Gaines Hastened To Offer His Services

Source

"Major General Edmund Pendleton Gaines was born in Culpepper county, Virginia, on the 20th of March 1777.  ...he removed to Sullivan county afterwards the eastern part of Tennessee."

 "This portion of the state was then...[populated] by the Cherokee Indians who were very hostile to the whites and kept the border families in a constant state of terror and alarm. He [Gaines] became expert in the use of the rifle and studied as much of military tactics as he could... .  ...he was elected lieutenant at the age of eighteen, and in January, 1799, he was appointed ensign in the sixth regiment of infantry of the United States army (in 1800 he was transferred to the fourth regiment)... ."

"On the declaration of war in 1812 captain Gaines hastened to offer his services once more to his country."