Edmund P. Gaines
From Casa de Blundell
Gen. Edmund Pendleton Gaines (1777 - 1849)
Born: March 3, 1777 in Virginia, United States
Died: June 6, 1849 in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States
Burial: Church Street Graveyard in Mobile, Alabama, United States
Son of Elizabeth and Capt. James Taylor Gaines
Husband of Frances (Toulmain) Gaines (before 1802), Myra (Clark) Gaines (1802) and Barbara (Blunt) Gaines (1815)
Contents |
Siblings
- Elizabeth
- George Gaines
- Sarah
- Betheland
- Lucy
- Frances
- James Gaines
- Martha (by marriage)
- Margaret (by marriage)
Occupation
Gen. War Of 1812; Arrested Aaron Burr On Charges Of Treason
Bio
Early life
Gaines was born in Culpeper County, Virginia on March 20, 1777. His father, James, had been captain of a company in the American forces during the Revolutionary War, and after the war his family moved to North Carolina where his father became a state representative. He enlisted in the army in 1799 and was a first lieutenant by 1807.[1]
Mississippi Territory
In the early 1800s, Gaines surveyed routes and boundaries in the Mississippi Territory including parts of the Natchez Trace. In 1807, Gaines was the commandant of Fort Stoddert. During this time, he arrested Aaron Burr and testified at his trial. Gaines also surveyed the route that would become the portion of the Gaines Trace from the Tennessee River to Cotton Gin Port, Mississippi. He afterwards took a leave of absence from the army to practice law.[1]
War of 1812
The War of 1812 brought Gaines back to the army and was appointed major of the Eighth U.S. Infantry and in July, 1812, was made a lieutenant colonel in the Twenty-Fourth U.S. Infantry. In 1813, he was promoted to colonel and commanded the Twenty-Fifth Infantry with distinction at the Battle of Crysler's Farm. He became adjutant general and was with General William Henry Harrison's army at the Battle of the Thames. He was promoted brigadier general of regulars on March 9, 1814 and commanded the post at Fort Erie after the U.S. capture. General Jacob Brown was wounded at the Battle of Lundy's Lane and when the U.S. Army of the Niagara returned to the fort, command was passed to Gaines. At the Siege of Fort Erie. Gaines was in command on the fortifications on 15 August 1814, when a British assault was bloodily repulsed. For this victory - the First Battle of Fort Erie - Gaines was awarded the Thanks of Congress, a Congressional Gold Medal, and a brevet promotion to major general. It should be noted, however, that the British assault had already been defeated before Gaines had the opportunity to issue a single order, so he had had no chance to influence the course of the Battle. A few days later, General Gaines was seriously wounded by artillery fire and General Brown, having recovered, returned to command. Gaines' wound ended his active field career for the rest of the war, and he was given command of the Military District Number 6.[1]
Indian affairs
At the end of the war Gaines was sent of a commissioner to deal with the Creek Indians. The U.S. commanding general, Jacob Brown, died in 1828; and Gaines was one of two ranking generals who could have been considered for the post. However, he and the other general, Winfield Scott, had both publicly quarreled with each other, and Alexander Macomb was promoted over both of them. He commanded the Western Military Department during the Black Hawk War. He was still in command of the department during the Seminole Wars in which he personally led an expedition. At the Battle of Ouithlacoochie he was wounded in the mouth.[1]
Southwest Frontier
In 1836, he was placed in command of the Southwest Military District. He was given instructions to fortify the border of the Louisiana Territory and Texas in the case that the Mexican army might threaten U.S. territory. He was also given orders to post guards preventing any U.S. soldiers from crossing into Texas and fighting in the rebellion. He was in command of the Army's Western Division at the outbreak of the Mexican-American War. He was reprimanded by the U.S. government for overstepping his authority by calling up Louisiana volunteers for Zachary Taylor's army. He nevertheless called up volunteers from other southwestern states and received a court-martial but was able to successfully defend himself.[1]
Later life
In the years during and following the Mexican-American War, Gaines was in command of a series of military districts. He was in command of the Western Division when he died at New Orleans, Louisiana on June 6, 1849. He was interred in the Church Street Graveyard in Mobile, Alabama. Gainesville, Florida, Gainesville, Texas, Gainesville, Georgia, and Gainesboro, Tennessee were all named in his honor, as was Gaines Street in Tallahassee, Florida. [1]
