American Lion

by Jon Meacham

  134 buried in obscurity Parton, Life, I, 95.

  135 Her clothes were all that came back to him Ibid.

  136 He long sought the whereabouts of his mother’s grave Parton, Life, I, 95; Papers, V, 437–39; Papers, VI, 60–61.

  137 a careful steward of such things See, for instance, Papers, VII, 12, in which Jackson arranges for Rachel’s tombstone. And he never forgot his mother’s tragic end. “As late in his life as during his presidency, he set on foot some inquiries respecting the place of [his mother’s] burial, with the design of having her sacred dust conveyed to the old church-yard at Waxhaw, where he wished to erect a monument in honor of both his parents,” writes Parton. “It was too late. No exact information could then be obtained, and the project was given up. No stone marks the burial-place either of his father, mother, or brothers” (Parton, Life, I, 95). There are now two monuments to Mrs. Jackson in Charleston, and she is thought to have been buried “in an unmarked grave somewhere north of the line of the 1780 earthworks that bisected the peninsula” (Seabrook Wilkinson, “Revolutionary Heroines: Elizabeth Hutchinson Jackson,” Charleston Mercury, August 4, 2005).

  138 in his last years he would spend hours in the garden Heiskell, AJETH, III, 686.

  139 “many hardships” Papers, VI, 73.

  140 In 1815, after his triumph Remini, Jackson, I, 11.

  141 “Gentlemen, I wish she” Ibid.

  142 “Andrew, if I should not see you again” Ibid.

  143 spiraled downward and lashed out Parton, Life, I, 96; Remini, Jackson, I, 26–27.

  144 “He once said he never remembered” Heiskell, AJETH, III, 280.

  145 The Revolutionary War drew to a close American Heritage Book of the Revolution, 372–75.

  146 Jackson got into a fight Papers, I, 7.

  147 shuffle him off to another relative Ibid.

  148 the cultivated precincts of Charleston Booraem, Young Hickory, 118–29; Parton, Life, I, 97–98; James, TLOAJ, 32–34; Remini, Jackson, I, 27.

  149 the pleasures of the turf, of good tailors, and of the gaming tables Booraem, Young Hickory, 125–26.

  150 “There can be little doubt” Lee, Biography of Andrew Jackson, 6.

  151 he grew restless Parton, Life, I, 96–101; Remini, Jackson, I, 28.

  152 he tried his hand at saddle making Parton, Life, I, 96–101.

  153 Acknowledging the gift of a map Papers, VI, 354.

  154 “juvenile companions” Ibid.

  155 could quote Shakespeare Arda Walker, “The Educational Training and Views of Andrew Jackson,” The East Tennessee Historical Society’s Publications 16 (1944), 23. “In his writings,” Walker observes, “are numerous references to Shakespeare. Whether Jackson was cognizant of their source or not, he used such quotations as ‘Ides of March,’ ‘There is something rotten in the state of Denmark,’ ‘the die is cast.’ … These could have been acquired from the ‘stump’ in Tennessee.”

  156 Plutarch Papers, V, 197–99. The full line: “a Judge ought to be like Caesar’s wife, ‘not only chaste, but unsuspected.’ ” An editor’s note explaining the allusion, which is from Lives, Caesar, section 10, is found on page 199. And, as noted below in my discussion of the possible influence some version of Lord Chesterfield’s Letters may have had on Jackson, I suspect Chesterfield could have been one source for the “Caesar’s wife” image.

  157 Alexander Pope Papers, VI, 71–72. Writing of a friend, Jackson says: “I have no doubt but he is an honest man, who, in my estimation, is ‘the noblest work of god.’ ” The quotation is from Pope’s “Essay on Man,” which had entered the popular vernacular since its publication in the 1730s.

  158 Elizabeth Jackson wanted her Andrew to be a minister Parton, Life, I, 61.

  159 The service the Jacksons attended most likely started in midmorning William B. Bynum, “ ‘The Genuine Presbyterian Whine’: Presbyterian Worship in the Eighteenth Century,” Journal of Presbyterian History 74 (Fall 1996), 157–69. I have depended greatly on Mr. Bynum’s fine article as I have reconstructed the details of a typical Sunday for an observant Presbyterian in the time of Jackson’s youth, and I am grateful to Mr. Bynum for discussing these matters with me.

  160 Church historians suspect Ibid., 157–58.

  161 a break for lunch, then an afternoon version Ibid., 159–60.

  162 fight the good fight See the Second Epistle of St. Paul to Timothy, chapter 4, verse 7: “I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith.”

