Tennessee and Mississippi Campaigns 249 



mare was two years older than Henrietta, to come off 

 in the spring of 1807 at Clover Bottom. The result proved 

 that Uncle Berry underrated the horses and trainers of 

 the Tennessee turf, as the General's mare, a thoroughbred 

 daughter of imported Diomed, won the race. 



The General, though deprived of the pleasure of being 

 present on that interesting occasion (having been sum- 

 moned as a witness in the trial of Aaron Burr at Rich- 

 mond), showed that his heart was in the race, as appears 

 from a letter to his friend Patton Anderson, dated June 16, 

 and published in Parton's " Life of Jackson," from which 

 I quote: 



"At the race I hope you will see Mrs. Jackson: tell her 

 not to be uneasy. I will be home as soon as my obedience 

 to the precept of my country will permit. I have only to 

 add as to the race that the mare of Williams' is thought 

 here to be a first rate animal of her size: but if she can be 

 put up she will fail in one heat. It will be then proper to 

 put her up to all she knows at once." 



This is Jacksonian. Not many men would take the 

 responsibliity of giving orders of how to run a race at the 

 distance of 500 miles. 



This error of underrating an adversary, especially such 

 an adversary, was a heavy blow to Uncle Berry, from which 

 he did not fully recover until he started Haynie's Maria, 

 mounted by Monkey Simon, against him. 



Not long after this defeat he set out to search for a horse 

 with which to beat Gen. Jackson, and purchased from 

 Gen. Wade Hampton, of South Carolina, a gelding 

 called Omar, bringing him to Tennessee. After recruiting 

 his horse at Capt. Alexander's, near Hartsville, he went 

 to Nashville and offered Gen. Jackson a match for 

 $1,000 a side, 3-mile heats, according to rules. This 

 the General declined, offering, instead, the same terms as 



