I can command a body of men in a rough way; but I am not fit to
be President."
It really mattered little what the General himself thought. His
Tennessee friends had conceived the idea that he could be elected, and
already they were at work to realize this vision. One of the most
active was John H. Eaton, who had lately written the hero's biography
down to the return from New Orleans. Another of his friends was
Governor Blount. John Rhea, Felix Grundy, and half a dozen more
helped. But the man who really made Jackson President was his near
neighbor and his inseparable companion of later years, William B.
Lewis.
In a day of astute politicians Major Lewis was one of the cleverest.
He knew Jackson more intimately than did any other man and could sway
him readily to his purposes in all matters upon which the General's
mind was not absolutely made up. He had a wide acquaintance over the
country; he was possessed of ample means and leisure; he was an adept
at pulling judiciously laid and well-concealed political wires; he
fully understood the ideas, aspirations, and feelings of the classes
whose support was necessary to the success of his plans.
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