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now do well without the aid of Tennessee, be. be.. A
word tothcuiic is enough. The enclosed is taken from
tlie Columbian, a paper o) much circulation in this
state, Ncw-York. Certified and (signed) J. VI. Glassed,
aid dc camp.”
NOTES. —[on the foregoing,]
Jl'ar office gentry , c Tc. —lf the writer meant
to class general Stott among them, he was total
ly mistaken. The acting secretary of war, be
tween the summer of 1816, and December,
1817, was the t hies clerk of the department
a vet)’ worthy and highly respectable pri
x<ute gentlemen, but previously unknown as a
public character, and, therefore, in the opinion
of general Scott, (as was frequently expressed by
him at the lime) an unlit person to preside over
the army, or to represent it, before the congress
of the country. It is due to this gentleman to add,
that whilst in the department, he conducted him
self with great modesty and propriety, General
Scott had nothing to < xpcct or to ask from tiie
department, except what the law and his rank
entitled him to.
In this district hr in the organ, (S'c. — I his is
utterly false. Clencral Scott has never, since tne
war, taken part either in general or local politics,
lie held no correspondence vith the executive
departments of the govermncit, except on pro
fessional matters, and none with the president;
and can almost say with certainty, that lie never
once had a conversation with a resident of Ncw-
York, on the poiitit sol the state, except with
one or two friends of the army, the particular
admirers of Mr. Clinton. •
They have filaced s/iies u/ion Brown here , e7 c.
iS’c.— Generals Brown and Scott were, and arc,
on terms ol friendship and intimacy, lie has
read this correspondency, (in January, 1818,)
and frankly acknowledged that general Jackson
lad sent him a copy of the anonymous letter, to
put him on his guard against general Scott.—
The latter jestingly remarked to general Brown,
that if a spy had been placed on him, the presi
dent was the person; for at the time the anony
mous letter was written, the,Wo were making a
tour around the northwest frontier together, and
on terms of much mutual respect and good will.
General Scott has reason to believe, moreover,
that general Brown is well pleased witn Mr.
Monroe, as president, and the latter with general
Brown, us the commander of the army. This is
to the honor of both, for general Brown is known
lobe a decided Clintonian.
The eastern federalists, ate. —Here wc discov
er the hand of a master. Never was gudgeon
seized with more avidity! “A word to the wise
is enough.” The bail was swallowed, and gen
eral Jackson has put his character for window
beyond ail controversy. “De Witt Clinton, our
next president,” has since been, it is said, his
standing toast. But let us recal to mind, some
of the political events of that day. Mr. Clinton
had just been elected governor, and an election
was then going on in Pennsylvania, from which,
he was supposed to entertain hopes of the most
favorable results Had his friends succeeded in
electing general 1 leister, republican Tennessee
and general Jackson would have constituted a
handsome addition to the nucleus of opposition.
It is impossible, therefore, not to perceive tiiat
a Clintonian must have been the anonymous wri
ter. General Scott repeats, that he has been but
a passive observer of those events —not that he
had not all the rights of any other citizen, in re
gard to such questions, but because respect for
himself (under his relation witii tne president, as
commander and comm uncled’) induced him to wave
those rights.
The following article was enclosed in the foregoing
|rV:
W General Jackson’s doctrines of obedience.—Queries
So the editors of , and other learned casuists.—
1. Suppose the government of the United States give
orders to a general officer, or delicately signify their
wishes and intentions, to remove from a certain com-
Inland, one of the general’s proteges and favorites?—
These orders, or intentions of government, arc not
pleasing to either the chief, or his subordinate. They,
therefore employ t .eir joint faculties of manoeuvering to
frustiate the object ot government, By artifices, eva
sions, and pretended misapprehensions of meaning, they
have so far prevailed as to bold a command in defiance
of government itself, for for nearly a year.
Does not this case prove, that government, when re
stricted, according to the dictatorial system of general
Jackson, may not only be tricked and insulted, but abso
lutely nullified? W hat redress would an interested
court martial afford?
