninety-nine elector votes to eight-four for Adams, forty-one for Crawford,
and thirty-seven for Clay. The election was thrown into the house of representatives, where Clay's strength went
to Adams, and Jackson was defeated. Four years later he was again the nominee of his party, and this time received
178 electoral votes to Adams' 83. His administrations, for he was re-elected in 1832, having passed into history
as the acts of one of the most honest and courageous men who ever occupied the presidential chair. His veto of
the bill re-chartering the United States bank, his suppression of the "Nullifiers" in south Carolina,
the liquidation of the national debt and similar acts have made his administration celebrated in history, while
the introduction of the theory that "to the victors belong the spoils" and the "kitchen cabinet"
has made it one of the most picturesque. If he lacked the education and polish of those who had preceded him in
the high office of president, the deficiency was more than offset by his high courage, his inflexible honesty of
purpose and his unflinching patriotism. His combativeness, the readiness with which he resented real or fancied
insults, frequently embroiled him with men who were or had been, his best friends. While serving as supreme judge
of Tennessee, he was the patron of Thomas H. Benton, when the latter was admitted to the bar in 1811, at Nashville.
Two years later a general fight occurred at an inn in Nashville, between Benton and his brother on one side and
Jackson, General Coffee and two of their friends on the other. In this affair Jackson was shot and Benton pitched
headlong downstairs. The friendship between Jackson and Benton was restored, however, and they remained warm personal
and political friends for the remainder of their lives. While practicing law, he fought a duel with an opposing
counsel, and about the time that Tennessee was admitted he threatened to shoot Governor Sevier on sight, because
the latter made some remark in reference to Mrs. Robards' divorce and marriage with Jackson. Sometime after this,
Charles Dickinson happened to use some objectionable language regarding Jackson's marriage to Mrs. Robards. A
challenge followed, and in the duel which resulted Jackson had a rib broken and Dickinson was killed. Several
stories have been circulated as to how he received the sobriquet of "Old Hickory." Of the two most probable,
one is that during the war with the Creeks in 1813, when provisions ran short, he set his men an example of feeding
on hickory nuts. The other is that when he was ordered to join General Wilkinson at New Orleans, but only reached
Natchez, his courage and endurance so inspired his men that they gave him the name, to signify that he was as tough
as hickory wood. Upon retiring from the presidency, General Jackson published a farewell address, took up his
residence at the Hermitage and died there on June 8, 1845. His wife died on Dec. 22, 1828, after his election
to the presidency, but before he was inducted into office. Her death was the greatest blow of his life. To some
of his friends who called shortly after her death he said: "What are the world and its honors to me since
she is taken from me?" They sleep side by side, not far from the old dwelling, their remains covered by a
massive monument of Tennessee limestone, but his memory will endure for centuries.
Notable Men of Tennessee, Vol. I, Publ. 1905. Transcribed by Nancy Overlander
Death of Gen. Jackson
Gen. Andrew Jackson died at the Hermitage at 6 o'clock, P.M., on Sunday the 8th instant. His
funeral takes place today at 11 o'clock. - He breathed his last quietly, calmly, and with entire resignation, amidst
the beloved members of his family and a few intimate friends who were present. Death had no terrors for him - he
met him with composure, and with a full confidence that he was prepared for a better world. Death could not have
taken him by surprise at any moment for more than a year - he has been ready at all times to obey the dread summons.
When the messenger finally came, the old soldier, patriot and Christian was looking out for his approach. He is
gone, but his memory lives, and will continue to live.
The Weekly Nashville Union, (Nashville, TN) Wednesday, June 11, 1845; Issue 2; col A - transcribed
by, Amanda Jowers
Another Bio
Andrew Jackson, soldier, lawyer and statesman, familiarly known throughout the civilized world as "Old
Hickory," was prominently identified with the early history of Tennessee, and also with the history and progress
of the American Republic. He was born in what was known as the Waxhaw settlement, near the boundary line between
North and South Carolina. Considerable discussion has been indulged in as to which state was really his birth
place, and though a majority of his biographers have fixed it as being in North Carolina, Jackson himself twice
publicly announced that he was born in South Carolina. One of these occasions was in the proclamation to the "Nullifiers,"
in 1832, and in his last will and testament he calls South Carolina his "native state." A similar difference
of opinion exists regarding the dwelling place of his ancestry. Some confidently state that his ancestors for
several generations lived near the town of Carrick Fergus, on the north coast of Ireland, while others say his
father was a Scotchman by birth, who came to America in 1765, and died a few years after his arrival in this country.
