USA > Tennessee > Johnson County > History of the Thirteenth Regiment, Tennessee Volunteer Cavalry, U. S. A. > Part 2
USA > Tennessee > Carter County > History of the Thirteenth Regiment, Tennessee Volunteer Cavalry, U. S. A. > Part 2
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It is the design of this work to rescue from that ob- livion into which so much of the past that should have been preserved, has fallen, the names and services of the officers and men who composed the Thirteenth Tenn. Cavalry, U. S. A., to which we belonged, and to whom we were attached by the strongest ties of affection, made sacred by sharing with them the common dangers, hard- ships and toils incident to the volunteer soldier's life. We hope to leave on record, to be read by our children and grandchildren the honorable part our gallant Regi- ment with other East Tennessee regiments, equally brave and loyal, took in fighting for the Union and the old flag. We hope also to leave on record some glimpses of sunshine and mirth that were mingled with the sadder and sterner scenes that memory brings back to us.
We desire to pay a just tribute to that large class of
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loyal men in Johnson and Carter counties, who through physical infirmities, age, and other causes, were unable to join the Federal army, but, in the absence of the soldiers, were the guardians and protectors of their families ; shar- ing in the common dangers, hopes and fears through which the Unionists of East Tennessee passed during this unhappy period.
Many of these men contributed their all in caring for the suffering families whose fathers, husbands and broth- ers were in the army, or driven from home : and in supply- ing the wants of refugees and "Scouters" who were in hiding from conscript officers. No men did a nobler part than these and none deserve greater praise.
To the noble and patriotic women in these counties, whose untold suffering would fill a volume in itself, we offer our highest praise. Most of them have passed be- yond the reach of praise or adulation to "that bourne from whence no traveler returns," but we hope to give their names and record their deeds, as far as possible, so that generations yet to come may honor them and revere their memory. No night was too dark, no danger too imminent, and no labor too arduous for these self-sacri- ficing heroines to perform, when the opportunity was pre- sented to lend a helping hand to the hunted and starving Unionists.
The story of their trials, persecutions, hardships and dangers ; their suffering and anxiety, can never be told. Their hearts though brave and true, were tender and loving, and ever open to the appeals of distress; their willing hands ever ready to give aid and comfort to the sick and suffering, the helpless and needy.
O, brave, loving mothers and maidens of Carter and Johnson counties, who faced the tempest of hatred and persecution, during the Civil War; whose willing hands were always ready to minister to the suffering and dis- tressed; who carried food to the hunted and famishing Union men ; who wore the home-spun fabrics wrought by your own hands; who, through weary years of watch- ing and waiting, never faltered in love and faith and duty
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to home, friends, or country, we would weave about your memory a chaplet of love, honor and lasting remem- brance! Your heroic devotion, your unparalleled suffer- ing and uncomplaining toil should furnish a theme for poets, more thrilling than the Iliad of Homer or the Epics of Virgil that have enshrined the names of Grecian and Roman matrons and maidens in immortal verse.
The deeds of the loyal men of Johnson and Carter counties, could they be told in all their thrilling details, would rival in patriotic interest the stories of Robert Bruce, William Wallace, or the brave Leonidas, who with his three hundred Spartans held the pass at Thermopylae against the hosts of Persian aggressors.
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CHAPTER II.
East Tennessee .- Scenery, Soil and Climate .- Heroism of Her Sons in Former Wars .- Their Prowess on Every Battlefield. There Happy Homes and Contented Lives.
"East Tennessee, secluded land, Of gentle hills and mountains grand ; Where Nature's richest verdures grow, And coolest springs and rivers flow ; Where golden wheat and waving corn Are liberal poured from plenty's horn. Land of the mountains and the glen, Of lovely maids and stalwart men; Where beauteous sunsets greet the eye In golden splendor on the sky. - Nelson. 1
Because of its picturesque scenery, lofty mountains and beautiful streams East Tennessee has been called "the Switzerland of America." The resemblance to that mar- velous and beautiful land does not end with its mountain scenery and productive soil, so far-famed, but is illus- trated in the heroism of her sons, a prominent character- istic of the little Republic in the Alps.
Carter and Johnson counties, where the scene of the greater part of our history is laid, are situated in the extreme eastern part of the State, bordering on Virginia and North Carolina, and under the shadow of the high- est peaks of the great Appalachian range of mountains which extends from Canada to the foot-hills of Georgia. A part of the area of the proposed great Appalachian Park or Reservation, which through the influence and untiring energy of Hon. Walter P. Brownlow, Con- gressman from the First District of Tennessee, it is hoped will soon be made a Government park to be known as the "McKinley Park," will lie within these two counties.
Almost every spot in East Tennessee is heroic ground,
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made sacred by some heroic deed of valor. The grandeur of her lofty mountains, the music of the streams, the brightness of her skies, have ever been themes for poetry and song. Her poets and orators have woven about her name a halo of love and beauty, set in rarest gems of rhythm and eloquence.
East Tennessee is the birthplace of the history of the State. It was on the banks of the Watauga, in what is now Carter county, that the first permanent settlement was made on the soil of Tennessee. The pioneers from Virginia built forts along the Watauga river in 1769, and, remote from either the colonies of Virginia or North Carolina, not knowing even to which of these colonies the territory belonged, they erected forts and dwellings, trusting in God and their own strong arms for protection for themselves and families from the savage and treach- erous Indians. They met at Sycamore Shoals on the Watauga river and enacted laws for their own govern- ment, and elected officers from among their number to see that the laws were duly executed. This was the first convention held upon the soil of what is now the State of Tennessee.
