James Barbour - Secretary of War

Secretary of War

Barbour was confirmed as the Secretary of War following Adams’s inauguration on March 4, 1825. The War Department’s main functions were to oversee Indian affairs and manage the army. Barbour’s first ordeal was dealing with Governor George Troup of Georgia, who wished the government to remove Creek Indians from 5 million acres (20,000 km²) of land. Adams signed a treaty approving the removal shortly after taking office. Barbour, however, convinced Adams and Congress to abrogate the treaty. Troup was irate. Following months of threats from Troup, Barbour successfully purchased most of the land from the Creeks. Troup was not happy and threatened to invade the lands the Indians retained in the deal. Barbour and Adams agreed the federal government would need to intervene should Georgia intervene. To avoid war, Barbour purchased the remaining lands and prepared the Creek Indians for removal to lands west of the Mississippi. Barbour proposed setting aside lands west of the Mississippi for an Indian Territory. Those Indians who refused to move onto these lands were to be assimilated into white society. He hoped the tribal structure would dissipate, thus facilitating the incorporation of the territory into the U.S. as a state. His proposal, based on a misunderstanding of Indian culture and undoubtedly Western beliefs on the progress of civilization, failed.