some of my accusers deem necessary to give cclat to a triumph. Heaven preserve me I pray from that eclat which is won by the useless or wanton sacrifice of those placed under my command.

If my accusers have reason to believe from the testimony of those who ventured to accompany and co-operate with me in battle that I neglected any important duty to save my own life or the life of any of my officers or men it would be strictly correct in them to establish if possible such a charge.

But, upon this point, as upon all the imputations of General Scott and his franking and writing friends, I hold towards them the attitude of honest defiance. Had the constitution or any other law of the land required it, or had I ordered it, I have not a doubt that every officer and soldier with me at the Withlacoochee would cheerfully have agreed, "if the enemy would stand," to desire them to take the first shot; and would, moreover, have declined the comfort and security of sleeping or fighting behind a breastwork, had not this method of occasional action and rest been consecrated by the example of our own beloved Washington, and all great and good men who have signalized themselves in the defence of our country. I think it more than probable that my brave little army would have subdued the enemy a few days sooner than we did had I directed them to make a few rapid sorties; but I had promised General Clinch to make no sorties until I should hear from him, from an apprehension that a sortie would have dispersed and driven off the Indians before the arrival of mounted force--the only description of force with which a sortie could have bee.. made with full effect; at the place which 1 occupied with the aid of the anticipated mounted force, I had calculated on taking or destroying most of the Indians, and terminating the war in the course of a few days. They were, however subdued, and sued for peace near twenty hours before I heard from General Clinch. (See my letter to that officer under date of the 29th of February, in which I promised to abstain. from making a sortie until I should hear from him.) On the subject of a sortie, however, I was convinced that I would not have succeeded in rendering it effective without the loss of from 50 to 100 of my officers and soldiers; and I have no hesitation in saying that I would not have had twenty of my excellent Louisiana volunteers or regulars recklessly sacrificed, whilst momently expecting the arrival of mounted force, to have laid at my feet.

in chains all the Indians in Florida! The troops were, for several days, held in readiness for a sortie, and it would have been made on hearing from General Clinch, or in co-operation with his command, had not the Indians sued for peace before he was heard from.

7. During the numerous calumnies, official and unofficial, I have seen none more absurd than that I was actuated in my movement to Florida by no higher motive than that of a desire to obtain "laurels," to which General Scott had superior claims. I feel convinced that those who know me best, will testify, that I have ever been incapable, even while a young subaltern, of that overweening vanity and officiousness which sometimes prompt the weak or the vicious to attempt to rob their brother soldiers of what may be justly their due Laurels, indeed; the idea of obtaining laurels in an Indian war, I have long deemed to be as a vision, never to be realized by any known system of operations embraced in the art of war in its supposed improved state, nor otherwise than by watching the movements of the enemy, and profiting by his example of vigilance, rapidity of movement, and privation of food and rest. No man acquainted with the sufferings of the frontier people of Florida, possessed of a spark of patriotism or humanity, could, for a moment, be ignorant of the great and only inducement which ought or could. have prompted me to make the movement in question. It was obvious to me that protection must be afforded, and quickly afforded to the bleeding frontiers of that neglected Territory, or that her late flourishing settlements would be destroyed, and that delightful region of our national frontier rendered a scene of devastation, disgraceful to the military character of our country, and doubly disgraceful to the officer intrusted with its defence.

I have shown, as I doubt not, to the satisfaction of every man of military mind who will take the trouble to read this letter, that it was my bounden duty, under the circumstances of the case, to collect together the forces embarked at New Orleans. on the night of the 3rd and the morning of the 4th of February, and, with them, to repair promptly, as I did, to East Florida, and there to employ my best efforts in subduing or holding in check the enemy until the arrival of General Scott at the theatre of the war. This being admitted, my right to the entire control of the subsistence and horses, and other means of transportation

found within the limits of my department, or such as was on their passage thither, is established beyond a shadow of a doubt. Upon what ground, then, could General Scott assert that I interfered with and retarded his operations by taking rations and horses belonging to his command? I affirm that his excuse is baseless, and his assertion untrue. I affirm, moreover, that if the horses and rations which he falsely accused me of having wrongfully taken, had been forcibly seized by me from one of the posts within the Eastern Department, and to which I could have no claim, the number of rations and number of horses in question was too small to delay the movement of General Scott's grand army for more than three days' time. The whole number of rations taken by me from the day of my arrival at Fort King, the 22 of February, to the day I turned over the command to General Clinch, the 9th of March, 1836, inclusively, amounted to less than twelve thousand complete rations, and the number of horses, I am assured, was not more than eight or ten, taken from Forts King and Drane, (posts of my department) and less than this number of miserable ponies from Fort Brooke, not one of which had been placed at either of those posts by General Scott, as I have been informed and believe.

