The Massachusetts spy, and Worcester County advertiser. [volume] ([Worcester, Mass.]) 1825-1831, 1827-07-04
Gas6cGiIasD.
GENERAL JACKSON.

GENERAL JACKSON.
We extract from the National Journal the
following account of transaction, which, at
the time, created deep sensation in the west
ern country, the effect of which, to this day, is
not obliteratcd. fit evinccs any of the benev-
olent and humane feelings, which are charac-
teristic of great and good men, or that respect
for the laws of the land which ought to be en-
tertained by who aspires to be the chief
magistrate of great and free people, then we
admit that we have mistaken the character of
the man -
=" A detachment of Tennessee militia was
drafted by order of Governor Blount, i'll
May, 1914. They arrived at their place
Of rendezvous on the Goth June. The pri--
Yates were told by their officers, Capt.
Strother, and Lieutenant, whose name Is
not recollected, that, by the existing laws
of their own State, as we'll as of the Unit
ed States, they could only be compelled to
serve for three months. Impressed with this
conviction, on the Goth September, consid-
ering theirtou of duty as completed, up
wards of two hundred of them delivered up
their muskets, drew their rations, and set
out peaceably on their return home. The
greater part of them having received adj
vice on the road that they were wrong in
supposing their legal term of service had
expired, gave up their own opinions, and
were honestly returning to their respective
duties, when they were arrested by order
of General Jackson, charged with mutlny
by order of General Jackson, and brought
to trial by order of General jackson, be-
fore Court composed in the teeth of the
law of three members only, and two super
numeraries, The whole number brought
to trial were found guilty of the charges
alleged against them. The sentences pass
ed upon them were cruel, capricious and
disgusting: cruel in the case of the SIR
condemned to death capricious IN the case
Of the officers and disgusting In the case
of nearly two hundred deluded men. The
officers, by whose advice the men had act
ed, and who were convicted of having ereit-
ed, and conniUed at, the mutlny charged,
were simply dismissed from the service
Six unfortunate victims, as has been stated,
were condemned to suffer death, and about
two hundred others were sentenced to
make good the time they had lost, and, at
the expiration of their service, to have their
heads shared, and to be drummed out Of
camp!
"These frightful sentences were nope
rative without the sanction Of General Jack
son, who ordered the Court; and that
sanction was given OH the 22d January,
1915. We pray the reader to mark tho
date. The sentences thus approved by
General Jackson were but too faithfully car
ried into effect.
"This is a true, unsophisticated state of
the case. More than two hundred Ameri-
can citizens, impressed with belief even
supposing it to be wrong, which was moi
HE case produced by the advice of their
officers, to whom they were accustomed to
look up to as to father, for no other Of
fence than that of misapprehending their
rights, are given over to Court Martial
composed Of three members, selected by the
party who charges them with the wrong
Court who, for what reason, God only
Knows, content themselves with dismisslng
the officers, the cause of the misconduct
while they condemned the deluded prtUateS
six of them to death, and the remainder tc
the most ignominious punishment. Ans
General Jackson approves the sentences
and orders them to he carried into effect
AT such time too the 22d of January
when every American bosom was teeming
with gratitude to Providence for the sigma
deliverancc of our country from hostile in
vasion through the instrumentality of thi