It is no slight praise to say of the subject of this memoir, that
his name is honorably associated with the war of 1812, from its
commencement to its termination. When disasters were so frequent,
and defeat so often sustained, where others were concerned, it is
refreshing to find, that he never wanted the will, and when his means
were sufficient, never lacked the ability, to retrieve the one, and
to wipe out the disgrace of the other. Ever to be found where duty
placed him,--prompt, brave, and skilful,--these are high merits in
a soldier, and entitle their possessor to a worthy place among his
compeers.
Virginia is often termed “the mother of statesmen,”--and she may
also be regarded as the birth-place of heroes. Like Harrison and
Scott, General Gaines drew his first breath in the Old Dominion.
He was born on the twentieth day of March, 1777, in Culpepper
county, near the eastern base of the Blue Ridge, where it looks
down upon the rolling table land, and undulating slopes,drained
by the waters of the Rappahannock. His father, James Gaines, was
a nephew of Edmund Pendleton,--after whom his son was named,--a
profound and able lawyer, who was for many years presiding judge of
the Court of Appeals of the state of Virginia. In the latter part
of the Revolution, the father commanded a company of volunteers,
and did good service in that capacity. At the close of the war he
removed to the northwest border of North Carolina. He represented
the county in which he resided, in the legislature of that state,
and was afterwards a member of the convention by which the federal
constitution was rejected. Like many of the most patriotic citizens
of Virginia, North Carolina, and other states, he was at first
opposed to that instrument; but, his objections having been removed
by the adoption of the “bill of rights,” he voted in its favor.
Young Gaines was early familiarized to scenes of war and bloodshed.
Born in a frontier settlement, during the perilous times of the
revolutionary struggle, when the whole colony was in a state of
constant ferment and agitation, though not old enough to appreciate
the importance of the principles for which his countrymen were
contending, he was deeply imbued with the spirit that animated
the men of that great era in the history of our nation. In the
sparsely-peopled region to which his parents had removed, the means
of obtaining information were very limited, and, as his father
was in moderate circumstances, he enjoyed but few advantages of
that character. These were carefully improved, however, under the
direction and superintendence of his mother, who possessed a fine
mind, and had received a good education. A friend, by the name of
Ralph Mitchell, whose acquaintance he formed while a mere youth,
instructed him in mathematics, and he subsequently became an accurate
surveyor.
When he was about thirteen years of age, his father emigrated to
Sullivan county, in that mountainous tract of country, now known as
East Tennessee, lying between the Stone and Cumberland mountains.
This section of the union was then new, and but thinly inhabited.
Being in the immediate vicinity of the theatre of the depredations
committed by the Creeks and Cherokees, tales of border warfare were
rife, and the legends of “the dark and bloody ground” were often
repeated by the fireside of the elder Gaines. Themes like these
were calculated to enkindle a desire for entering the profession
of arms in the bosom of his young son, who listened to them with
eager interest, and he soon gave unequivocal indications that his
thoughts were turned in that direction. From boyhood he had been
taught to labor,--to swing the axe, and follow the plough. When not
thus employed, or busy in storing his mind with useful information,
he rambled through the forests in search of game. In his hours of
pastime the rifle was his constant companion, and he is said to have
excelled all his companions in the use of that weapon. Passing his
time in these occupations, his constitution, naturally strong and
vigorous, had become hardened and invigorated, and fitted to endure
the sufferings and vicissitudes of a soldier’s life. He was likewise
bold and fearless, daring and determined;--no difficulty retarded
him, no danger deterred.
[Sidenote: RECEIVES HIS FIRST COMMISSION.]
He now occupied his leisure hours in reading and studying such
military and historical works as he could procure; and at the age of
eighteen he was elected to a lieutenancy in a rifle company commanded
by Captain J. Cloud. No opportunity was yet presented for gratifying
the first wish of his heart, and he concluded to turn his attention
to another profession. When not otherwise busied, much of his time
had latterly been spent in surveying. In this way he had provided
himself with a small supply of funds, and on attaining his majority,
he commenced the study of the law, and pursued it as fast as his
limited means would allow. While thus engaged, he was recommended by
his friend, the Hon. W. C. C. Claiborne, then a member of Congress
from the state of Tennessee, and afterwards governor of Louisiana,
for an appointment in the army The recommendation proved successful,
and on the tenth of January, 1799, he received his first commission,
as an ensign.
The long-cherished desire of young Gaines was now gratified, and
the way opened for him to win honor and renown in the armies of
his country. In the autumn of 1799, he was promoted to the rank
of 2nd lieutenant in the 6th infantry, and sent on the recruiting
service. His regiment being afterwards disbanded, he was attached to
the 4th infantry, then under the command of Colonel Thomas Butler.
