39th United States Infantry
Encyclopedia
For the current 39th Infantry Regiment, see 39th Infantry Regiment (United States)
The 39th United States Infantry was a regiment of the regular Army. It was authorized on January 29, 1813 and raised in Tennessee
. It was commanded by Colonel John Williams
, who had previously led the Mounted Volunteers of East Tennessee. On December 31, 1813 Major-General Thomas Pinckney
ordered the regiment to join Andrew Jackson's
force, providing a disciplined core for his command. The historian Henry Adams speculated that, without this regiment, Jackson would have fared no better in 1814 than he had the previous year.
Jackson welcomed the 39th. Since the beginning of his campaign in the Creek War
, Jackson was troubled by serious discipline problems with his militia and volunteers, particularly the Georgians. He told his quartermaster that "I am truly happy in having the Colonel with me. His regiment will give strength to my arm and quell mutiny".
At the Battle of Horseshoe Bend, Jackson placed the regiment in the center of his assault force. Consequently, the 39th suffered significant casualties—20 killed and 52 wounded.
.
The 39th United States Infantry was a regiment of the regular Army. It was authorized on January 29, 1813 and raised in Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
. It was commanded by Colonel John Williams
John Williams (Tennessee)
John Williams was an American lawyer, soldier, and statesman, operating primarily out of Knoxville, Tennessee, in the first part of the 19th century. He represented Tennessee in the United States Senate from 1815 to 1823, when he lost reelection to Andrew Jackson. Williams also served as colonel...
, who had previously led the Mounted Volunteers of East Tennessee. On December 31, 1813 Major-General Thomas Pinckney
Thomas Pinckney
Thomas Pinckney was an early American statesman, diplomat and veteran of both the American Revolutionary War and the War of 1812.-Early life in the military:...
ordered the regiment to join Andrew Jackson's
Andrew Jackson
Andrew Jackson was the seventh President of the United States . Based in frontier Tennessee, Jackson was a politician and army general who defeated the Creek Indians at the Battle of Horseshoe Bend , and the British at the Battle of New Orleans...
force, providing a disciplined core for his command. The historian Henry Adams speculated that, without this regiment, Jackson would have fared no better in 1814 than he had the previous year.
Jackson welcomed the 39th. Since the beginning of his campaign in the Creek War
Creek War
The Creek War , also known as the Red Stick War and the Creek Civil War, began as a civil war within the Creek nation...
, Jackson was troubled by serious discipline problems with his militia and volunteers, particularly the Georgians. He told his quartermaster that "I am truly happy in having the Colonel with me. His regiment will give strength to my arm and quell mutiny".
At the Battle of Horseshoe Bend, Jackson placed the regiment in the center of his assault force. Consequently, the 39th suffered significant casualties—20 killed and 52 wounded.
Postwar consolidation of regiment
In 1815, after that war ended, the 39th was consolidated with the 8th and 24th Regiments to form the 7th Infantry Regiment7th Infantry Regiment (United States)
The United States Army's 7th Infantry Regiment, known as "The Cottenbalers" from an incident that occurred during the Battle of New Orleans, while under the command of Andrew Jackson, when soldiers of the 7th Infantry Regiment held positions behind a breastwork of bales of cotton during the...
.