Davy Crockett may have passed over this creek bed in his travels. Can’t you just see it?
Every now and then, when my husband is feeling nostalgic for his childhood, he’ll start singing the theme song to the Disney produced five-part miniseries, Davy Crockett. Do you remember the words? I never was a Davy Crockett fan (only because I knew so little about him) so color me surprised when I heard the song and found out that the first line is “Born on a mountaintop in Tennessee, greenest state in the land of the free.” I would have to say, we very well could be the greenest state in the country, thanks to lots of rain and rolling hills.
As I was researching for this post about Tennessee, I discovered that Davy Crockett played a significant role in Tennessee’s history, including the reason it’s nicknamed The Volunteer State. It all started with the War of 1812—only fifteen years after Tennessee gained statehood. The people were feeling very patriotic and wanted to fight alongside General Andrew Jackson—another Tennessean—in defeating the British (again!) Over 15,000 soldiers joined up, which made a huge impact on the final major battle of the war—the Battle of New Orleans.
You may wonder what Davy Crockett’s role was in all of this. During the War of 1812, he re-enlisted and went to Spanish Florida to help Andrew Jackson clear British forces. When his service time was up, he returned to Tennessee where he entered the political arena—first in the Tennessee General Assembly and later as member of the House of Representatives. But we all know what Crockett was most famous for—the Battle at Alamo where he fought valiantly (and died) in the Texas War for Independence. For your listening pleasure, I’ve included a YouTube video of the Ballad of Davy Crockett below.
The nickname The Volunteers received a stronger following in the Mexican-American War in 1846. The Secretary of War asked the state of Tennessee for 2,800 soldiers to fight for the cause, and instead, over 30,000 volunteered. After the death of their beloved Davy Crockett, many of the soldiers saw this as their opportunity for payback.
The Volunteers didn’t stop there, though. When the Civil War began, Tennessee was part of the CSA—Confederate States of America, meaning they seceded from United States and fought for independence against the Union Army. Regardless, Tennessee provided more Union soldiers than all other Confederate states combined.
In a time when patriotism seems to be at an all-time low, this information made me proud to say I’m now a Tennessean.
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Comments 4
Davy Crockett’s original cabin is in Greeneville, Tennessee in a beautiful state park there! A small museum about him is there also.
Author
I wish I had known that when we visited last year. We’ll have to make another trip out that way. I’d love to see it.
I love these facts Jennifer about our great state. I knew Davy Crockett was from here and knew volunteers came from the people stepping up but didn’t know details. Thanks for researching and sharing
Author
I love it. So fun to learn new things, especially about where we live.