2. Suppose that through the same general, positive
orders w ere given, by got eminent, for another officer to
supercede his protege and favorite in the command of
his usurped place. Suppose these positive orders, as
they w ere not susceptible of quibble or subterfuge, be
pocketed, laid aside, delayed, and not executed, for
more months than it would be necessary to employ days
or hours; would this case prove the utility of govern
ment relying for the execution of its orders solely on
the integrity of a commander? Perhaps it may be al
ledged, that such cases are purely imaginary; let facts
which lia\ e occured in less t ban a y ear be examined, and
it will ihen be known whether they vary in any respect,
from the cases as above stated. A QUERIST.
“Certified and signed, J. M. Classed, aid-dc-camp.”
LETTER 11.
GENERAL SCOTT TO UKX Lit At. JACKSON.
Head Quurters, I st and 3tl nulitiiry departments,
AVw-Tori’, October 4, 1817.
Sin —1 have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of
your letter of the Sth ultimo, together w.di the two pa
pers therein enclosed.
I am not the author of the miserable and unmeaning
article copied from “The Columbian,” and (not being a
reader of that gazette) should probably mur have
heard of it, but for the copy you have sent tne. And
whilst on the subject of w riting and publishing, it may
save time t'* say, at once, that with the exception of the,
substance of two articles which appeared ; n “ I’he En
quirer” last fall, and a journal kept whilst a prisoner in
Ike hands efthe enemy, I have not r uen, nor caused
r to write a single tun- fi-i vy grzeitc vv io.te. ii ,
commencement of the late war.
xv
. .’’
■ I 1 “, 1 C*?
I at least his supposed sanction, cannot give a valid com
mand to an ensign.
1 have thus, sir, frankly answered the queries address
ed to me, and which were suggested to you by the let
ter of your anonymous correspondent} but on a question
so important as that which you have raised v\ ith the war
department, or in other words with the president of the
United States, and, in which, I find myself incidentally
! involved, I must take leave to illustrate my meaning a
little; in doing w hich, I shall employ almost the precise
language which was used on the occasions above alluded to
Take any three officers—Let Abe the common su
perior, I! the intermediate commander, and C the com
mon junior. A w ishes to make an order, which shall
effect C. The good of the service, etiquette and coun
try, require, no doubt, that the order should pass thro’
B; or, if expedition and the dispersed situation of the
parties make it necessary to send the order direct to C,
(of which necessity Ais the judge,) the good ofthe ser
vice, etiquette and country require, with as little doubt,
that A notify 1$ thereof, as soon as practicable. Such
■ notice, of itself, lias always been held sufficient, under
the circumstances last stated. But we will suppose that
A sends the order direct to G, and neglects to notify B
thereof; and such appears to be the precise case alluded
to in the order before cited, lias Bno redress against
this irregularity? Me may unquestionably remonstrate
with A., in a respectful manner, and if remonstrance
fails, and there be a higher military authority than A, B
j may appeal to it for redress. Now in the case under
! consideration, there existed no such higher authority—
I the war department, or in other words, the president,
i being the common superior (A,) and the general of di
| vision, the intermediate commander (U.) A private and
I respectful remonstrance, therefore, appears to have
been the only mode of redress which circumstances ad
mitted of. An appeal totlit mmy o. the public, before
or after such remonstrance, seems to have been a great
er irregularity than the measure complained cf; to re
probate that measure publicly, as the division orderdoes,
was to mount still higher in the scale of indecorum, but
when the order goes so far as to prohibit to all officers
in the division, an obedience to the commands of the
president of the United States, unless received through
division head quarters, it appears to that nothing
but mutiny anil defiance, can be understood or intended.
