Tennessee in the War of 1812

United States   War of 1812    Tennessee Military    Tennessee in the War of 1812

Introduction
During the War of 1812, Tennessee furnished 18,361 infantry men, 9,095 cavalry men, 110 artillery men, and 267 men in miscellaneous troops for a total of 27,833 men. The backwoods "hunters of Kentucky and Tennessee" took pride in defeating the professional British army at the Battle of New Orleans in 1815.

Explanation of the Major Record Types

 * Pearson, Thomas A., comp. Genealogical Records of the War of 1812: an Introduction and Selected Bibliography of Materials in the Collection of St. Louis Public Library. (St. Louis, Missouri: St. Louis Public Library, July 2004).

Service Records

 * Ancestry. War of 1812 Service Records ($). Database gives name, company, rank at time of induction and at time of discharge of men mustered into the armed forces between 1812 and 1825. (Accessed 11 May 2012).


 * Sistler, Byron. Tennesseans in the War of 1812. Nashville, Tennessee: Byron Sistler and Associates, 1992. Family History Library book The names are arranged in alphabetical order. It includes officers and enlisted men, giving each name, rank, regiment, and residence.


 * Fox, George and Juanita Fox: East Tennesseans in the War of 1812: 150 muster rolls - 8,500 men (S.I.: G&amp;J. Fox, 2011) pages 432 FHL Book 976.8 M2

Pension Records
A soldier may have been recorded in state records (see below) or in federal records (see US War of 1812 Pension Records).


 * Fold3. Tennessee War of 1812 Pension Files . (Free).  Alphabetical by surname. Shows entire pension file for those digitized.  Incomplete as of 1 June 2012.


 * War of 1812 Pensioners Living in Tennessee during the 1880's. Cullman, Alabama: Gregath, 1983. ).The record is arranged alphabetically by county. Most of the entries give the pensioner’s name, address, cause for pension, and date of original allowance. The record includes an index. (The Index to War of 1812 Pension Application Files listed above is a better index.)


 * Embry, Hermione D. "War of 1812 - Tennessee Pensioners on List - January 2, 1883," Ansearchin' News, Vol. 8, No. 3 (Jul. 1961):95-98; Vol. 8, No. 4 (Oct. 1961):122-124. ; digital version at journal website.


 * Index to War of 1812 Pension Application Files. National Archives Microfilm Publication M313. Available online or on film This index has the veteran’s name, widow’s name, rank, unit, dates of enlistment and discharge, application and certificate numbers, and bounty land warrant numbers.

Cemetery Records

 * McCown, Mary Hardin and Inez E Burns Soldiers of the War of 1812 buried in Tennessee (Tennessee, 1959) pages 183 FHL Book 976.8 M2

Important National and International Sources

 * United States in the War of 1812 has lists of records, books, etc. for the United States, not just one state. The federal records are listed here rather than on each state page. Two of the most important are:


 * FamilySearch Historical Records Collection On line Database:


 * FamilySearch Historical Records Collection On line Database:


 * War of 1812, 1812 to 1815 has lists of general books and documentaries, as well as a list battles with links to websites about the battles, and other information not tied to one country.

Other Sources
The Tennessee State Library and Archives provides these articles:


 * "Brief History of Tennessee in the War of 1812," gives brief descriptions of battles plus a map of the "Creek Campaign."


 * "Regimental Histories of Tennessee Units During the War of 1812," lists the regiments, commanders, dates, counties represented by the regiment, and brief regimental histories.


 * Douthat, James L. 1814 Court Martial of Tennessee Militiamen. Signal Mountain, Tennessee: Institute of Historic Research, 1993.