PART OF A SERIES
Native Carolinian Andrew Jackson
By Charlie McBriarty
In 1765 Andrew and Elizabeth Hutchinson Jackson, the Scots-Irish couple who
would become the parents of the seventh President of the United States, and their
two young sons, Hugh and Robert, emigrated from Northern Ireland, following
neighbors to the Waxhaws section of the Carolinas to begin farming. Because the
border separating North and South Carolina was not identified until some years after
their arrival, it is debatable as to which state can lay claim to the birthplace of their
third son, Andrew, who was born on March 15,1767. Tragically, his 29-year-old
father was killed in an accident just three weeks before Andrew’s birth.
With the help of her brothers, the grieving Elizabeth Jackson assumed the
responsibility for raising the three children in the Waxhaws wilderness. The
Revolutionary War did not affect the Carolinas for a few years, but when it did the
Jackson family would be tragically impacted.
The oldest son, Hugh, died near Charleston, South Carolina, during the Battle
of Stono Ferry in 1779. He was just 16. One year later Andrew, at age 13, joined the
local militia as a patriot courier. During that same year Andrew and his remaining
brother, Robert, were captured by the Redcoats. During their captivity they nearly
starved, and Andrew’s refusal to clean the boots of a British officer resulted in the
officer’s slashing Andrew with his sword, leaving scars on his face and left hand. In
addition, both boys contracted smallpox. Both were near starvation in April 1781
when their mother secured their release. Nevertheless, Robert died of the disease on
April 27 at age 17. Just seven months later Elizabeth contracted cholera and died in
November 1781 in her early 40s. Only 14-year-old Andrew remained. He nurtured
a lifelong antagonism toward the British, blaming them for the deaths of his mother
and two brothers. The scars on his hand and face served as a lifelong reminder that
the British were responsible for his troubles.
The orphaned Andrew remained under the care of his uncles. In his late teens he
undertook the study of law in Salisbury, North Carolina. At age 20 he was admitted
to the bar and started his legal career in what is today northeastern Tennessee. In
spite of his lack of family connections or support of influential friends, he became a
prosperous attorney. In 1788 he was appointed prosecuting attorney for the western
district of North Carolina. During that same year he moved to the frontier town
of Nashville, Tennessee, where his legal practice began to flourish, leading to his
becoming a wealthy landowner.
It was in Nashville that Jackson met his future wife, Rachel, who was the married
daughter of the boarding house owner where he lived when he initially arrived. Rachel’s
marriage was not satisfactory to either party, and by 1790 the couple had separated.
Jackson maintained that when he understood that Rachel’s husband had been granted
a divorce he and Rachel were married. However, it was later discovered the divorce had
not been finalized. This invalidated the marriage and identified Rachel as a bigamist. In
1794, when the official divorce was finalized, the couple remarried.
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Jackson was sensitive about the circumstances surrounding his marriage, and he
was offended by any negative comments about Rachel. In fact, in May 1806, a Charles
Dickinson published an article about the couple’s marriages. Jackson took exception
to the article and formally challenged Dickinson to a duel. There are several accounts
of the duel, but there is no question that Dickinson fired the first shot, which struck
Jackson in the chest. It is not known whether Jackson’s pistol misfired and he fired a
second shot—or if he deliberately delayed his initial shot, which killed his opponent.
There is no question that the bullet hitting Jackson was lodged close enough to his
heart that removal was life threatening so it remained for the rest of his life.
Six years after his arrival in Nashville, Jackson and John Overton formed a
profitable land speculation partnership that focused on buying nearby land of the
Chickasaw and Cherokee Nations and reselling it at a much higher price. Jackson
also dabbled in land development, and in 1803 built his first home and the first
general store in Gallatin, Tennessee. One year later he acquired the Hermitage, a
360-acre plantation that became a profitable cotton producer. Periodic acquisition of
nearby property eventually resulted in the Hermitage property totaling 1,050 acres,
which significantly increased its profitability.
Jackson’s path to the presidency was attributed primarily to his military career.
His inauspicious initial experience as a militia courier during the Revolutionary War
was the beginning. As early as 1801 he was given the rank of colonel and appointed
commander of the Tennessee militia. Within a year he was promoted to the rank of
major general of the militia. However, it was his service during the War of 1812 that
brought him into the nation’s spotlight. His first significant victory came in March
1814 at the Battle of Horseshoe Bend in the Mississippi Territory, where his troops
won an overwhelming victory over the British-supported Red Stick Choctaw Indians
of North Alabama and Georgia.
In recognition of this victory, Jackson was given responsibilities as commander of
not only the Tennessee militia but also the U.S. Regulars and the Indian Warriors of
the Cherokee, Choctaw and Lower Creek Nations. Commander Jackson led his 5,000
troops and engaged in the January 8,1815, Battle of New Orleans, where they faced
7,500 British-led forces. Though outnumbered, his forces were victorious. Word of
this successful battle quickly spread, and Jackson received military honors as well as
the thanks and praise of the nation. This battle was also a turning point, and the war
ended with the ratification of the Treaty of Ghent on February 17, 1815. Although
the war had ended, Jackson’s military service was not finished.
The Territory of Florida had been claimed by Spain and was governed as an
outpost of that country. For a number of years, runaway slaves from neighboring
plantations of Southern states found a safe haven in the Spanish Florida Territory.
When the War of 1812 was being waged, Seminole Indians in Florida were aiding the
British Army, and many of the runaway slaves joined the Seminoles in their support
of the British.
With the conclusion of the war, a growing number of plantation owners took
it upon themselves to pursue and recapture their runaway slaves in Florida. As
the number of owners searching for runaways multiplied, the disruption created
significant turmoil in the territory. Spain expressed outrage over this troublesome
intrusion to President James Monroe. In December 1817, the president called on
General Jackson to deal with the situation, whereupon Jackson gathered an army of
approximately 3,000 soldiers and marched into the territory. He chose to first battle
the Seminole villages, which were the haven of many runaways. Next he proceeded
to attack Spanish settlements, and finally took control of the forts at Pensacola and St.
Marks.
It did not take long before the Spanish government realized their efforts to control
this territory in the New World were futile. Negotiations were held and an agreement
transferring the Florida Territory to the United States was finalized in 1819. In
addition, a $5 million Spanish debt was forgiven. In March 1821, Madison appointed
Jackson as the military governor of Florida. Before the end of that year, Jackson
successfully organized the governance of the new territory, created a judicial system
and identified William Pope DuVal as his civilian replacement as governor of the
territory.
Next month we will explore Jackson’s political path to the presidency as well as his
life in retirement.