Part 20

"To behold the hoary head and time-honored frame of one who fearlessly bared his breast to the shafts of the enemy of his country, both in time of peace as well as in war--to clasp his hand, to receive a blessing from his lips--would be a delight which nothing on earth could equal. But this joy I dare not hope to experience. I trust you will pardon the liberty I take in the request which I am about to make. Do not refuse to make a young heart happy. A few months ago I saw in a newspaper an account of a visit of some young people to whom you gave some locks of your hair. I read my Bible every night and morning and endeavor to follow the precepts contained in that sacred volume. It warns me of the sin and danger of envy and uncharitableness. But I confess to you that ever since reading that account I have envied those young countrymen of mine. As you are the cause of this sorrow and sadness, so does the cure rest with you. The struggle has been great ere I could summon courage to address you, but may I not supplicate for a similar favor? This gift will be more precious to me than threads of fine gold. I shall prize it through life as my choicest earthly possession, and when the hour of death comes and I must surrender my spirit into the hands of Him who gave it, I shall bequeath this lock of hair to the one whom my heart shall then prize most."

Then, after a fulsome concluding paragraph, the young lady signs her name "with sentiments of gratitude and affection too deep for utterance." And on the back of this gushing epistle Old Hickory has laconically endorsed: "Answered and returned a lock of my hair, this 28th of October, 1842.--A.J."

This flowery application for a lock of the Jacksonian hair was by no means an isolated or unusual request. In fact, so insistent was the demand that the General formed the habit of carefully saving for this purpose the trimmings whenever he had his hair cut, and out of this little bag of hoarded locks came the souvenirs sent to correspondents and presented to admiring visitors.

* * * *

But, despite his wonderful vitality and determined resistance to the inroads of disease; the sands of the old man's life were running out their allotted time. It was on a quiet Sunday in June that the summons came for him. The end was not unexpected, either by him or by the household. Two Sundays before he had partaken of the Communion, and had taken that occasion to speak feelingly on the consolation of religion and to declare that he was ready to go. "Death," he said stoutly, "has no terrors for me." And this was doubtless no mere figure of speech after the suffering he experienced during the last four months of his life, during which time he found it impossible to lie down in bed unless lulled by opiates.

Sunday morning he was lifted from his bed and placed in his big chair by the window. The warm June sun was sifting down onto the Hermitage lawn through the sheltering cedars and hollies. The diseased-wracked old man, as he looked out on the scene he loved so well, doubtless sensed that it was close to the last time he would ever see it. Dr. Esselman when he entered the room that morning, to use his own words, "immediately perceived that the hand of death was upon him." Andrew, junior, was notified that the end was at hand, and a messenger was sent for Major Lewis whom Jackson had expressed a wish to have by his side when death approached. A servant was dispatched post-haste to the church to recall the children of the household who were attending Sunday School. The sad news traveled quickly over the plantation and the servants gathered on the broad front porch, fearfully looking in at the windows.

The old General maintained his consciousness to the very end. When his old crony, Major Lewis, arrived he greeted him with: "Major, I am glad to see you. You like to have been too late," and then carefully and methodically he gave him messages to some of his closest friends, like Colonel Benton and General Houston, who were unable to be at his bedside. Sadly but calmly he bade farewell to each member of the family, and mustered his failing strength to speak a kindly word of comfort to the weeping and wailing servants whose tear-stained black faces darkened the front windows. "Don't cry," he said gently to them, "Be good and we shall meet--" And then, with just a little gasp to mark its passing, his unconquerable spirit left his frail body. His little granddaughter, Rachel, was standing at the foot of his bed, her hand on the covering, and she felt the tremor that passed over his body as he expired.

General Jackson had expressed the wish that his funeral services be simple and without pomp or ostentation; but such a funeral was hardly possible for the most distinguished private citizen of his day. The military company marched out from Nashville to attend the services, held two days later, and accompanied his body to the grave; and a great multitude of people, estimated at three thousand, gathered to pay their last tribute. The funeral was preached by Dr. Edgar, the minister who had received him into the church, the services being conducted from the front porch owing to the inability of the large crowd to get inside the house.

