Camp Blount & the "Tennessee Volunteers"

Camp Blount and the "Tennessee Volunteers". . Camp Blount was one of the earliest and by far the largest muster site for "Tennessee Volunteers during the War of 18 12 and the Creek War, as such it helped Tennessee earn its official nickname, "The Volunteer State." , Between 1813 and 1815 thousands of Tennessee volunteers marched south from Camp Blount to serve the nation. , Answering the Call When the federal government put out a call for 1,500 Tennessee volunteers in late 1812, approximately 2,000 men offered their services. About the same time, close to two hundred East Tennessee volunteers gathered for an expedition to Spanish East Florida. This regiment--formed, supplied and equipped on its own-exemplified Tennessee's volunteer spirit. , When the Creek War began in fall 1813, Tennessee's General Assembly called for 3,500 volunteers. Over 4,000 answered the call-approximately 2,500 from West (now Middle) Tennessee and 1,500 from East Tennessee-again exceeding expectations. By the Battle of Horseshoe Bend in March 1814, Gen. Andrew Jackson's army had grown to about 4,000 men, most of whom were volunteers. , For the New Orleans campaign the state again relied on its volunteer spirit to amass an army of at least 4,200 men. These men, the bulk of Jackson's army, defeated the British at New Orleans on January 8, 1815. Following that victory, Tennessee gained a national reputation as a state known for its military prowess and volunteer spirit. , War of 18 12 or Mexican War? Some believe that the nickname Volunteer State originated during the Mexican War (1846-1848), but Tennessee historians Tom Kanon and Robert White have no doubt it dates to the War of 18 12. Kanon, author of Tennesseans at War 1812-1815: Andrew Jackson, the Creek War and the Battle of New Orleans, found Tennessee referred to as the "Volunteer State” in the Nashville Republican well before the Mexican War. His research confirms that of White, who found numerous references to the volunteers from Tennessee, the Tennessee Volunteers, and others in documents dating to the War of 18 12. , Inset text: It brings back the days of the (War of 18 12) when the volunteers flocked to the standard of Jackson and Carroll, and Coffee, and by their numbers, in proportion to our sparse population, and gallant bearing, won for their State the enviable and deserved reputation of the Volunteer State (emphasis original) Nashville Daily Union July 26 1847 ,