In the summer of 1801, Colonel Butler received orders from the
War Department, to select a subaltern from his regiment to make a
topographical survey from Nashville to Natchez, for the location of a
military road. Lieutenant Gaines was selected for this duty, and was
employed in discharging it, and in the survey of some Indian boundary
lines, till the winter of 1803–4,--having, in the meantime, been
raised to the rank of 1st lieutenant.
The Spanish government, being dissatisfied with the transfer of
Louisiana to the United States, refused to withdraw her troops
from Fort Condé, at Mobile, and from Baton Rouge,--and to deliver
up possession of the country lying north of the Isle of Orleans,
and the Gulf of Mexico, and between the Mississippi and the
Perdido,--insisting that the territory embraced within those limits
formed a part of her Floridian possessions, and was not included
in the cession to France. Mr. Jefferson well knew that the country
was wholly unprepared for war, and, in conformity with the peaceful
policy of his administration, was unwilling, at that time, to submit
the question in dispute to the arbitrament of the sword; yet, lest it
might be said that the United States had tacitly acquiesced in the
claim of the Spanish authorities, he resolved to appoint a military
collector for the district of Mobile. The appointment was conferred
on Lieutenant Gaines, in 1804, and he immediately established himself
at Fort Stoddart, thirty-six miles north of Mobile.
[Sidenote: APPOINTED MILITARY COLLECTOR.]
He at once looked forward, with eager hope and expectation, to
the time when he would be required “to flesh his maiden sword;”
a collision seemed unavoidable, and he supposed it would soon be
necessary to assert the rights of his government, and the authority
deputed to him, by force of arms. In this he was disappointed; but
a circumstance shortly after transpired, that brought him into
notoriety,--of a very different character, indeed, from what he
had desired or anticipated, yet it is not at all probable that he
ever regretted his connection with the transaction.--In 1806 he was
appointed postmaster, and selected as the confidential agent of the
post-office department, being clothed with the power of suspending
postmasters and contractors concerned in what was called, “the
conspiracy of Aaron Burr.” Young and ardent, in heart and soul
a patriot, it is not strange that he should have shared in the
prevalent feeling, and approved the public judgment that denounced
Colonel Burr as a traitor. He may have been mistaken in this, and
if so, it was an error into which he was very likely to fall:--the
projects of Colonel Burr are still shrouded in mystery; he who was
chiefly interested in removing the odium attached to them in the
estimation of his countrymen, if that were possible, refused to make
any explanations; to the close of his life he maintained a studied
reserve, and when he died, “he made no sign”!
Lieutenant Gaines was quite active in discharging the extraordinary
mission intrusted to him, and in ferreting out the parties implicated
in the supposed conspiracy. He arrested Colonel Burr; and, on
account of his acquaintance with the western country, he received
the temporary appointment of marshal, in which capacity he summoned
a number of witnesses to attend the trial. About the same time he
was promoted to the rank of captain. Although his conduct had been
governed by the best and purest motives, and he had but faithfully
carried out the instructions of those whom it was his duty to obey,
he incurred the bitterest animosity of the friends of Colonel Burr,
and was severely attacked on the trial; and, in his subsequent life,
he was often taught to feel, that they had neither forgotten nor
forgiven him.
[Sidenote: RE-ENTERS THE ARMY.]
Soon after his connection with this affair terminated, seeing nothing
before him but a life of inaction wholly unsuited to his active
temperament, he decided to retire from the army, and enter the
legal profession. Before announcing his determination, he wisely
hesitated--there was a prospect of war with England,--though, after
the settlement of the affair of the Chesapeake, a remote one,--and he
therefore concluded merely to apply for leave of absence. This was
cordially granted by his commanding officer, General Hampton, and he
now commenced the practice of the law in the counties of Washington
and Baldwin, in what was then the Mississippi territory, but now the
State of Alabama. He had just rode his second circuit, under auspices
highly flattering to his talents and abilities, when the alternative,
of rejoining the army or finally throwing up his commission, was
presented. The call of his country was the call of duty. The summons
to arms was joyfully obeyed, and at the commencement of the war of
1812, he resumed his sword, and his position in the service.