Andrew was the youngest of three sons born to Andrew and Elizabeth (Hutchinson) Jackson. The death of his father
left the family on a half-cleared farm in the Waxhaw district, with no slaves to aid in its cultivation. The support
of the family, therefore, devolved upon the two older sons, and as soon as Andrew was old enough to be of any assistance
he was made to bear his part. But it was the rugged life of the frontier that developed in him those sturdy traits
of character that in after years became so widely known and added to his fame. His education was of the most limited
character, being confined to reading, writing and the simplest calculations in arithmetic. Much of his education
was acquired under the teachings of his mother, who also sent him to schools kept by clergymen, in the hope that
he would someday enter the ministry. But Andrew would rather fight than preach. In boyhood he was fonder of athletic
sports than books, and if those sports contained an element of personal danger they became all the more attractive.
He has been described as a wild, impetuous, reckless boy, with great moral and physical courage, and a will-power
that at times descended almost to obstinacy. When the battle of Lexington was fought he was eight years old.
His two brothers entered the Colonial army and the eldest lost his life at Stono Ferry. In 1778 Andrew, though
but thirteen years old, entered the service, and fought with his remaining brother, Robert, under General Sumter,
until the close of the war. Toward the close of the war he and his brother were captured. The British commander
ordered Andrew to brush his boots, but the high-spirited lad refused. The officer struck him twice with his sword,
wounding him upon the arm and also on the head. Robert, who spoke up in defense of his brother, was knocked down.
The two boys were then put in prison at Camden, S. C., where they saw the defeat of General Greene at Hobkirk
Hill. Through the influence of their mother the young prisoners were exchanged. Robert soon afterward died of
small pox, at the Waxhaw home, and Andrew was sick for several months. As soon as he had sufficiently recovered,
his mothe4r left home to nurse American soldiers in prison at Charleston, and there died in 1781. Andrew was now
left alone in the world, broken in health and practically penniless. His courage did not desert him, however,
and he went to work to learn the trade of saddler, but soon afterward found employment as a school teacher in the
Waxhaw district. After the independence of the country was established, he went to Salisbury, N. C., and entered
the office of Spruce McCay, as a law student. Notwithstanding the fact that he frequently deserted his studies
to attend a horse race, or some other such sport, he was admitted to the bar before he was twenty years of age.
Jackson first appears in what is not the State of Tennessee, on May 112, 1788, at Jonesboro, on which day he was
formally admitted by order of court to practice law. The same year he was appointed public prosecutor in that
section. His duties in connection with this appointment were rather arduous, requiring him to ride on horseback
about 1,000 miles each year through a country infested by troublesome Indians. In 1790 became the romance of Jackson's
life. He engaged rooms with a Mrs. Donelson, who husband, John Donelson, had come from North Carolina some years
before and settled near Nashville, where he died. Their daughter Rachel, who has been described as a bright, vivacious
girl, married Capt. Lewis Robards, of Kentucky. Her husband seems to have been of a rather moody disposition and
jealous to an inordinate degree. For a time they lived with Captain Robards' mother, but Rachel finally returned
to her mother's home to escape the persecutions of her husband. About this time Jackson became a boarder at the
Donelson home. He found in Mrs. Robards a congenial companion, because of her lively disposition, though their
relations were recognized as being correct in every respect. Nevertheless, her husband became incensed, went before
the Kentucky legislature and applied for the passage of an act granting him a divorce, charging his wife with undue
familiarity with the young prosecutor. The bill was passed and Jackson, supposing it to be a complete decree of
divorce, went with Mrs. Robards to Natchez, in 1791, and was there married. It was not until two years later that
the couple learned that the act of the legislature was not a complete decree, and they were remarried after a full
divorce had been obtained by Captain Robards. Several times in subsequent years this marriage cast a shadow over
Jackson's life, being used as a weapon by his political opponents. Mr. Jackson made his first appearance in the
political arena as a delegate to the convention to formulate the first Tennessee constitution, and was a member
of the committee to draft that document. When the state was admitted, in 1796, he was elected the first representative
to Congress, and took his seat in December of that year. He soon became identified with Jefferson and his co-laborers
in opposition to some of the acts of Washington's administration, and particularly to the policy of Alexander Hamilton.
