It is no slight praise to say of the subject of this memoir, that his name is honorably associated with the war of 1812, from its commencement to its termination. When disasters were so frequent, and defeat so often sustained, where others were concerned, it is refreshing to find, that he never wanted the will, and when his means were sufficient, never lacked the ability, to retrieve the one, and to wipe out the disgrace of the other. Ever to be found where duty placed him,—prompt, brave, and skilful,—these are high merits in a soldier, and entitle their possessor to a worthy place among his compeers.

Virginia is often termed “the mother of statesmen,”—and she may also be regarded as the birth-place of heroes. Like Harrison and Scott, General Gaines drew his first breath in the Old Dominion. He was born on the twentieth day of March, 1777, in Culpepper county, near the eastern base of the Blue Ridge, where it looks down upon the rolling table land, and undulating slopes,drained by the waters of the Rappahannock. His father, James Gaines, was a nephew of Edmund Pendleton,—after whom his son was named,—a profound and able lawyer, who was for many years presiding judge of the Court of Appeals of the state of Virginia. In the latter part of the Revolution, the father commanded a company of volunteers, and did good service in that capacity. At the close of the war he removed to the northwest border of North Carolina. He represented the county in which he resided, in the legislature of that state, and was afterwards a member of the convention by which the federal constitution was rejected. Like many of the most patriotic citizens of Virginia, North Carolina, and other states, he was at first opposed to that instrument; but, his objections having been removed by the adoption of the “bill of rights,” he voted in its favor.

Young Gaines was early familiarized to scenes of war and bloodshed. Born in a frontier settlement, during the perilous times of the revolutionary struggle, when the whole colony was in a state of constant ferment and agitation, though not old enough to appreciate the importance of the principles for which his countrymen were contending, he was deeply imbued with the spirit that animated the men of that great era in the history of our nation. In the sparsely-peopled region to which his parents had removed, the means of obtaining information were very limited, and, as his father was in moderate circumstances, he enjoyed but few advantages of that character. These were carefully improved, however, under the direction and superintendence of his mother, who possessed a fine mind, and had received a good education. A friend, by the name of Ralph Mitchell, whose acquaintance he formed while a mere youth, instructed him in mathematics, and he subsequently became an accurate surveyor.

When he was about thirteen years of age, his father emigrated to Sullivan county, in that mountainous tract of country, now known as East Tennessee, lying between the Stone and Cumberland mountains. This section of the union was then new, and but thinly inhabited. Being in the immediate vicinity of the theatre of the depredations committed by the Creeks and Cherokees, tales of border warfare were rife, and the legends of “the dark and bloody ground” were often repeated by the fireside of the elder Gaines. Themes like these were calculated to enkindle a desire for entering the profession of arms in the bosom of his young son, who listened to them with eager interest, and he soon gave unequivocal indications that his thoughts were turned in that direction. From boyhood he had been taught to labor,—to swing the axe, and follow the plough. When not thus employed, or busy in storing his mind with useful information, he rambled through the forests in search of game. In his hours of pastime the rifle was his constant companion, and he is said to have excelled all his companions in the use of that weapon. Passing his time in these occupations, his constitution, naturally strong and vigorous, had become hardened and invigorated, and fitted to endure the sufferings and vicissitudes of a soldier’s life. He was likewise bold and fearless, daring and determined;—no difficulty retarded him, no danger deterred.

He now occupied his leisure hours in reading and studying such military and historical works as he could procure; and at the age of eighteen he was elected to a lieutenancy in a rifle company commanded by Captain J. Cloud. No opportunity was yet presented for gratifying the first wish of his heart, and he concluded to turn his attention to another profession. When not otherwise busied, much of his time had latterly been spent in surveying. In this way he had provided himself with a small supply of funds, and on attaining his majority, he commenced the study of the law, and pursued it as fast as his limited means would allow. While thus engaged, he was recommended by his friend, the Hon. W. C. C. Claiborne, then a member of Congress from the state of Tennessee, and afterwards governor of Louisiana, for an appointment in the army The recommendation proved successful, and on the tenth of January, 1799, he received his first commission, as an ensign.

