Col. Robert Henry Dyer served during the War of 1812, including the Creek War and as a commander on the left flank under Gen. Andrew Jackson during the Battle of New Orleans on Jan. 8, 1815. The previous night he was injured when his horse fell on him during a raid on the British encampment. Later in 1815, he was elected to the Tennessee State Senate. Dyer again served as a commander during the first Seminole War (1817-1818). As West Tennessee was being organized, Col. Dyer opened river traffic on the upper part of the Middle-Forked Deer. He built a warehouse where he started the canal that now connects the main channels of the Fork Deer and Mississippi Rivers. The first Justice In the Madison County Court and the first Postmaster for Dyersburg, Dyer County was named for him in 1823. Buried with military honors, his remains now rest in an unmarked grave.