There was a moment of disturbance while the mourners were assembling, caused by an untimely outburst of blistering profanity from old Poll, the Hermitage parrot who had so long been a favorite pet of the General's. The solemnity of the occasion was completely upset by the sudden torrent of objurgation from the old bird on her perch on the upper front gallery, but she was quickly banished to the servants' quarters at the back of the house and Dr. Edgar stepped out on the stone-paved portico and began to read the burial service.

The General's favorite hymns were sung; a prayer was said. The casket was taken from its place in the great hall and carried to the tomb awaiting him in the garden by Rachel's side. A firing squad raised their muskets and a military salute shattered the hush of the warm summer morning. The smoke from the guns floated upward through the heavy foliage of the overhanging magnolias; the military company formed in ranks and briskly marched off; the crowd dispersed; the sorrowing family walked slowly back up the garden path to the house; a cloud of dust rose over the road as the carriages of the notable citizens of Nashville started back to town.

Andrew Jackson, after a tempestuous life of 77 years, was at rest by the side of her of whom he had said: "Heaven will be no heaven for me if she is not there." No more would his vivid personality leave its impress on public affairs. No more would the parlors' walls reëcho his shrill voice as he sang "Auld Lang Syne." No more would a crowd of guests about the big table in the dining room listen attentively as he told of some incident of the wars. No more would the papers on his office desk rattle as he crashed down his fist and stormed "No! by the Eternal!" The spark of his existence, which made the Hermitage a beacon of democracy, was extinguished.

He has been gone now for nearly a century; his body still rests in the stone vault in the garden where loving hands placed it that hot June day in 1845. But, somehow, it is impossible to visit the Hermitage today, standing just as it was when he left it, without experiencing a mysterious feeling of his presence in the old house. Maintained though it is as a public shrine, the visitor when crossing the threshold has the sensation of entering into a living home; and it requires but little sense of the mystic to feel that he might look up and see the tall, angular form of the General come slowly down the sweeping circular stairway to greet the wayfaring guest.

Throughout the life of Andrew Jackson he was like a part of the old house which held so large a place in his heart; and today it is as though that part of him had never died. Indefinably it seems as though some elusive fragment of the spirit of Old Hickory is still there; and few of those who come there go away without experiencing that feeling of inspiration which arises from close contact with the deathless spirit of a great man.