The long-cherished desire of young Gaines was now gratified, and the way opened for him to win honor and renown in the armies of his country. In the autumn of 1799, he was promoted to the rank of 2nd lieutenant in the 6th infantry, and sent on the recruiting service. His regiment being afterwards disbanded, he was attached to the 4th infantry, then under the command of Colonel Thomas Butler. In the summer of 1801, Colonel Butler received orders from the War Department, to select a subaltern from his regiment to make a topographical survey from Nashville to Natchez, for the location of a military road. Lieutenant Gaines was selected for this duty, and was employed in discharging it, and in the survey of some Indian boundary lines, till the winter of 1803–4,—having, in the meantime, been raised to the rank of 1st lieutenant.

The Spanish government, being dissatisfied with the transfer of Louisiana to the United States, refused to withdraw her troops from Fort Condé, at Mobile, and from Baton Rouge,—and to deliver up possession of the country lying north of the Isle of Orleans, and the Gulf of Mexico, and between the Mississippi and the Perdido,—insisting that the territory embraced within those limits formed a part of her Floridian possessions, and was not included in the cession to France. Mr. Jefferson well knew that the country was wholly unprepared for war, and, in conformity with the peaceful policy of his administration, was unwilling, at that time, to submit the question in dispute to the arbitrament of the sword; yet, lest it might be said that the United States had tacitly acquiesced in the claim of the Spanish authorities, he resolved to appoint a military collector for the district of Mobile. The appointment was conferred on Lieutenant Gaines, in 1804, and he immediately established himself at Fort Stoddart, thirty-six miles north of Mobile.

He at once looked forward, with eager hope and expectation, to the time when he would be required “to flesh his maiden sword;” a collision seemed unavoidable, and he supposed it would soon be necessary to assert the rights of his government, and the authority deputed to him, by force of arms. In this he was disappointed; but a circumstance shortly after transpired, that brought him into notoriety,—of a very different character, indeed, from what he had desired or anticipated, yet it is not at all probable that he ever regretted his connection with the transaction.—In 1806 he was appointed postmaster, and selected as the confidential agent of the post-office department, being clothed with the power of suspending postmasters and contractors concerned in what was called, “the conspiracy of Aaron Burr.” Young and ardent, in heart and soul a patriot, it is not strange that he should have shared in the prevalent feeling, and approved the public judgment that denounced Colonel Burr as a traitor. He may have been mistaken in this, and if so, it was an error into which he was very likely to fall:—the projects of Colonel Burr are still shrouded in mystery; he who was chiefly interested in removing the odium attached to them in the estimation of his countrymen, if that were possible, refused to make any explanations; to the close of his life he maintained a studied reserve, and when he died, “he made no sign”!

Lieutenant Gaines was quite active in discharging the extraordinary mission intrusted to him, and in ferreting out the parties implicated in the supposed conspiracy. He arrested Colonel Burr; and, on account of his acquaintance with the western country, he received the temporary appointment of marshal, in which capacity he summoned a number of witnesses to attend the trial. About the same time he was promoted to the rank of captain. Although his conduct had been governed by the best and purest motives, and he had but faithfully carried out the instructions of those whom it was his duty to obey, he incurred the bitterest animosity of the friends of Colonel Burr, and was severely attacked on the trial; and, in his subsequent life, he was often taught to feel, that they had neither forgotten nor forgiven him.

Soon after his connection with this affair terminated, seeing nothing before him but a life of inaction wholly unsuited to his active temperament, he decided to retire from the army, and enter the legal profession. Before announcing his determination, he wisely hesitated—there was a prospect of war with England,—though, after the settlement of the affair of the Chesapeake, a remote one,—and he therefore concluded merely to apply for leave of absence. This was cordially granted by his commanding officer, General Hampton, and he now commenced the practice of the law in the counties of Washington and Baldwin, in what was then the Mississippi territory, but now the State of Alabama. He had just rode his second circuit, under auspices highly flattering to his talents and abilities, when the alternative, of rejoining the army or finally throwing up his commission, was presented. The call of his country was the call of duty. The summons to arms was joyfully obeyed, and at the commencement of the war of 1812, he resumed his sword, and his position in the service.

