GABRIEL SLAUGHTER, 1767-1830 G•OVERNOR OF KENTUCKY ...

1966] Gabriel Slaughter, 1767-1830 343
was to be one of our great victories, Slaughter, Harrison, and Carroll's
Tennesseeans occupied the center and left center of the long American
line and bore the brunt of the British attacks.45 Slaughter and the troops
remained in New Orleans for several months. His tour of service
ended May 10, 1815.4e
III
As the elections of 1816 approached there was a shifting in Kentucky
politics. The Republicans were divided into two wings, pro- and
anti-Clay. The Federalists had never had strength sufficient to elect a
governor but they did control many votes.
In this realignment John Pope was the leader of the anti-Clay forces.
He had made himself unpopular with the dominant part of the Republican
Party in Kentucky by his vote against war in 1812 while a
member of the United States Senate. The next year he had not been
re-elected by the Legislature and since then had been in private law
practice in Lexington. He now sought a means of returning to political
power through a combination of the anti-Clay and anti-war Republicans
and the Federalists.*T
This combination concerned itself primarily with the congressional
races and Pope ran again st Clay in their home district. In the gubernatorial
race the Republicans nominated Major George Madison, a veteran
of the War of 1812. Colonel James Johnson, who announced as the
Federalist opponent, soon retired stating it was impossible for him or
anyone else to run against a man so universally popular and beloved as
Madison. s The candidates for Lieutenant Governor were Gabriel
Slaughter, Richard Hickman, and James Garrard.
When Slaughter informed Pope early in 1816 of his intention to
stand for Lieutenant Governor there seems to have evolved an understanding
between them regarding the powers and opportunities accruing
to that office. 49 Because of many Republicans' aversion to Pope he
made no public display of his preference for Slaughter, although their
friendship was known. Through the coalition, Pope was able to secure
secret Federalist support of the candidacy as well.a9
In favor with all sides, since he was himself a Republican and his
war record was pleasing to that party, Slaughter had little difficulty in
securing the election. The vote was 11,731 for Hickman and 7,723 for
Garrard to Slaughter's 26,688, far more than the others combined. 5
Madison, virtually unopposed, won the governorship.
Hardly were the August elections over, however, when on October
14, 1816, Governor Madison died. On the twenty-first Gabriel