John Sevier spent his early life in Virginia before he and his first wife, Sarah Hawkins, traveled to the Holston and Watauga settlements. Sevier received a military commission as a lieutenant colonel and was charged with defending the western settlements. When British troops invaded the South, he led the Overmountain Men to victory at the Battle of Kings Mountain in 1780.
Sevier played key roles in the early history of the state’s government. After an unsuccessful attempt to form a state called Franklin, he was elected as the first governor of Tennessee. He served as state governor, a congressman, and ascended to the rank of general in the militia.
This sword is the product of a 1781 resolution of the North Carolina legislature honoring senior officers in the Patriot forces at the Battle of Kings Mountain. Though time passed, North Carolina eventually fulfilled this gift. In 1843, George Washington Sevier, John Sevier’s son, gave this sword to the State of Tennessee.
Collection: Tennessee Historical Society Collection
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