To Clarify the origins of "Volunteer State"

[JTrainDavis]

The nickname "Volunteer State" comes from the Mexican War..when the war started, President Polk called for 2,600 men from each state to contribute to the war effort. When the Governor called for 2,600 volunteers for said effort, 30,000 men answered the call within a week. Henceforth, Tennessee was the "Volunteer State"

Although many Tennesseean's volunteered for the Indian Wars against the Creeks in the campaign that culminated at Horseshoe Bend, and with Jackson at N'Awlins in the war of 1812, and several HOMESTEADERS went to Texas with our beloved Colonel Crockett, only to wind up at the Alamo and therefore write their names in history, the Mexican War was the first time that Tennessee was referred to as "The Volunteer State"

Note that i am in no way trying to lower the accomplishments of those prior, Davy Crockett has been a hero of mine as long as i can remember, i can sing you every verse of the movie version, and the recorded Burl Ives version, and have a framed original piano score of the entire song from the Disney Movie...
"He'd heard of Houston, and Austin so,
To the Texas Plains, he just had to go,
where freedom was fighting another foe,
and he fought, and died, at the Alamo"

We substitute "Gave 'Em Hell" for 'fought and died', we have a strong feeling about it here, at least the good ole boys, as Moses Austin, Stephen's father, lived here, and designed the plan for the Gringo settlement of Texas in a house about a mile from my barn

 

[JTrainDavis]

as a sidenote, to the B-Ball team, though i rarely watch basketball, i stayed up to watch the whole deal...Good season, things went terrible in the second half, and we learned a lesson that everyone must learn, that he who is most confident is most vulnerable...thanks to the Vols and Coach Pearl for getting us back on the National stage, and good luck Pat, Candace, and company