Constitutional Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1824-1832, 1828-04-16

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Bat no evidence of his achievements during
the Revolutionary war, has been preserved,
except what is contained IN ms Biography,
written by one his adherents, as we believe
under his own inspection, in which the best
possible appearance is given to all his acts,
ana 10 circumstance omitted which could,
by any ingenuity of the writer, be biazoned
totE" honor OF the hero. IN this book we
hno, that Gen. Jackson was born in March.
! l167; he was, therefore, eight years OF arc at
the commencement, and fifteen al the END,
OF the war. ltisnot pretended, that he ever
was present at SINGLE battle, nor does i a,,-
pear that he bore arms: the only exploit mem
toned Is his rCtu>a! 10 perform a rnenli
service at the command OF British officer
and this, we think, is rather Il slender foun-
dat.on for the high pretenslons of having
contributed TO SHAKE OFF THE YOKE OF TYR.
RAINY AND BUILD Up THE FABRIC OF FREE
CiovERNMENT."
In the same letter, he says, eThe war over
and peace restored, retired to my farm. TO
private llic, where but for the call | received
to the Senate Of the Union, should have
contcntcdiy remained. have never sought
OFFICE or POWER, nor have ! been willing 20
hold any post longer than | could be useful
to my country, not myself, and trust !
never snail" This declaration is manifest
~ intended to repcl the idea, that he IS a
military chlottain,' and impress upon the
public mind belief that he, possesses no
tondness for military life-that, like Cincin-
natus, ne took the field only when the exigen-
ciesof his country demanded his services, and
returned to private life and civil pursuits i'm
mcdlatciy upon the restoration of peace. He
probably did retire TO ''to his farm but not
"to private life, soon after the peace. He
continued to hold the commission, and to
receive the pay ana cmoluinents of Major
General at the army Of the u. S., until the
reduction OF the army in 1921. 1t was after
the restoration Of peace that he invaded Flo
rida, and hung the dccoycd Indians at St.
Marks. He was sin the field" when he is
sued ms rePrmand and orders to the Cover
nor OF Georgia. The war was certainly at
an end when he was at Washington CITY,
utterlng terocious threats against Senators
tor daring to dlsapprove his conduct in Flo
rlda. Peace was restored, whom ACTING in
the double capacity of Major General and
Governor Of Florida, he asserted a right to
absolute power over the inhabitants. and
caused Col. Callaya, who had been charged
by the King of Spain with the duty of de-
llvcflng possession to the American autbori
ty, OF the archives appcrtaining to the coded
country, to be ,elzed by armed soldiers, and
dragged from bed of sickness 10 prison.
because he had contended that he was not
bound to deliver UP papers belonging to in
diViduals 1t was then that the civil author
ity was again resisted, and its power deficd
ny threatening Judge Promentin with mill
tary punishment, If he persisted in exercising
nis judicial authority, by issuing writ of hG-
Gsns corpus to restore the Spanish officer to
liberty.
Attempts have been made to indicate
Gen. J. for the part he has taken in the eli.
forts winch have been made, and are still n1a-
king. to destroy the fame and character Of
mf. Clay, by representing that he was not Il
voluntary assallant, but was drawn into the
controversy by the lndiscrect zeal Of others.
whose conduct he neither authorized or aD
proved. This defence, we think, is suggest,
ed, rather by the effect which the repeated
fetutatlon Of his accusation has PRODUCED
and Is still producing upon the public mind,
than by regard 10 the existing facts. In
his letter Of The 23d Feb. 1925, to Swart
won't, Gen. ]. manifested the strongest feel
ingS OF personal resentment against Mr.. CLAW.
tor voting against him, and alleging az a
reason that he considered him Il mere mill
tary chIcttan. He makes an appeal to pub
tic sympathy, by representing himself as
greatly injured hero of the Revolution, and
endeavors to excite the public indignation
against Mr. Clay, for his agency in the cleo
ton, by distinctly, though indirectly charging
HIM with seeking through art and manage.
ment, to EsrIcE Representatives in Congress
from their duty-with holding ssconclaves."
ana entering into ''cabals'' to persuade them
ito violation of "FLEDaEs given or instruc-
tons rece'red." Yet at the inauguration Of
"r. Adams, after the date Of this letter, the
writer was among the first to take the hand
OF the President, and tender his congratula-
tions-thus giving public testimony of respect
Tor the man whose election he had rcpresen-
ted as tic result OF bargain, Intrigue and
management. Since then, he has taken fire.
quent occasion to propagate charges Of cor
ruptlon against Mr.. Clay and his friends.-
At length, in his correspondence with Carter
beverly, he gave to the accusation a tangi-
bic for;l', and the public sanction ofhig came.
Tor the double purpose of reyengln1 past