Dallas County Residents and the War of 1812

The War of 1812 involved a number of future Texas residents. The area now known as Texas was controlled by Spain at the time. The events leading up to and including the conflict also predated both the rise of Mexico’s control of the area and the Texas Revolution. Numerous individuals who served in the war later came to reside in Texas and Dallas County.

Reasons usually given for the conflict include the following: British naval personnel were accused of “shanghaiing” U. S. sailors, conscripting them into the Royal Navy; Britain (at war with France) enacted trade restrictions that interfered with U. S. trade with France; Britain forged alliances with native tribes as U. S. people started desiring territories and possible resources west of the then 18 states; leadership of the U. S. looked at lightly defended Canada as an area for future expansion. The British committed regular troops and also engaged sympathetic native tribes to aid them. For the first 2 years, most of the fighting was near the Canadian border or beyond.

The British also desired to cause the U. S. to have to reallocate its forces by involving native tribes, the Creeks, in the southern U. S. In the south, the Creeks were divided according to their geographic location. Upper Creeks (Red Stick Creeks) were mainly settled to the north of the Lower Creeks. The Red Sticks generally were agreeable to align with the British whereas the Lower Creeks were not. The Creeks had other natural enemies, the Choctaw and Cherokee. The Creek War grew out of conflicts between these native tribes. Britain had been supplying weapons to the Red Sticks. The Choctaw and Cherokee were aligned with the Americans. When hostilities increased, the Red Sticks fought primarily on their own against the Tennessee militia under Andrew Jackson, the Georgia state militia, the Mississippi territorial militia, the Cherokee and Choctaw tribes and the Lower Creeks. The British saw an opportunity to spread out the American forces who were already fully occupied in the north. Thus it became part of the War of 1812.

A number of individuals, better and lesser known, were engaged in one way or another in the War of 1812, later finding their way to Texas. More notable were Sam Houston, David Crockett and a few others, but the majority were men who might otherwise go relatively unmentioned in Texas history. Some enlisted principally from northern states where they resided and fought in the northern theater before later moving to Texas. Others resided in Georgia or other parts of the south like the current state of Mississippi, joined with others in their state or territorial militia, also coming to Texas once the hostilities ended. An estimate of the total number who served before coming to Texas is believed to be around 1,000 men, more or less.

The General Society of the War of 1812 in the State of Texas was organized on May 3, 1987. It is one of twenty state societies that are affiliated with the General Society of the War of 1812, founded in 1814. Membership in the organizations is limited to males who can document their lineage to someone who served honorably during the war. The Texas state society website includes a listing of 1812 veterans buried around the state.

Below is a table of known 1812 veterans buried in Dallas County.

Acknowledgement – We are grateful for the assistance of the Craig Austin Rowley Chapter, The Society of the War of 1812 in the State of Texas, and the John Cavet Chapter of the United States Daughters of 1812 for their assistance in compiling this information.