The Ebensburg Alleghanian. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1865-1871, 1865-11-30
"OId Hickory,

All Americans are familiar with this
sobriquet of General Andrew Jackson
yet very few know how it was earned bv
the old hero. A writer In Southern
Journal gives the following Information ON
the subject:
SIN 1886, was intimately acquainted
with Colonel John Allen, United States
agent of the Chickasaw Indians, residing
In Poniotoc, aud with his brother, Capt.
VIM Allen, then merchant in that town.
1 learned from Capt Wm Allen that his
father was near neighbor aud devoted
friend of General Jackson, aud that he
and his brother John served as soldiers
in his escort, in all his campaigns, and
camped at the same fire, and messed
with him during the Greek war. They
were certainly great lavorites with him:
and he rewarded them for their friendship
by giving them lucrative appointments in
the Chickasaw nation while he was Pres.
ldent In conversation with Capt Allen
about General jackson, on one occasion,
asked him how he acquired the name Of
Old Hickory p [ give his reply, as well
as can remember in his own words:
''During the clmpaign which included
the battle of Emuckaw Greek, the army
was moving rapidly to surprise the In
dlans, and we were without tents. IL the
month OF March, a colo equinoctial rain
| fell on US, mingled with sleet, which last
e6 several days. The General was exposed
to the weather, and was suffering severely
with bad cold and sore throat. AZ
night we bivouacSed in muddy bottom,
while 1t was pouring down rain, which
froze as it fell. My brother John and I,
finding that the General was very unweH,
became uneasy about him. although he
did not com plain, but laid down upon his
blanket by the camp fire With his soldiers.
| Seeing him wet to the skin, stretched in
| the mud and water, in his suffering COZ
dItion, we determined to try and make
| him more comfortable.
"We cut down stout hickory tree, in
whick the sap was rising, and peeled the
| bark from it in flakes cut two forks and
pole laid down floor of bark and dead
leaves, and rooted it, aud closed one side,
or rather one end of the structure, against
the wind, and le:t the other end apeu-
| We then dried our blankets, and made a
pallet in the tent We had constructed.
/ We woke up the old General, aud with
some difficulty persuaded him to crawl in
| With his saddle for pillow, wrapped In
our dry blankets, and his feet to the FIRE.
he slcpt Soundiy all night, we'll cased in
| hickory bark.
! The next morning, an old man from
| the neighborboo1 came into camp with a
| jug of whisky, with which, after imbibing
| quite freely himself, he gave US all "a trear
as far as the liquor would go. He seemed
| to be a kjud hearted, jovial, and patriot:c
Cd fellow; sort of privileged eharac-
ter in his country While staggering
about among the camp fires, full of fun
and whisky, ne blundered upon our little
! hickory ozark tent, which Immediately ar
rested his attention. After eyeing 1t for
"a moment, he exclaimed, What sort of an
| outiandish Inlin fixia' is this z aud gave
1t kick which tumbled down the queer
boxing structure, and completely buried
the old hero 10 the bark. As he stag
gered out of the ruins, aud looked fercely
around for the author of the mischief, the
old topper recognized the t1eneral, and ex-
claimed, Halo, old Hickory come out
| of your bark aud join US in drinkp
There was something 50 luGicrous in
the whole scene, that respect for the old
hero's presence and rank could no. re-
strain our merriment. He very good
humoredly Joined US in laughing al the
miStap. As he rose up and shook the
bark from hin, he looked so tough and
sterG that we all gave him Uica-' Hur-
ruh for old Hickoryr This was the frst
time he ever heard these words, which
were aiterward shouted by the millions of
his coantrymen whenever he appeared
among them" ="