Louisiana and Aaron Burr 337 



next went. At Nashville he was received with open 

 arms by Jackson and Jackson's friends. This was 

 not much to Jackson's credit, for by this time he 

 should have known Burr's character; but the temp- 

 tation of an attack on the Spaniards proved irre- 

 sistible. As Major-General, he called out the mi- 

 litia of West Tennessee, and began to make ready 

 in good earnest to invade Florida or Mexico. At 

 public dinners he and his friends and Burr made 

 speeches in which they threatened immediate war 

 against Spain, with which country the United 

 States was at peace; but they did not threaten any 

 attack on the Union, and indeed Jackson exacted 

 from Burr a guarantee of his loyalty to the Union. 

 From Nashville the restless conspirator returned 

 to Kentucky to see if he could persuade the most 

 powerful of the Western States to take some decided 

 step in his favor. Senator John Adair, former com- 

 panion-in-arms of Wilkinson in the wars against 

 the Northwestern Indians, enlisted in support of 

 Burr with heart and soul. Kentucky society gen- 

 erally received him with enthusiasm. But there was 

 in the State a remnant of the old Federalist party, 

 which although not formidable in numbers, pos- 

 sessed weight because of the vigor and ability of its 

 leaders. The chief among them were Humphrey 

 Marshall, former United States Senator, and Joseph 

 H. Daviess, who was still District Attorney, not 

 having, as yet, been turned out by Jefferson. 11 These 



11 For the Kentucky episode, see Marshall and Green. 

 Gayarre is the authority for what occurred in New Orleans. 

 For the whole conspiracy, see Adams. 

 VOL. VIII. 15 