The year 1812 closed without furnishing him an opportunity to distinguish himself. In the spring of 1813, he was attached to the North-western army, and rose, by rapid promotions, to the command of a regiment. A long and tedious illness prevented his participation in the battle of the Thames, but he recovered in time to accompany the ill-fated expedition of General Wilkinson down the St. Lawrence.⁠[5] He was present at the battle of Chrystler’s fields, on the eleventh of November, and for his gallantry on that occasion was mentioned in terms of high commendation, in the official dispatch of General Boyd. In the action he commanded the 25th infantry, one of the finest and most effective regiments in the service, and after the British had been beaten back, in accordance with the instructions of the commander-in-chief to General Boyd, he was directed to cover the re-embarkation of the American troops.

This service was performed with skill, fearlessness, and promptitude. Colonel Morrison, of the 89th British foot, the officer in command of the enemy, animated by the hope of achieving some certain success during the day, pushed hard upon him with a large body of troops. His men stood firm and immovable as the rocks beneath their feet. A desperate onset was made by the enemy to overwhelm him, but after an obstinate struggle they were completely repulsed. He then joined the advance, retiring with his command slowly and deliberately to their boats. Colonel Morrison was so well pleased with the brave conduct of the regiment, that, after the action, he sent his card to its commanding officer, with a message expressing his admiration, and desiring to know his name, in order that if they should chance to meet when the two countries were at peace, he might claim the privilege of an old friend and fellow soldier. It need not be added, that Colonel Gaines promptly complied with the request and returned the compliment.

Colonel Gaines accompanied the army into winter quarters at French Mills, and, on the ninth of March, 1814, he received the commission of a brigadier general. At the opening of the following campaign, we find him placed in command at Sacketts Harbor, upon the departure of General Brown and his army for the Niagara frontier. Here he was assiduously employed in providing for the defence of the post, and, when it was blockaded by the British squadron, in preventing their attempts to cut off the supplies and munitions of war, conveyed through the interior of New York, by way of the Mohawk, the Oneida Lake, and the Oswego river, and the connecting canals, and then transported over Lake Ontario to Sacketts Harbor. He remained at this post, till he was summoned by General Brown to join the army on the Niagara, after the battle of the twenty-fifth of July. On the fifth of August he arrived at Fort Erie, then beleaguered by the British forces under General Drummond, and assumed the command.

The construction of the additional defences of the fort had already been commenced, under the direction of General Ripley, with whose arrangements he interfered no further than to press the rapid completion of the works. The main structure was a small unfinished redoubt, and in a very dilapidated condition. It was situated about one hundred yards from the lake, above which it was elevated some fifteen or twenty feet. Towards the water it was left exposed, though partially repaired; on the right it was strengthened, and extended by a breastwork, to the river, where it terminated in a battery, and on the left a line of intrenchments and abattis was formed, extending to an eminence called Snake hill, which formed the southern angle, and on which a redoubt was constructed. From thence eastwardly, to the shore of the lake, there was a defence of abattis.

The British general had fancied that the American army was now within his grasp, and that a single blow would be followed by their immediate surrender, or their withdrawal from the Canadian territory. Upon his arrival before the post he found its occupants much better prepared for his reception than he expected to find them. He therefore sat himself down coolly and deliberately, established his main camp about two miles distant, threw up two lines of intrenchments, supported by strong block houses, in front of the works, planted his batteries at favorable points, and contented himself with drawing closer the investment, but, nevertheless, pushing his operations with great activity.

The American soldiers labored incessantly on the fortifications; and on the seventh of August, though still incomplete, they were in a sufficient state of forwardness to withstand an attack. From that time till the fourteenth instant, a constant cannonade was kept up, on one side or the other; the earth shaking for miles around, as the thunders of the artillery boomed over the lake, or rolled along its shores, echoing from one headland to the other, and muttering among the fissures of the rocks and recesses of the forest, till they were lost in the distance. Several skirmishes also took place, in which the British were generally defeated. The works were considerably crippled, however, as they were enfiladed by one of the enemy’s batteries; but the garrison did not suffer materially from the fire, there being but seven men killed, and thirty-six wounded, up to the night of the fourteenth instant.