His first speech in Congress was in favor of remuneration for services against the Indians. Some of his opponents
accused him of a selfish motive, as he had been engaged in warfare with the Indians during the early settlement
of Tennessee, and with such prowess that he had won from the savages the complimentary appellations of "Sharp
Knife" and "Pointed Arrow." But nothing was farther from Jackson's mind than the intention to profit
personally by the passage of such a measure. In fact, his notions of economy were so rigid that he opposed an
appropriation to furnish the president's residence, "except in the plainest manner." In 1797 he was
elected to the United States senate, but he felt out of place in that body, senatorial courtesy seeming to him
tedious and ridiculous. He therefore resigned in April, 1798, and was soon after elected to a judgeship in the
Tennessee superior court of law and equity at a salary of $600 a year. This position he held until 1804, when
he resigned to settle up his private affairs, which had been seriously affected by a Philadelphia failure in 1798.
He sold his estate at "Hunter's Hill," together with some 25,000 acres of land in other parts of the
state, and paid off his debts. He then retired with his slaved to a log house, afterward known as "The Hermitage,"
about eleven miles from Nashville, and engaged in agricultural pursuits. About this time he was visited by Aaron
Burr, who enlisted his cooperation in a proposed war with Spain. A ball was given in Burr's honor, Jackson introducing
him to the guests, and a little later he supplied Burr with boats and provisions to begin the conquest of the Southwest.
But soon afterward his suspicions were aroused that Burr was not acting in good faith, and he wrote to Governor
Claiborne and President Jefferson, giving his opinions of the movement. He remained Burr's personal friend, however,
and although a witness against him in the trial was zealous in his defense. Jackson continued to live at the Hermitage
until the declaration of war against Great Britain, in 1812. He was at that time the commander of 2,500 men of
the state militia, whose services he tendered, in connection with his own, to the government. In October the governor
of Tennessee was asked to send a force of 1,500 men to the assistance of General Wilkinson, who was in command
at New Orleans. Two thousand infantry and cavalry were assembled at Nashville, under the command of Jackson.
The former were sent down the river in boars, while the latter made their way overland. The two forces united
at Natchez, where they remained until March, when they received orders from Washington to disband. Jackson refused
to obey the order, as it mean the dismissal of his men 500 miles from their homes, without pay, provisions or transportation,
and he marched them back in a body to Nashville, where they were formally disbanded on May 22, 1813. His action
was finally approved by the government and the men paid for their time. The war with the mother country had aroused
the Indians to hostilities, emissaries of England going among them, with all sorts of fair promises, to enlist
their aid against the United States. The massacre at Fort Mimms, Aug. 30, 1813, aroused the whole State of Tennessee,
and General Jackson, as commander-in-chief of the militia, issued a call for volunteers. In September he sent
Colonel Coffee with 500 men against the Creeks, and a month later followed with a still larger force. On November
9th, was fought the battle of Talladega, in which the Creeks were defeated, leaving nearly 300 of their number
dead on the field. The warfare was kept up until the following spring, when the Indians received another crushing
defeat on the Tallapoosa river, which ended the trouble. Immediately after this engagement Jackson started for
New Orleans, which was now the objective point of the British in the South. He arrived at New Orleans on December
2nd, and at once set about putting the city in a state of defense. His forces consisted of about 6,000 men, six
gunboats, two armed vessels and a few regulars in the forts. Many of the men were inexperienced in war, and some
of the Kentuckians were with arms, as the vessel carrying guns had been delayed on the river. With this force
he had to do battle against a fleet of fifty ships, the pride of the British navy, manned by 20,000 veterans under
the command of Sir Edward Pakenham. After preliminary engagements the battle of New Orleans was fought on Sunday,
Jan. 8, 1815, some weeks after the treaty at Ghent had been made. The assault was made by the British early in
the morning, hoping to take the Americans at a disadvantage, but Jackson was not that kind of a commander. He
was always ready for a fight. So fierce was the fire of the Americans that in twenty-five minutes the British
were completely routed, General Pakenham being among the killed. Within two hours every British gun was silenced
and the assailants driven from the field. The English lost in killed, sounded and prisoners, about 2,600 men,
while Jackson lost but eight killed and thirteen wounded. This affair made him a hero, and for many years the
Eighth of January was celebrated with almost as much enthusiasm as the Fourth of July. Jackson's name was now
frequently mentioned in connection with the presidency. In November, 1817, his military skill was again called
into requisition to suppress an uprising of the Seminoles in Florida. Here he found the Indians abetted by the
Spanish authorities, and he invaded Spanish territory and seized a garrison of that province. Although he was
censured for his action, President Monroe sustained him, and when Florida was, soon after, ceded to the United
States, appointed him governor of the new territory. But the duties of the position were uncongenial, and after
a few weeks in office he resigned and returned to the Hermitage. In 1823 he was again elected to the United States
senate, and at the same time the legislature nominated him for the presidency. He received the nomination of the
Democratic party, in 1824, and received ninety-nine elector votes to eight-four for Adams, forty-one for Crawford,
and thirty-seven for Clay. The election was thrown into the house of representatives, where Clay's strength went
to Adams, and Jackson was defeated. Four years later he was again the nominee of his party, and this time received
178 electoral votes to Adams' 83. His administrations, for he was re-elected in 1832, having passed into history
as the acts of one of the most honest and courageous men who ever occupied the presidential chair. His veto of
the bill re-chartering the United States bank, his suppression of the "Nullifiers" in south Carolina,
the liquidation of the national debt and similar acts have made his administration celebrated in history, while
the introduction of the theory that "to the victors belong the spoils" and the "kitchen cabinet"
has made it one of the most picturesque. If he lacked the education and polish of those who had preceded him in
the high office of president, the deficiency was more than offset by his high courage, his inflexible honesty of
purpose and his unflinching patriotism. His combativeness, the readiness with which he resented real or fancied
insults, frequently embroiled him with men who were or had been, his best friends. While serving as supreme judge
of Tennessee, he was the patron of Thomas H. Benton, when the latter was admitted to the bar in 1811, at Nashville.
