The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1934-01-05

IGRAH news of this disaster to his plans
lASA2al was brought to him, he exclaimed
&C., to his staff officers: 81 will smash
them, so help me GodT'
Then followed his brilliant night attack Of
December % which held the invaders in check
even though it did not smash them" That happy
result was destined TO take place two weeks
later-on January g. 1915, when this emphatic
military leader won Of the most astounding
victories in all history victory which paved the
way TO the White House for him and put on the
calendar Of the American people red letter day
which calls for remembering the name of An,
drew Jackson.
That emphatic declaration quoted above has a
peculiar significance. Notice, If you please that
"Old Hickory" did not say 1--WE will smash
them He said II will smash them" And that
gives point to the title chosen by a recent bfog-
rapher for his book-"Andrew Jackson, the BOr-
der Captain" by Marquis James, published by the
Bobbs-Merriu company. For the essence of the
border spirit was individualism a supreme self
confidence on the part of the borderer (or the
frontiersman, If you prefer that name) in his
ability to do what he set out to do. And only
the man who had that supreme self-confdence,
that will to win" could hope to be border
captain" a leader Of borderers.
The extent to which Jackson had it is in
dicated by James, in telling of his preparations
for smashing the British before that historic
January 8, as follows: 1.-THE memorable jack
sOnan viii was unleas hed-an instrument by
which he believed he could accomplish anything
Had Charles Dickinson shot him through the
brain Andrew Jackson counted on the power of
sheer resolve to sustain him long enough TO kill
his adversary. This mood possessed him now.
His determination was formed to fight below
New Orleans; if beaten there, to fight in New
Orleans; if beaten there, TO fight above New
Orleans-to fight until no living thing could
This was fury, but Of the COOL calculating sort"
Perhaps the most surprising thing about this
new portrait of Jackson is that it paints him
aristocrat. Andrew Jackson aristo-
Crat? Impossible" you exclaim, because you be-
neve the school history tradition of him as the
typical exponent of the frontier democracy. But
the fact is that he was both frontiersman and
an aristocrat. He was born on the Carolina
frontier In the home of his uncle James Craw-
ford, whence his mother had gone after the death
of his father. And incidentally this biography
settles pretty conclusively the ancient dispute
over Jackson's birthplace, whether North Caro-
lima or South Carolina, by showing that the
Crawford house stood on the soil Of the latter
James Crawford was one of the wealthiest
men of that part Of the country. A large num-
Der of slaves titled his fields and ran his grist-
mill and distillery. Even finer was the adjoining
plantation of Robert Crawford, his brother who
was called Esquire because of his leadership in
local affairs The first IL years Of Jackson's
life were spent in the home of James Crawford
and that of Robert Crawford was a second
home" TO him he was there so much. So he was
no mere backwoodsman, for he belonged to all
the aristocracy there was In the Back-Country"
Given the best education obtainable-and that
was more than the majority of the typical from
tersmen had-his interests were pointed toward
things classical and he might possibly have gone
into the ministry, as his mother had planned for
him. had not the Revolution interviewed. Very
early he showed aristocratic tendencies. He
loved good company and he loved good horses.
he engaged in horse racing and cock fighting,
two typical interests of the Colonial gentleman.
When he went down to Charleston TO receive a
modest inheritance, he proceeded to get rid of
II in a gentlemanly way among the gentility
of that old Southern town, who accepted him as
one Of them.
Then he studied law at Salisbury and~Secame
a leading social light in that frontier settle
ment which had decidedly aristocratic leanings.
Learning of the opportunities there were for a
Young attorney beyond the mountains .'he turned
toward Tennessee with the comfortable assur-
ance of the post of attorney general and goodly
fees He early joined up with the Blount
faction in politics, associated with gentlemen
who acquired lands Far and near, revealed a
hair-trigger sense Of honor which resulted in an
appalling number Of challenges and duels and
gathered to himself the good things of the region
in the form of political Offices and military lead
ership. He had period in both the house and
senate of the United States. He became major
general in the state militia. Without undue
struggle or hardship he acquired both place and
power" Thus one reviewer of Marquis James
biography.
If Jackson had aristocratic leanings In his
youth, they became all the more apparent In his
manhood Within few years after he had come
to Tennessee he was a wealthy man with even
greater riches in sight At one time or another
he owned outright or in partnership more than
100000 acres Of land. At different times he
owned distillery. tavern and licensed ord-
nary a boat yard, race course, large trading
establishment with three stores In Tennessee