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Smith was commissioned as a second lieutenant of artillery on December 15, 1803, and promoted to first lieutenant on December 31, 1805.<ref name=Heitman/> In October 1806, General [[James Wilkinson]] used Smith, then serving as Wilkinson's aide, as a courier to transport letters relating to the [[Burr conspiracy]] to President [[Thomas Jefferson]].<ref name=Napton>{{cite book|last1=Napton|first1=William Barclay|title=Past and Present of Saline County Missouri|date=1910|publisher=B. F. Bowen & Company|location=Chicago, Illinois|url=https://archive.org/stream/pastpresentofsal00napt#page/n7/mode/2up|accessdate=September 13, 2014}}</ref>{{rp|319}}
Smith enjoyed the support of Senator [[William H. Crawford]] (whose present-day namesake [[Crawford County, Arkansas]], lies across the [[Arkansas River]] from its neighbor Fort Smith) and Congressman [[George Troup|George M. Troup]], both of [[Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia]]. It is unclear whether patronage was involved but Smith, now an experienced officer, was promoted to captain in the [[Regiment of Riflemen (United States)|Regiment of Riflemen]] on May 3, 1808. When Lieutenant Colonel [[William J. Duane|William Duane]] proved unequal to the task of being second in command of the Regiment of Riflemen, Smith was promoted to lieutenant colonel on July 31, 1810, and replaced Duane; he was promoted over John Fuller, the major in the regiment, who left the Army.<ref name=Fredriksen>{{cite book|last1=Fredriksen|first1=John C.|title=Green Coats and Glory: The United States Regiment of Riflemen, 1808-1821|date=November 2000|publisher=Old Fort Niagara Association, Inc.|location=Youngstown, New York|edition=1st|accessdate=September 5, 2014}}</ref>{{rp|13–23}}
A group of [[Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia]]ns, calling themselves "Patriots," crossed into Spanish [[East Florida]] and, on March 17, 1812, captured [[Amelia Island]] from the Spanish garrison. The Patriots then "ceded" Amelia Island and the surrounding area to the United States. On April 12, 1812, Smith led two companies of riflemen who occupied [[Fort Mose|Fort Mose, Spanish East Florida]] as part of the [[Seminole Wars#Patriot War|Patriot War of East Florida]]. The riflemen received little support from the US Government or the Patriots. Smith attempted a siege of [[St. Augustine, Florida]], but his supply lines were not secure and the Spanish garrison of [[Castillo de San Marcos]] threatened his command. The Spanish counterattacked Fort Mose and Smith retreated to an encampment further from St. Augustine, Florida. On May 16, 1812, the Spanish set fire to Fort Mose to prevent its reoccupation. All US troops were withdrawn from East Florida by May 1813.<ref name=Brenner>{{cite web|last1=Brenner|first1=James T.|title=The Green Against the British Red: U.S. Rifle Regiments in the Northwestern Army|url=http://warof1812.ohio.gov/_assets/docs/Rifles.pdf|accessdate=September 14, 2014}}</ref>{{rp|2}}<ref name=Davis>{{cite web|last1=Davis|first1=T. Frederick|title=United States Troops in Spanish East Florida, 1812-1813|url=http://fortmose.com/index.html|accessdate=August 30, 2014}}</ref> Troops retreated to [[St. Marys, Georgia|Point Petre, Georgia]], under the leadership of Captain Abraham A. Massias.<ref name=Fredriksen/>{{rp|27–28}}
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