This assertion, therefore, that his operations were greatly embarrassed or retarded by my having taken the rations and horses provided for his command, is not only not true, but is marked with a reckless malignity, disgraceful to an officer, and dishonorable to a man-not to say a gentleman.

All of which is submitted for the information of the President of the United States.

CORRESPONDENCE OF GEN. JAMES ROBERTSON.

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Whereas the general government of the United States have at all times manifested an humane disposition in attempting to civilize the Indian Tribes, and have taken unwearied pains to induce them to become Agriculturists, instead of Huntsmen,

We, the undersigned, beg leave to subjoin our feeble efforts by suggesting a plan to effect this important purpose, as well as that of accommodating the Western states with a commercial intercourse, which plan we presume will contribute much to the interest of both objects.

It is well known that the Rivers Ohio, Kentucky, Cumberland and Tennessee, though they afford a practicable mode of exporting the produce of this fertile and extensive country, which they water, yet some local inconveniences attach to them, render it so difficult a matter to make remittances by these rivers, that the net profits are nearly lost to the owners and the produce of one of the richest and finest countries becomes of little or no use to society or commerce.

And whereas the fertile country bordering on the Tennessee River for more than nine hundred miles above the Muscle Shoals, have heretofore laboured under very great embarrassments and disadvantages on account of the transportation of the more heavy articles to a market, such as Flour, Pork, Beef, Cotton, Tobacco, etc., which articles are and will be produced in great abundance in that part of the country above the Muscle Shoals, and that for want of a good water conveyance for such produce, the spirit of industry is repressed, much to the disadvantage of East Tennessee, and ultimately to the United States.

And as there is actually a natural inland passage for boats and sail vessels, of moderate size from New Orleans into the Mobile and from thence up the Coosa and Tombigbee Rivers within a few miles (by land passage) of Tennessee River, the great appar

ent advantage which would arise to the United States, as well as to the several nations of Indians contiguously situated, have induced us to make the following proposals:

Proposition 1st., We will, under the encouragement and protection of the General Government, remove the obstructions to navigation in that part of the river known by the name of the Muscle Shoals, only requiring on our part such reasonable toll per Tun or Barrel, as will in a reasonable time reimburse our expenses in removing such obstructions and making that part of the river a good and safe navigation for boats of moderate size.

2nd. If the General Government will permit a Commercial Establishment to be had at the different heads of navigation on the Tombigbee River, together with the privilege of a road and warehouse on the Tennessee River at suitable points in the Indian country, we will engage on our part to commence and keep up commercial Stock, the Capital of which shall not be less than One Hundred thousand dollars, in goods prime cost, and to pay any reasonable installments to the Indians, their Agents may contract for.

3rd. We desire that Congress will intrust with a corporate capacity and proper assurances of protection, which we believe may be had by the consent and approbation of the Indian Tribes immediately concerned. This we apprehend from our contemplated situation amongst said Indians will immediately act on them and will act as a stimulus to Agriculture and Civilization and greatly improve the commercial intercourse of the United States.

We request the Legislature of the United States to take our proposals into consideration and make such regulation as in their wisdom shall be thought best, to relieve the citizens settled and now settling on so large and valuable a part of the United States from the embarrassments they now experience.

We do not request an incorporation of our company for the purpose of an exclusive commerce on any of the waters or roads mentioned, but only such power and protection as will enable us to carry into complete effect the removing obstructions to navigation and the occupancy of such sites as may be found necessary to facilitate the inland commerce of our country, which we humbly conceive to be of more solid advantage to our country than foreign commerce.

Nature has presented our part of the United States with these