A document of some importance was provided to me by a cousin, Nina Williams. According to information in the form of photocopies of records on file with the National Archives of the Federal Government, John R. Pace filed for a land bounty for service in the War of 1812. His claim was acted on in March 19, 1856. Claims # 33904 for 80 acres was issued to him but never received. In 1856 he was apparently a resident of Panola County, Texas. He then, evidently, returned to Tennessee. John R. Pace was a son of William Pace, Sr. and Sisely Walker. Quoting from the government record, “He testified that he was the “identical John Pace who was a Sergeant in the Company Commanded by Captain John Weekly (sic) in the Twenty Third Regiment of Militia Commanded by Colonel Cock (sic) in the war with Great Britain Declared by the United States on the 18th Day of June 1812 and that he was Drafted at Springfield Robertson County Tenn on or about the 12th day of November 1814 for the term of six months and was honourably Discharged at Nashville on the 13th day of May 1815 as will Appear (sic).” Here is some information regarding the Unit John Pace ‘enlisted' into. It shows that he participated in the historic Battle of New Orleans in 1815, and that the term of enlistment roughly corresponds to the dates of the formation and dissolution of the 2nd Regiment of the Tennessee Militia. Ref: "Tennessee State Library and Archives‑ Historical and Genealogical Information," at http://www.state.tn.us/sos/statelib/pubsvs/1812reg.htm Tennessee State Library and Archives Historical and Genealogical Information ‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑ REGIMENTAL HISTORIES OF TENNESSEE UNITS DURING THE WAR OF 1812 ‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑ Prepared by Tom Kanon, Tennessee State Library and Archives COLONEL JOHN COCKE 1. DESIGNATION: 2nd Regiment of West Tennessee Militia DATES: November 1814 ‑ May 1815 MEN MOSTLY FROM: Montgomery, Williamson, Dickson, Hickman, Robertson, Rutherford, and Stewart Counties CAPTAINS: George Barnes, Samuel Carothers, Richard Crunk, John Dalton, Francis Ellis, James Gault, James Gray, Bird Nance, Joseph Price, John Weakley BRIEF HISTORY: This regiment was one of three West Tennessee militia units at New Orleans under the command of Major General William Carroll. They were part of the flotilla that went down to New Orleans via the Cumberland, Ohio, and Mississippi Rivers. The Nashville Clarion of 21 February 1815 mentions that Captain John Weakly, of Montgomery County, was at the breastworks of Jackson's line at New Orleans during the battle of 8 January. Muster rolls of the regiment show no battle casualties, but do reveal many deaths due to sickness ‑‑ a common occurrence for troops stationed at New Orleans in the months of February/March 1815. Colonel Cocke was sheriff of Montgomery County at the time of war. He is not to be confused with Major General John Cocke of East Tennessee who commanded the 1st Division and was counterpart to Andrew Jackson ‑‑ Jackson commanding the 2nd Division. ************************************* I have suggested to members of my family that the following song be made our family song. Certainly, the ‘little trip' down the Mississippi River Horton refers to in his version of the song was not little, but monumental. Remember, they traveled from Nashville to New Orleans in the dead of winter. I must say the business of "a little trip down the Mighty Mississip" is certainly an understatement. It seems to me to have been a first class military maneuver based on some solid intelligence. Ref: http://www.webfitz.com/lyrics/Lyrics/1959/21959a.html The Battle of New Orleans Johnny Horton ‑Music and lyrics by Jimmy Driftwood In 1814 we took a little trip Along with Colonel Jackson down the mighty Mississip. We took a little bacon and we took a little beans And we caught the bloody British in the town of New Orleans. CHORUS: We fired our guns and the British kept a'comin. There wasn't nigh as many as there was a while ago. We fired once more and they began to runnin' on Down the Mississippi to the Gulf of Mexico. We looked down the river and we see'd the British come. And there must have been a hundred of'em beatin' on the drum. They stepped so high and they made the bugles ring. We stood by our cotton bales and didn't say a thing. CHORUS Old Hickory said we could take 'em by surprise If we didn't fire our muskets 'til we looked 'em in the eye We held our fire 'til we see'd their faces well. Then we opened up with squirrel guns and really gave 'em ... well ~~~ CHORUS **Yeah, they ran through the briars and they ran through the brambles And they ran through the bushes where a rabbit couldn't go. They ran so fast that the hounds couldn't catch 'em Down the Mississippi to the Gulf of Mexico.** We fired our cannon 'til the barrel melted down. So we grabbed an alligator and we fought another round. We filled his head with cannon balls, and powdered his behind And when we touched the powder off, the gator lost his mind. CHORUS Repeat ** Hup 2, 3, 4. Sound off 3, 4.... Hup 2, 3, 4. Sound off 3, 4.... Hup 2, 3, 4 Let me make a comment or two. The military intelligence demonstrated by the act of forming military units, and in the dead of winter, making a perilous journey up the Cumberland, down the Ohio and then the Mississippi River, all to arrive a New Orleans in time to meet a British invasion, is stunning in my mind. The fact that the American victory at New Orleans was fairly one-sided, meaning little American causality makes the military planning even more remarkable. Secondly, I must ask why he waited so long to make a claim. I have previously suggested that he may have remarried, and thus it was his second wife who provided the impetus to file a claim. __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com