In December 1814 Andrew Jackson's armyj pressed into service a man named Warwick, who spent a month delivering wood to the troops with a horse and cart. At the battle of New Orleans he was shot through the left eye and arm. Marigny D'Auterive, a Louisiana slaveholder, was the legal owner of the horse, cart, wood, and Warwick. D'Auterive waited until 1826 before making a claim totaling $1,094 against the federal government for the use of the horse and cart, ninetyfive cords of wood used by the army, and the disability to Warwick. The congressional committee handling the claim recommended rejecting it, in part because it believed that slaves had not "been put on the footing of property." This outraged southern congressmen and set off a debate over slavery that lasted several months. Most southerners wanted D'Auterive to be paid, but a few...