Towards evening on the fourteenth a bustle was observed in the British lines, from which General Gaines rightly conjectured that the enemy designed to hazard an assault, and his dispositions were at once made to repel it. The garrison was feeble enough, there being but about twenty-five hundred effective men, while the besieging force was nearly double that number; but what they lacked in this respect was more than made up in the cheerfulness with which the officers seconded the wishes of the commander, the unflinching firmness of the men, and the readiness with which they obeyed every call of duty. The main fort and its bastions were placed under the command of Captain Williams, of the artillery; the battery on the margin of the lake, on the right, was commanded by Captain Douglass, of the engineers; the batteries in front were placed in charge of Captains Biddle and Fanning; and Captain Towson’s battery occupied the south-western angle of the works,—all being under the command of Major Hindman, chief of artillery. The first brigade, under Lieutenant Colonel Aspinwall,—its former commander, General Scott, having been wounded at the battle of Niagara, on the twenty-fifth of July,—was posted on the right, and the second brigade, under General Ripley, on the left. The riflemen and volunteers, under General Porter, were directed to support the batteries in front, and the block house, near the salient bastion of the fort, was occupied by a detachment of infantry, under Major Trimble.

The preparations of General Drummond were completed soon after nightfall on the fourteenth; it was arranged that the projected assault should be made early on the following morning, in three columns,—that on the right designed to attack the left of the American works, consisting of thirteen hundred men, being placed under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Fischer, that on the left, of about the same number, under Colonel Scott, and the central column, composed of eight hundred select troops, under Lieutenant Colonel Drummond. A few hours before the assault was ordered, one of the enemy’s shells lodged in a small magazine in the fort, which exploded with a deafening noise, shaking the solid earth, and shooting a vast pillar of smoke and flame up towards the sky, which expanded at the top, and rained down showers of fragments on the heads of the garrison. Not a man was injured, or a gun disabled, by the explosion; but the British soldiers, fancying some serious injury had been effected, raised a loud and joyous shout. This was promptly answered by the Americans, and in the midst of the confusion, and before the smoke had cleared away, Captain Williams discharged his heavy guns. For a few moments an animated fire was kept up, and the air was filled with a storm of projectiles, with crashing balls, and falling shells,—but it died away again, and all was still. It was the silence that forebodes the storm—the hush that precedes the whirlwind!

It had been rainy throughout the day, and the rolling thunders of the tempest mingled with the loud roar of cannon, and the noise of exploding bombs. When the night set in, the rain continued to fall; heavy masses of clouds swept athwart the sky, curtaining the scene with a dark and gloomy pall; and the fires in the enemy’s camp could scarcely be discerned, glimmering feebly through the obscure haze. The breastworks of Fort Erie sheltered many an anxious bosom, but the fire of a noble courage, that knew not how to falter, sparkled in every eye, and beamed on every countenance. General Gaines, whose dauntless intrepidity was never more conspicuous than on this occasion, was active in encouraging and inspiriting his men, both by his language and his example. Every necessary order was issued with promptitude, and obeyed with alacrity.

Midnight came,—and yet there were no indications of an attack. Another, and another hour passed by in silence. Ere the next half hour was told, a low, faint sound was heard, like the rustling of the wind among the leaves of the forest. It approached nearer and nearer,—and the eager listeners soon caught the measured tread of the approaching columns, enveloped in thick darkness, but hurrying onward with rapidity to the assault. The column led by Lieutenant Colonel Fischer was the first to reach the works. The enemy advanced steadily and quickly,—one portion approaching the battery at the southwestern angle, with scaling ladders; and the other advancing against the line between it and the lake, with the design of terminating the contest, in an instant, by the decisive shock of the bayonet. They were allowed to approach within good range, when the American musketry and artillery opened suddenly upon them. Broad sheets of flame leaped from the breastworks; shot and shell were vomited in torrents from the batteries; and the dense waves of smoke that surged over the combatants, were lighted constantly by the vivid flashes of the artillery.

The effect was terrific. The enemy were mowed down in platoons, and scores were swept away at every discharge. They hesitated for a moment,—another scorching blast burst from the American batteries,—and they recoiled in terror and alarm. They were soon rallied, however, and again led to the attack; but they were again repulsed with fearful slaughter. The British officers once more succeeded in animating their wavering troops for another onset. They now attempted to pass round the abattis by wading through the lake, the water of which came nearly to their arm-pits. The American soldiers, cheered by the presence of General Gaines, who had mounted his horse and hastened at the first alarm to participate in the dangers, and share the perils of the conflict, made every preparation to receive them. Some few succeeded in reaching the firm earth on the opposite side of the abattis, but it was only to be pierced by a dozen wounds. Many were drowned in the lake; others sank exhausted by their wounds, beneath the water dyed with the life blood which they had vainly shed; and others found their only safety in surrendering themselves prisoners of war. The officers no longer endeavored to prevent the retreat, but all, as if animated by one impulse, hurried, in haste, from the scene of their disaster.