The year 1812 closed without furnishing him an opportunity to
distinguish himself. In the spring of 1813, he was attached to the
North-western army, and rose, by rapid promotions, to the command of
a regiment. A long and tedious illness prevented his participation in
the battle of the Thames, but he recovered in time to accompany the
ill-fated expedition of General Wilkinson down the St. Lawrence.[5]
He was present at the battle of Chrystler’s fields, on the eleventh
of November, and for his gallantry on that occasion was mentioned
in terms of high commendation, in the official dispatch of General
Boyd. In the action he commanded the 25th infantry, one of the finest
and most effective regiments in the service, and after the British
had been beaten back, in accordance with the instructions of the
commander-in-chief to General Boyd, he was directed to cover the
re-embarkation of the American troops.
This service was performed with skill, fearlessness, and promptitude.
Colonel Morrison, of the 89th British foot, the officer in command
of the enemy, animated by the hope of achieving some certain success
during the day, pushed hard upon him with a large body of troops.
His men stood firm and immovable as the rocks beneath their feet. A
desperate onset was made by the enemy to overwhelm him, but after
an obstinate struggle they were completely repulsed. He then joined
the advance, retiring with his command slowly and deliberately to
their boats. Colonel Morrison was so well pleased with the brave
conduct of the regiment, that, after the action, he sent his card to
its commanding officer, with a message expressing his admiration,
and desiring to know his name, in order that if they should chance
to meet when the two countries were at peace, he might claim the
privilege of an old friend and fellow soldier. It need not be added,
that Colonel Gaines promptly complied with the request and returned
the compliment.
[Sidenote: DEFENCE OF FORT ERIE.]
Colonel Gaines accompanied the army into winter quarters at French
Mills, and, on the ninth of March, 1814, he received the commission
of a brigadier general. At the opening of the following campaign, we
find him placed in command at Sacketts Harbor, upon the departure
of General Brown and his army for the Niagara frontier. Here he was
assiduously employed in providing for the defence of the post, and,
when it was blockaded by the British squadron, in preventing their
attempts to cut off the supplies and munitions of war, conveyed
through the interior of New York, by way of the Mohawk, the Oneida
Lake, and the Oswego river, and the connecting canals, and then
transported over Lake Ontario to Sacketts Harbor. He remained at this
post, till he was summoned by General Brown to join the army on the
Niagara, after the battle of the twenty-fifth of July. On the fifth
of August he arrived at Fort Erie, then beleaguered by the British
forces under General Drummond, and assumed the command.
The construction of the additional defences of the fort had already
been commenced, under the direction of General Ripley, with whose
arrangements he interfered no further than to press the rapid
completion of the works. The main structure was a small unfinished
redoubt, and in a very dilapidated condition. It was situated about
one hundred yards from the lake, above which it was elevated some
fifteen or twenty feet. Towards the water it was left exposed, though
partially repaired; on the right it was strengthened, and extended by
a breastwork, to the river, where it terminated in a battery, and on
the left a line of intrenchments and abattis was formed, extending to
an eminence called Snake hill, which formed the southern angle, and
on which a redoubt was constructed. From thence eastwardly, to the
shore of the lake, there was a defence of abattis.
The British general had fancied that the American army was now
within his grasp, and that a single blow would be followed by
their immediate surrender, or their withdrawal from the Canadian
territory. Upon his arrival before the post he found its occupants
much better prepared for his reception than he expected to find them.
He therefore sat himself down coolly and deliberately, established
his main camp about two miles distant, threw up two lines of
intrenchments, supported by strong block houses, in front of the
works, planted his batteries at favorable points, and contented
himself with drawing closer the investment, but, nevertheless,
pushing his operations with great activity.
The American soldiers labored incessantly on the fortifications; and
on the seventh of August, though still incomplete, they were in a
sufficient state of forwardness to withstand an attack. From that
time till the fourteenth instant, a constant cannonade was kept up,
on one side or the other; the earth shaking for miles around, as the
thunders of the artillery boomed over the lake, or rolled along its
shores, echoing from one headland to the other, and muttering among
the fissures of the rocks and recesses of the forest, till they were
lost in the distance. Several skirmishes also took place, in which
the British were generally defeated. The works were considerably
crippled, however, as they were enfiladed by one of the enemy’s
batteries; but the garrison did not suffer materially from the fire,
there being but seven men killed, and thirty-six wounded, up to the
night of the fourteenth instant.
[Sidenote: PREPARATIONS OF THE ENEMY.]
