Micah Taul memoir

46 Coat, which was of heavy cloth, were not exactly suited to the season - He had habituated himself to the one of artificial stimulus when speaking & had on the bar before him, a pitcher of Whiskey today, of which he touched occasionally. He was by Nature, a man of ardent temperment, entered warmly into the feelings of his elements & generally spoke with zeal and vehemence. On this occasion, (the only time, I ever heard him speak) he was more than usually animated - & the effect upon the outer man was very perceptible. He did not at any time, either in, or out of Court, wear a cravat, and he had even to unbutton his shirt collar - the perspiration rolled down his noble face in streams & he commenced pulling off his coat - when Judge Catron, who was a great stickler for judicial decorum, saw to him "Col. M. please, keep on your coat". Fortunately, I had a light Linen one at the Tavern, which I had brought to him, & he was permitted without further objection, to exchange the one he had on for it. Col. Miller was a man (I hope he is yet living) who possessed a kind, benevolent heart, & was universally respected & admired by his acquaintances. With out the advantage of an early education, he had attained to distinguished eminence in his profession, & must have an "ugly customer" in any sort of a case, particularly one in which he could indulge his wit & satire, of which at a more early period of his life, he must have possessed a large fund

One anecdote related to me, by his son in law, Genl Alexander Bradford (brother of I.T.B.) and which is characteristic of the man, is too good to be lost. I have never seen it, in print.

47 Colo. Miller, was a Member of the Tennessee Legislature in the year 182 , which first nominated Genl. Jackson to the Presidency - Col. M. was an old acquaintance of the General; & I believe introduced the nominating Resolution, at any rate he made a speech in its favor, which at the time was very much admired for its richness. He gave a crucial but very imposing [?] plural sketch of the General, from his youth up to that timel; he then sketched the character of man, suitable to fill the office of President making it fit, Genl. J. exactly, & with a tone of voice, manner & emphasis, exclusively his own, exclaimed "Who in this great country, in this broad land, so fit to fill the high office of President of the U. S. as Andrew Jackson." He has filled, as I before stated, many high offices and was always equal to the emergency - I am there for prefering him to any other - He & he only as the man for the office & the occasion. In deed, Mr. Speaker, said he, pitching his voice, a key or two higher "If this terraqueous globe were on fire, who would you call upon to extinguish it, but Andw. Jackson" At the conclusion of this tremendous flight he took his seat, amidst a thundering room of applause. Colo. M. supported his election in 1824 when he was beaten by Mr. Adams, & again in 1828 when he was elected But for some cause, I never learned exactly what, he soon became dissatisfied, & condemned his Administration with an unsparing hand. Dining one day in the fall of 1828 at the house of Gen. B., his son in law, in the Town of Jackson, with a silent company of

48 friends, after the wine had circulated pretty freely the Conversation soon turned upon Genl. J. and his administration, most of the Gentlemen present, being of the Jackson party in politics and they were loud & liberal in their eulogisims on its wisdom. Colo. Miller, took the other side & condemn'd it, in the strongest terms _ not even sparing the old General himself. His son in law, intimated to him that he might by taking such a decided stance against Genl. Jackson, subject himself to the reputation of inconsistency or at least of insincerity, at the time he made his celebrated speech on the Nominating Resolution the latter part of which speech, he quoted To which Miller, instantaneously replaced with an oath, that he had not changed, one jot or tittle of his opinion of Genl. J.: He had the same opinion of him, then, that he always had, & rising to his feet, "[saved?] by the Eternal ----- that he would now (then) rather employ Genl Jackson to fight fire, than any other man, on the face of the Earth" His ready wit served him, as it doubtless had done before, on many trying occasions, to escape, from rather an awkward dilemma.

1824-1825 (omitted in body of M.5)

49 Having written the preceding tracts, at occasional intervals of liesure, I find (March 21st 1849) on glancing hartily over them, many important omissions, the result of having my chain of thought and recollection broken - I go back this morning to the year 1824. a year of great interest in [1824] a political point of view - John Quincy Adams, Genl Andrew Jackson, William H. Crawford, Henry Clay & John C. Calhoun were Candidates for the Presidency. Perhaps Mr. Calhoun, declared & was elected Vice President. There was a Convention of Delegates, from that portion of the State of Kenty. North of the Kentucky river, held at Paris in Borubon County in the Autumn of 1824. Capt Richd Howes and myself were the delegates from Clarke County. Thos P. Taul was one the delegates from Nicholas. Edmund Bulloch of Fayette, Speaker of the House of Rep. of Kenty at its first session in 1792, was chosen Prest. and Francis P. Blair of Franklin County Secretary. Judge Robert Trimble, of the Supreme Court of the U. S. was one of the delegates from Bourbon. Altogether, it was a highly reputable collection of men, friendly to the election of Mr. Clay - the object of the Convention was to select suitable persons to be run as Candidates for Electors. Mr. Clay was nominated as the Candidate for President and Mr. Sanford of New York for Vice President. Mr. Clay & Mr. Sanford got the vote of Kentucky. Altogether Mr. Clay only got...electoral votes. Neither of the Candidates received a

50 Majority of the whole number of Electors - consequently the House of Rep. voting by states had to choose the President from the three highest (Jackson, Adams, & Crawford). Mr. Adams was elected on the first balloting. Genl. Jackson was probably the first choice of Kentucky. The Legislature adopted a Resolution, requesting those Representatives in Congress to vote for him. Mr. Clay being out of the way - A majority however, with Mr. Clay, voted for Mr. Adams. It was understood at Washington, some time before the election came on, that Mr. Clay, would probably throw his vote, and his great personal influence into the Adams scales, giving it thereby the ascendancy. This gave rise to the celebrated "George Kresner" letter, that is to say, a letter addressed to some person, or the Editor of some newspaper in Pennsylvania, written in all probability by some prominent Jackson man (supposed at the time, to be Maj. John H Eaton, then a Senator in Congress from Tennessee charging Mr. Adams & Mr. Clay, with having made a "corrupt bargain," that Mr. C. was to vote for & have Mr. A. elected Pres. & & Mr. H. in return was to appoint Mr. C Secretary of State. The charge at the time against two such men produced great excitement and after Mr. C. was appointed Secretary of State, was greatly believed to be true, & has ever since been a great drawback upon him Mr. Clay. I then resided in Washington Kenty. in Mr. Clay's district & have the very best reasons to know that his Constituents, the request of the Legislature to the contrary notwithstanding