APPENDIX A: CHRONOLOGY

March 15, 1767 Born, Waxhaw Settlements, North-South Carolina. September 26, 1787 Admitted to bar in North Carolina. Spring, 1788 Appointed public prosecutor for Mero District. August, 1791 Married Mrs. Rachel Donelson Robards, at Natchez. January 11, 1796 Member of first constitutional convention, Tennessee. October 27, 1796 Left Nashville for Washington to take seat in House of Representatives--first representative from Tennessee. November 22, 1797 Appointed Senator from Tennessee, vice William Blount. June, 1798 Resigned from Senate. October, 1798 Elected member of state Superior Court. February, 1802 Elected Major General of Tennessee Militia. July 6, 1804 Sold Hunter's Hill home and moved to log Hermitage. July 24, 1804 Resigned from Superior Court. May 30, 1806 Duel with Charles Dickinson. January 7, 1813 Left Nashville for Natchez with Tennessee militia. April 22, 1813 Returned to Nashville from Natchez expedition. September 4, 1813 Wounded in fight with Thomas H. and Jesse Benton. October 11, 1813 Left Nashville with militia for Creek War. March 27, 1814 Battle of the Horseshoe. April 19, 1814 Appointed Brigadier General, United States Army. April 28, 1814 Returned to Hermitage from Creek War. May 1, 1814 Appointed Major General, United States Army. August 10, 1814 Treaty with Creeks signed. September 9, 1814 Left Nashville for first Florida campaign. December 2, 1814 Arrived at New Orleans for defense of city. December 23, 1814 First battle in defense of New Orleans. January 1, 1815 Second battle in defense of New Orleans. January 8, 1815 Decisive defeat of Pakenham's army. May 15, 1815 Arrives at Hermitage from New Orleans. October 15, 1815 Left Nashville for Washington. March 1, 1816 Returned to Hermitage from Washington trip. January 22, 1818 Left Hermitage for second Florida campaign. June 24, 1818 Returned to Hermitage from Florida war. January 4, 1819 Left Hermitage for visit to Eastern cities. February, 1819 Returned to Nashville from Eastern trip. Summer, 1819 Began building of Hermitage. March 3, 1821 Appointed governor of Florida by President Monroe. May 31, 1821 Resigned from Army. July 17, 1821 Took possession of Florida for United States. October, 1821 Resigned as governor of Florida and returned to Hermitage. July 20, 1822 Nominated for President by Tennessee legislature. October, 1823 Elected to United States Senate. March 4, 1824 Nominated for President by Pennsylvania convention. November, 1824 Received plurality of votes for President: Jackson, 99; Adams, 84; Clay, 37; Crawford, 41. February 9, 1825 Adams elected President by House of Representatives. October, 1825 Resigned from United States Senate. October, 1825 Again nominated for President by Tennessee legislature. November, 1828 Elected President. December 22, 1828 Death of Mrs. Jackson. January 17, 1829 Left Hermitage for Inauguration. March 4, 1829 Inaugurated President. November 24, 1831 Andrew Jackson, jr., married. December, 1831 Hermitage remodeled and tomb in garden built. November, 1832 Reëlected President. October 13, 1834 Hermitage partially destroyed by fire. March 4, 1837 Issued farewell address, retiring from Presidency. June 8, 1845 Died at Hermitage. June 10, 1845 Buried at Hermitage.

APPENDIX B: ANDREW JACKSON'S WILL

Hermitage, June 7th, 1843

IN THE NAME OF GOD, AMEN:--I, Andrew Jackson, Sr., being of sound mind, memory and understanding, and impressed with the great uncertainty of life and the certainty of death, and being desirous to dispose of my temporal affairs so that after my death no contention may arise relative to the same; and whereas, since executing my will of the 30th of September, 1833, my estate has become greatly involved by my liabilities for the debts of my well-beloved and adopted son, Andrew Jackson, Jr., which makes it necessary to alter the same: Therefore I, Andrew Jackson, Sr., of the County of Davidson and State of Tennessee do make, ordain, publish and declare this my last will and testament, revoking all other wills by me heretofore made.

_First_, I bequeath my body to the dust whence it comes, and my soul to God who gave it, hoping for a happy immortality through the atoning merits of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Savior of the world. My desire is that my body be buried by the side of my dear departed wife, in the garden at the Hermitage, in the vault prepared in the garden, and all expenses paid by my executor hereafter named.

_Secondly_, That all my just debts be paid out of my personal and real estate by my executor; for which purpose, to meet the debt of my good friends General J. B. Blanchin & Co., of New Orleans, for the sum of six thousand dollars, with the interest accruing thereon, loaned to me to meet the debt due by A. Jackson, Jr., for the purchase of the plantation from Hiram G. Runnels, lying on the east bank of the river Mississippi, in the State of Mississippi; also, a debt due by me of ten thousand dollars, borrowed of my friends Blair and Rives, of the city of Washington and District of Columbia, with the interest accruing thereon, being applied to the payment of the lands bought of Hiram G. Runnels as aforesaid; and for the faithful payment of the aforesaid recited debts, I hereby bequeath all my real and personal estate. After these debts are fully paid,

