7
WRITINGS OF SAM HOUSTON, 1813-1817
1 0riginal in the War Department, U.S. Courtesy of Colonel M. L. Crim- mins, a photostat from his private library. 2 William Harris Crawford (February 24, 1772-September 15, 1834), United States Senator from Georgia, United States Minister to France, Secretary of War, Secretary of the Treasury. For biographical sketches see the Dictionm·y of American Biography, IV, 527-529, also the Biographical Directory of the A,me1·ican Congress, 859. 3 The Thirty-ninth Regiment was disbanded in the post-war reduction of the Army, but Ensign Houston was promoted to the rank of second lieutenant and transferred to the First Infantry which was then garrisoned at New Orleans. See William Carey Crane, The Life and Select Literary Remains of Sam Houston, 30. •1 Colonel John Williams (January 29, 1778-August 10, 1837), United States Senator from Tennessee, was born in Surry County, North Carolina. His years of service in the Senate covered the period from 1815 to 1823. Jackson defeated him for the position in 1823, but before their political ambitions had entirely antagonized the two men, they had been personal friends, although they had had some hard feelings, on account of military prefer- ment, just after the battle at the Horse Shoe. There is little doubt that .Jackson's manifest interest in the young and desperately wounded ensign, Sam Houston, was the cause of Williams's aversion to that young man. See the B-iogrctJ>hical Dfrecto1'1J of the American Cong1·ess, 1785, and Phelan':. Histo1·y of Tennessee, 361.
To GENERAL JACKSON 1
Nashville 10th Jany 1817
Maj. Gen 1• Jackson,2 Sir, On the 27th of March 1814, I was first on the list of 3d Lieuts in the 39 th · Regt Inf. On that date 1 st · Lieut Somerville & 2d. Lieut Moulton (of the same regiment) were killed, at the hatt.le of the Horse Shoe, which entitles me to rank as 2d. Lieut. from that date. I was not promoted until the 20th of May 1814. Since that time I have made application, to the Adjt & Inspector Gen'- to have the error corrected-- He informed me, that the Senate had sanctioned and the President approved all promotions, and that all promotions stood as original appointments. Then, Sir, I presume the error, can only be rectified by the approbation of the President of the U. S. and it is my wish to have my proper rank- which will be to rank as second Lieut. from the 27th of March 1814. And in the 1st Inf I wi!l have the precedence in rank of Lieuts. Rogers & Cobbs. I hope the justice of my claims require no comments-- Sam Houston Lieut 1~t. Inf
Powered by FlippingBook