One of this country's most colorful frontiersmen and folk heroes, Davy Crockett served under Andrew Jackson from 1813-1814 in the wars against the Creek Indians. He returned to his Tennessee home to farm, and was appointed a local magistrate, an office that required him to learn to read and write more proficiently. Elected a "colonel" in the militia, he also served two terms in the state legislature, where he defended the squatter rights of his west Tennessee constituents. As a U.S. congressman, Crockett developed a reputation as a shrewd and outspoken backwoodsman. It was in Washington that his image as a coonskin -hatted bear hunter, Indian fighter, and teller of tall tales was promoted by his allies.