the French Broad River. Wear's Fort was attacked by Chickamauga in 1793. At the time, he was commander of the Sevier County militia, then operating under the Territory South of the River Ohio's territorial-governor, William Blount. Wear led a punitive march against the village of Tallassee shortly thereafter. The expedition killed at least fifteen Cherokee, and captured four females. In 1794, several Cherokee fired on Wear and his two sons just outside Calvins Blockhouse (near Maryville), although the Wears escaped unharmed. Constitutional delegate In 1795, as a constitutional convention delegate appointed by Sevier, Wear and four others met at Wears Fort and drafted the constitution presented to convention delegates in the establishment of the State of Tennessee. Thomas Jefferson stated that of all the constitutions written and adopted by new frontier states, the Tennessee Constitution was the "best written and most in line with the spirit of the United States Constitution." War of 1812 Wear commanded the 1st Regiment, East Tennessee Volunteer Militia, from September thru December, 1813, under General James White. The volunteer corp, which was stationed at the new Fort Strother in the Mississippi Territory, fought in the frontier extension of the War of 1812 (known as the "Creek War"), but was disbanded and sent home after the Hillabee Massacre. Later life and death Wear died April 3, 1817 in Sevierville, Tennessee. He is buried in the Ft. Wear cemetery, Henderson Springs, Tennessee. A monument dedicated to Wear reads: "Pioneer, Soldier of four Wars; Colonial, Revolution, Indian,1812; One of the Heroes of Kings Mountain, and a Founder of the State of Franklin. This monument is erected by his decendents." Legacy Wears Valley is named for Wear. Although the original name of the valley was "Crowson Cove," after its first settler, Aaron Crowson, the valley was using its current name by 1900. The reason for the 19th-century name change is uncertain. References 1753 births 1817 deaths People from Augusta County, Virginia People from the State of Franklin People from Sevier County, Tennessee People of pre-statehood Tennessee Burials in Tennessee