  163 He referred to political enemies as “Judases” Papers, VI, 29–30. Henry Clay came in for this particular attack after accepting the appointment as secretary of state when John Quincy Adams won the presidency in the House in 1825. In a letter dated February 14, 1825, Jackson wrote William B. Lewis: “Mr Clay has been offered the office of Sec of State … so you see the Judas of the West has closed the contract and will receive the thirty pieces of silver—his end will be the same.”

  164 “Should the uncircumcised philistines send forth” Papers, VI, 357. The letter is dated July 9, 1827.

  165 “And thine house and thine kingdom” II Samuel 4:7 (King James Version).

  166 “preside over the destinies” Papers, V, 188.

  167 Jackson said he read three chapters of the Bible every day Bassett, Jackson, 748.

  168 the Shorter Westminster Catechism Booraem, Young Hickory, 20–21.

  169 only a handful of years of formal education Walker, “The Educational Training and Views of Andrew Jackson,” 22.

  170 When Harvard University bestowed an honorary degree Ibid., 28.

  171 issued elegant Caesar-like proclamations to his troops See, for instance, Papers, II, 290–93.

  172 read rather more than he is given credit for This is not to suggest Jackson was a secret scholar, but his library at the Hermitage is eclectic, and he was known, for instance, to give copies of Fénelon’s Telemachus as gifts, which is discussed at length in chapter 32, and he enjoyed early biographies of the Founding Fathers (Correspondence, III, 244). “Bibliography of Andrew Jackson’s Library” (unpublished), 2000. Jackson’s library is part of the collections at the Hermitage.

  173 “I know human nature” Papers, IV, 380.

  174 The Vicar of Wakefield Parton, Life, III, 604; see also Robert V. Remini, The Life of Andrew Jackson (New York, 1988), 6.

  175 “The hero of this piece” Oliver Goldsmith, The Vicar of Wakefield (New York, 1982), 31.

  176 A favorite book was Jane Porter’s The Scottish Chiefs Papers, V, 163; Jane Porter, The Scottish Chiefs (New York, 1921). Porter’s tale is based on the life of the thirteenth-century Scottish independence hero.

  177 murder his wife Porter, Scottish Chiefs, 25.

  178 “I have always thought” Papers, V, 163.

  179 published in 1809 Porter, Scottish Chiefs, viii.

  180 “God is with me” Ibid., 35. Quoting a letter of Jackson’s to Andrew Donelson about Wallace, Remini writes that “the virtues Jackson ascribed to Wallace were precisely his own”—the “undaunted courage” and willingness to “brave any dangers, for the relief of his country or his friend” (Remini, Life of Andrew Jackson, 6). I believe that a close reading of The Scottish Chiefs itself suggests that Jackson’s connection to the novel went beyond seeing a heroic model in Wallace, though Jackson surely did. I think the parallels between the book and Jackson’s own reaction to his losses in life drew Jackson to the story in a way that engaged Jackson’s understandable anger and thirst for validation and vengeance, not just his equally understandable search for heroic literary role models.

  Chapter 2: Follow Me and I’ll Save You Yet

  1 his license to practice law Papers, I, 10.

  2 “He was the most roaring” Bassett, Jackson, 12.

  3 When James Parton was researching his 1860 biography Parton, Life, I, 108–9.

  4 “What! Jackson up for President?” Ibid., 109.

  5 moved to Nashville in October 1788 Ibid., 115–24.

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p; 6 took up residence as a boarder Ibid., 133.

  7 the patriarch, Colonel John Donelson For my account of the Donelsons’ background, I have drawn on Parton, Life, I, 126–33; Mary French Caldwell, General Jackson’s Lady (Kingsport, Tenn., 1936), 14–23; Heiskell, AJETH, I, 157–67.

  8 one of the prevailing stories Heiskell, AJETH, I, 159–65.

  9 his mysterious death Parton, Life, I, 133. “He was in the woods surveying, far from home,” wrote Parton. “Two young men who had been with him came along and found him near a creek, pierced by bullets; whether the bullets of the lurking savage or of the white robber was never known. It was only known that he met a violent death from some ambushed cowardly villains, white or red; his daughter Rachel always thought the former. She thought no Indians could kill her father, who knew their ways too well to be caught by them” (ibid.).

  10 a beautiful young woman Caldwell, General Jackson’s Lady, 101.

  11 when Rachel met Jackson in the autumn of 1788 Parton, Life, I, 133; James, TLOAJ, 53; Remini, Jackson, I, 41–42.

