The Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1837-1845, 1839-06-26
LETTER FROM GEN. GAINES.


expressly applied TO me. are. nevertheless. as well
known hy NV friends have heen Designed Tor me- 40
il had been named in every hoe. Silence, therefore,
on my part, would heirsy an indifference which might
be construed Into iacit admission bf the impniaion
put forth against aid the gallant officers and men
Of the Louisiana volunteers aud regulars, which haa
the honor to command IN the first Florida eAhpagn'
You are pleased 10 say that "opInions nave often
been expressed by protesting some kno"ieoge OF
the course oi military events that had sush anu s"cn
measures been adopted or avoided o. such aud such
officers been placed or eoahnned ~ eomma"a' Tue war
would ere this have been al sn end
You then remark that $50 nothing could have been
more vain or Elusive than such predictions,
When my friends and others with whom had no
acquaintance in the southern and western States as
well NJ IN Florida expressed the opinion, which they
have often EXPRESSED, that il had been permitted 10
remain IN Florida with the Louisiana volunteers, and
regulars added to the Georgia and Florida volunteers
under tho noble-hes Clinch the war would have
been terminated honorsby IN the monih Of March or
April 1895; was convinced Of the correctness Of
this opnio--not merely because The officers aud
of NV command were better acquainted with the In
dias and with The county embracing the theatre OF the
war; than any other troops IN the service, but because
had actually The short space Of hysir days raised
most Of The and iaad aud uais
500 mules had marched through The Florida DiLsrhess
and sramps l40 mules NJ hsi distance; and mortover
had met me enemy and beaiea I'm. and forced HIM 10
sue for ptaee; had Promised him peace; aud, from
peace without firing single shot OF our troops, who
were permitted to themselves IN fishing fur
miles up and down the Wthachohee river 10 the pre-
sence Of any OF the Indians three days Immediately
after the reatyand II was afterwards proven that they
rensn, perfectly pesceable from the 9th TO the latter
end of March, confidently expecting the iu6meut of
my promise that they should have peace, the
President could be heard fom.
These facts properly reported to the War De-
partment and although great efforts have been made
iha a. Ear
peace, in their promise to rene al peace there
exists the rrefsgable eyders. Of their sincerity
without a shadow OF evidence ION any respectable
officer or soldier then with me- TO the contrary.
Under the foregoing circumstances. | turned my
command TO that excellent officer General Cllnch,
and left Florida for the Sabine flontier with deep
conviction OF the fact that these would be
IN Florida unless II should DO renewed bs some rerk-
less Indian or white chief, unwilling TO brook the DIS
grace OF my having raised army and marched near
800 miles, aud put end TO the war, before party
sctbbmg secretary and his avorte general with their
French books, could write few dozen long letters
prePauag psionay plans Of operation, according 10 the
NdpoitoH tactics Z! excellent for operations against
troops of civilized natlcnsbnt rutess for wilderness
swanps, against sayages) whilst the Florida frontier
was bleeding
/ had the satisfaction to find. from the testimony Of
Gen Smith, and all other respectable officers with me,
whose statements have had opportunity Of obtain
my. (and which are At your service, should you think
i
had left Florida. the Indians aimed faithful to their
promise 10 abstain from hoslties, for three weeks
after they had Obtained my promise that they should
have peacea promise which, according 10 the laws OF
war, had much right to make as VI the President
had been at my elbow and had expressly dictated 10 me
The promise which | had made them-lnssnnch as |
had beaten them and forced them 10 sue for peace
/ But soon learned that il not the ioW and plea
sure of my friends at Washington that should have
the poor satisfaction Of bringing the war to close On
III had
gross Improperly in daring 90 from New Orleans TO
Florida. without my ordersthat !" Games shall he
brought before court aud his dIsspprored Y!
and that "as TO his whipping the Indians, they were
not half whpped"and that Scott shall 20 and give
them good trhjpping"
i Tit cood ,nh,ppiny has cost this nation twenty
Millions of dollars, with the lives Of hundreds Of meri
iorious officers and volunteers, regulars. and mi
htld-to say nothing Of the disgrace Of statesmen and
visionary chIeains, employed III planning splendid cam
paigns, magnificent, for cluset purposes and TO enable
bureaa herus to indulge in the work Of anonymous
essays-but leaving the indians unwilling stay whpt,
And NOW, Messrs Editors you pleased 10 tell "a
benighted world that nothing could be vain
lIusve than The opinion, that had snch and such
sures heen adopted avoided, had such aud such
officers been placed or continued ia command, the
would ere this have been at end. And you also
would tell that. II the government had persisted
IN It's exdctons aud the Semlnoes in their resistance,
the war would ncccr have ceased until means had been
brought to bear, ample and eticacious than any
which have heretofore been exhibited"
Means ample and eDicdcious-indeed; and to
be told that the employment Of 600 in the
utic campaign Of April 1885, and nearly an equal num-
Der in the following fall aud winter and subseq ucny
for t"o years past.-,ogeher with twenty millions Of
dollars-dld not constitute means ample and s6ied-
eOns aud shall it DO said, now the war is ouly
mored 10 be oper, that miserable nation Of Indians,
consisting Of le than huudrcdh part OF the red
men near Us, would Tor ever maintain the attitude of
defiance against the United States without more men
and mare money! If So The age of chivalry Is indeed
passed apd gone from country
Be assured, Messrs Editors, that one thousand such
men as Daniel Boone aud his associates OF Kentucky,
or John Sewer, Isaac Shelby, and their BROTHER sol
dleis OF Tennessee, with foreth part of the money
expended IN Florida would have been sufficiently "am-
pic and etficaclous TO have brought the close
IN tenth part OF the time elapsed since its com
mencemen prooidcd aiays hat The coil spirt Of party
coad he excluded from statesmen and acers concerned,
drecHy or ihdlrccty, IN The management Of the
II was the evil spirit of party that decided the course
OF measures which brought about the II was the
evil spirit of party that combined against me three in.
nuental men, the worst Of its votaries and though OF
different parties, all willing to combine against me- be.
cause they all feared me, aud because | had spnrned
their efforts to make m. party Ii the evil
spirit Of party which arrayed the ultra presses Of all
parties against me, endeasorng TO place without the
pale Of common Justice. il is the same owl spirit OF
party which now prompts ultra party TO turn
deaf ear TO all measures for the national defence which
do not emanate from ultra party men. II is the EVIL
spirit Of party which leaves county without rail-
roads from central States to the seaboard-wi,h
floating batteries, to he acted on by power, in the
national defence for the protection Of seapors and
inland frontier against and fleets propelled bv
steam power Correct this evil spirit Of party and
country will become invulnersbe war, and pros
porous in peace Correct this evil spirit Of parry, and
my railroad and floating battery system Of national de-
fence, which proudly scars above the pesenal atmos-
/ II, r r
noyance Of neighhoring Indlans-a system Of de-
fence the accomplishment Of which, at expense Of
but little than thrice the expended in the
Seminole war. will enable TO hold the attitude of
lrha he md nT