John R. Coffee
John R. Coffee (born June 2, 1772 in Prince Edward County , Colony of Virginia , † July 7, 1833 not far from Florence , Alabama ) was an American general, surveyor and planter . Also known as Tennessee-John , he is often confused with Congressman and first cousin John E. Coffee .
Life
Coffee was a trader and land speculator , his partner was the future President of the United States Andrew Jackson . The two men were also linked through their wives; Coffee married Mary Donelson, a relative of Jackson's wife Rachel Donelson Robards Jackson , in October 1809 .
At the beginning of the British-American war of 1812, Coffee lifted the second volunteer regiment of Mounted Infantry , which mainly by militia from Tennessee was composed and some men from Alabama. On September 4, 1813, he was involved in the duel between Andrew Jackson and the Benton brothers in Nashville . He pushed Thomas Benton, who had shot Jackson, down the stairs. In October 1813, the 2nd Volunteer Regiment was combined with the also mounted 1st Volunteer Regiment Colonel Cannons to form a brigade . Coffee was promoted to brigadier general and took over the military leadership of the unit. Under Jackson's command, he led his brigade during most of the battles of the Creek War , including the Tallushatchee , Talladega , Emuckfaw and Enotachopo Creek , in which he was seriously wounded, as well as the Battle of Horseshoe Bend . He then led his brigade, consisting largely of Native Americans and free African-Americans , into the Battle of New Orleans , in which they played a key role in the defense of American positions.
After the war he made some unsuccessful investments and started working as a surveyor. He mapped the city of Florence and, in 1816, the border between the states of Alabama and Mississippi . He was appointed negotiator in the Chickasaw land cession treaties, signing the Franklin Treaty in 1830 and the 1832 Treaty of Pontotoc .
He later moved to the area of Florence, Alabama. He died there in 1833 and was buried in the Coffee Cemetery.
Commemoration
Various cities and counties have been named in Coffee's honor:
The John Coffee Memorial Bridge , which forms part of the Natchez Trace Parkway , was also named after him .
literature
- Lorman Ratner: Andrew Jackson and his Tennessee lieutenants: a study in political culture. Greenwood Publishing Group, 1997, ISBN 0313299587
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Jackson-Benton Duel 1813 ( Memento from September 26, 2012 in the Internet Archive ).
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Coffee, John R. |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Tennessee John |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American general, surveyor and planter |
| DATE OF BIRTH | June 2, 1772 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Prince Edward County , Virginia |
| DATE OF DEATH | July 7, 1833 |
| Place of death | Florence, Alabama |