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Autobiography of General Winfield Scott
This document is a typed excerpt from vol.1 of the Memoirs of Lieut.- General Scott, published in
1864. Scott was one of the primary officials involved in the military operations related to the removal of the Cherokees (1838-39)
to a territory west of the Mississippi River. Scott's autobiography contains observations on the relations between the Cherokees
and the white settlers in the surrounding states, primarily Georgia, North Carolina, and Tennessee. This excerpt contains
several minor typographical variations from Scott's memoirs.
Civilization of the Cherokees.
Excerpt from the Autobiography
of Lieut. General Scott. New York,
1864. Vol. 1, p. 318.
"The Cherokees were an interesting people - the greater number
Christians, an [and] many as civilized as their neighbors of the white race. Between the two colors
intermarriages had been frequent. They occupied a contiguous territory - healthy mountains, valleys, and plains lying in North Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, and Tennessee. Most of their leading men had received
good educations, and possessed much ability. Some were quite wealthy in cultivated farms, good houses, cattle of every kind,
and negro slaves. Gardens and orchards were seen everywhere and the women graceful, with, in many cases, added beauty.
Of course the mixed races are here particularly alluded to. The mountaineers were still wild men, but little on this side
of their primordial condition.
The North Carolinians and the Tennesseans
were kindly disposed towards their red brethren. The Alabamians were much
less so. The great difficulty was with the Georgians (more than Half the army),
between whom and the Cherokees there had been feuds and wars for many generations.
The reciprocal hatred of these two races was probably never surpassed. Almost every Georgian,
on leaving home, as well as after their arrival at New Echota, - the centre [center] of the most populous district of the Indian territory - vowed never to return without having
killed at least one Indian. This ferocious language was the more remarkable as the great body of these citizens - perhaps,
seven in ten - were professors of religion. The Methodists, Baptist, and other ministers of the Gospel of Mercy, had been
extensively abroad among them; but the hereditary animosity alluded to caused the Georgians
to forget, or, at least, to deny that a Cherokee was a human being."
Repository: Tennessee State Library and Archives, Nashville, Tenn.
Collection: State
Library Cherokee Collection
Box: 19
Folder: 10
Document: ch098
Recommended
Reading: Winfield
Scott and the Profession of Arms (Hardcover: 328 pages) (Kent State University Press). Description: Winfield Scott And The Profession Of Arms is the true story of Winfield
Scott (1786-1866), who is perhaps best known for his role in bringing professionalism to the U.S. Army during his long military
career (1807-61). He served as general in the War of 1812, major figure during the Indian Wars, key character in the "Trail
of Tears", commanded U.S. forces in the final campaign of the Mexican American
War, and was the general-in-chief at the beginning of the Civil War. Continued below…
Additionally,
he was a presidential candidate and foe or friend to every president from Madison to Lincoln. History
professor emeritus Allan Peskin draws upon research in the National Archives to unearth a comprehensive portrait of General
Scott as a visionary managerial officer, who anticipated drastic changes in technology and business principles for the military
and adapted in response. An indepth, balanced biography of a remarkable figure and his lasting legacy.
Recommended
Reading: Winfield Scott: The Quest for Military Glory
(Hardcover). Description: One of the most important public figures in antebellum America, Winfield Scott is known today more for his swagger
than his sword. "Old Fuss and Feathers" was a brilliant military commander whose tactics and strategy were innovative adaptations
from European military theory; yet he was often underappreciated by his contemporaries and until recently overlooked by historians.
Although John Eisenhower's recently published Agent of Destiny provides a solid summary of Scott's remarkable life, Timothy
D. Johnson's much deeper critical exploration of this flawed genius will become the standard work. Thoroughly grounded in
an essential understanding of nineteenth-century military professionalism, Johnson's work draws extensively on unpublished
sources to reveal neglected aspects of Scott's life, present a complete view of his career, and accurately balance criticism
and praise. Continued below…
Johnson dramatically
relates the key features of Scott's career: how he led troops to victory in the War of 1812 and the Mexican War, fought against
the Seminoles and Creeks, and was instrumental in professionalizing the U.S. Army, which he commanded for two decades. He
also tells how Scott tried to introduce French methods into army tactical manuals, and how he applied his study of the Napoleonic
Wars during the Mexico City campaign but found European strategy of little use against Indians. Johnson further suggests that
Scott's creation of an officer corps that boasted Grant, Lee, McClellan, and other veterans of the Mexican War raises important
questions about his influence on Civil War generalship. More than a military history, this book explains how Scott's
aristocratic pretensions were out of place with emerging notions of equality in Jacksonian America and made him an unappealing
political candidate in his bid for the presidency. Johnson recounts the details of Scott's personality that alienated nearly
everyone who knew him, as well as the unsavory methods Scott used to promote his career and the scandalous ways he attempted
to alleviate his lifelong financial troubles. Although Scott's legendary vanity has tarnished his place among American
military leaders, he also possessed great talent and courage. Johnson's biography offers the most balanced portrait available
of Scott by never losing sight of the whole man.
Recommended
Reading: Agent Of Destiny: The Life And Times Of General Winfield Scott (Hardcover). Description: It's
about time somebody wrote a biography of Winfield Scott, and reading this fascinating account by accomplished military historian
John S. D. Eisenhower, you'll wonder why nobody did it sooner. Scott's career spanned an astonishing 54 years and he spent
most of it as a general. He was one of the few American heroes to emerge from the War of 1812; he launched a daring and successful
invasion of Mexico in 1847; and he defended a vulnerable Washington,
D.C., during the first months of the Lincoln
administration in 1861. Scott was a profoundly courageous man with a flair for the organizational side of military life. Yet
an unseemly amount of ambition and vanity marred his character, even as these qualities help make him an interesting subject
for Eisenhower (who is, you guessed it, the son of Ike). Agent of Destiny is a skilled portrait of a man who is often
overshadowed by the generation of Civil War leaders following him. Eisenhower deserves our thanks for writing this magnificent
book about a vital figure.
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