Thomas Flournoy papers, 1799-1827

Summary

Creator:

Flournoy, Thomas, 1775-1857

Abstract:

The Thomas Flournoy papers consist of letters, documents, and receipts of Flournoy, a lawyer from Augusta, Georgia, who commanded in the South during the War of 1812. He served as commissioner to the Creek Indians between 1820 and 1836. The collection consists of over 90 letters, around 20 documents, six receipts, and a lock of hair.

Extent:

0.5 linear feet

Language:

English

Authors:

Collection processed and finding aid created by Philip Heslip, May 2010

Background

Scope and Content:

The Thomas Flournoy papers consist of letters, documents, and receipts of Flournoy, a lawyer from Augusta, Georgia, who commanded in the South during the War of 1812. He served as commissioner to the Creek Indians between 1820 and 1836. The collection consists of over 90 letters, around 20 documents, six receipts, and a lock of hair.

The Correspondence series contains around 25 items relating to Flournoy's military and War of 1812 service, including letters, returns, requisitions, reports, orders, and petitions. They cover a range of topics, such as desertions, courts martials, supplies, and appointments. Approximately 20 letters relate to his position as United States commissioner to the Creek Indians (1820).

Several examples include:

• Around ten letters pertinent to legal disputes between Flournoy and Judge George Walton, and the resulting duel between Flournoy and the judge's nephew John Carter Walton (1799-1804).
• This series also incorporates around 20 family letters, including three from his nephew Matthew Wells (November 12, 1806, May 12, 1816, and May 4, 1837), one letter and one letter fragment from his brother John James Flournoy, 15 from his brother Matthew Flournoy, and one reply to Matthew his brother. These discuss business, professional favors, death of a son in Fayette, Kentucky, and family news.
• Letter by Thomas H. Cushing to Thomas Flournoy, on receipt of Flournoy's acceptance of the appointment as Brigadier General (July 17, 1812).
• Letter by Col. Jno. Pray to Thomas Flournoy, giving him an evaluation of conditions, strategic issues, and risks at Savannah, Georgia, referencing African Americans (November 3, 1812).
• Draft letter by Thomas Flournoy respecting the removal of Lt. Col. Houston of the 8th Regiment Infantry (commanding at Savannah) as a result of "mental derangement, which disqualifies him for command." Suspended until further order (November 16, 1812).
• Four official letters between Flournoy and Patrick Jack, colonel of the 8th Regiment of U.S. Infantry (1812).
• A letter from William Harris Crawford, the U.S. minister to France, concerning the management and politics of the war (November 30, 1812).
• A letter from John Houstoun McIntosh, director of the Territory of East Florida, concerning the settlers of Talbot Island and Nassau River, East Florida (December 26, 1812).
• An inspection return from the 3rd Regiment of Georgia militia at Point Peter Battery, Florida [January 9, 1813].
• A copy of Brigadier General Ferdinand Leigh Claiborne's "Talk to the Choctaw Indians" (August 2, 1813).
• A letter from Choctaw Chief Pushmataha (Pooshemataha), signed with his mark, to James Wilkinson, discussing murdered and imprisoned Choctaw Indians (August 9, 1813).
• Three letters between Flournoy and Former South Carolina Governor and Creek Indian negotiator Andrew Pickins, Jr., concerning treaties with the Creek Indians (August 21, 28, and October 30, 1820).
• Three items to and from John C. Calhoun of the War Department.
• Letter from William H. Crawford to Thomas Flournoy, on Georgia and Kentucky politics. "The present governor admits of nothing like neutrality. Whoever is not devoted to him is considered his enemy." (October 2, 1820).
• Nine letters with David Brydie Mitchell, including a communication from Tustunnuggee Thlocco (Tiger Tail) and Tustunnuggee Hopoie (November 10, 1820).
• A letter to John Clarke of Augusta, Georgia, concerning claims of Georgia residents for Creek lands (October 4, 1820).
• An eight page letter from Thomas Flournoy to Rev. Dr. Davies pertains to Flournoy's responses to a sermon sent by Davies. He noted that he asked Judge Longstreet questions about scripture, naming 1 Corinthians 15 in particular, and that Longstreet apparently discussed it in church. An indirect source told Flournoy that he "asked a number of Infidel questions of Longstreet, which he refused to answer" (April 27, 1840).
• A letter from Flournoy's nephew, Thomas C. Flournoy, includes content on Kentucky land business and politics. He praised the oratory skills of Senator Corwin of Ohio (May 17, 1849).

The Documents series (20 items) consists of a list of rules for the duel between Flournoy and Walton (1804); general orders appointing Thomas Flournoy as aide de camp to the Commander in Chief, with rank of Lieutenant Colonel (April 6, 1804); reports on the arms, ammunition, and crew of the gun vessels at the Georgia Station (1813); weekly reports and morning reports of the troops stationed at Fort St. Philip, Fort St. Charles, New Orleans, and for the 2nd Regiment of Light Dragoons; orders from the Southern Department; a transaction record at the Bank of Augusta; and a memo listing "Order of Correspondence relating to the Treaty with the Creek Indians" (1820); and the last will and testament of Thomas Flournoy (July 20, 1856).