Towards evening on the fourteenth a bustle was observed in the
British lines, from which General Gaines rightly conjectured that the
enemy designed to hazard an assault, and his dispositions were at
once made to repel it. The garrison was feeble enough, there being
but about twenty-five hundred effective men, while the besieging
force was nearly double that number; but what they lacked in this
respect was more than made up in the cheerfulness with which the
officers seconded the wishes of the commander, the unflinching
firmness of the men, and the readiness with which they obeyed every
call of duty. The main fort and its bastions were placed under the
command of Captain Williams, of the artillery; the battery on the
margin of the lake, on the right, was commanded by Captain Douglass,
of the engineers; the batteries in front were placed in charge of
Captains Biddle and Fanning; and Captain Towson’s battery occupied
the south-western angle of the works,--all being under the command
of Major Hindman, chief of artillery. The first brigade, under
Lieutenant Colonel Aspinwall,--its former commander, General Scott,
having been wounded at the battle of Niagara, on the twenty-fifth of
July,--was posted on the right, and the second brigade, under General
Ripley, on the left. The riflemen and volunteers, under General
Porter, were directed to support the batteries in front, and the
block house, near the salient bastion of the fort, was occupied by a
detachment of infantry, under Major Trimble.
The preparations of General Drummond were completed soon after
nightfall on the fourteenth; it was arranged that the projected
assault should be made early on the following morning, in three
columns,--that on the right designed to attack the left of the
American works, consisting of thirteen hundred men, being placed
under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Fischer, that on the left,
of about the same number, under Colonel Scott, and the central
column, composed of eight hundred select troops, under Lieutenant
Colonel Drummond. A few hours before the assault was ordered, one
of the enemy’s shells lodged in a small magazine in the fort, which
exploded with a deafening noise, shaking the solid earth, and
shooting a vast pillar of smoke and flame up towards the sky, which
expanded at the top, and rained down showers of fragments on the
heads of the garrison. Not a man was injured, or a gun disabled, by
the explosion; but the British soldiers, fancying some serious injury
had been effected, raised a loud and joyous shout. This was promptly
answered by the Americans, and in the midst of the confusion, and
before the smoke had cleared away, Captain Williams discharged his
heavy guns. For a few moments an animated fire was kept up, and the
air was filled with a storm of projectiles, with crashing balls, and
falling shells,--but it died away again, and all was still. It was
the silence that forebodes the storm--the hush that precedes the
whirlwind!
It had been rainy throughout the day, and the rolling thunders of
the tempest mingled with the loud roar of cannon, and the noise of
exploding bombs. When the night set in, the rain continued to fall;
heavy masses of clouds swept athwart the sky, curtaining the scene
with a dark and gloomy pall; and the fires in the enemy’s camp could
scarcely be discerned, glimmering feebly through the obscure haze.
The breastworks of Fort Erie sheltered many an anxious bosom, but
the fire of a noble courage, that knew not how to falter, sparkled
in every eye, and beamed on every countenance. General Gaines,
whose dauntless intrepidity was never more conspicuous than on this
occasion, was active in encouraging and inspiriting his men, both by
his language and his example. Every necessary order was issued with
promptitude, and obeyed with alacrity.
[Sidenote: THE ASSAULT.]
Midnight came,--and yet there were no indications of an attack.
Another, and another hour passed by in silence. Ere the next half
hour was told, a low, faint sound was heard, like the rustling of
the wind among the leaves of the forest. It approached nearer and
nearer,--and the eager listeners soon caught the measured tread of
the approaching columns, enveloped in thick darkness, but hurrying
onward with rapidity to the assault. The column led by Lieutenant
Colonel Fischer was the first to reach the works. The enemy advanced
steadily and quickly,--one portion approaching the battery at the
southwestern angle, with scaling ladders; and the other advancing
against the line between it and the lake, with the design of
terminating the contest, in an instant, by the decisive shock of the
bayonet. They were allowed to approach within good range, when the
American musketry and artillery opened suddenly upon them. Broad
sheets of flame leaped from the breastworks; shot and shell were
vomited in torrents from the batteries; and the dense waves of smoke
that surged over the combatants, were lighted constantly by the vivid
flashes of the artillery.
The effect was terrific. The enemy were mowed down in platoons,
and scores were swept away at every discharge. They hesitated
for a moment,--another scorching blast burst from the American
batteries,--and they recoiled in terror and alarm. They were soon
rallied, however, and again led to the attack; but they were again
repulsed with fearful slaughter. The British officers once more
succeeded in animating their wavering troops for another onset.
They now attempted to pass round the abattis by wading through the
lake, the water of which came nearly to their arm-pits. The American
soldiers, cheered by the presence of General Gaines, who had mounted
his horse and hastened at the first alarm to participate in the
dangers, and share the perils of the conflict, made every preparation
to receive them. Some few succeeded in reaching the firm earth on
the opposite side of the abattis, but it was only to be pierced by a
dozen wounds. Many were drowned in the lake; others sank exhausted by
their wounds, beneath the water dyed with the life blood which they
had vainly shed; and others found their only safety in surrendering
themselves prisoners of war. The officers no longer endeavored to
prevent the retreat, but all, as if animated by one impulse, hurried,
in haste, from the scene of their disaster.
