1. Events of the govern. of the U. States. views taken ANALYSIS. cent. 'On the 4th of March, 1833, General Jackson entered upon the second term of his presidency. Martin March, 1833. Van Buren, of New York, had been chosen vice-president. 2. Removal of 8. In 1833, considerable excitement was occasioned on ment funds account of the removal, by the president, from the Bank from the bank of the United States, of the government funds deposited in that institution, and their transfer to certain state banks. 3. Different "The opponents of the administration censured this measure as an unauthorized and dangerous assumption of power by the executive, and the want of confidence which soon arose in the moneyed institutions of the country, followed by the pecuniary distresses of 1836 and 1837, were charged upon the hostility of the president to the Bank of the United States. On the other hand, these distresses were charged to the management of the bank, which the president declared to have become "the scourge of the people." of this meas ure. 4. Cherokee Indians, their measures ta 9. A few events concerning the Cherokees require nocondition,ctice in this portion of our history. These Indians had long been involved in the same difficulties as those which had troubled their Creek neighbors. They were the most civilized of all the Indian tribes; had an established government, a national legislature, and written laws. 5. Oppressive During the administration of Mr. Adams, they were proken in rela tected in their rights against the claims of the state of tion to them. Georgia, but in the following administration, the legislature of Georgia extended the laws of the state over the Indian territory, annulling the laws which had been prea. Dec. 20, viously established, and, among other things, declaring that "no Indian or descendant of an Indian, residing within the Creek or Cherokee nations of Indians, should be deemed a competent witness or party to any suit in any court where a white man is a defendant." 1829. 8. Decision of the supreme court on this subject, and the course taken by the president. 7. Treaty with the 10. Although the supreme court of the United States declared the acts of the legislature of Georgia to be unconstitutional, yet the decision of that tribunal was disregarded, and the president of the United States informed the Cherokees that he "had no power to oppose the exercise of the sovereignty of any state over all who may be within its limits;" and he therefore advised them "to abide the issue of such new relations without any hope that he will interfere." Thus the remnants of the Cherokees, once a great and powerful people, were deprived of their national sovereignty, and delivered into the hands of their oppress ors. 11. Yet the Cherokees were still determined to remain Cherokees in the land of their fathers. But at length, in 1835, a sale of their few of their chiefs were induced to sign a treaty for a sale of their lands, and a removal west of the Mississippi. Although this treaty was opposed by a majority of the Cherokees, and the terms afterwards decided upon at Washington rejected by them, yet as they found arrayed against them the certain hostility of Georgia, and could expect no protection from the general government, they finally decided upon a removal; but it was not until towards the close of the year 1838 that the business of emigration was completed. 477 1835. their Anal lands-and removal. its cause. 12. Near the close of the year 1835, the Seminole In- 1. The Semidians of Florida commenced hostilities against the settle- note, and ments of the whites in their vicinity. The immediate cause of the war was the attempt of the government to remove the Indians to lands west of the Mississippi, in accordance with the treaty of Payne's Landing, executed in 1832, which, however, the Indians denied to be justly binding upon them. Micanopy, the king of the nation 2. Micanopy was opposed to the removal; and Osceola, their most no- and Osceola. ted chief, said he "Wished to rest in the land of his fathers, and his children to sleep by his side." a. May 9. and an treachery. and Indian 13. The proud bearing of Osceola, and his remon- 3. Treatment strances against the proceedings of General Thompson, the government agent, displeased the latter, and he put the chieftain in irons. Dissembling his wrath, Osceola obtained his liberty, gave his confirmation to the treaty of removal, and, so perfect was his dissimulation, that he dissipated all the fears of the whites. So confident was General Thompson that the cattle and horses of the Indians would be brought in according to the terms of the treaty, that he even advertised them for sale in December, but the appointed days passed, when it was discovered that the In- b. Dec 1, 15. dians were already commencing the work of slaughter and devastation. and his de c. Dec. 24. d. 8 officers 14. At this time, General Clinch was stationed at Fort 4. Major Dade Drane,† in the interior of Florida. Being supposed to be tachment. in imminent danger from the Indians, and also in great want of supplies, Major Dade was despatched from Fort Brooke, at the head of Tampa Bay, with upward of one hundred men,d to his assistance. He had proceeded about half the distance, when he was suddenly attacked by the enemy, and he and all but four of his men were killed; and these four, horribly mangled, afterwards died of their wounds. One of them, supposed to be dead, was thrown into a heap of the slain, about which the Indians danced, in exultation of their victory. and 102 men. e. Dec. 28. Payne's Landing is on the Ocklawaha River, a branch of the St. John's, about fortyAve miles S.W. from St. Augustine. (See Map, next page.) ↑ Fort Drane is about seventy miles S.W. from St. Augustine. (See Map, next page.) ANALYSIS. 1. Death of General Thompson. 15. 'At the very time of Dade's massacre, Osceola, with a small band of warriors, was prowling in the vicinity of Fort King. While General Thompson and a few friends were dining at a store only 250 yards from the fort, they were surprised by a sudden discharge of musketry, and a. Dec. 28. five out of nine were killed. The body of General Thompson was found pierced by fifteen bullets. Osceola and his party rushed in, scalped the dead, and retreated before they could be fired upon by the garrison. The same band probably took part in the closing scene of Dade's massacre on the same day. 2 Generals Clinch and Gaines. b. Dec. 31. 1836. 