The Receipts series (6 items) is comprised of receipts deposited in the Bank of Augusta, Georgia; 2 payments made to John Campbell; and 2 receipts for sugar and brandy.

The papers also include a lock of Thomas Flournoy's Hair, clipped when he was 46 years old.

Biographical / Historical:

U.S. Army officer, Thomas Flournoy (1775-1857), sometimes referred to as "John Thomas Flournoy," was born in North Carolina and, before the War of 1812, practiced law in Augusta, Georgia. In March 1804, Flournoy was involved in a duel with John Carter Walton (1741-1804), nephew of former Georgia Governor and Supreme Court Chief Justice George Walton, over the judge's decisions for the Thomas Flournoy vs. George Walton and Matthias Maher vs. George Walton cases. Flournoy shot and killed John Walton in the duel.

Though he had no prior military experience, on June 18, 1812, Flournoy was commissioned a brigadier general in the United States Army. He commanded the 3rd United States Infantry, stationed along the Carolina-Georgia frontier, and was involved in raising troops, securing the coasts, and defending Americans in East Florida. In March 1813, he succeeded General Wilkinson as commander of the 7th Military District, comprising Mississippi Territory, Louisiana, and Tennessee. Flournoy's major responsibility was fighting the Creek Indians, who were supplied and armed by the Spanish and British in Florida and Alabama (1813-1814). Flournoy was an ineffective commander and often clashed with his fellow officers and the local governors. He resigned from the army on September 13, 1814, after being passed over for promotion, and Andrew Jackson succeeded him as commander of the 7th Military District. In 1820, Flournoy was appointed United States commissioner to the Creek Indians, and moved to the Alabama frontier. Flournoy retired from service in 1836, after the forced migration of the Creeksl, and he died in North Carolina in 1857.

Acquisition Information:

1961-1974, 2023. M-1183, M-1211, M-1212, M-1224, M-1281, M-1648, M-7802 .

Processing information:

Cataloging partly funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) and the "We the People" project.

Arrangement:

This collection is organized into three series:

• Series I: Correspondence
• Series II: Documents
• Series III: Receipts
• Series IV: Hair

Each series is arranged chronologically with undated items at the end.

Rules or Conventions:

Finding aid prepared using Describing Archives: A Content Standard (DACS)

Related

Additional Descriptive Data:

Related Materials

The Library of Congress has the Thomas Flournoy and James Wilkinson orderly books, 1812-1846.

Bibliography

Heidler, David Stephen. Encyclopedia of the War of 1812. Santa Barbara, California: ABC-CLIO, 1997.

Alternative Form Available:

The Thomas Flournoy papers have been microfilmed.

Subjects

Click on terms below to find any related finding aids on this site.

Subjects:

Choctaw Indians.
Creek Indians.
Dueling.

Formats:

Accounts.
Hair (material)
Letters (correspondence)
Orders (military records)
Receipts (financial records)

Names:

United States. Continental Army. Light Dragoons Regiment, 2nd.
United States. War Department--Manuscripts.
Adams, David.
Clarke, John.
Donaldson, Peter.
Few, Benjamin, 1744-1805.
Gains, George, S.
Manning, Lawrence.
Massias, Abraham A.
MacRea, William, d. 1832.
Meriwether, David.
Moore, Robert B.
Russell, John M.
Slaughter, Henry.
Walton, George, 1749 or 50-1804.
Watkins, Robert.
Wilkinson, James.
Calhoun, John C. (John Caldwell), 1782-1850.
Claiborne, Ferdinand Leigh, d. 1814.
Crawford, William Harris, 1772-1834.
Cushing, Thomas H. (Thomas Humphrey), 1755-1822.
Flournoy, Matthew.
Forney, Daniel M., d. 1847.
Jack, Patrick, d. 1821.
Laveaux, Charles.
McIntosh, John Houstoun, 1773-1836.
Miller, Thomas H.
Mitchell, David Brydie, 1766-1837.
Pickens, Andrew, Jr.
Pushmataha, ca. 1764-1824.
Ridgeway, Fielder.
Strother, William.
Tiger Tail, Seminole Chief.
Scott, James William.
Walton, John Carter, d. 1804.
Wells, Matthew.
Woodruff, Joseph.

Places:

Aiken County (S.C.)
Amelia Island (Fla.)
Augusta (Ga.)
Columbia (S.C.)
East Florida.
Fort Charlotte (Mobile, Ala.)
Fort Saint Philip (La.)
Georgia--History--War of 1812.
Georgetown (Ky.)
Greensboro (Ga.)
Lexington (Ky.)
Lincolnton (N.C.)
Louisville (Ga.)
Milledgeville (Ga.)
Nassau River (Fla.)
New Orleans (La.)
Petersburg (Ky.)
Saint Marys (Ga.)
Sparta (Ga.)
United States--History--War of 1812.
Washington (Ga.)