[Sidenote: INCIDENTS OF THE BATTLE.]
On the other flank the enemy were equally unsuccessful. The column
under Colonel Scott became entangled in the rocks near the river,
on the right of the intrenched camp, and were delayed for a short
time; but when they discovered their error, and regained their line
of march, they pushed on more rapidly than before. The sleepless
vigilance of the besieged could not be taken by surprise. The
assailing column were heard distinctly behind the ramparts as they
approached, and when within fifty yards of the American lines, they
encountered an appalling fire that forced them to halt. To advance
further was impossible. The batteries before them presented a
constant blaze of fire, and the air was full of bursting balls
and missiles. In the meantime, the central column, commanded by
Lieutenant Colonel Drummond, had advanced boldly against the fort
in front. A rapid, and well-directed fire was turned upon them by
Captain Williams, but, unappalled by the carnage, they succeeded in
applying their ladders to the walls of the salient bastion. As they
were striving to gain the parapet, their officers shouted to their
comrades, in the column under Colonel Scott, to “cease firing”!
This proved to be a mere trick, but it succeeded for a moment. The
order was heard by Captain Douglass, and supposing that it emanated
from his own superior officers, both he and his infantry support
temporarily suspended their fire. Favored by this circumstance,
Colonel Scott once more led on his men,--but they had only provoked
their doom. The deception was now manifest, and a still more galling
fire was sustained, which caused them again to pause. Their commander
and a number of his officers were cut down; their loss was dreadfully
severe; they were unable to continue the advance, and a retreat was
ordered. They commenced retiring slowly, but the movement terminated
in a disorderly flight.
Drummond’s column, however, had achieved a slight advantage, yet
it was brief as it was unimportant. The first attempt to carry the
bastion entirely failed; a second, and a third effort was made, with
similar results. But the British commander lacked not in brutal
courage, though sadly deficient in the more ennobling qualities of
the gallant soldier. Under cover of the intense darkness, just
before the break of day, he led a portion of his men silently along
the ditch, applied his ladders at a point where he was not expected,
and mounted the parapet. With a daring intrepidity worthy of a better
cause, he led his men forward to the charge, shrieking out in the
tones of baffled rage and hate--“No quarter!--give the Yankees no
quarter!” This dastard order was faithfully obeyed. A fierce and
maddening contest took place for the possession of the bastion.
Major Hindman and his artillerists, with their supporting force,
bravely stood their ground. Their efforts proved unavailing. Captain
Williams, and a number of the men, were killed or mortally wounded,
and his lieutenants, Watmough and Macdonough, were also severely
wounded. The latter disdained to yield till he was completely
disabled, and then asked for quarter. This was refused,--when,
rallying his remaining strength, he snatched a handspike, and,
with the madness of despairing humanity, strove to beat off his
assailants. As he held them at bay, the infuriated Drummond rushed
forward, and shot him down with his own hand. But this coward act
received a fearful retribution. The next instant an avenging bullet
found its way to the heart of the British leader, and he fell beside
his victim,--a horrid blasphemy gurgling, with the death rattle, in
his throat!
[Sidenote: FINAL REPULSE OF THE ENEMY.]
Notwithstanding the fall of their commander, the men who had effected
a lodgment in the bastion, successfully resisted every attempt to
dislodge them till daylight. General Gaines then ordered up larger
reinforcements, and the enemy began speedily to fall back. They were
now at the mercy of the American soldiers, who had not forgotten the
savage cry which had been the death-knell of many a brave spirit.
Expecting no favor, as none was merited, they had commenced tumbling
pellmell over the parapet into the ditch, when a strong reserve
was descried rapidly coming up under Lieutenant Colonel Tucker. An
enfilading fire from Captain Douglass’ battery upon the approaching
column, and a few rapid and effective discharges from the guns of
Captains Biddle and Fanning, checked their advance. Between three
and four hundred of the enemy advanced to within a short distance of
the bastion; but, at this moment, and while the Americans, under the
orders of General Gaines, were preparing for a vigorous rush upon the
remnant of Drummond’s column, a number of cartridges deposited in one
end of the stone building adjoining the bastion, caught fire, and
exploded, with a tremendous roar, carrying away the whole platform.