On the other flank the enemy were equally unsuccessful. The column under Colonel Scott became entangled in the rocks near the river, on the right of the intrenched camp, and were delayed for a short time; but when they discovered their error, and regained their line of march, they pushed on more rapidly than before. The sleepless vigilance of the besieged could not be taken by surprise. The assailing column were heard distinctly behind the ramparts as they approached, and when within fifty yards of the American lines, they encountered an appalling fire that forced them to halt. To advance further was impossible. The batteries before them presented a constant blaze of fire, and the air was full of bursting balls and missiles. In the meantime, the central column, commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Drummond, had advanced boldly against the fort in front. A rapid, and well-directed fire was turned upon them by Captain Williams, but, unappalled by the carnage, they succeeded in applying their ladders to the walls of the salient bastion. As they were striving to gain the parapet, their officers shouted to their comrades, in the column under Colonel Scott, to “cease firing”!

This proved to be a mere trick, but it succeeded for a moment. The order was heard by Captain Douglass, and supposing that it emanated from his own superior officers, both he and his infantry support temporarily suspended their fire. Favored by this circumstance, Colonel Scott once more led on his men,—but they had only provoked their doom. The deception was now manifest, and a still more galling fire was sustained, which caused them again to pause. Their commander and a number of his officers were cut down; their loss was dreadfully severe; they were unable to continue the advance, and a retreat was ordered. They commenced retiring slowly, but the movement terminated in a disorderly flight.

Drummond’s column, however, had achieved a slight advantage, yet it was brief as it was unimportant. The first attempt to carry the bastion entirely failed; a second, and a third effort was made, with similar results. But the British commander lacked not in brutal courage, though sadly deficient in the more ennobling qualities of the gallant soldier. Under cover of the intense darkness, just before the break of day, he led a portion of his men silently along the ditch, applied his ladders at a point where he was not expected, and mounted the parapet. With a daring intrepidity worthy of a better cause, he led his men forward to the charge, shrieking out in the tones of baffled rage and hate—“No quarter!—give the Yankees no quarter!” This dastard order was faithfully obeyed. A fierce and maddening contest took place for the possession of the bastion. Major Hindman and his artillerists, with their supporting force, bravely stood their ground. Their efforts proved unavailing. Captain Williams, and a number of the men, were killed or mortally wounded, and his lieutenants, Watmough and Macdonough, were also severely wounded. The latter disdained to yield till he was completely disabled, and then asked for quarter. This was refused,—when, rallying his remaining strength, he snatched a handspike, and, with the madness of despairing humanity, strove to beat off his assailants. As he held them at bay, the infuriated Drummond rushed forward, and shot him down with his own hand. But this coward act received a fearful retribution. The next instant an avenging bullet found its way to the heart of the British leader, and he fell beside his victim,—a horrid blasphemy gurgling, with the death rattle, in his throat!

Notwithstanding the fall of their commander, the men who had effected a lodgment in the bastion, successfully resisted every attempt to dislodge them till daylight. General Gaines then ordered up larger reinforcements, and the enemy began speedily to fall back. They were now at the mercy of the American soldiers, who had not forgotten the savage cry which had been the death-knell of many a brave spirit. Expecting no favor, as none was merited, they had commenced tumbling pellmell over the parapet into the ditch, when a strong reserve was descried rapidly coming up under Lieutenant Colonel Tucker. An enfilading fire from Captain Douglass’ battery upon the approaching column, and a few rapid and effective discharges from the guns of Captains Biddle and Fanning, checked their advance. Between three and four hundred of the enemy advanced to within a short distance of the bastion; but, at this moment, and while the Americans, under the orders of General Gaines, were preparing for a vigorous rush upon the remnant of Drummond’s column, a number of cartridges deposited in one end of the stone building adjoining the bastion, caught fire, and exploded, with a tremendous roar, carrying away the whole platform. The loss of the enemy by the explosion was small in comparison with what they had previously sustained, but it served to add to their confusion, and to increase their anxiety to escape beyond the reach of the American guns. No effort was made to pursue the assault further, and a general retreat of the enemy now took place, as tumultuous and disorderly, as their advance had been brave and imposing.

