James Terrill Letter to Sam Houston
In this letter to Sam Houston, written during Andrew Jackson's 1828 presidential campaign, James Terrill defends Jackson's conduct during the Battle of Horseshoe Bend (1814). He reports that "The Genl found it would be necessary to charge the breast works the Indians defended them for a long time ... nothing took place like a cold blooded slaughter, but in the battle and every other battle neither Genl Jackson or his troops showed any disposition to any blood ... Genl Jackson at all times was particularly kind and friendly to prisoners as was also his officers and troops ... I have seen him put sick soldiers on his saddle horse and walk through the mud himself."
Dates
- 1828 April 30
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Extent
0.1 Linear Feet
Abstract
In this letter to Sam Houston, written during Andrew Jackson's 1828 presidential campaign, James Terrill defends Jackson's conduct during the Battle of Horseshoe Bend (1814).
Biographical/Historical Note
Sam Houston was born to Samuel and Elizabeth (Paxton) Houston on March 2, 1793 near Lexington, Virginia. Shortly after his father died in 1806, Houston moved to Maryville, Tennessee with his mother and eight siblings. Houston frequently ran away to live with the Cherokees, and was adopted by Chief Jolly in about 1806. Just a year after joining the Army in 1813, Houston became a war hero fighting against the Creeks at Horseshoe Bend. His heroics caught General Andrew Jackson's eye, and he appointed Houston to his headquarters. There, Houston became involved in politics. He served in the U. S. House of Representatives from 1823 to 1826 and won the governorship of Tennessee in 1827.
Shortly after his new wife Eliza Allen left him in 1829, Houston resigned the governorship and left Tennessee to live among the Cherokees in what is now part of Oklahoma. He subsequently settled in Texas and served as a Major General in the fight for independence from Mexico. He also married again, this time to Margaret Lea in 1840. Houston was heavily involved in the new Republic of Texas's politics, serving as President from 1836 to 1838 and again from 1841 to 1844 as well as in the Texas Congress from 1838 to 1840. When Texas became a state, he was elected as a Senator and served from 1845 to 1858, where he was a staunch Unionist despite the secessionist sentiments of his fellow Texans. He was elected Governor of Texas in 1859, but was deposed on March 18, 1861 because he would not sign an oath of allegiance to the Confederate States of America. Houston died in Huntsville, Texas on July 26, 1863 and was buried in Oakwood Cemetery.
Arrangement
This collection consists of a single folder.
Acquisition Note
The University of Tennessee Libraries, Knoxville, Special Collections purchased this collection in 2008.
Repository Details
Part of the Betsey B. Creekmore Special Collections and University Archives, University of Tennessee, Knoxville Repository