A Vindication of the Measures of the President and His Commanding Generals, in the Commencement and Termination of the Seminole War. By a Citizen of the State of Tennessee.

[John Overton]

A Vindication of the Measures of the President and His Commanding Generals, in the Commencement and Termination of the Seminole War. By a Citizen of the State of Tennessee.

Washington:

Gales & Seaton

1819

In 1817, Andrew Jackson, then a general, led an invasion into the Spanish-controlled Seminole territory of Florida. This action, which sparked the First Seminole War, was a highly controversial one, and Congress debated resolutions condemning Jackson for his conduct. John Overton, a friend of Jackson’s and his successor on the Tennessee Supreme Court, authored this anonymous defense of Jackson’s extreme actions. This is Jackson’s copy and bears his signature on the title page.

Andrew Jackson. Term: 1829-1837, Democratic Party

From the Collection of Susan Jaffe Tane