The British lost one hundred and fifty-seven men killed, in the assault, three hundred and eight wounded, and one hundred and eighty-six prisoners; besides a number who were drowned in the lake, and a still greater number who deserted under cover of the darkness. The American loss was only seventeen killed, fifty-six wounded, and eleven missing.

General Drummond had indulged the hope that a single giant stroke would retrieve the fortunes of the British arms in the peninsula, and enable him to “ride in triumph over all mischance.” The attack was well-laid, but failed in every respect. This abortive attempt sadly crippled his strength, and though he was reïnforced by two regiments on the following day, he durst not hazard a second assault. His batteries were enlarged, and the bombardment continued, though without any sensible effect. On the twenty-eighth of August, General Gaines, having been severely wounded by the bursting of a shell, was obliged to retire to Buffalo, leaving General Ripley in charge of the post which had been thus bravely defended. General Brown resumed the command on the second of September, and soon after compelled the British commander to raise the siege, and retire to his intrenched camp beyond the Chippewa.⁠[6]⁠

General Gaines did not recover from his wound in time to take part in the further operations of the belligerent forces during the few months which elapsed previous to the conclusion of the treaty of peace.—His gallant service in the defence of Fort Erie, did not go unrewarded. He was brevetted a major-general; Congress honored him, also, and the officers and men under his command, with a vote of thanks, and authorized the president to procure and present him with a gold medal. Similar votes of thanks were likewise passed, and gold-hilted swords presented to him, by the legislatures of New York, Virginia, and Tennessee.

After the termination of hostilities with Great Britain, being retained on the peace-establishment, General Gaines was ordered to relieve General Jackson in the command of the southern district. He was engaged in the discharge of the duties appertaining to his position, in the summer of 1817, when the Seminoles, a branch of the Creek tribe, and the Red Sticks, or Mickasaukians, also a branch of the same nation, who were driven from the Mississippi territory by General Jackson, in 1814, in connection with a number of runaway negroes,—all instigated by Nichols and Woodbine, and other British agents, and the Spanish authorities of Florida,—began to renew their depredations on the southern frontiers of Georgia. In July, a large band of these savages and outlaws were dislodged from a fort in which they had established themselves, on the Appalachicola, by a body of regulars and friendly Indians, under Colonel Clinch; but, as their outrages were frequently repeated, General Gaines immediately commenced erecting forts for the defence and protection of the border settlements. Fort Scott was constructed on the Flint river, a short distance above Spring Creek; Fort Gaines on the left bank of the Chatahoochee, about midway between the Petawla and Yattayabba creeks; and a third fort on the Conecuh.

In order to put an end to the atrocities perpetrated by the hostile savages and their associates, orders were issued to General Gaines from the War Department, “to remove the Indians still remaining on the lands ceded by the treaty made by General Jackson with the Creeks;” and, in pursuance of these instructions, on the nineteenth of November, he sent an officer to Fowltown, with a message requiring the removal of the Indians at that place. The chief in command returned a haughty refusal; whereupon, Major Twiggs was dispatched with a strong force, to compel an observance of the order, and to bring the chief and his party to Fort Scott. He was attacked on the way, but succeeded in repulsing the Indians, and arrived safely at Fowltown, which was found entirely deserted. On the thirtieth instant, Major Muhlenburgh arrived in the Appalachicola, with three vessels, containing supplies for Fort Scott, but was unable to ascend the river on account of the adverse winds. Lieutenant Scott was therefore sent down to his assistance, with a boat and forty men. Twenty of his men were left with the vessels, and their places in the boat were filled by sick soldiers and women. Lieutenant Scott then started to return to the fort, but on reaching the mouth of the Flint river, he was suddenly attacked by a band of Indian warriors, under their chief Hornotlimed. The whole party, with the exception of six soldiers, who made their escape by swimming to the shore, were inhumanly butchered, and their scalps taken to the Indian town of Mickasauky, to adorn the war-pole, striped with red paint, which had already been erected.

