These glimpses into the life of John Sevier must help you to understand
why he became a hero among all the people of the frontier. They admired
him for his brilliant leadership; they were grateful for his protection;
and they loved him as a friend. They fondly called him "Nolichucky Jack";
and when, later, the settlements became the State of Tennessee, again and
again they elected him governor, and sent him to Congress.
Without doubt few men of his day were his equal as a fighter against the
Indians. It is said that in all his warfare with them he won thirty-five
victories and never lost a battle. As we have seen, he moved with great
swiftness in attacking his foes. Through his able scouts he learned the
strength and weakness of his enemies and, before they realized what was
going on, with a wild shout he and his bold followers swept down upon them
like a hurricane, striking terror to the hearts of even the bravest.
Sevier was active in public interests even to the last years of his long
life. When eighty years old, he was at the head of a body of men who were
marking the border line between Georgia and the lands of the Indians. The
labor proved too great for his bodily strength, and the aged man died
(1815), in his tent, with only a few soldiers and Indians around him.
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