_Thirdly_, I give and bequeath to my adopted son, Andrew Jackson, Jr., the tract of land whereon I now live, known as the Hermitage tract, with its butts and boundaries, with all its appendages of the three lots of land bought of Samuel Donelson, Thomas J. Donelson and Alexander Donelson, sons and heirs of Savern Donelson, deceased, all adjoining the Hermitage tract, agreeable to their butts and boundaries, with all the appurtenances thereto belonging or in any wise appertaining, with all my negroes that I may die possessed of, with the exceptions hereafter named, with all their increase after the before recited debts are fully paid, with all the household furniture, farming tools, stock of all kind, both on the Hermitage tract farms, as well as those on the Mississippi plantation, to him and his heirs, forever. The true intent and meaning of this may last will and testament is, that all my estate, real, personal and mixed, is hereby bequeathed to my adopted son A. Jackson, Jr., with the exceptions hereafter named, to him and his heirs, forever.

_Fourth_, Whereas I have heretofore by conveyance, deposited with my beloved daughter, Sarah Jackson, wife of my adopted son, A. Jackson, Jr., given to my beloved granddaughter, Rachel Jackson, daughter of A. Jackson, Jr. and Sarah his wife, several negroes therein described, which I hereby confirm--I give and bequeath to my beloved grandson, Andrew Jackson, son of A. Jackson, Jr. and Sarah his wife, a negro boy named Ned, son of Blacksmith Aaron and Hannah his wife, to him and his heirs forever.

_Fifth_, I give and bequeath to my beloved little grandson, Samuel Jackson, son of A. Jackson, Jr. and his much beloved wife Sarah, one negro boy named Davy or George, son of Squire and his wife Giney, to him and his heirs forever.

_Sixth_, To my beloved and affectionate daughter, Sarah Jackson, wife of my adopted and well beloved son, A. Jackson, Jr., I hereby recognize by this bequest the gift I made her on her marriage, of the negro girl Gracy, which I bought for her, and gave her to my daughter Sarah as her maid and seamstress, with her increase, with my house-servant Hannah and her two daughters, namely Charlotte and Mary, to her and her heirs forever. This gift and bequest is made for my great affection to her--as a memento of her uniform attention to me and kindness on all occasions, and particularly when worn down with sickness, pain and debility. She has been more than a daughter to me, and I hope she never will be disturbed in the enjoyment of this gift and bequest by any one.

_Seventh_, I bequeath to my well beloved nephew, Andrew J. Donelson, son of Samuel Donelson, deceased, the elegant sword presented to me by the State of Tennessee, with this injunction, that he fail not to use it when necessary in support and protection of our glorious union, and for the protection of the constitutional rights of our beloved country, should they be assailed by foreign enemies or domestic traitors. This, from the great change in my worldly affairs of late, is, with my blessing, all I can bequeath him, doing justice to those creditors to whom I am responsible. This bequest is made as a memento of the high regard, affection and esteem I bear for him, as a high-minded, honest and honorable man.

_Eighth_, To my grand-nephew, Andrew Jackson Coffee, I bequeath the elegant sword presented to me by the Rifle Company of New Orleans, commanded by Captain Beal, as a memento of my regard, and to bring to his recollection the gallant services of his deceased father, General John Coffee, in the late Indian and British war, under my command, and his gallant conduct in defense of New Orleans in 1814 and 1815, with this injunction: that he wield it in protection of the rights secured to the American citizens under our glorious constitution, against all invaders, whether foreign foes or intestine traitors.

I bequeath to my beloved grandson, Andrew Jackson, son of A. Jackson, Jr., and Sarah his wife, the sword presented to me by the citizens of Philadelphia, with his injunction: that he will always use it in the defense of the constitution and our glorious union, and the perpetuation of our republican system: remembering the motto--"Draw me not without occasion, nor sheath me without honor."

The pistols of General Lafayette, which were presented by him to General George Washington, and by Colonel William Robertson presented to me, I bequeath to George Washington Lafayette, as a memento of the illustrious personages through whose hands they have passed--_his father, and the father of his country_.

