Description:

Andrew Jackson
Nashville, TN, August 9, 1836
Andrew Jackson As Pres. ALS Re: Soldier Accused of Failing to Defend or Save Wounded Men From Indians!
ALS
An autograph letter signed by President Andrew Jackson to his Secretary of War Lewis Cass concerning a court martial trial. 1p, measuring 7.75" x 9.75", Hermitage, dated August 9, 1836. Signed "Andrew Jackson" and addressed to Lewis Cass. The letter concerns Major William Gates, who was accused of failing to counterattack or rescue wounded men during a battle with Seminole warriors. Jackson letters with military content are desirable and uncommon. Darkly penned in Jackson's bold hand on yellow paper. Folded with some matte burn. The letter has been tipped to another sheet. Boldly signed.

Reading in full:
"Major Gates has come on to see me, & handed me the enclosed petition. I have every desire to grant Major Gates a trial by a court martial if within the range of my legal & constitutional powers. Therefore it is my desire, if the office remains still vacant, that no promotion be made to fill it before I reach the city of Washington which will be (if health life lasts) by the first of October next. I have again received the proceedings of the Court of Enquiry, and my opinion remains the same, but am desirous of placing it before a court martial, and for this purpose wish the office to remain
vacant...."

An 1806 graduate of West Point, William Gates (1788-1868) rose to the rank of captain during the War of 1812 in which he participated in the capture of Fort George and modern Toronto. After several years of duty on the frontier, he fought in the Second Seminole War, also known as the Florida Wars a series of conflicts between Native Americans and the United States. Following Andrew Jackson's 1818 invasion of Florida and capture of Pensacola in what became known as the First Seminole War, the U.S. eventually took over Spanish possessions under the terms of the 1819 Adams-Onis Treaty, ratified in 1821. The American government attempted to relocate the Seminoles, a group of Native Americans including Alabamas, Choctaws, Yamasees, Creeks, and other tribes. However, a group of Seminoles, with the help of escaped slaves from local plantations, resisted the expulsion and raided settlements and forts. When hostilities broke out in 1835, the U.S. military forces in Florida were outnumbered by Seminole fighters under the direction of their mixed race leader, Osceola. In 1836, Seminole warriors attacked military outposts including Camp Cooper, Fort Alabama, and Fort Barnwell near Volusia on the St. John's River, where Gates was stationed. After the engagement at Fort Barnwell, Gates was brought up on charges of disgraceful conduct and behavior unworthy of a commanding officer of a military post for failing to counterattack or making an effort to rescue the wounded soldiers lying outside the battlements who, subsequently, not only died but were scalped as well.

"A court of inquiry [referred to in our letter] was instituted in the spring of 1836, to investigate certain imputations against Major William Gates, of the 1" regiment of artillery; and upon the proceedings of the court, he was dismissed from the service, June 7, 1836, by order of President Jackson," (Observations On Military Law: and the Constitution and Practice of Courts Martial, DeHart). However, Gates' peers thought his dismissal unjust and on August 22, 1836, officers and enlisted men present during the campaign met in Charleston to draft a series of resolutions supporting Gates' reinstatement.

The petitions had the desired result, and Gates was reappointed a major in the 2nd regiment of artillery. To further remove any taint of guilt from his reputation, Gates' friends privately printed Proceedings of a General Court Martial, for the Trial of Major William Gates, of the Second Regiment of Artillery in 1837, which included a detailed testimony and engraved map entitled "Topographical Sketch of Fort Barnwell, Volusia, Florida." Returning to military service on October 21, 1837, Gates was involved in the capture of his old foe, the Seminole leader Osceola. Gates fought in the war against Mexico, was garrisoned at Fort Trumbull during the Civil War and, in 1865, after a lifetime of service, was brevetted brigadier-general.

This item comes with a Certificate from John Reznikoff, a premier authenticator for both major 3rd party authentication services, PSA and JSA (James Spence Authentications), as well as numerous auction houses.

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  • Dimensions: 7.75" x 9.75"
  • Medium: ALS

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