John Coffee

For other people named John Coffee, see John Coffee (disambiguation).
John Coffee
Born June 2, 1772
Prince Edward County, Virginia
Died July 7, 1833 (aged 61)
Florence, Alabama
Occupation Planter, militia general, merchant, land speculator, surveyor
Spouse(s) Mary Donelson

John Coffee (June 2, 1772 – July 7, 1833) was an American planter and state militia general in Tennessee. He commanded troops under General Andrew Jackson in the Creek Wars (1813–1814) and the later Battle of New Orleans.

President Andrew Jackson appointed Coffee as his representative, along with Secretary of War John Eaton, to negotiate treaties with Southeast American Indian tribes to accomplish removal, a policy authorized by Congressional passage of the Indian Removal Act of 1830. Coffee negotiated the Treaty of Dancing Rabbit Creek of 1830 with the Choctaw by which they ceded their lands, and started negotiations with the Chickasaw, but they did not conclude a treaty until after his death.

Family

Born in Prince Edward County, Virginia, Coffee was the son of Lieutenant Joshua Coffee (January 26, 1745 – September 8, 1797) and Elizabeth Graves (January 28, 1742 – December 13, 1804). He was a grandson of English settlers Peter Coffee, Sr. (1716-November 1771) and Susannah Mathews (1701–1796) both of whom were from Kent, England.

Marriage and family

John Coffee married Mary Donelson, the daughter of Captain John Donelson III and Mary Purnell, on October 3, 1809. A paternal aunt of Mrs. Coffee was Andrew Jackson's wife, Rachel Donelson Robards.

Coffee and Jackson were in business together; before his friend's marriage, Jackson sold his partnership in their joint merchandising business to Coffee, taking promissory notes for the sale. After the wedding, Jackson gave Coffee the notes as his wedding present to the couple.

Career

Coffee was a merchant and land speculator. He and Andrew Jackson were friends and had been partners in Nashville merchandising before Coffee's marriage. He was considered the most even-tempered and least selfish of Jackson's lifelong friends. Described as a big awkward man, careless of dress, and slow of speech, Coffee was also said to be kindly, tactful and wise.

In early 1806, Coffee challenged Nathaniel A. McNairy to a duel for publishing derogatory statements about Jackson. The duel took place on March 1, 1806, over the Tennessee line in Kentucky. McNairy unintentionally fired before the "word", wounding Coffee in the thigh. In return, McNairy offered to lay down his pistol and give Coffee an extra shot. The weapons used in this duel were later used in the Jackson-Dickinson duel on May 30, 1806.

Militia service

At the beginning of the War of 1812, Coffee raised the 2nd Regiment of Volunteer Mounted Riflemen, composed mostly of Tennessee militiamen (and a few men from Alabama). In December 1812, Governor Willie Blount had called out the Tennessee militia in response to a request from General James Wilkinson and the U.S. Secretary of War. Under Jackson's command, Coffee led 600 men in January 1813 to Natchez, Mississippi Territory, via the Natchez Trace, in advance of the rest of the rest of the troops, who traveled via flatboats.

After the two groups reunited in Natchez, Wilkinson and the U.S. government disbanded Jackson's troops. All marched back to Nashville to disband, and on this march Jackson earned the nickname Old Hickory from his troops. They arrived in Nashville on May 18, 1813.

On September 4, 1813, Coffee was involved in the Andrew Jackson-Benton Brothers duel in Nashville, knocking Thomas Benton down a flight of stairs after Benton's failed assassination attempt on Jackson.

In October 1813, the 2nd Regiment was combined with Colonel Cannon's Mounted Regiment and the 1st Regiment of Volunteer Mounted Gunmen to form a militia brigade of mounted infantry. Coffee was promoted to brigadier-general and placed in command. Coffee led his brigade, which consisted largely of free blacks and American Indian warriors from allied Southeast tribes, at the Battle of New Orleans. They played a key role in holding the woods to the east of the British redcoats' column. Coffee's brigade was the first to engage the British, by firing from behind the trees and brush.

Jackson chose General Coffee as his advance commander in the Creek War, in which he commanded mostly state militia and allied American Indians. Under Jackson's command, Coffee led his brigade at the Battle of Tallushatchee, the Battle of Talladega, and the Battles of Emuckfaw and Enotachopo Creek, where he was seriously wounded, and the Battle of Horseshoe Bend. At the latter, the American allied forces conclusively defeated the Red Sticks, traditionalists of the Creek Nation who were allied with the British.

Later life

After the war and some failed investments, Coffee began work as a surveyor, laying down the town of Florence, Alabama. In 1816 he surveyed the boundary line between Alabama and Mississippi. He later moved to a place near Florence, Alabama.

His friend and former business partner Jackson was elected President of the United States. Jackson worked toward removal of Southeast Indian tribes to territory west of the Mississippi River. Jackson appointed Coffee as his representative, along with Secretary of War John Eaton, to negotiate treaties with Southeast American Indian tribes to accomplish removal, a policy authorized by Congressional passage of the Indian Removal Act of 1830. Coffee negotiated the Treaty of Dancing Rabbit Creek of 1830 with the Choctaw by which they ceded their lands in the Southeast. He started negotiations with the Chickasaw,[1] but the US did not conclude a treaty with these people until after his death.

Coffee died in Florence.

Legacy and honors

Coffee County, Alabama and Coffee County, Tennessee, and the towns of Coffeeville, Alabama, Coffee Springs, Alabama (now part of Geneva County but was formerly part of Coffee County), Coffeeville, Mississippi and Fort Coffee, Oklahoma[2] are named in his honor.

Research notes

Researchers often confuse General John Coffee with his first cousin John E. Coffee (1782–1836), who was a general in the Georgia militia and elected as a U.S. Congressman there.

General Coffee is sometimes referred to as John R. Coffee. Some researchers have attempted to document the use of this middle initial in original sources. To date, he has been found to have signed his name John Coffee in the original papers examined. Scholars believe he didn't use the middle initial.

General John (R.) Coffee is buried in the Coffee Cemetery off State Road 157, northwest of Florence, Alabama.

The legendary Texas Ranger, John Coffee Hays, was a cousin of Mrs. Coffee and was named after him.

References

  1. ↑ "Levi Colbert to President Andrew Jackson, 22 NOV 1832", Chickasaw Letters -- 1832, Chickasaw Historical Research Website (Kerry M. Armstrong), accessed 12 December 2011
  2. ↑ http://digital.library.okstate.edu/encyclopedia/entries/F/FO031.html

External links