There is another view of this subject, which must
have escaped you, us 1 am persuaded there is not a man
in America less disposed to shift responsibility from
himself to a weaker party t han yourself. Suppose the
war department, by order of the president, sends in
structions direct to the commanding officer, perhaps a
captain, at Natchitoches (a post within your division) to
attack the body of Spanish royalists nearest to that fron
tier; if the captain obeys, you arrest him; but if, in com
pliance with your prohibition, he sets the commands of
the president at naught, tie would find himself in a di
rect conflict with the highest military authority under
the constitution,and thus would have to maintain against
that “fearful odds,” the dangerous position laid down in
your order. Surely this consequence could not have
been foreseen by you, w hen you penned that order, j
I must pray you to believe, sir, that I have expressed
my opinion on this great question, without the least hos
tility to yourself, personally, and without any view of
making my court in another quarter, as is insinuated by’
your anonymous correspondent, i have nothing to fear
or hope, from either party. It is not likely that the
executive will be offended, at the opinion, that it has
committed an irregularity in the transmission of one of
its orders; and, as to yourself, although I cheerfully ad
mit that you arc ir.y superior, I deny that you arc my
commanding officer, within the- meaning of the 6tli article
of the rules and articles of war Even if I belonged to
your division, l should not hesitate to repeat to you all
that l have said, at any time, on your sub ject, if a proper
occasion offered; and what is more, I should expect your
approbation, as in my humble judgment, refutation is
impossible.
As you do not adopt the imputations contained in the
anonymous letter, a copy of which you enclosed me, 1
shall not degrade myself by any further notice of it.
1 have just shewn the article from “The < Columbian”
to some military gentlemen of this place, from whom I
learn, that it was probably intended to be implied to a
case w hich has recently occurred at West Ifoint. The
writer is supposed to proceed upon a report (which is
nevertheless believed to be erroneous) tint brigadier
general Swift had orders from the war department,
more than twelve months since, to remove captain
Partridge from the military academy, and that h” sup
pressed tins orders, &c. The author is believed to be
a young man of the army, and was, at the time of publi
cation, in this city; but not under mv command, and
with whom, 1 never had the smallest intimacy. 1 for
bear to mention his name, because it is only known by’
conjecture.
1 have the honor to be, &c. W. Scott.
To major general sin drew Jackson, He. He. He
LETTER Ilf.
GENARAL JACKSON TO GENERAL SCOTT.
Ueatl Quarters, Division of the South,
JVaahville, December 3, 1317.
Sir—lhave been absent from ibis place a considera
ble time, rendering the last friendly office I could to a
particular friend, whose ey cs I closed on the 20th ultimo.
Owing to this, your letter of the 4th ot October was not
received until the first instant.
Upon the receipt of the anonymous communication
made me from New-York, I hastened to lay it before
you; that course was suggested to me, by the respect
1 felt for you as a man and a soldier, and that you might
have it in your power to answer how far you hail
been guilty of so base and inexcusable conduct. Inde
pendent of the services you had rendered your country,
the circumstance ot y our wearing the badge and insig
nia of a soldier, led me to the conclusion, that i was ad
dressing a gentleman. With these feelings you were
written to; and had an idea been for a moment entertain
ed, that you could have descended from the high and
dignified character of a major general of the United
States, and used language so opprobious and insolent as
you have done, rest assured, I should have v iewed y ou
as rather two contemptible to have held any converse
with you on the subject. If you have lived in the world
thus long in the entire ignorance of die obligations and
duties which honor imposes, you arc indeed past the
time of learning; and surely he must be ignorant of
them, w ho seems so little under their influence.
