The Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1837-1845, 1840-07-14
GEN. HARRISON AND col. JOHNSON,


PRESIDENT, TX. M. Johnson, Is Inan Win Whom
we have some acquaintance. Some OF our
Harrison editors have said IN hard things
| about Col. Richard M. Johnson, without know
ing that they were Internationally slandering
one Of the bravest soldiers of the last war, and
one OF the frmest friends that ever Gen. Harri-
son had the honor of possessing. We know
them both intimately, and we speak by authori-
~ when we say there is nothing but the most
kindly feelings entertained in the breasts oil these
honorable and distinguished men, towards each
other. Richard M. Johnson has been kicked TO
one side by his Van Buren, friends, but that
makes no difference 10 US. We mean TO tell
tale, the incidents Of which we can prove by
one Of the most high minded and respectable
men in Cincinnati. ELAN +. Langdon is the
man we allude TO, and although there are some
hundreds of others upon whose testimony we
might rely, we name him in preference TO all
the rest, because, although supporter of the
present administration, he possesses soul, on
which in eight years acquaintance we never
discovered single stain blot. But 10 our
tale which is not one OF fancy
On certain occasion, not far from the dog
days Of 1895, il was rumored among some OF US
Jackson men of Cincinnati, that Dick Johnson,
as every body familiarly called him, was about
to perpetrate stump speech in Covngton which
as we presume all our readers know, lies exactly
opposite to Cincinnati, in the State of Kentucky,
State too well known in history and tradition
TO require our feeble attempts TO eulogZe Well,
we crossed the river in the ferry boat, went 10
the hall where Dick Johnson was TO hold forth,
shook him cordially by the hand, and then sat
down. along with Elan p. Langdon 10 hear his
speech.
| Stump speeches in Kentucky are not precise
ly like those in Ohio. Ii is somewhat difficult for
a Kentucky stump orator when he commences
his speech TO guess with much exactness as to
| its duration or lis peroration. The Kentuckians
dislike TO be humbugged, and they very frequent
| " ask stump orator in the very height
| and flow of his eloquencc question that throws
| him out Of his own prescribed track. Such
was the case with our our friend, Col. Johnson.
| He began dissertation on matters and things
| in general, and Democracy in particular. He
was moving on as smoothly as square rugged
brig, with all her canvass shaken out when
somebody in the crowd yelled out,
| g Were you at the battle of the Thames ~
| ~ was, and what of itW
Are you the hero Of that battle?o
"That's very singular question to be put TO
me by any gentleman that has read the history
| of the last war NV brother James and myself
and the Colonel dashed a tear from his eye
when he pronounced the name Of his brave and
departed brother-my brother James and myself
raised a regiment Of mounted remen and join
ed General Harrison on the Maumee. Weask-
| ed him for the post of danger, the very moment
il could be obtained, and he told us, if it were
possible, and il would not conflict with the ge-
neral operations of the troops, he would grant it
to us cheerfuly We were shorty on the trail
of Proctor We caught him on the Thames
| Our mounted regiment, rs a matter OF course,
was in the advance, and when we deserted the
enemy, my brother and myself rode up to Gen.
Harrison and reminded him of his promise"
| g Have your mounted men ever been practised
10 charge upon infantry 2" said the General.
g Cerlainly2' said We "Then, said the Gene
raj g the post of danger as well as Of duty IS be-
fore you. One half Of your regiment will charge
through the British regulars and the other half
will simultaneously commence an attack on Tc-
cumsehs Indians in the swamp"
$50 said the Genera-my brother James, and
a Drawer and better man never lived, charged
| through the British with one-half of the baita-
ion while i with the other half, undertook TO
| rouse up the Indians in the swamp They were
not hard to rouse up, for Tecumseh, man trans
cendently superior to Proctor, in point of real
bravery, as Hyperion to a Satyr,' had deter
mined to make that his best and most conclusive
battle ground We met them and fought them
and, when they learnt that Proctor's British
regulars had been demolished by my brother
James, they began TO retire. AT this moment
my body had been perforated by FIVE bullets, and
my horse could only be kept on his legs by the
greatest exertions Of my bride hand. In en-
| deavoring to make him leap over log in the
his carcass than were in my own A tall, good
looking Indian, approached me- with his toma
hawk ready for throw. My horse lay in po
siton that did not permit me to be exactly dis
mounted. pulled out loaded pistol from my
holsters and shot him.
They say it was Tecumseh | shot care
not, and knotp not ! would have shot the
best Indian that ever brcathed under such cir
i cumstances, without inquiring his name, or ask
| ing the ages of his Children
| When the Colonel reached this point there
was deafenng roar of applause. A simpleon
present, who did not know the true calbre of
the man he was about to interrogate, and who
wished to make himself popular among the enc
| mics of Harrison, exclaimed in stentoran
voice" Where was General Harrison then ~
The Colonel gave calm survey of the crowd,
until he singled out the face of the querist
/ Looking him dead in the eye, as the Kentuckians
| say, and drawing himself TO his utmost height
| with his eve dilated and a countenance that
plainly showed that there was to be no hypocrisy
| in what he was about To say, he replied in tones
as calm but as portentous as the lnciplent rum
blings that precede a volcanic eruption
g He was in the very spot where the Com
mander-inchiei ought 10 hare been. He iras IN
The spot phere his duty called him. lie ras
amidst The phiz2ing ofrife bullets, overlook
ing the movements Of our mounted men--reddy
to charge orer the dead bodies NJ D,y brother
and myself had me Prored unfortunate IN he
onset in order 10 nrenge MS. No ONE MUST
ATTEMPT TO TICKLE MY FANCY BY INTIMATTNG, IN
MY PRESENCE, THAT GENERAL HARRISON is
| cowARD!a
| There was pause-and then there was a 81
lencc, so profound, so indescrbable, that it was
painful. In that vast crowd for the space of
one minute--and that is long, dreary lapse of
time, to men who are listening To stump speech
the ticking Of watch might have been heard,
1 IL. IL, L..