Two years later a general fight occurred at an inn in Nashville, between Benton and his brother on one side and
Jackson, General Coffee and two of their friends on the other. In this affair Jackson was shot and Benton pitched
headlong downstairs. The friendship between Jackson and Benton was restored, however, and they remained warm personal
and political friends for the remainder of their lives. While practicing law, he fought a duel with an opposing
counsel, and about the time that Tennessee was admitted he threatened to shoot Governor Sevier on sight, because
the latter made some remark in reference to Mrs. Robards' divorce and marriage with Jackson. Sometime after this,
Charles Dickinson happened to use some objectionable language regarding Jackson's marriage to Mrs. Robards. A
challenge followed, and in the duel which resulted Jackson had a rib broken and Dickinson was killed. Several
stories have been circulated as to how he received the sobriquet of "Old Hickory." Of the two most probable,
one is that during the war with the Creeks in 1813, when provisions ran short, he set his men an example of feeding
on hickory nuts. The other is that when he was ordered to join General Wilkinson at New Orleans, but only reached
Natchez, his courage and endurance so inspired his men that they gave him the name, to signify that he was as tough
as hickory wood. Upon retiring from the presidency, General Jackson published a farewell address, took up his
residence at the Hermitage and died there on June 8, 1845. His wife died on Dec. 22, 1828, after his election
to the presidency, but before he was inducted into office. Her death was the greatest blow of his life. To some
of his friends who called shortly after her death he said: "What are the world and its honors to me since
she is taken from me?" They sleep side by side, not far from the old dwelling, their remains covered by a
massive monument of Tennessee limestone, but his memory will endure for centuries.
Notable Men of Tennessee, Vol. I, Publ. 1905. Transcribed by Nancy
Overlander
The Last Days of Gen. Jackson.
If the earthly career of Gen. Jackson had terminated with the expiration of his Presidential
service, his fame as a Patriot, Soldier and Statesman would have lived through all time. There would, however,
have been on defect in his character which the friends of christianity might well have lamented - over all his
noble virtues there would have been absent the chatening and beautifying and sanctifying influence of Christian
piety. But now it is matter of heart-felt gratification with every Christian and Patriot to know, that whilst his
name will be a tower of strength to the lovers of liberty through all future time, it will also be a bright beacon-light
by which the teachers of christianity can illustrate the truth of their religion. If the cause of patriotism and
liberty triumphed in his life, the cause of christianity triumphed in his death.
Whilst others are engaged in eulogizing the noble deeds of the illustrious deceased as a soldier and statesman,
we propose to finish off the picture with the less glaring, but more beautiful colors of those silent and unobtrusive
Christian virtues which gilded the evening of his life. - For the details which we are about to record, embracing
the last two weeks of the eventful life of Gen. Jackson, we are indebted to the kindness of his affectionate son,
who has furnished them at our request.
On the Sabbath day, two weeks before his death, there was a communion of the Lord's Supper in the Hermitage Church.
