William Hall

William Hall. . Frontiersman , William Hall's family came to Tennessee in 1785 and settled near Bledsoe's Lick in Summer County. Two years later, hostilities between settlers and Indians escalated into war. Hall lost seven family members, including his brother, James, during the violent years that followed. , He was a major in the Tennessee militia when the War of 18 12 began. Hall, then thirty-seven, told a friend, "A man should never get too old to fight the British and Indians." , War of 18 12 , Hall, promoted to colonel, Ind the 2nd Regiment Tennessee Volunteer Infantry on the Natchez expedition in December 1812. Three months after Gen. Andrew Jackson's force reached Natchez, Mississippi, the War Department cancelled the mission. A furious Jackson led his dispirited men back to Nashville. , After the August 1813 attack by the Red Sticks on Fort Mims, Hall and other leading citizens met in Nashville to demand action against the Creeks. A few days later, Gov. Wille Blount called out the militia. , Creek War , In early October, Hall arrived at Camp Blount and took command of a brigade composed of the First and Second Tennessee Volunteer Infantries. In November, Hall's brigade fought at the Battle of Talladega. The short battle ended in a decisive victory. , Enlistment Crisis , In early December, their term of service over, Hall's men tried to leave. Jackson threatened them with artillery and demanded they stay until replacements arrived. Ten days later, Jackson allowed Hall to march his brigade to Nashville. , Governor, Congressman , After the war, Hall resumed his political career. He was Speaker of the Tennessee Senate when Gov. Sam Houston resigned in 1829. As Speaker, Hall assumed the governorship but chose not to seek reelection. Two years later, with Jackson's support, he won a seat in the U.S. Congress. In 1833, William Hall retired to his Sumner County farm where he lived until his death in 1856. , Inset text: "A man should never get too old to fight the British and Indians.” William Hall 1812