This was the first post route in the southern country. Its route was southwest, passing the towns of Franklin and Columbia, Tennessee, crossing the Tennessee River, a few miles below Mussel Shoals, at Colbert Ferry, cutting through the northwest corner of Alabama, into Mississippi, and continuing to Natchez, 383 miles.

Senator Underwood pathetically remarks that, like many another public servant, it is cast aside, if not condemned, when worn out and no longer of use.

For twenty-five years the Trace was a most important highway within 200 miles of the Mississippi. Practically all the export trade of Tennessee, Kentucky and Ohio went down the rivers to New Orleans, while the men and returns came back over the trace. Its only military history was when in 1812 the British threatened an invasion of the South, Coffee took a troop of cavalry down the trace to New Orleans. (Senator O. W. Underwood, Nashville, Tennessee, September, 1915.)

He says it was the only road provided for in any treaty. He is, in this, mistaken, because, as we have shown, treaties were made at Council Grove and McPherson, Kansas, for a right of way for the Santa Fe Trail and part of Jackson Military Highway was originally a trace opened by treaty.

General Jackson's old military highway has peculiar interest to us of New Orleans, and through the kindness of Mr. J. W. Milner, of Florence, Alabama, I have had the use of much original data, including road plan or route of the army from Mobile to New Orleans.

In 1805 a treaty was made with the Indians and a road was opened from the Cumberland River at Nashville to the headwaters of the Tombigbee River, where Columbus, Mississippi, now is. This road crossed the Tennessee at the present site of Florence, Alabama. This was for the purpose of sending supplies and protection to settlers in the Creek County in Alabama. When the Indian wars were over and the Battle of New Orleans had been fought, Generals Jackson and Coffee returned to Tennessee by partly a selected course, partly the Natchez Trace, and partly the Jackson Military Road on the "Road to Tombigbee," as it was then called. He then wrote the Secretary of War putting forth the necessity of a direct military road from Nashville to

New Orleans. In response to this, Congress appropriated money for equipment and ordered the army to be employed on this work. The road already opened from Nashville to Tombigbee was improved and then the road was cut out and built from there to Madisonville, Louisiana. In Florence, Alabama, Russellville, Alabama, and Columbus, Mississippi, the original line of the road is retained on principal streets cutting through blocks at odd angles. It ran southwest through Tuscumbia, Colbert (formerly Franklin) County, Russellville, Franklin County (where it crossed the Gaines Road or Trace), Old Pikeville, Marion County, Sulligent (old Moscow), Lamar (then Marion) County to Columbia, Mississippi. In April, 1816, Congress made an appropriation for the road.

J. W. Milner, in a letter to P. M. Milner, October 9, 1916:

This highway is now being converted into a modern highway, with concrete bridges, through the activity of the Jackson Highway Association, of which I have the honor to be a Director. I have a copy from the Impartial Review and Cumberland Repository, published in Nashville, Tennessee, by Thomas Eastin, Tennessee Historical Files of the Proposal published November 8, 1906, for opening and laying out the Natchez Trace. It was described as running from Nashville to Tennessee River, 112 miles; Tennessee or branch of Big Black River, 113 miles; Leonachitta Creek to River to Loonachitta Creek to Grindston Ford, 155 miles-total 380 miles. Work was to be completed October 1, 1807.

I have a copy of the letter addressed to Major General Jackson in the Nashville Whig, July 3, 1819 (Carnegie Library, Nashville, Tennessee), lauding him for his services and giving information in relation to the military road between Madisonville, at the mouth of the Tchefuncta (sic) and the State of Tennessee, closing with this exhortation: "Were you an eyewitness of the impositions which are practiced on those useful men who are engaged once, if not twice, in every year in transporting the immense products of the western country to New Orleans on their return home, both by white and Red Indians—were you a witness of the many sufferings by starvation-could you see the many useful men who faint by reason of the impurity of the food they received from the Indians--yes, who died of their effects, you

could not avoid putting in employment on a military road every soldier who can be spared from the garrisons in the southern military division of the United States. What joy when the road was just being completed August 29, 1820, is shown by the Nashville Whig September 5, 1820. The road is now complete from this place to New Orleans. Houses of entertainment have been erected at short stops to render every comfort to the traveler. This road runs through a delightful and romantic country and must eventually become the great thoroughfare to the Southern States."

"The day is not far distant when a line of stages will be established from Nashville to New Orleans, which must necessarily render the military road the most important of any on the Continent."

"By an act of Congress the postmaster general is instructed to run the Southern mail through this route instead of via Natchez, and as this regulation will furnish us Orleans dates several dates earlier than usual, we hope that it will take effect without further delay. To the grandchild of General John Coffee, Mr. Robery Dyas, through Mr. J. W. Milner, I am indebted for original papers and excerpts from his grandfather's military journal."