Gen. Jackson was unusually serious and solemn in his feelings during the morning, and regretted exceedingly that
he was unable to accompany his familyh to the Church. He requested his daughter, Mrs. Jackson, to bring home with
her the Rev. Mr. Lapsley, as he was anxious once more to partake of the sacred feast. As they were leaving for
the church he took each member of the family by the hand and invoked upon them all the blessings of God. After
their return from Church, the whole family, with the Rev. Mr. Lapsley and Dr. Currey, assembled in his room - he
was very feeble, but conversed freely on religious topics - he was calm and resigned, and said he was ready to
go whenever his Divine Master thought fit to call him - that he suffered a great deal of bodily pain, but the Lord's
will be done. He then partook of the Holy Communion - it was a solemn scene, and rendered still more so by the
confidence with which he referred to it as the last time he should enjoy the happy privilege. He spoke of his death
as near at hand, but said that death had no terrors for him, come when he might. - "When I have suffered sufficiently,
said he, the Lord will then take me to himself - but what are all my sufferings compared to those of the blessed
Saviour, who died on the accursed tree for me - mine are nothing." Not a murmur ever escaped him - he spent
much of his time during the latter days of his life in secret prayer.
On the Thursday evening previous to his death he referred to the blessed promises in the hymn, from which he repeated:-
"When through the deep waters I call thee to go, The rivers of we shall not thee overthrow." He quoted
many passages of scripture, and conversed feelingly upon the holy invitations given by our Saviour for all to come
unto him.
About 12 o'clock of the same night his daughter was at his bed side, and inquired how he felt - he replied, "pretty
comfortable, but I feel that I cannot be long with you all - and my request is, when I depart hence, that you will
send for my old friends, Maj. Lewis and Judge Campbell (but I fear, he said, that Judge Campbell is too feeble
to come) to make arrangements with my son for my funeral. I wish to be buried in a plain, unostentatious manner,
without display or pomp." He then rested for the night.
The next day he was taken with rather an excessive diarrhea, and said to his son that if it was not checked it
must soon take him off; and yet, he said, it would be dangerous to check it, as it was nature finally giving way
to the disease. During the day he conversed generally about his farm and business, and talked much of his beloved
country, of the certainty he felt as to the annexation of Texas, of the letters he had just received from our Minister
to Texas, of the stand taken by his old, early friend and companion in arms, Gen. Sam Houston, on the subject,
all of which convinced him that "all is safe." He spoke also of our Oregon difficulty, and doubted not
that the present administration would do its duty to the country, expressing the most abiding confidence in President
Polk, but hoping and praying that the difficulty would be amicably arranged between the two governments; but if
not, said he, "let war come - there will be patriots enough in the land to repel foreign aggression, come
from whence it may - to maintain sacredly our just rights and to perpetuate our glorious Constitution and liberty,
and to preserve our happy Union."
In the evening of the same day his mind was so much engrossed with our foreign affairs, that he determined to unbosom
himself in a letter to his faithful friend, President Polk - he wrote to him a long letter in relation to our foreign
relations - it was the last letter he ever wrote, and breathed a degree of affection for the President, and confidence
in his wisdom, which will make it an invaluable memento. On the next day he franked a letter to the Hon. Thos.
F. Marshall, of Kentucky, which was the last time he signed his name.
During the early part of this day (Saturday) he felt comfortable until he was taken with a cold clammy perspiration
- he regarded this as another indication that the hand of death was upon him, but he received the summons with
resignation and composure. He conversed less than he had done on the day preceding, but there was the same pious
resignation running through his remarks which had characterized all his conversation for many days. Late in the
evening Dr. Esselman arrived and tried ineffectively to check the diarrhea.
Early on the next morning (Sunday) Dr. Esselman was called into his room, and in a short time the General fainted
away, and it was supposed at the moment that he was dead - but he revived immediately, and called all his little
grand-children, with the other members of his family, around him - he took his grand-children by the hand, blessed
and kissed them tenderly, told them that they had good parents, that they must be obedient children, keep holy
the Sabbath day, and read the New Testament. His eye sight had by this time become dimmed - his son took him by
the hand and said: "Father, how do you feel - do you know me." He answered: "Know you? Yes - I would
know you all if I could see - bring my spectacles." - He put them on and said: "Where is my daughter
and Marian - God will take care of you for me - I am my God's - I belong to him - I go but a short time before
you, and I want to meet you all, white and black, in Heaven." He then said: "What is the matter with
my dear children - have I alarmed you? Oh! do not cry - be good children, and we will all meet in Heaven."
He then died away and expired calmly and quietly, at 6 o'clock, P.M., on the 8th of June, 1845.
We have heretofore given an account of his burial - we have now only to add that the following will be the epitaph
on his tombstone: -
ANDREW JACKSON,
Born on the 15th of March, 1767.
Died on the 8th of June, 1845.
The Weekly Nashville Union, (Nashville, TN) Wednesday, June 25, 1845; Issue 4; col A - transcribed
by, Amanda Jowers
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