The gold box presented to me by the corporation of the city of New York, the large silver vase presented to me by the ladies of Charleston, South Carolina, my native state, with the large picture representing the unfurling of the American banner, presented to me by the citizens of South Carolina, when it was refused to be accepted by the United States Senate, I leave in trust to my son A. Jackson, Jr. with instructions that should our happy country not be blessed with peace, an event not always to be expected, he will, at the close of the war or end of the conflict, present each of said articles of inestimable value to that patriot, residing in the city or state from which they were presented, who shall be adjudged by his countrymen or the ladies to have been the most valiant in defense of his country and our country's rights.

The pocket spyglass which was used by General Washington during the revolutionary war, and presented to me by Mr. Custis, having been burned with my dwelling-house, the Hermitage, with many other invaluable relics, I can make no disposition of them. As a memento of my high regard for General Robert Armstrong, as a gentleman, patriot and soldier, as well as for his meritorious military services under my command during the late British and Indian war, and remembering the gallant bearing of him and his gallant little band at Enotochopco creek, when, falling desperately wounded, he called out "My brave fellows, some may fall, but save the cannon"--as a memento of all these things, I give and bequeath to him my case of pistols and sword worn by me throughout my military career, well satisfied that in his hands they will never be disgraced--that they will never be used or drawn without occasion, nor sheathed but with honor.

_Lastly_, I leave to my beloved son all my walking-canes and other relics, to be distributed among my young relatives--namesakes--first, to my much esteemed namesake, Andrew J. Donelson, son of my esteemed nephew, A. J. Donelson, his first choice, and then to be distributed as A. Jackson, Jr., may think proper.

_Lastly_, I appoint my adopted son, Andrew Jackson, Jr., my whole and sole executor to this my last will and testament, and direct that no security be required of him for the faithful execution and discharge of the trusts hereby reposed in him.

In testimony whereof I have this 7th day of June, one thousand eight hundred and forty-three, hereunto set my hand, and affixed my seal, hereby revoking all wills heretofore made by me, and in the presence of

Marion Adams, Elizabeth D. Love, Thos. J. Donelson, Richard Smith, R. Armstrong,

ANDREW JACKSON (Seal)

APPENDIX C: HIS GOINGS AND COMINGS

Andrew Jackson, unfortunately, did not keep a journal or diary and thus leave behind him a record of his movements from day to day; but from the extensive files of his correspondence it is possible to patch together an accurate record of his goings and comings after he started living at the Hermitage.

Jackson was essentially a home-loving man; his letters are full of unmistakably sincere evidences of it. But in spite of his dislike for being away from home, he did a powerful lot of traveling from time to time. In February, 1822, Mrs. Jackson wrote: "In the thirty years of our wedded life ... he has not spent one-fourth of his days under his own roof."

Jackson's first notable absence from home after he moved to the Hermitage was when on that bright May day in 1806 he kissed Rachel goodbye and, together with his seconds, rode soberly off to the rendezvous across the Kentucky line where he was to meet Mr. Charles Dickinson, the gay young Nashville blade who had signed his death warrant by provoking a duel with the up-and-coming young lawyer. Dickinson was a famous crack shot, and when Jackson rode away from home that morning he had every reason to fear that he would never see the Hermitage again. But two days later his friends brought him home--alive but severely, almost fatally, wounded. Rachel fluttered over him and nursed him back to health, gladdened by his safe return though saddened by the tragic outcome of the affray.

It was not until 1813 that Jackson, now a major general of militia, left home to head the abortive expedition of the Tennessee militia and volunteers to Natchez in the early stages of the War of 1812. As a result of either a stupid blunder or a malicious conspiracy (Jackson naturally believed the latter) his troops were ordered by the Secretary of War to be discharged at Natchez--500 miles from home. But Jackson, with characteristic fire and steadfastness, defied the Secretary and insisted on marching his men back up the Natchez Trace to Tennessee so that they could be mustered out at home. It was on this painful homeward march that he shared the privations of his men with such fortitude that he gained the everlasting nickname of Old Hickory; and this was his first step up the ladder of fame. He left the Hermitage in January a commonplace backwoods militia officer; he came back in April a hero.