  12 Rachel Donelson and Lewis Robards Caldwell, General Jackson’s Lady, 102.

  13 Robards was a decade older Ibid., 101.

  14 John Overton Parton, Life, I, 148.

  15 one of her brothers went to Kentucky Ibid.

  16 “gay and lively” Parton, Life, I, 133; Remini, Jackson, I, 42.

  17 her husband decided he wanted a reconciliation Parton, Life, I, 148–49.

  18 Robards soon grew jealous … exchanged words Ibid., 150.

  19 “If I had such a wife” Mary Caroline Crawford, Romantic Days in the Early Republic (Boston, 1912), 215.

  20 Jackson soon moved to another establishment Parton, Life, I, 150. 22 “take his wife” Ibid.

  21 “haunt her” Ibid., 151.

  22 The weight of the evidence I drew on four accounts of the marriage controversy to reach this conclusion: Remini, Jackson, I, 57–69; Burstein, Passions of Andrew Jackson, 241–48; John Buchanan, Jackson’s Way: Andrew Jackson and the People of the Western Waters (New York, 2001), 109–11; Matthew Warshauer, “A Review Essay on Burstein, The Passions of Andrew Jackson,” Tennessee Historical Quarterly 62 (Winter 2003), 366–73. Since virtually all of the surviving sources about Rachel’s divorce were produced by Jackson partisans to answer later political charges about the complex circumstances of Rachel’s marriages, it is not surprising that Robards bears the overwhelming brunt of the blame for what was an unhappy situation for everyone concerned. Though Overton goes out of his way to make clear that Robards’s own family took Rachel’s side, Rachel did manage, from the early days of her marriage, to conduct herself in a way that fueled Robards’s jealousy. They were a mismatched pair, and both had happy second marriages. One of Rachel’s most admiring biographers, Mary French Caldwell, wrote: “Lewis Robards, after his marriage to Miss Winn, lived an apparently peaceful life. He prospered in material things, reared a family of splendid children, and held a respected place in the community. If his dark moods descended upon him, he was able either to control himself more thoroughly than he had done in earlier days, or to conceal his behavior more successfully” (Caldwell, General Jackson’s Lady, 161). Or perhaps his new wife gave him less cause for such behavior.

  23 the moral climate had moved in a stricter direction Burstein, Passions of Andrew Jackson, 248.

  24 a trip to Philadelphia Papers, II, 13.

  25 “I have this moment recd. your letter” Ibid.

  26 “I thank you for your admonition” Papers, IV, 62.

  27 Just after dusk on a cold March day Lee, Biography of Andrew Jackson, 9–10. For another version of the story, see also Remini, Jackson, I, 45–46. 24 “The light of their fires” Lee, Biography of Andrew Jackson, 9.

  28 “saving spirit and elastic mind” Ibid. It is unclear whether these words are Overton’s or Lee’s.

  29 “Overton and his companion instantly cried” Ibid., 10.

  30 In Knoxville in the autumn of 1803 For the Sevier story, I have drawn on Parton, Life, I, 163–64; James, TLOAJ, 92–94; Remini, Jackson, I, 117–24.

  31 alluded to his own past “services” to the state This detail and the ensuing dialogue are drawn from the recollections of Colonel Isaac T. Avery of North Carolina, a son of Waightstill Avery, a lawyer under whom Jackson attempted to study and to whom Jackson issued his first challenge for a duel. (Parton, Life, I, 160–62.) The younger Colonel Avery wrote Parton a letter about the young Jackson that Parton quotes extensively, and that is the main source of details about the Sevier showdown for subsequent biographers.

  32 “Services?” Parton, Life, I, 164.

  33 “Great God!” Ibid.

  34 “several shots were fired” Ibid.

  35 “Sevier … unpardonable,” recalled the source Ibid.

  36 an argument over a horse race The story of the Jackson-Dickinson duel is among the most often told incidents in Jackson’s life. I have relied on several different accounts for my brief retelling: see, for instance, Parton, Life, I, 267–306; James, TLOAJ, 113–18; Remini, Jackson, I, 136–43; Remini, Life of Andrew Jackson, 52–54. For documents relating to the argument and the duel, see Papers, II, 77–78; 79–82; 84–91; 96–109. (The horserace never took place. See Parton, Life, I, 268.)

  37 also apparently included a slur against Rachel As the editors of Jackson’s Papers point out, there is no contemporary evidence in the Jackson-Dickinson correspondence that Rachel’s name entered into the matter (Papers, II, 78), but Sam Houston told James Parton that Dickinson “uttered offensive words respecting Mrs. Jackson in a tavern in Nashville, which were duly conveyed by some meddling parasite to General Jackson” (Parton, Life, I, 269).