Pray, sir, does your recollection serve, in what school
of philosophy w ere you taught; that to a letter inquir
ing into the nature of a supposed injury, and clothed in
+ J.et it here be remembered, that this illustrative
statement was strictly in reply: General Jackson hud
said, “if my order lias been the subject of your animad
versions, it is believed that y ou will at once admit it, and
the extent to vv hich you may have gone.” General Scott,
however, omitted one remark made by him, on all the
occasions alluded to: Speaking of the order, lie said,
“nevertheless, as this indiscretion on the part of general
Jackson, no doubt, proceeded from that vehemence and
impetuosity of character to w hich w e owe one of the
most splendid victories, not only of the country , but of
the age, he (general Scott) hoped, that the one act
migh tbe tolerated on account of the other.” This was
omitted for opposite but obvious reasons, botji by liiin
self and 1 lie anonymous writer. General Scott can con
fidently appeal to, perhaps, more than a thousand per
sons, in Europe and \merica, in proof of the pride and
enthusiasm Mih w Inch he has uniformly spoken of the
defence of Ne \-Orleans; and, he agrees to be held infa
mous, if two respectable witnesses wil l aver, that he was
ever heard, p* or iothe 22d December, 1317, to speak
■f general Jackson in other terms that those of admira
tion, . *
language decorous and unexceptionable, an answer
should be given, couched in pompous insolence and bul
lying expressions? 1 hud hoped t Bat what-was chargeil
upon you by my anonymous correspondent was un
founded; 1 had hoped so, from a belief that general
Scott was a soldier and a gentlemen; but when 1 see
1 those statements doubly confirmed by his ow n words, it
becomes a matter of inquiry , how far a man of honora-
I blc feelings can reconcile them to himself, or longer set
! up a claim to that character. Are you ignorant, sir,
i that had my order, at winch your refined judgment is
1 so extremely touched, been made the subject, of inqui
ry, you might, from y our standing, not your character,
been constituted one of my judges? Mow very proper
then was it, thus situated, and without a knowledge of
i any of the attendant circumstances, for you to have pre
judged the whole matter. This at different times, and
in the circle of your friends, you could do, and yet had
I been arraigned, and you detailed as one ofiny judges,
with the designs of an assassin lurking under a fair ex
terior, you would have approached the holy sanctuary
of justice. Is conduct like this congenial with that high
sense of dignity which should be seated in a soldier’s
bosom? Is it due from a brother officer to assail in the
dark the reputation of another, and stab him at the mo
ment when lie cannot expect it? I might insult an hon
i orable man by questions such as these, but shall not ex
pect that they will harrow up one who must be dead to
all those feelings which are the true characteristic of a
gentleman.
In terms polite as I was capable of noting, I asked you
if my informant had stated truly—if you were the author
of the publication and remarks charged against you,
anil to what extent: a reference to your letter, without
any comment of mine, will inform how far you have
pursued a similar course; how little of the gentleman,
and how much of the hectoring bully you have manifest
ed. If nothing else would, the epaulets which grace
your shoulders, should have dictated to you a different
course, and have admonished you, that how ever small
may have been your respect for another—respect for
yourself should have taught you the necessity of reply
ing, at least mildly , to the inquiries ! suggested; and
more especially should you have done tins, when your
own convictions must have fixed yon as guilty of the
abominable crime of detraction, of slandering, and be
hind his hark, a brother officer. But not content with
answering to what was proposed, your over weening
vanity has led you to make an offering of your advice.*
Believe me, sir, it is not in my power to render you my
thanks: I think too highly of myself to suppose I stand
at all in need of your admonitions, anil too lightly of you
to appreciate them as useful. For good advice lam al
ways thankful; but never fail to spurn it, when l know’ it
to flow from an incompetent or corrupt source; the
breast where base and guilty passions dwell is not the
place to look for virtue, or any thing t But leads to vir
tue. My notions, sir, are not those now taught in mod
ern schools, and in fashionable high life; they were im
bibed in ancient days, and hitherto have, anil yet bear
liie to the conclusion, that he who can w antonly outrage
the feelings of another, — who, w ithout cause, can ex
tend injury where none is done, is capable of any crime,
however detestible in its nature, and will not fail to com
mit it; whenever it may be imposed by necessity.
not stoop, sir, to a justification of my orclcrJA
or to notice the weakness and
yourself’, awfolluive no disposition to convinc
ing you, is not you
have imagined my
may please, 1 bold answeivaijMPpro
duce the reasons me to 1
took; and to the and spiel T the
war departmcn^WTio are in of gentlAniVn, 1
hold for any grie\oW|Lthey \aV la
bor my account; with which Vny
to number yourself. For what I hai^^kd,
1 offer no apology; you have deserved it all, and more
were it necessary to say more. I will barely remark in
conclusion, that if you feel yourself aggrieved at wliat
is here said, any communication from you will reach me
safely at tins place.
I have the honor to be, very respectfully, your obedi
ent servant. Andrew Ja; k o .
Brevet maj. gen. IV. Scott, U. States’ army, .V. York.
The foregoing extraordinary letter was laid
aside until almost forgotten. When certain of
his feelings, general Scott sat down to reply to it.