The Arrest of Aaron Burr
Several sources have said Gen. Gaines was responsible for the arrest of former Vice President Aaron Burr on charges of treason, but others (including an the Aaron Burr entry on Wikipedia which is unsourced) have suggested it was Gaines' father-in-law Judge Harry Toulmin, the father of Gaines' wife Francis. The following is the current entry from Wikipedia:
Like many Americans, including Jefferson, Burr anticipated a war with Spain, a distinct possibility had someone other than Wilkinson commanded U.S. troops on the Louisiana border. In case of a war declaration, Andrew Jackson stood ready to help Colonel Burr, who had already purchased the land shares in Texas. Burr's expedition of perhaps eighty men carried modest arms for hunting, and no war materiel ever came to light, even when Blennerhassett Island was seized by Virginia militia (the island was just off shore from modern Parkersburg, West Virginia).
After a near-incident with Spanish forces at Natchitoches, Wilkinson decided he could best serve his conflicting interests by betraying Burr's plans to President Jefferson and his Spanish paymasters. Jefferson's passivity throughout most of 1806 remains baffling to this day, but he finally issued a proclamation for Burr's arrest, declaring him a traitor even before an indictment. Burr read this in a newspaper in the Orleans Territory on January 10, 1807. Jefferson's warrant put Federal agents on his trail. He turned himself in to the Federal authorities twice. Two judges found his actions legal and released him. But Jefferson's warrant followed Burr, who then fled for Spanish Florida; he was intercepted in the vicinity of the Missouri and Alabama Territories on February 19, 1807 and confined to Fort Stoddert.
Burr was treated well at Fort Stoddert. For example, in the evening of February 20, 1807, Burr appeared at the dinner table, and was introduced to Frances Gaines the wife of the commandant Edmund P. Gaines, and the daughter of Judge Harry Toulmin the man responsible for the legal arrest of Burr. Frances and Burr played chess that evening and was allowed to continue this entertainment during his confinement at the fort.
Burr's secret correspondence with Anthony Merry and the Marquis of Casa Yrujo, the British and Spanish ministers at Washington, was eventually revealed. It had been, it would seem, to secure money and to conceal his real designs, which were probably to overthrow Spanish power in the Southwest, and perhaps to found a dynasty in what would have become former Mexican territory. This seems to have been a misdemeanor, based on the Neutrality Act passed to block filibuster expeditions like those questionable enterprises of George Rogers Clark and William Blount. But Jefferson sought the highest charges against Burr, even though his informant, Wilkinson, was notoriously corrupt. It seems that both Jefferson and Burr gravely misjudged Wilkinson's character - Jefferson had personally put him in charge of the Army at New Orleans.
In 1807, on a charge of treason, Burr was brought to trial before the United States Circuit Court at Richmond, Virginia. His defense lawyers were John Wickham and Luther Martin. Burr was arraigned four times for treason before a grand jury indicted him. This is surprising, because the only physical evidence presented to the Grand Jury was Wilkinson's so-called letter from Burr, proposing stealing land in the Louisiana Purchase. During the Jury's examination it was discovered that the letter was in Wilkinson's own handwriting - a "copy," he said, because he had "lost" the original. The Grand Jury threw the letter out, and the news made a laughingstock of the General for the rest of the proceedings. The trial, presided over by Chief Justice of the United States John Marshall, began on August 3.
Article 3, Section 3 of the United States Constitution requires that treason either be admitted in open court, or proved by an overt act witnessed by two people. Since no two witnesses came forward, Burr was acquitted on September 1, in spite of the fact that the full force of the political influence of the Jefferson administration had been thrown against him. Immediately afterward, he was tried on a more appropriate misdemeanor charge, but was again acquitted.[2]
Additional Information
http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~mysouthernfamily/myff/d0019/g0000040.html#I21614
Gen. Edmund Pendleton GAINES 3 Mar 1777 - 6 Jun 1849 ID Number: I21614
- TITLE: Gen.
