Pillow, Gideon Johnson (1806-1878) to Andrew Jackson

Columbia [T.] Nov 22 1844
To Gen Andrew Jackson
Dear Sir
I have read the letter of Mr. Wm Prescott of Lynn Massachusetts of the 7th inst. addressed to you and which you have caused to be submitted to me with a request that I would make a statement of facts within my knowledge in relation to Gov Polk's connexion with slavery and his treatment of his Servants.
I am and have been for many years, a neighbor of Gov. Polk and can furnish a statement upon this subject based upon personal knowledge.
Mr. Prescott in his letter to you states, that "on the evening of friday last (the 1st inst) The Hon Abbot Lawrence of Boston formerly a representative in Congress addressed the Whigs of this town on the subject of a protective tariff and the comparative merits & qualifications of the two candidates before the people for the office of President of the United States.
Among other things Mr. Lawrence stated that Mr. Polk was an ultra slaveholder, that he had secretly say within six years purchased a large plantation in the state of Mississippi and stocked it with negroes - that he had come into it up to his ears &c -. He also stated that this was no hearsay business for he himself knew it to be so - he knew it (he said) to be a fact -. Mr L expatiated much upon this subject & labored hard to convince the abolitionists and others that Mr. Polk was cruel, hard hearted & tyrannical to his slaves. [2] Now I had been informed & believed and so had the democratic citizens generally that Mr. Polk was a mild & kind hearted Master and a virtuous and good citizen; that he owns few or no slaves except those that fell to him by his wife or ancestors - The reason of my addressing you upon the subject is to ascertain the truth or falsity of this statement of Mr. L. for he stated at the commencement of his remarks that he would hold himself responsible for the truth of whatever he should say on that occasion-. It is too late to correct any misstatement of this kind in season to have any effect upon the elections which are now going on - It is never too late however to establish truth, to correct error or expose falsehood."
The error intentional or otherwise into which Mr. Lawrence has fallen when he would represent Gov Polk as being "cruel hard-hearted and tyrannical to his slaves" is to be regretted and is probably to be attributed to the excitement of the moment in the midst of a heated political contest -.
All Gov Polk's neighbors to whatever political party they belong know that he is a kind indulgent & humane master, and treats his servants well.. He keeps about his home establishment four or five servants, who are in all respects well treated and are apparently much attached to him. He owns a plantation in Mississippi on which he has between thirty & forty servants.
I was at his plantation about a year ago. It is located in a healthy region of the Country. I saw his servants on his plantation - they were well clothed - had comfortable negro houses and were apparently contented. Gov Polk has never been a slave dealer - The larger number of those he owns he inherited or they are family negroes that he purchased from his [3] relations to prevent them from going into other hands -.
It comes within my own personal knowledge that a few years ago he parted with two of his most valueable & faithful men rather than seperate them from their wives who were owned by other persons. One of them I purchased myself and still own and a more trustworthy or valuable servant I never knew. Gov Polk's only reason for parting with him as expressed to me by him at the time was to gratify the wishes of this man by permitting him to remain near his wife. It comes also within my knowledge that for the last ten years he has permitted & still permits an old & faithful man whom he inherited from his fathers family to follow his wife & children whose master changed his residence to a different part of the country and to live off from home when his services would have been more profitable to him on his plantation. Gov Polk has bought a few of the servants whom he now owns as he needed them for his own use -
With these facts before him - now that the excitement of the late political contest is over; I cannot doubt that Mr. Lawrence, if he be the honorable man I have understood him to be, will take pleasure in retracting the charge - wholly unfounded as it is in truth- that "Gov Polk was cruel, hard hearted & tyrannical to his slaves." That Gov Polk is a slaveholder to the extent I have stated the whole country knows, nor is it any disparagement to him that he is so.
I will only add that all who know Gov Polk (and he is known to no one better than to yourself) know that it is not in his nature to be "cruel, hard hearted or tyrannical" to any human being whether black or white, bound or free. He is well known to be a bland, conscientious & kind hearted man in all his relations- domestic & social- And I doubt whether he owns a servant who would willingly exchange him for any other Master. [4] I have never known any planter or Slave holder whose slaves were better treated or more comfortably situated than Gov Polk's are.

I am Very Respectfully
Yr Obt Srvnt.
Gideon J. Pillow

[address]
Genl. Andrew Jackson
Hermitage

[docket]
Gen. A. Jackson &
Gen. Pillow