The loss of the enemy by the explosion was small in comparison
with what they had previously sustained, but it served to add to
their confusion, and to increase their anxiety to escape beyond
the reach of the American guns. No effort was made to pursue the
assault further, and a general retreat of the enemy now took place,
as tumultuous and disorderly, as their advance had been brave and
imposing.
The British lost one hundred and fifty-seven men killed, in the
assault, three hundred and eight wounded, and one hundred and
eighty-six prisoners; besides a number who were drowned in the lake,
and a still greater number who deserted under cover of the darkness.
The American loss was only seventeen killed, fifty-six wounded, and
eleven missing.
General Drummond had indulged the hope that a single giant stroke
would retrieve the fortunes of the British arms in the peninsula,
and enable him to “ride in triumph over all mischance.” The attack
was well-laid, but failed in every respect. This abortive attempt
sadly crippled his strength, and though he was reïnforced by two
regiments on the following day, he durst not hazard a second assault.
His batteries were enlarged, and the bombardment continued, though
without any sensible effect. On the twenty-eighth of August, General
Gaines, having been severely wounded by the bursting of a shell, was
obliged to retire to Buffalo, leaving General Ripley in charge of
the post which had been thus bravely defended. General Brown resumed
the command on the second of September, and soon after compelled the
British commander to raise the siege, and retire to his intrenched
camp beyond the Chippewa.[6]
General Gaines did not recover from his wound in time to take part
in the further operations of the belligerent forces during the few
months which elapsed previous to the conclusion of the treaty of
peace.--His gallant service in the defence of Fort Erie, did not go
unrewarded. He was brevetted a major-general; Congress honored him,
also, and the officers and men under his command, with a vote of
thanks, and authorized the president to procure and present him with
a gold medal. Similar votes of thanks were likewise passed, and
gold-hilted swords presented to him, by the legislatures of New York,
Virginia, and Tennessee.
[Sidenote: THE SEMINOLE WAR.]
After the termination of hostilities with Great Britain, being
retained on the peace-establishment, General Gaines was ordered to
relieve General Jackson in the command of the southern district.
He was engaged in the discharge of the duties appertaining to his
position, in the summer of 1817, when the Seminoles, a branch of the
Creek tribe, and the Red Sticks, or Mickasaukians, also a branch of
the same nation, who were driven from the Mississippi territory by
General Jackson, in 1814, in connection with a number of runaway
negroes,--all instigated by Nichols and Woodbine, and other British
agents, and the Spanish authorities of Florida,--began to renew
their depredations on the southern frontiers of Georgia. In July, a
large band of these savages and outlaws were dislodged from a fort
in which they had established themselves, on the Appalachicola, by a
body of regulars and friendly Indians, under Colonel Clinch; but, as
their outrages were frequently repeated, General Gaines immediately
commenced erecting forts for the defence and protection of the border
settlements. Fort Scott was constructed on the Flint river, a short
distance above Spring Creek; Fort Gaines on the left bank of the
Chatahoochee, about midway between the Petawla and Yattayabba creeks;
and a third fort on the Conecuh.
In order to put an end to the atrocities perpetrated by the hostile
savages and their associates, orders were issued to General Gaines
from the War Department, “to remove the Indians still remaining
on the lands ceded by the treaty made by General Jackson with the
Creeks;” and, in pursuance of these instructions, on the nineteenth
of November, he sent an officer to Fowltown, with a message requiring
the removal of the Indians at that place. The chief in command
returned a haughty refusal; whereupon, Major Twiggs was dispatched
with a strong force, to compel an observance of the order, and to
bring the chief and his party to Fort Scott. He was attacked on the
way, but succeeded in repulsing the Indians, and arrived safely
at Fowltown, which was found entirely deserted. On the thirtieth
instant, Major Muhlenburgh arrived in the Appalachicola, with three
vessels, containing supplies for Fort Scott, but was unable to ascend
the river on account of the adverse winds. Lieutenant Scott was
therefore sent down to his assistance, with a boat and forty men.
Twenty of his men were left with the vessels, and their places in
the boat were filled by sick soldiers and women. Lieutenant Scott
then started to return to the fort, but on reaching the mouth of the
Flint river, he was suddenly attacked by a band of Indian warriors,
under their chief Hornotlimed. The whole party, with the exception of
six soldiers, who made their escape by swimming to the shore, were
inhumanly butchered, and their scalps taken to the Indian town of
Mickasauky, to adorn the war-pole, striped with red paint, which had
already been erected.
