University of Tennessee, Knoxville TRACE: Tennessee Research and Creative Exchange Doctoral Dissertations Graduate School 5-2003 Pioneers, Patriots, and Politicians: The Tennessee Militia System, 1772-1857 Trevor Augustine Smith University of Tennessee - Knoxville Follow this and additional works at: https://trace.tennessee.edu/utk_graddiss Part of the History Commons Recommended Citation Smith, Trevor Augustine, "Pioneers, Patriots, and Politicians: The Tennessee Militia System, 1772-1857. " PhD diss., University of Tennessee, 2003. https://trace.tennessee.edu/utk_graddiss/2661 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at TRACE: Tennessee Research and Creative Exchange. It has been accepted for inclusion in Doctoral Dissertations by an authorized administrator of TRACE: Tennessee Research and Creative Exchange. For more information, please contact [email protected]. To the Graduate Council: I am submitting herewith a dissertation written by Trevor Augustine Smith entitled "Pioneers, Patriots, and Politicians: The Tennessee Militia System, 1772-1857." I have examined the final electronic copy of this dissertation for form and content and recommend that it be accepted in partial fulfillment of the equirr ements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, with a major in History. Stephen Ash, Major Professor We have read this dissertation and recommend its acceptance: Paul H. Bergeron, Bruce Wheeler, Charles Aiken Accepted for the Council: Carolyn R. Hodges Vice Provost and Dean of the Graduate School (Original signatures are on file with official studentecor r ds.) To the Graduate Council: I am submitting herewith a dissertation written by Trevor Augustine Smith entitled "Pioneers, Patriots, and Politicians: The Tennessee Militia System, 1772-1857." I have examined the final paper copy of this dissertation for form and content and recommend that it be accepted in partial fulfillmentof the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, with a major in History. We have read this dissertation and Acceptance for the Council: PIONEERS, PATRIOTS, AND POLITICIANS: THETENN ESSEE MILITIA SYSTEM. 1772-1857 A Dissertation Presented for the Doctor of Philosophy Degree The University of Tennessee, Knoxville Trevor Augustine Smith May 2003 Copyright © 2003 Trevor Augustine Smith All Rights Reserved 111 Dedication To Lenore for her love, patience and support v Acknowledgments The help of numerous friends and advisors made this dissertation possible. At the University of Tennessee professor Wayne Cutler introduced me to this topic and supported me with my research. My committee members. professors Paul Bergeron, Bruce Wheeler, and Charles Aiken offered important criticism and advice. which enabled me to improve the work considerably. And finally, my major professor, Stephen Ash. carefully and patiently guided me through this dissertation. I greatly appreciate his time and effort. I would like to thank the staff at the Special Collections Library at the University of Tennessee, particularly Nick Wyman, for helping me locate sources. I also appreciate the assistance of the staff of the Hodges library in Knox ville. At the Tennessee State Library and Archives Tom Kanon, Marilyn Bell Hughes, Susan Gordon, and Darla Brock assisted me considerably, and helped me procure sources that would have ordinarily been unavailable. The History Department at the University of Tennessee has been very supportive throughout this process. The department provided funds through the Bernadotte Schmitt research fellowship. Special thanks go to Penny Hamilton and Kim Harrison in the department office. My parents, professor Charles Smith and Cecil George Smith, have assisted me far beyond what could be expected. I am especially grateful for their willingness to take over my business pursuits thus giving me the time to complete this project. Finally, I Vll would like to thank my future wife, Lenore Reda, for her patience and support. V111 Abstract Like all U.S. states, prior to the Civil War Tennessee maintained an active militia system. This dissertation examines the establishment, function, and decline of this organization. For more than eighty years the Tennessee militia participated in a number of military conflicts. It also played an important role in the state's social and political development. The militia was among the first institutions established by the early Tennessee settlers. It began as an informal collection of every able-bodied male. By 1800 the militia had grown considerably, and the volunteers, who served by choice, assumed the burden of meeting the state's military needs. During Tennessee's first years, the militia was useful as a support mechanism for Tennessee's bureaucratic processes. It was the framework by which men paid taxes and voted. Militiamen also built roads. During the early nineteenth century the militias had become important social institutions, and militia membership became a tool for men seeking social and political advancement. The militias eventually emerged as political organizations as well. Militiamen worked together to assert their political wilL and volunteer companies became associated with political parties. The Tennessee militia was a very active military organization. The earliest militiamen defended against hostile Indians and were thus critical to the survival of the white settlements. By the 1780s, however, the militia became a tool to drive the state's Indian people from their tribal land. In 1838 the state used the militia in the infamous IX Indian removal. Militiamen from the Volunteer State also participated in every major antebellum conflict. When in active service Tennessee volunteers typically performed well. However, during peacetime many volunteer companies did not train regularly. The state did, however, always maintain a few well-trained and well-armed companies. After the removal of the eastern Indians the Tennessee militia declined rapidly. By 1850 the state no longer needed to keep large numbers of men trained for military service, and the militia ceased to exist as a functional organization. X Table of Contents Chapter Page Introduction ................................................................................................................ 1 Chapter I: The Militia Ideal and the Creation of a National Defense System ............ 7 Chapter II: A System To Defend a Free People: The Tennessee Militia Laws ....•.•••. 33 Chapter III: A Tool For Survival: The Militia During the Pioneer Years .................. 71 Chapter IV: Expanding Power and Influence: The Militia's Role in Creating a State ..•.•.............•.••.........•.•............................................... 105 Chapter V: Volunteers at Work and Play: The Many Roles of the Antebellum Militiamen .•.•.•...........•..................................................... 137 Chapter VI: Mustering the Volunteer Spirit: Antebellum Militiamen at War ........... 175 Conclusion ................................................................................................................. 219 Bibliography ............................................................................................................... 225 Vita ............................................................................................................................. 239 XI Introduction In July 1848, two regiments and one battalion of tired and homesick Tennesseans boarded ships at Vera Cruz, Mexico, and sailed toward home. These men had served for one year during the Mexican War as militiamen. Although they had experienced little fi ghting, like all victorious soldiers they returnedhome as heroes. They were not only proud of their service to their country, but also proud of their status as citizen soldiers of their home state, for they were part of an honored military tradition dating from the state's first white settlements. In the eyes of these men and the general citizenry, the Tennessee militia had consistently proven itself to be one of America's finest military institutions, with an unstained record of victory and courage. During its long history the Tennessee militia had played a prominent role in some of America's greatest military victories, including the battles of King's Mountain, Horseshoe Bend, and New Orleans. Furthermore, the Tennessee militia had produced Andrew Jackson, the most celebrated war hero of his day and to his contemporaries the embodiment of a great leader. 1 What these soldiers did not know was that they were the last true members of their organization to see active service. As in other states, by the late 1840s the militia no longer served a useful purpose in the Volunteer State, and had thus largely disbanded. By the 1850s men who had at one time willingly invested time and money in military 1John T. Moore and Austin P. Foster, Tennessee the Volunteer State, 1769-1923 (4 vols. Chicago: S. J. Clarke Publishing Company, 1923), 1: 437-38. 1 training no longer felt compelled to do so. Laws requiring this training were repealed, and one of Tennessee's most significant institutions quietly came to an end. The militias were the foundation of the American military from the beginning of white settlement in North America until the late antebellum era. These bodies of citizen soldiers, loyal to their state or local government, served in every military conflict and to many Americans represented the ideals of freedom and democracy. They were critical to the survival of white settlement, as well as to