He thought of New-Orlcans and some other af
fairs, in which the parties had been respectively
engaged, and it appeared to him that a brace of
pistols could add nothing to the character of ei
ther. He conceived that at the age he had then
attained, some little reputation for temper and
moderation began to be an object worthy of his
consideration, however they might be disregard
ed by his opponent. In fact, it did not once se
riously occur to him, that the courage of either
could be put in question; and, therefore, he found
himself perfectly at liberty to consult his sense
of justice and propriety, rather than his passions.
Yet he understands, that, on this point, general
Jackson shrugs his shoulders and looks myste
riously, whilst he suffers his minions to flatter
him, that he has obtained a triumph. Misera
ble vanity! Most pueiile and unworthy conceit!
A triumph over the fears of general Scott! The
latter docs not doubt the courage of general Jack
son, yet he might enumerate several affairs, in
any one of which, he was, probably, exposed, to
greater personal danger than general Jackson
has encountered in his whoie military career.—
And here let him not “be called a fool for boast
ing;” for he may say with one of the greatest of
men, “mine enemy lias forced me to it.” But
is it a boast, in an American, to assert his indif
ference to personal danger? General Scott has
commanded some thousands of his countrymen
at different times, and does not remember three
individuals among them, who were deficient in
that universal attribute.
But the foregoing letter has been reprsented
as a challenge , and the reply to it a non-accep
tance — on the ground of religious scruples. The
double falsehood will not escape the reader, al
though it be true, that general Scott, in a play
ful humor, chose to treat the letter as a challenge.
And as to the other point, however repugnant to
his principles, it may be, “to do a contrived mur
der,” cither under forms, or in violation of them;
or by his own voluntary seeking—general Scott,
whenever he shall think it necessary, will be as
free to defend his reputation against calumny, as
he would be to slay a robber who should attempt
his life on the highway. He knows of no code
of morals which would disarm him him in either
i case, nor does the promise in the following letter;
I for as that was made without consideration, so
may it be withdrawn, without explanation or a
pology.
i “When, where? General Scott is unconscious of the
fact.
LETTER IV.
SEVERAL SCOTT TO GENERAL JACKSON.
Head Quarters, 1 and 3d military department?,
,\'tftv-York, January 2, 1818.
Sir—Your letter of the 3d ultimo, was handed me
about the 23d, and lias not bean read, I might say thought
of, since. ‘l‘licsc circumstances will show that it is my
wish to reply to you dispassionately.
I regret that I cannot accept the challenge von offer
me. Perhaps I may be restrained from wishing to lev
el a pistol at the breast of a fellow being, in private
combat, by a sense of religion; but lest this motive
should excite the ridicule of gentlemen of liberal habits
of flunking and acting, I beg leave to add, that t decline
the honor of your imitation from patriotic scruples . —
My ambition is not that of Erostratus. I should think it
would be easy for you to console yourself under tins
refusal, by the application of a few epithets, as a coward,
&c to the object of your resentment, and 1 here pro
mise to leave you until the next war, to persuade your
self of their truth.
Yo ir famous order bears date the 22d April, LIT.
At intervals of three or four months thereafter—ilia, is,
when it had been officially published to the troops of
your division, and printed in almost every paper In the
union—as if to challenge discussion—l found myself in
company where it was the subject of conversation.—
Not being under your command, 1 was as free to give
my opinion on that public act as any one else; for I pre
sume, you will not assert, that where an officer is not
expressly restrained by the military code, life-has not all
the rights of any other citizen. For this fair expres
sion of opinion, on a principle as universal as the pro
fession of arms—and which opinion I, afterwards, at tour
instance, state to yon, in all iis detail, you are pleased to
charge me with having slandered you behind y our back!!
—an accusation, which 1 consider the more amusing, as
I never had the honor of being in your presence in alt
my life! 1 can assure y ou, sir, that nothing bin my great res
pect for your superiorage and services, prevem sme from
indulging, also,in a little bitter pleasantry on thispoint.
It seems that you are under the further impression
that if you liad been brought to trial for publishing tiiat
order —(an idea that 1 never heard any other suggest,)
and /appointed one of your judges, that, assassin-like,
1 should have approached the hob sanctuary of justice,
&c. — such is, 1 think your language. Now, like you,
(without believing one word it,) it would be as easy for
me, (manually,) to retort all this abuse, as i; was for
you to originate it: but I must inform you, sir, that how
ever much I may desire to emulate certain portions of
your history, I am not at all inclined to follow the per
nicious example that your letter furnishes.