Offensive measures of the most rigorous character, were now rendered
unavoidable. The experience acquired by General Jackson in his Indian
campaigns, led to his being selected to conduct the war against the
Seminoles and their allies. He arrived at Fort Scott, with nine
hundred Georgia militia, on the ninth of March, 1818, and, as the
senior officer, assumed the command. General Gaines acted under his
orders during the short, but decisive campaign, that terminated
in the effectual chastisement of the savages, and their Spanish
abettors.[7] The services of the former were invaluable to the
commanding general; he was always to be relied on, ever ready for
any service, prompt, skilful, persevering and industrious. He was
present at the reduction of Fort Barrancas, on the twenty-eighth of
May, and immediately thereafter was ordered to St. Augustine, with a
detachment, which surrendered to him without serious opposition.
[Sidenote: CONTROVERSY WITH GENERAL SCOTT.]
The hostile Indians being now quieted, General Jackson was relieved
from duty, and General Gaines again took the command. He continued
in charge of the southern district, till the further reduction of
the army in 1821. He was then selected as one of the two brigadiers
retained in service, and assigned to the command of the western
military division. Upon the death of General Brown, in 1828, he
was a candidate, with General Scott, for the vacant office of
General-in-chief. The appointment, however, was conferred on General
Macomb, then at the head of the engineer bureau. Pending the
selection of an officer to supply this vacancy, a warm controversy
took place between General Scott and himself, in relation to their
respective priority of rank, which led to an unfortunate estrangement
between them, and has since been a fruitful subject of contention and
difficulty, occasioning not more embarrassment to the individuals
particularly concerned, than to the national authorities, and their
mutual friends, who are perhaps equally proud of the military
services of both officers.
General Gaines was continued in command of the western division, his
head-quarters being established at Jefferson barracks, and on the
breaking out of disturbances with the Sacs and Foxes, in May, 1831,
he promptly repaired to the theatre of contention, having previously
dispatched thither a large body of troops. The principal village
of the Sacs and Foxes lay in the beautiful peninsula between the
transparent waters of the Rock river, and the Mississippi. In 1804,
a treaty was concluded by Governor Harrison with their principal
chiefs, by the terms of which all their lands east of the Mississippi
were ceded to the United States; the Indians reserving to themselves
the right of living and hunting upon the territory ceded while
the same was unsold. A large number of the Sacs remained in the
peninsula, and continued peaceably to enjoy the rights which had been
reserved, till the admission of Illinois into the Union. The state
then began to be more rapidly populated, and the valuable lead mines
at Galena attracted a vast body of emigrants. In a few years the
Indians were entirely surrounded by the settlements of the whites.
Collisions frequently occurred; excesses were committed on one side,
and retaliatory measures, far more aggravated in character, were
adopted on the other.
[Sidenote: DIFFICULTY WITH THE SACS AND FOXES.]
With a view of removing the cause of dispute, the general government,
in 1829, ordered the lands occupied by the Indians to be sold.
The Sacs, under their celebrated chief, Black Hawk, now insisted
that the treaty of 1804 was concluded by a few chiefs without the
knowledge or consent of the nation at large, and refused to give up
possession to purchasers. The authorities of the state were called
upon to interfere for the protection of the whites, and in May, 1831,
Governor Reynolds called out seven hundred militia, to remove the
Indians by force. A collision had been anticipated by the Executive
of the United States, and General Gaines had received orders to
proceed to the seat of disturbance, if it should appear to be
necessary. He instantly ordered six companies of regular troops from
Jefferson Barracks to Rock Island, and four companies from Prairie
du Chien. On the thirteenth of May, General Gaines arrived with this
force at Fort Armstrong. A conference was here held with the Indian
chiefs, but as they were unwilling to agree to any satisfactory
terms, he called on Governor Reynolds of Illinois, for an additional
force of militia. The governor joined him on the Rock river, with
sixteen hundred mounted men, on the twenty-fifth of June, and in
the morning of the ensuing day, General Gaines took possession of
the Indian town, at the head of the united force, without firing a
gun, or meeting a single Indian,--the late occupants of the village
having crossed the Mississippi, with their women and children, on the
previous night.
General Gaines again dispatched a message to the Sac chiefs,
proposing another conference. This was finally acceded to, and on the
thirtieth of June they entered into a treaty with him and Governor
Reynolds, by which it was agreed that they should permanently remove
beyond the Mississippi. Having brought this affair to what, at the
time, promised to be a satisfactory termination, General Gaines
returned to his headquarters. The treaty stipulations of the Indians
proved to be delusory, however. In the following year Black Hawk led
his warriors across the Mississippi, and refused peremptorily to
retire, till he and his band were completely routed at the battle of
the Bad-Axe, on the twenty-seventh of August, after which a treaty
was concluded with General Scott and Governor Reynolds, in accordance
with which the Sacs and Foxes removed to the vicinity of the Iowa and
Des Moines rivers.