Offensive measures of the most rigorous character, were now rendered unavoidable. The experience acquired by General Jackson in his Indian campaigns, led to his being selected to conduct the war against the Seminoles and their allies. He arrived at Fort Scott, with nine hundred Georgia militia, on the ninth of March, 1818, and, as the senior officer, assumed the command. General Gaines acted under his orders during the short, but decisive campaign, that terminated in the effectual chastisement of the savages, and their Spanish abettors.⁠[7] The services of the former were invaluable to the commanding general; he was always to be relied on, ever ready for any service, prompt, skilful, persevering and industrious. He was present at the reduction of Fort Barrancas, on the twenty-eighth of May, and immediately thereafter was ordered to St. Augustine, with a detachment, which surrendered to him without serious opposition.

The hostile Indians being now quieted, General Jackson was relieved from duty, and General Gaines again took the command. He continued in charge of the southern district, till the further reduction of the army in 1821. He was then selected as one of the two brigadiers retained in service, and assigned to the command of the western military division. Upon the death of General Brown, in 1828, he was a candidate, with General Scott, for the vacant office of General-in-chief. The appointment, however, was conferred on General Macomb, then at the head of the engineer bureau. Pending the selection of an officer to supply this vacancy, a warm controversy took place between General Scott and himself, in relation to their respective priority of rank, which led to an unfortunate estrangement between them, and has since been a fruitful subject of contention and difficulty, occasioning not more embarrassment to the individuals particularly concerned, than to the national authorities, and their mutual friends, who are perhaps equally proud of the military services of both officers.

General Gaines was continued in command of the western division, his head-quarters being established at Jefferson barracks, and on the breaking out of disturbances with the Sacs and Foxes, in May, 1831, he promptly repaired to the theatre of contention, having previously dispatched thither a large body of troops. The principal village of the Sacs and Foxes lay in the beautiful peninsula between the transparent waters of the Rock river, and the Mississippi. In 1804, a treaty was concluded by Governor Harrison with their principal chiefs, by the terms of which all their lands east of the Mississippi were ceded to the United States; the Indians reserving to themselves the right of living and hunting upon the territory ceded while the same was unsold. A large number of the Sacs remained in the peninsula, and continued peaceably to enjoy the rights which had been reserved, till the admission of Illinois into the Union. The state then began to be more rapidly populated, and the valuable lead mines at Galena attracted a vast body of emigrants. In a few years the Indians were entirely surrounded by the settlements of the whites. Collisions frequently occurred; excesses were committed on one side, and retaliatory measures, far more aggravated in character, were adopted on the other.

With a view of removing the cause of dispute, the general government, in 1829, ordered the lands occupied by the Indians to be sold. The Sacs, under their celebrated chief, Black Hawk, now insisted that the treaty of 1804 was concluded by a few chiefs without the knowledge or consent of the nation at large, and refused to give up possession to purchasers. The authorities of the state were called upon to interfere for the protection of the whites, and in May, 1831, Governor Reynolds called out seven hundred militia, to remove the Indians by force. A collision had been anticipated by the Executive of the United States, and General Gaines had received orders to proceed to the seat of disturbance, if it should appear to be necessary. He instantly ordered six companies of regular troops from Jefferson Barracks to Rock Island, and four companies from Prairie du Chien. On the thirteenth of May, General Gaines arrived with this force at Fort Armstrong. A conference was here held with the Indian chiefs, but as they were unwilling to agree to any satisfactory terms, he called on Governor Reynolds of Illinois, for an additional force of militia. The governor joined him on the Rock river, with sixteen hundred mounted men, on the twenty-fifth of June, and in the morning of the ensuing day, General Gaines took possession of the Indian town, at the head of the united force, without firing a gun, or meeting a single Indian,—the late occupants of the village having crossed the Mississippi, with their women and children, on the previous night.

General Gaines again dispatched a message to the Sac chiefs, proposing another conference. This was finally acceded to, and on the thirtieth of June they entered into a treaty with him and Governor Reynolds, by which it was agreed that they should permanently remove beyond the Mississippi. Having brought this affair to what, at the time, promised to be a satisfactory termination, General Gaines returned to his headquarters. The treaty stipulations of the Indians proved to be delusory, however. In the following year Black Hawk led his warriors across the Mississippi, and refused peremptorily to retire, till he and his band were completely routed at the battle of the Bad-Axe, on the twenty-seventh of August, after which a treaty was concluded with General Scott and Governor Reynolds, in accordance with which the Sacs and Foxes removed to the vicinity of the Iowa and Des Moines rivers.