16. Two days later, General Clinch engaged the Indians on the banks of the Withlacoochee ;† and in Febru ary of the following year, General Gaines was attacked near the same place. In May several of the Creek towns 3. Hostilities and tribes joined the Seminoles in the war. Murders and of the Creek devastations were frequent,-the Indians obtained possession of many of the southern mail routes in Georgia and c. Feb 29. Indians. Alabama, attacked steamboats, destroyed stages, burned several towns, and compelled thousands of the whites who had 4. Submission settled in their territory, to flee for their lives. A strong of the Creeks. force, however, joined by many friendly Indians, being sent against them, and several of the hostile chiefs having been taken, the Creeks submitted; and during the summer several thousands of them were transported west of the Mississippi. 5. Governor tion into the interior. 17. In October, Governor Call took command of the Call's expedi forces in Florida, and with nearly 2000 men marched into the interior. At the Wahoo swamp, a short distance from Dade's battle-ground, 550 of his troops encountered a greater number of the enemy, who, after a fierce contest of half an hour, were dispersed, leaving twenty-five BEAT OF THE SEMINOLE WAR IN FLORIDA' of their number dead on the field. In a second engagement, the whites lost nine men killed and sixteen wounded. In none of the battles could the actual loss of the Indians be ascertained, as it is their usual practice to carry off their dead. Fort King is twenty miles S.W. from Payne's Landing, and sixty-five miles from St. Augustine. (See Map.) t Withlacoochee River enters the Gulf of Mexico, on the west coast of Florida, about ninety-five miles N from Tampa Bay. (See Map.) 479 1837. CHAPTER VIII. VAN BUREN'S ADMINISTRATION. FROM MARCH 4, 1837, TO MARCH 4, 1841. Perlod em braced in Van Buren's administra tion. 1836, and the 1. 'IN the election of 1836, Martin Van Buren, of New 1. Election of York, had been chosen president of the United States, anticipated and Richard M. Johnson, of Kentucky, vice-president. government. As Mr. Van Buren was a prominent leader of the party which had secured the election of General Jackson, no change in the general policy of the government was anticipated. Soon after the accession of Mr. Van Buren, the pecuniary and mercantile distresses of the country reached their crisis. 2. During the months of March and April, the failures in the city of New York alone amounted to nearly one hundred millions of dollars. The great extent of the business operations of the country at that time, and their intimate connection with each other, extended the evil throughout all the channels of trade; causing, in the first place, a general failure of the mercantile interests-affecing, through them, the business of the mechanic and the farmer, nor stopping until it had reduced the wages of the humblest day laborer. 2 Condition of the coun try, the extensive failures at that period, and the consequences. 3. Requests made the from New president by a committee York. 3. Early in May, a large and respectable committee from the city of New York, solicited of the president his intervention for such relief as might be within his power; requesting the rescinding of the "specie circular," a delay in enforcing the collection of the revenue duties, and the call of an extra session of congress at an early day, that some legislative remedies might be adopted for the alarming embarrassments of the country. cular" was a treasury order, which had been issued durThe "specie cir- 4. The specie ing the previous administration, the principal object of which was to require the payment of gold and silver, for the public lands, in place of bank bills, or other evidences. of money. 4. To the second request the president acceded, but declined to repeal the specie circular, or to call an extra session of Congress. Two days after the decision of the president became known, all the banks in the city of New York suspended specie payments, and this was followed by a similar suspension on the part of the banks throughout the whole country. "The people were not the only sufferers by this measure; for, as the deposit circular. 5. Course taken by the president. Events that followed his decision. 7. Sufferers by the sus ANALYSIS. banks had likewise ceased to redeem their notes in specie, the government itself was embarassed, and was unable to discharge its own obligations. 1. Call of tongress, and bills passed during the session. 5. 'The accumulated evils which now pressed upon the country, induced the president to call an extra session of congress, which he had before declined doing. Congress met early in September, and during a session of forty days, passed several bills designed for the relief of the government; the most important of which was a bill authorizing the issue of treasury notes, not exceeding in amount ten millions of dollars. A bill called the Suba. The legal treasury bill, designed for the safe keeping of the public Independent funds, and intended as the prominent measure of the sesTreasury sion, passed the senate; but in the house of representa tives it was laid upon the table, after a long and animated discussion. 2 Sub-trea sury bill. Bill. 3. Continuance of the Seminole woar, treaty General Jes 6. The Seminole war still continued in Florida, occasioning great expense to the nation, while the sickly cli soncluded by mate of a country abounding in swamps and marshes, sup, c. proved, to the whites, a foe far more terrible than the Indians themselves. After several encounters in the early part of the season, in March, a number of chiefs came to b. At Fort the camp of General Jessup, and signed a treaty pur porting that hostilities should immediately cease, and that all the Seminoles should remove beyond the Mississippi. Dade, March 6. 4. Violation and events during the fall. 7. For a time the war appeared to be at an end, but of the rent the treaty was soon broken through the influence of Oscethat followed ola. During the summer several chiefs were captured, summer and and a few surrendered voluntarily. In October, Osceola and several principal chiefs, with about seventy warriors, who had come to the American camp under protection of a flag, were seized and confined by the orders of General Jessup. c. At Fort Peyton, October 21. 5. How the capture of his warriors has been regarded. 8. This was the most severe blow the Seminoles had Osceola and received during the war. By many, the conduct of Gen. eral Jessup, in seizing Osceola, has been severely censured; but the excuse offered, was, that the Indians had grossly deceived him on a former occasion; that Osceola was treacherous; that no blood was shed by the act; and that a very important service was thereby performed. •. Subsequent Osceola was subsequently placed in confinement at Fort fate of Moultrie," where he died of a fever in January of the fold In South lowing year. Carolina. 7. Continu ance of the 9. On the 1st of December, the army in Florida, stacar, and tioned at the different posts, was estimated to number Big Water nearly nine thousand men. Yet against this numerous force, the Indians still held out with hopes of effectual re battle near Lake. |