- OCCUPATION: War Of 1812; Arrested Aaron Burr On Charges Of Treason
- RESIDENCE: Culpeper Co. VA and NC and AL Territory and New Orleans, LA
- BIRTH: 3 Mar 1777, Culpeper Co. VA
- DEATH: 6 Jun 1849, New Orleans, LA
- RESOURCES: See: [S721] [S747] [S761] [S979] [S1286]
Father: James Taylor GAINES Mother: Elizabeth STROTHER
Family 1 : Frances TOULMAIN Family 2 : Myra CLARK
- MARRIAGE: 1802, Philadelphia, PA
Family 3 : Barbara G. BLOUNT
- MARRIAGE: 7 Aug 1815, of South Carolina
1. Edmund Pendleton GAINES Jr.
Notes
Gen. Edmund P. Gaines, Commander Fort Erie in the War of 1812 and the officer who arrested Aaron Burr on charges of treason. "Hero of Lake Erie".
Petition of the Inhabitants of the District of Washington, MS Territory: 11 FEB 1809 GAINES, Edmund P. GAINES, George S. GAINES, Young
"Edmund Pendleton Gaines was a distinguished General in the War of 1812 and was voted a sword by the Legislature of Tennessee for his victory over the British at Fort Erie, Canada, August 15, 1814; he was also voted swords by the Legislatures of New York and Virginia and a Medal by the United States Congress. General Gaines married three times: The last time to Myra Clark Whitney, the daughter of Daniel Clark, a native of Ireland who came to New Orleans in 1776 as Consul) and his wife, Zulime Carrier des Ganges, a Creole. Mrs Myra Clark Gaines became celebrated for her litigation with the city of New Orleans in order to inherit the property of her father, worth millions of dollars, much of which she recovered. By his marriage to Barbara Blount, General Gaines had a son, Edmund Pendleton Gaines Jr., of Washington D.C. Several towns are named after him, Gainesville, Florida."
from the DAR Application: Page one of the skethc of Gen E.P. Gaines in Vol IV of the National Portrait Gallery of Distinguished Americans. Also page 62 of the lives of Distinguished American Generals in the last war with Great Britain, by John S Jenkins, Auburn NY 1852 fr 286 Vol 1. The History of the origination fo the army of the US by Fayette Robinson, Philadelphia 1848. Also Lorings Pictorial field book of the Revolution Vol 2 fr 494, 495, & 497. Also Journal of Congress VII fr 167.
Silver, James Edmund Pendleton Gaines: Frontier General
- Bookseller Notes Price
1 AstroLogos Books via Bibliology [United States] AS NEW - Print-to-order B&W REPRINT of original book published: [Baton Rouge] Louisiana State University Press 1949. ill. 333 Pages Expertly printed on acid-free archival quality paper - Softcover perfect bound (or Hardcover Cloth Buckram binding for additional $10.) Charts photographs & graphics may reproduce less than perfectly & may be reduced to fit pages. SPECIAL ORDER Allow 6 to 8 weeks for delivery. No Refund or Exchange. $124.00
2 Hermitage Book Shop, Member ABAA via ILAB [United States] N.p.: Louisiana State University Press, 1949. First edition. Maroon cloth titled in gilt. 291 pp. Light bump to upper front board and with thin strip of sunning to upper spine panel, still near fine to fine in chipped and rubbed dust jacket. $300.00
3 Hollingsworth's Books via BiblioDirect [United States] Description: B&W Illustrations; Signed by Author, Louisiana State University Press; 1949; First Edition; Hardcover;Very Good+ in Very Good dust jacket; Book clean and tight-DJ cleanwith couple of small nicks-in mylar; Inscribed by the author on thefep-clean; 8vo; 291pp pp $300.00
