General Jesup  
On December 8, Andrew Jackson's new man, General Thomas Sydney Jesup, took command in Florida. "I have tried all the Generals," wrote Jackson, "and as Genl Jesup is now there … he I hope will finish this unfortunate business."
Jesup was determined to correct the errors of his predecessors. From the start, he showed a clear understanding of the conflict, warning colleagues:
"This, you may be assured, is a negro, not an Indian war; and if it be not speedily put down, the south will feel the effects of it on their slave population before the end of the next season."
He would prove the most effective officer in the war and the most controversial.
  
Sources:
Jackson 5: 434, ASPMA 7: 159, 821, Giddings Exiles 135, Mahon 193. ©
Part 2, War: l |