  38 “It will be in vain” Lee, Biography of Andrew Jackson, 21.

  39 At seven o’clock on the morning of Friday, May 30, 1806 Papers, II, 99.

  40 at twenty-four feet Ibid., 100.

  41 Jackson let Dickinson shoot first Parton, Life, I, 296–97.

  42 The trigger caught halfway Papers, II, 96; Parton, Life, I, 299.

  43 as his boot filled with blood Parton, Life, I, 300.

  44 the wound complicated his health for decades Goff, “A Physical Profile of Andrew Jackson,” 306–8.

  45 “If he had shot me through the brain” Lee, Biography of Andrew Jackson, 21.

  46 Jackson’s “gallantry and enterprise” Ibid., 8.

  47 As a judge of the Tennessee Superior Court Parton, Life, I, 227–39.

  48 Jackson was riding circuit Lee, Biography of Andrew Jackson, 15. My telling is largely drawn from Lee’s, but I also drew on Parton, Life, I, 228–29, and Remini, Jackson, 115–16.

  49 “Now, surrender, you infernal villain” Parton, Life, I, 229.

  50 “firm advance and formidable look” Lee, Biography of Andrew Jackson, 16.

  51 He dropped his guns Ibid.

  52 “I will surrender to you” Ibid.

  53 “When danger rears its head” Papers, III, 105.

  54 Aaron Burr’s hosts Burstein, Passions of Andrew Jackson, 71–72. Burstein closely examines the Burr conspiracy and Jackson’s role (ibid., 71–85).

  55 preparing a force in the event of war Remini, Jackson, I, 147.

  56 Jackson agreed Ibid., 147–48.

  57 “when the government and constituted authorities” Ibid., 148.

  58 possibility of seizing New Orleans Ibid., 150.

  59 wrote several officials Ibid., 151.

  60 “I fear there is something rotten” Burstein, Passions of Andrew Jackson, 74.

  61 Burr was acquitted in 1807 Remini, Jackson, I, 158.

  62 “He loves his country” Bassett, Jackson, 78.

  63 promised to “act the part of a father” Papers, II, 392.

  64 In the cold winter Remini, Jackson, I, 171.

  65 2,071 in all Ibid., 173.

  66 five hundred miles later, at Natchez Ibid., 174–75.

  67 150 of Jackson’s men were sick, 56 could not sit up Ibid., 179.

  68 �
�They abandon us in a strange country” Correspondence, I, 295. The letter was to William Blount, dated March 15, 1813.

  69 “They had sacrificed domestic comforts” Lee, Biography of Andrew Jackson, 28. For the exchange between Hogg and Jackson, I have relied on Lee’s account.

  70 his men watched this tall, determined figure For accounts of the Natchez-to-Nashville journey and its significance for Jackson and his reputation, see Parton, Life, I, 373–86; James, TLOAJ, 148–50; Remini, Jackson, I, 178–80. Remini quotes the Nashville Whig’s declaration, “Long will their General live in the memory of his volunteers of West Tennessee for his benevolence, humane, and fatherly treatment to his soldiers; if gratitude and love can reward him, General Jackson has them.” On the theme of fatherhood, Remini adds: “At the age of forty-six Jackson had become a father figure, protector of his men as well as guardian of the people of the frontier. Henceforth Jackson nurtured that image, speaking and acting in accordance with its recognized and required characteristics” (Remini, Jackson, I, 180).

  71 “I led them into the field” Papers, II, 393.

  72 “And as long as I have friends or credit” Ibid., 386.

  73 they were calling him “Old Hickory” Parton, Life, I, 382.

  74 a friend of Jackson’s in Nashville quarreled with Jesse Benton Ibid., 386–90.

  75 that he would whip Thomas Benton Ibid., 390.

  76 crossed on Saturday, September 4, 1813 Ibid. 391–95, covers the action well, and I am indebted to his telling for the details that follow. For Thomas Benton’s account of the skirmish, see Thomas Hart Benton to the Public, Papers, II, 425–27.

  77 his riding whip in his hand Parton, Life, I, 391.

  78 brandishing his whip Ibid., 393.

  79 “Now, you damned rascal” Ibid.

  80 bled through two mattresses Ibid., 394.

  81 “I’ll keep my arm” Ibid.

  82 while Rachel was still nursing Remini, Andrew Jackson, I, 187–223. I am indebted to Remini’s telling for my account.