The Hermitage: Banded Galloways

President Andrew Jackson had his home in Hermitage, TN. It is very well preserved. However, President Jackson is an evil jerk and historians agree…sort of.

He was asked to lead very poorly performing troops against the British. Instead he chose an army of freed Blacks, and Indians as he believed that they wouldn’t flee in the heat of battle against seasoned troops. He was right. He ascended all his public offices and survived a hard fought battle for his second term in the White House, based on his win in the Battle of New Orleans, and earned the nickname these brave troops gave him for his ferocity, “Old Hickory”.

Here comes the evil jerk part. He then turned around and engineered the Trail Of Tears, wherein four thousand Cherokees, Choctaws, and Seminoles died, of the 15,000 forced to relocate by U.S. troops. Their lands provided space for frontier development.

In just 41 years at The Hermitage, Jackson’s original 425-acre frontier farm evolved into a diversified 1,000-acre cotton plantation by the time of his death in 1845. He pulled that off with the free labor from his slaves. He even advertised that he would give a reward to anyone who would give his escaped slave 300 lashes.

He betrayed the same people that gave him his success and reputation. Any question he is an unapologetic evil jerk?

After visiting the museum, I could not enjoy the house with fine original wall paper and furniture; it made me too angry to hear the “spin” that the costumed docents are trained to give. They say his evil acts are balanced by the “rights” he put in place that Abolitionists, African Americans and Native American Indians later used to argue for their equality under the law. Puh-leeeeze!

I left the manse and wandered out to the fields, imagining humans toiling there against their will. Instead, my mood improved when I found these Belted Galloways from Scotland! Apparently the CEO here is a Scotsman and found a good tax loophole for his darling herd.