ven in
his lifetime to quarrelling. "Sir," said Jackson, "my friend, Patten
Anderson, was a natural enemy to scoundrels."

His friendship for Aaron Burr came very near involving him in serious
difficulties. In 1805, when Burr was on his first visit to the
Southwest, he went to Nashville, and was entertained most cordially at
The Hermitage. He was there again on his return, and made with his host
a contract for boats and supplies to be used in that mysterious
enterprise which has so puzzled American historians. Burr declared he
had no designs hostile to the United States, and Jackson believed him.
When, a year later, the whole country was in a sort of panic over Burr's
suspected treason, Jackson offered to President Jefferson the services
of the militia under his command, and promptly took measures to thwart
any treasonable movement that might be afoot in the West; but he was
soon convinced that Burr was suspected unjustly, and never for a moment
deserted him in his trouble. He went to Richmond to testify at his
trial, and while there made a public speech full of bitterness against
those who, as he thought, were persecuting his friend. He himself was
at first strongly suspected of complicity in Burr's project, but there
is absolutely no reason to believe that Andrew Jackson ever in his life
looked upon an enemy of his country otherwise than as his own mortal
foe. His faults were many, but he loved his country simply, and with all
his heart.

It seems clear, however, that Jackson, and in fact the whole Southwest,
sympathized very strongly with the design which many in that quarter at
first thought Burr to entertain; the design, namely, of seizing West
Florida or Texas, or perhaps both. The United States were at that time,
as they were before and after, very close to war with Spain. Spain still
had possession of the Floridas, although the United States claimed that
West Florida, extending along the Gulf coast from the Perdido River to
the "Island of New Orleans," was included in the Louisiana purchase. To
drive the Spaniards out of West Florida was an ardent desire of
Jackson's. Ten years before, when the Eastern States had shown little
interest in the development of the Southwest, and had seemed to prefer
commercial privileges with the Spanish colonies to the free navigation
of the Mississippi, which the Western country needed for its
development, Spanish agents had endeavored to stir up disaffection in
the Southwest, l