You complain of harshness on my part. My letter to
which youi’s is a reply, is doubltless, somewhat bo.d in
its character, but, believing that In an affair with you,
it was only necessary to have right on one’s side, in or
der to obtain approbation, i had no other care in its
composition, that to avoid every thing,personally offen
sive, as far as the truth, and a fair discussion of the sub
ject would permit; and T still rest persuaded, that the
fact corresponds with my intention. It is true, that I
spoke of you, and treated you, as a MAN, without the
petty qualifications of common usage; because, in ad
dressing you, they were then considered as so many
diminutives; but I am now to apprehend that universal
success and applause have somewhat spoiled you; and
that 1 shall ultimately’ be obliged to fall into the common
place habit, observed in respect to common place pco
ple, and consider you as nothing more than a gentleman.
Permit me to request —t think J have a right to de
mand —a sight, of the anginal anonymous letter which
has given rise to this discussion. If 1 mistake not your
correspondent is a greater personage than you, perhaps,
imagine—nay so high, tiiat he has once es ayed to set
himself above the highest in our political sphere. 4he
letter shall be returned as soon as the hmi l is compared
with that of a certain agent of the personage alluded to.
I cannot close this le ter without expressing a belief,
that on the return of your wonted magnanimity, 1 shall
be requested to burii the one which bus elic.cd t, by
way of apology for the injury it does me. Accordingly,
it has been seen, as yet, by but one individual (of my
staff) and shall be held in reserve, until a certain time,
has elapsed—attending that just expectation. In the
mean time, f shall have the honor to remain, sir, very
respectfully,your most obedient servant, W. Scott.
To .Major General Andrew Jackson.
No reply has ever been given to the foregoing,
and of course general Scott has never seen the
original anonymous letter. His suspicions and
the whole correspondence were fully communi
cated, in January, 1818, to a particular'friend of
governor Clinton, who was perfectly at liberty
to give notice thereof to that personage. Whe
ther he did so or not, general Scott is not inform
ed. A copy of the correspondence itself would
have been sent to Mr. Clinton, but for the pro
hibitory regulation above cited, and which came
out before general Jackson had had time to re
ply to the letter, if he had been so disposed.—
General Scott until his opponent had set him the
example (a precedent not disapproved by the
war department) supposed that the first sentence
of the regulation, “ail publications,” Bec. inter
dicted manuscript copies as well as others. Un
til then a distinction of this sort appeared to hint
absurd: for how eaiy would it be for any of the
numerous persons to whom general Jackson has
delivered copies, or rather parts of the correspon
dence, to print them. The moment they passed
out of his hands they ceased to be under his con
trol.
After all, it is possible, that the suspicions a
bove expressed are unjust, as it respects one in
dividual; although there is not room to doubt,
that the anonymous letter was written to serve
the views of Mr. Clinton, and that those views
have been effected, at least so far as they respect
general Jackson. Should general Scott ever dis
cover or find cause to believe, that Mr. Clinton
neither wrote nor dictated the anonymous letter,
there is no apology which one gentleman may
prescribe to another, that shall not be promptly
and cheerfully rendered.
And here, general Scott must, in candor, state,
that sometime during the summer or fall of 1818,
when a threat of general Jackson’s (that he meant
to visit New-York for the purpose of “calling
out” general Scott—published in a Georgia pa
per, on information derived, as was said, from an
officer direct from Florida) was mentioned in the
hearing of Mr. Clinton, the latter replied—
“ General Jackson would have enough to do, if
he undertook to fight every body who thinks
with general Scott, on the subject of the famous
order, —intimating thereby, that lie (Mr. Clin
ton) was still one of those persons. General
Scott’s informant who had previously heard of
the suspicion entertained in respect to the anon
ymous letter, was certainly impressed, in that
ini .dental conversation, with the idea, that Mr.
Clintoi had no agency in dictating the letter. —
General Scott would he very well content to
yield