Another long interval of comparative inaction now occurred in the
military service of General Gaines. Little more can be said of him,
during this time, than that all his duties as the commander of the
western division, were discharged with punctuality and dispatch.
We hear nothing further from him of especial moment, till the
renewal of hostilities with the Seminoles of Florida, in the fall
of 1835. On receiving intelligence of the massacre of Major Dade’s
command, and the battle of the Withlacoochee, he collected all the
disposable troops in the vicinity of New Orleans, to which point
his head-quarters had been removed, and immediately repaired to the
seat of war. He landed at Fort Brooke, at the head of Tampa Bay, on
the fourth of February, 1836, and at once proceeded in search of the
savages, following the route of the unfortunate Dade down the right
bank of the Withlacoochee. On arriving at the scene of the massacre,
he caused the remains of the brave soldiers who had fallen victims
to the wiles of the Indian warriors, to be decently and carefully
interred. On the twenty-eighth of February, he encountered a body of
Indians not far from Fort King, but repulsed them with loss. Soon
after this affair he entered into a parley with Asceolah, or Osceola,
the principal chief of the Seminoles, which, like most obligations
and pledges of a similar character, proved to be a mere ruse,--the
object of which was to gain time for the removal of the women and
children to places of security, in the marshy everglades, and leafy
hummocks, in the southern part of the peninsula.
[Sidenote: THE FLORIDA WAR.]
Previous to these occurrences, General Scott had been ordered to
take command of the troops, and to prosecute the war in Florida. He
arrived at St. Augustine on the eighth of February, and on receiving
authentic information of the fact, and on being informed of the
orders issued at Washington, General Gaines gave up the command, and
shortly afterwards returned to New Orleans.
His skirmish with the Indians, on the banks of the Withlacoochee,
terminated, in all probability, forever, the active service of
General Gaines in the field. Incapacitated, by reason of his age,
and physical inability to endure the hardships and privations of a
campaign, he was not employed in the prosecution of the war with
Mexico, except in forwarding supplies, and hastening on troops, to
the camp established by General Taylor at Corpus Christi, in the
summer of 1845, and in discharging the other duties, in connection
therewith, that devolved on him as the commanding officer at New
Orleans. Though yielding to the influence of advancing years, he
still possessed the chivalric fire, and the ardent patriotism,
which had distinguished him in his younger days. Like the war-horse
no longer fitted to endure the shock of battle, he snuffed the
breeze that came from the field of strife, afar off, and when the
information was received that General Taylor and his little band of
soldiers were surrounded on the Rio Grande, and cut off from their
supplies, he was impatient to rush to the assistance of his gallant
brother in arms.
Restraining his impulses, he did all that was possible to be done,
to relieve the army supposed to be in such imminent peril. All the
regular troops that could be sent to the seat of war, were dispatched
thither as expeditiously as possible. He also caused a large number
of volunteers to be enrolled, mustered into service, and transported
to the Rio Grande, without waiting for orders from Washington; in
this he exceeded his authority, and it was thought proper to submit
his conduct to a court of inquiry. The court assembled at Fort
Monroe, in July, 1846, and after a full investigation, determined
that he had transcended his powers, but that the act was prompted
by the purest and most praiseworthy motives. The executive and
the people of the United States, it is needless to say, cordially
approved of the decision. Not long after General Gaines was assigned
to the command of the eastern division, and established his
head-quarters at New York, where he remained till the close of the
war with Mexico, when he was relieved from duty at his own request.
[Sidenote: PERSONAL APPEARANCE AND CHARACTER.]
General Gaines yet lives, in the enjoyment of “all that should
accompany old age,” to recount the thrilling incidents of his
campaigns, and “fight his battles o’er again.” One of that class of
men is he--but too few in number--belonging to a past _régime_, who,
though he has vindicated his title to be ranked among the military
heroes of the nation, has never forgotten those noble qualities
which characterize the gentleman of the old school. He is scarcely
above the ordinary height, and slight of person, but straight as
the arrow of an Indian warrior. He is somewhat reserved, but not
taciturn,--courteous and urbane in his manners, but dignified and
high-minded. Though his head is silvered with the frost of many
winters, he is still hale and erect, and brave and generous, as in
the hey-day of youth, when he rambled along the banks of the Yadkin;
or, in the pride of manhood, when he stood unmoved, gazing with an
unblenched eye on the carnage around him, and issuing his orders with
an unfaltering lip, amid the whirling balls and blazing shells, on
the ramparts of Fort Erie!