Another long interval of comparative inaction now occurred in the military service of General Gaines. Little more can be said of him, during this time, than that all his duties as the commander of the western division, were discharged with punctuality and dispatch. We hear nothing further from him of especial moment, till the renewal of hostilities with the Seminoles of Florida, in the fall of 1835. On receiving intelligence of the massacre of Major Dade’s command, and the battle of the Withlacoochee, he collected all the disposable troops in the vicinity of New Orleans, to which point his head-quarters had been removed, and immediately repaired to the seat of war. He landed at Fort Brooke, at the head of Tampa Bay, on the fourth of February, 1836, and at once proceeded in search of the savages, following the route of the unfortunate Dade down the right bank of the Withlacoochee. On arriving at the scene of the massacre, he caused the remains of the brave soldiers who had fallen victims to the wiles of the Indian warriors, to be decently and carefully interred. On the twenty-eighth of February, he encountered a body of Indians not far from Fort King, but repulsed them with loss. Soon after this affair he entered into a parley with Asceolah, or Osceola, the principal chief of the Seminoles, which, like most obligations and pledges of a similar character, proved to be a mere ruse,—the object of which was to gain time for the removal of the women and children to places of security, in the marshy everglades, and leafy hummocks, in the southern part of the peninsula.

Previous to these occurrences, General Scott had been ordered to take command of the troops, and to prosecute the war in Florida. He arrived at St. Augustine on the eighth of February, and on receiving authentic information of the fact, and on being informed of the orders issued at Washington, General Gaines gave up the command, and shortly afterwards returned to New Orleans.

His skirmish with the Indians, on the banks of the Withlacoochee, terminated, in all probability, forever, the active service of General Gaines in the field. Incapacitated, by reason of his age, and physical inability to endure the hardships and privations of a campaign, he was not employed in the prosecution of the war with Mexico, except in forwarding supplies, and hastening on troops, to the camp established by General Taylor at Corpus Christi, in the summer of 1845, and in discharging the other duties, in connection therewith, that devolved on him as the commanding officer at New Orleans. Though yielding to the influence of advancing years, he still possessed the chivalric fire, and the ardent patriotism, which had distinguished him in his younger days. Like the war-horse no longer fitted to endure the shock of battle, he snuffed the breeze that came from the field of strife, afar off, and when the information was received that General Taylor and his little band of soldiers were surrounded on the Rio Grande, and cut off from their supplies, he was impatient to rush to the assistance of his gallant brother in arms.

Restraining his impulses, he did all that was possible to be done, to relieve the army supposed to be in such imminent peril. All the regular troops that could be sent to the seat of war, were dispatched thither as expeditiously as possible. He also caused a large number of volunteers to be enrolled, mustered into service, and transported to the Rio Grande, without waiting for orders from Washington; in this he exceeded his authority, and it was thought proper to submit his conduct to a court of inquiry. The court assembled at Fort Monroe, in July, 1846, and after a full investigation, determined that he had transcended his powers, but that the act was prompted by the purest and most praiseworthy motives. The executive and the people of the United States, it is needless to say, cordially approved of the decision. Not long after General Gaines was assigned to the command of the eastern division, and established his head-quarters at New York, where he remained till the close of the war with Mexico, when he was relieved from duty at his own request.

General Gaines yet lives, in the enjoyment of “all that should accompany old age,” to recount the thrilling incidents of his campaigns, and “fight his battles o’er again.” One of that class of men is he—but too few in number—belonging to a past régime, who, though he has vindicated his title to be ranked among the military heroes of the nation, has never forgotten those noble qualities which characterize the gentleman of the old school. He is scarcely above the ordinary height, and slight of person, but straight as the arrow of an Indian warrior. He is somewhat reserved, but not taciturn,—courteous and urbane in his manners, but dignified and high-minded. Though his head is silvered with the frost of many winters, he is still hale and erect, and brave and generous, as in the hey-day of youth, when he rambled along the banks of the Yadkin; or, in the pride of manhood, when he stood unmoved, gazing with an unblenched eye on the carnage around him, and issuing his orders with an unfaltering lip, amid the whirling balls and blazing shells, on the ramparts of Fort Erie!