In 1813, January 7, volunteers were called out to go to the defense of New Orleans and lower Mississippi. The general orders directed cavalry to strike tents on January 10 and proceed to New Orleans, taking the route of Franklin, Columbia, Captain Dobbins and thence along the Columbian or Natchez Road to Colbert's Ferry on the Tennessee. An entry "Camp at Norton's, February 10" would indicate that they continued on the Natchez Trace after crossing the Tennessee. On this occasion they used the Natchez Trace.

On September 20, 1814, an order is entered: The volunteer horsemen * * rendezvous at Fayettesville

* * *

will

*

on the 28th and will march the earliest possible to Fort St. Stephens. On October 4, 1814, in a letter to General Jackson, General Coffee says: "I shall take up the line of march, cross the Tennessee River at the upper end of the shoal by Levi Colbert's, James Brown, Richlands' and to Fort St. Stephens. On November 1, 1814, he was at Fort Mimms, just above Mobile, then

went to Pensacola, returning to Fort Mimms November 14, then took Old Trails due west, camping at Corson's Ferry, November 18, and at Liberty, near Amite City, December 5, 1814, and at Sandy Creek, near Baton Rouge, on December 13, 1814, whence the famous march to New Orleans.

His journal shows that after the Battle of New Orleans, March 15, 1815, the orders were: On the 17th instant the brigade of Tennessee volunteers, mounted gunmen, under my command, will commence its march to Nashville, in the State of Tennessee; "the route by which I shall march will be to Baton Rouge, Washington, W. T. McKearin's Choctaw Line, Choctaw Agency, Chickasaw Agency, Tennessee River, Colbert's Ferry, Columbia and to Nashville.” This bears out Mr. J. W. Milner's statement of the return route of General Jackson.

The original documents being the road route by Mr. H. Toulmin, contained in a letter to General Jackson, dated Pearl River, 27th of November, 1814, has enabled me to add something to the description of the old Federal road usually given. This old road was originally an Indian trail. By treaty with the Creeks, November 14, 1805, it was formally recognized "A horse path through the Creek country, from the Ocmulgee to Mobile." By 1811, it had expanded to the other with immigrants from the western part of the territory. It was the great highway in the south Atlantic seaboard and interior of Georgia to the whole of south Alabama and Mississippi. Its influence was far-reaching. It survives and is in part still used. It entered Alabama near Fort Mitchell, in Russell County, and passed through the present County of Russell, Macon, Montgomery, Lowndes and Butler, formed a part of the boundary line between Monroe and Conecuch Counties, and continued through Baldwin and Washington Counties. In the early days many forts were located on it. Fort Mitchell, Russell County; Fort Bayne Bridge and Fort Hull, Macon, Mt. Meigs, Montgomery County; Fort Dale, Butler County, and Fort Montgomery, in Baldwin County. Many celebrities traveled over this road. Lorenzo Dow and wife, Peggy Dow, Vice-President Aaron Burr, and General Lafayette and other celebrities. About 1807 it was extended westwardly from old St. Stephens to Natchez. (Thomas M. Owned, LL.D., Director of Alabama State Department of Archives and History, Montgomery, Alabama.)

The original letter of which I speak, now in my possession, in giving a route of General Jackson from the Tombigbee to Baton Rouge, says: "N. B.-The Federal Road opened by order of General Hampton and laid off by Captain Gaines, leaves the Mississippi Road at this place and crossed Pearl River lower down." He then locates points on the road as follows: Mimms Ferry, on Black Creek; Chapman's Ferry on Bogue Chitto; Tchefuncta, Springfield, Bookster's Bridge; Baton Rouge (via Taylors). Including the distance from Tombigbee to Mimms Ferry, it made 261 miles.

These original documents, over 100 years old, which necessarily give the exact route and stopping place every few miles, of the party, establish that the outlines of these old trails as exhibited even on the best maps, are accurate only in general detail and that in truth and in fact, these old Indian traces or trails are, in the main, forgotten trails, and that the march of time of one hundred years or more, which has brought a later-day civilization, has covered them up and buried them in the dim, forgotten past.

Their exact existence today we are enabled to locate in the great National Cemetery of Trails, as it were, by a few headstones, scattered here and there, just as when one wanders in the old graveyards of bygone years and finds an old headboard or stone with the name and some simple inscription of a notable character, who had enjoyed fame and distinction, and had been a useful servant of the public, but now forgotten.

I have not mentioned all of the famous trails or roads, like Boone's Lick and others, but if anybody's pet road has been overlooked I offer my profuse apologies.

Resolutions on the Death of John J. Rochester.

To the Members of the Louisiana Historical Society:

Your undersigned committee, appointed to prepare a tribute out of respect to the memory of our deceased fellow-member, JOHN J. ROCHESTER, beg to report as follows:

While not entirely unprepared for the sad event, the members of this Society and the community in general were greatly shocked to hear that on the night of Tuesday, November 9th, Mr. John