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GEORGIA AND GEORGIANS 483
the Cherokee nation down to Fort Hawking, on the edge of territory
belonging to the Creeks, thence along the Ocmulgee River to Hartford,
thence in a southeasterly direction to Fort Early, and thence in an
almost direct line south to Fort Gadsden. Jackson left Nashville, Tenn.,
on January 20, 1818. He arrived at Fort Gadsden, on March 25, 1818.
But the details of the journey are given more at length in the following
extracts: *
' JACKSON'S GEORGIA TBAIL
Extracts from letters written by Gen. Andrew Jackson to the secre
tary of war. State papers—Military affairs.
"Nashville, Jan. 20, 1818.—I will leave this on the 22d instant for
Fort Scott, via Fort Hawkins."
"Fort Hawkins, Feb. 10th, 1818.—I reached this place last evening,
when 1 learned, by sundry communications received from Brevet Major-
General Gaines, that the Georgia militia, under General Glasscock, had
all returned home, leaving the frontier in a very exposed situ
ation." . . .
"Hartford, Ga., Feb. 14th, 1818.—I arrived at this place on the
evening of the 12th, and here met with General Gaines."...
"Fort Early, Feb. 26, 1818.—The Georgia detachment marched from
their encampment, near Hartford on the 19th instant. . . . The
excessive rains have rendered the roads so bad that I ordered the troops,
on their march here, to take their baggage on the wagon horses, and
abandon the wagons; this facilitated their march to this place, which
they reached today; and eleven hundred men are now here without a
barrel of flour or bushel of corn." . . .
"Fort Gadsden, March 25, 1818.—At seven o'clock p. m. on the 9th
instant, I reached Fort Scott, with the brigade of Georgia militia nine
hundred bayonets strong, and some of the friendly Creeks who had
joined me on my march a few days before. ... I assumed the com-
inancl on the morning of the 10th, ordered the live stock slaughtered and
issued to the troops with one quart of corn to each man, and the line of
inarch to be taken up at 12 meridian. Having to cross the Flint River,
which was very high, combined with some neglect in returning the boats
during a very dark night, I was unable to move from the opposite bank
until nine o'clock on the morning of the llth, when I took up my line
of march down the east bank of the river for this place. . . . On
the morning of the 14th I ordered the boats down the river to this place,
whilst I descended by land, and reached here without interruption, on
the 16th." ...
"By some strange fatality, unaccountable to me, the Tennessee vol
unteers have not yet joined ine; they promptly left their homes, and
through the inclement weather reached Fort Mitchell, where I ordered
them supplies, and where Col. Hayne, who led them met my instructions
to pass by Fort Gaines, where he would get a supply of corn that
would enable him to reach Fort Scott; but the idea of starvation had
stalked abroad, a panic seems to have spread itself everywhere, and
he was told that they were starving at Fort Gaines and Fort Scott, and
he was induced to pass into Georgia for supplies." . . .
* Furnished by Mrs. John Statham Lowrey, State Historian, Daughters of the
American Revolution, Dawson, Georgia.