Battle of the State of Franklin

Battle of the State of Franklin. . , The failed State of Franklin was formed in August of 1784 and comprised the area of then western North Carolina, present-day Northeast Tennessee. John Sevier was elected governor of Franklin while Colonel John Tipton became a leading loyalist to North Carolina. Animosity between the North Carolina loyalists (or Tiptonites) and Franklin supporters reached a climax in February of 1788 here at Colonel Tipton's property., Under orders from North Carolina, Washington County Sheriff Jonathan Pugh seized the slaves of Governor Sevier for compensation for owed taxes. The slaves were brought to Colonel Tipton's cabin for "safe keeping." On February 27, 1788, Governor Sevier and the Franklin militia, numbering over 100 men, laid siege to Colonel Tipton's property. The main Franklin camp was positioned along the road a few hundred yards west of Colonel Tipton's cabin. Attempts of peace talks between Colonel Tipton and Governor Sevier failed on February 27 and 28., Reinforcements from the North Carolina militia from Sullivan County reached Colonel Tipton on February 29 causing a brief skirmish lasting roughly ten minutes. The Battle of the State of Franklin resulted in the mortal wounding of three men, Sheriff Pugh being one. Governor Sevier and the Franklin militia retreated to Jonesborough and the State of Franklin dissolved by the end of the year., [Captions:] , Map drawn by nineteenth century historian Lyman C. Draper of Col. Tipton's property during the Battle of the State of Franklin. This map was drawn from the memory of Thomas Love, a participant of the battle, during an interview with Draper. Col. Tipton's house is visibly marked along with Gov. Sevier's position in the woods., John Allen Maxwell's artistic depiction of the February 29, 1788 Battle of the State of Franklin.