With the rude implements of husbandry then at their command, and their trusty rifles near by, they began to subdue the virgin soil, and to develop that skill and cour- age in warfare that made our ancestors so famous.
These brave pioneers while yet a part of the colony of North Carolina, though feeble in numbers and constantly harassed by the Indians, found time to join forces with the Virginians, and, starting from Sycamore Shoals, made the memorable march through North Carolina and defeated Ferguson at King's Mountain.
In the Indian Wars, and in the Second War with Eng- land in 1812-15, the volunteer soldiers of East Tennes- see, under General Jackson, maintained the high standard of chivalry and courage that had distinguished their an- cestors at King's Mountain. In the war with Mexico the East Tennessee Volunteers, under Generals Scott and Taylor, proved themselves "worthy sons of noble sires"
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and added new names to the long list of Tennessee heroes who had given to our commonwealth the proud distinc- tion of "The Volunteer State."
At the battle of Point Pleasant, under Evan Shelby, at Musgrove's Mill, at King's Mountain, the Alamo, San Jacinto, New Orleans and on the plains of Mexico- in short, on every battlefield since the beginning of our country's history, wherever Liberty has been endangered and Freedom has needed champions, East Tennesseeans have been the first "to fill the breach, and do or die for home and liberty."
In the ante-bellum days the hills and dales of Carter and Johnson counties were a veritable Arcadia where the soil responded to the hand of industry in the fertile coves and valleys and even far up the mountain sides, and yielded grain and fruits in abundance to supply the wants of a frugal people. The mountains were yet the abode of bear, deer and turkeys, as well as smaller game, af- fording sport and exercise, and palatable and nutritious food for the mountaineer and his family. The streams abounded in bass and trout, affording respite from the toilsome hunt and adding to their table comforts. The air was full of health, and was scented with the fragrance of wild flowers. The people were virtuous, honest and industrious,-patriotic and contented. It has been truly said that contentment is better than riches. These people were contented with their lot.
A quotation adapted from Burn's "Cotter's Saturday Night" would have been a fitting invocation in behalf of these people :
"East Tennessee! my dear my native soil; For whom my warmest wish to heaven is sent! Long may thy hardy sons of rustic toil Be blest with health and peace and sweet content! And, O! may Heaven their simple lives prevent From luxury's contagion, weak and vile !"
The tyranny of fashion, the ambition for wealth or power were unknown to them. There were no caste or classes marked by gaudy apparel, showy equipages or
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glittering gems. These things found no place in their thoughts by day or dreams by night. They were content with honest toil, frugal meals and simple raiment. They loved their humble homes which were open alike to their neighbors or to the journeying stranger. Their hospital- ity was proverbial.
Their pleasures and recreations were of the simplest kind. At the quarterly courts, election and muster days they gathered sufficient news of the outside world to last them all the year. They read the "Hagertown," or "Greely's" almanac, believed in the prognostications as to the weather and the best time to sow seeds, lay fence worms or make clap-boards-whether in the dark or light of the moon. They had great reverence for the Bible and the House of God and went many miles to preaching or to attend camp-meetings, quarterly meet- ings, associations and synods. They spent the winter evenings around the blazing fire in relating stories and traditions or mending their shoes and garments, often to the music of the spinning wheel. The violin was their favorite, and almost only, musical instrument. They as- sisted each other at house and barn raisings, log-rollings and corn-huskings, winding up the day with a party or a "hoe-down" dance in which old and young engaged with great zest and pleasure.
On these occasions, though apple brandy was freely passed around, it was not often indulged too freely. It was the pure apple juice which "cheered but did not in- ebriate" unless used to great excess, which was seldom done. In those days there were no poisonous liquids to- stupefy the brain and incite to crime, no bachanalian re- velry or noisy debauchery. The evenings were often en- livened with song and mirth and all were at peace with all the world; and when the hour came to retire to their humble couches, with hearts void of guile, they sank into that peaceful and refreshing sleep known only to those who are acquainted with honest toil, and whose minds are free from the harrassing cares which wealth and am- bition give to their unhappy votaries. Such was the con-
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dition of the majority of the people in those two counties before the demon of civil war, with all its harrowing cruelties, invaded these peaceful and happy homes. Con- tent to leave the cares of State to others, and resting se- cure under the protection of a free government which they had helped to protect, and the old'flag they loved so much, they flung care to the winds and dreamed not of the danger that was soon to cloud their happiness.
There were comparatively few slaves or slave owners. in these counties. The slaves, with very few exceptions, were kindly treated and were contented with their con- dition.
While we have said the majority of the people were uneducated and were not ambitious to win fame or wealth, there was a fair proportion of the more wealthy citizens who had been educated in Eastern colleges, and who were ambitious to distinguish themselves in the var- ious professions, in the ministry and in politics. Some of these men became the leaders when the dark days came and performed their part nobly, joining hands and hearts with the toilers, whom they had been taught almost to despise, in the grand work of preserving the nation.
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CHAPTER III.
The Civil War, Its Causes, briefly Told .- Slavery and State- Rights .- Election of 1860 .- Mr. Lincoln .- The "Star of the West."-Preparations for War .- Fort Sumter Fired On .- States Secede.
That the reader may have a clear conception of the events that follow we deem it proper to insert a brief outline of the Civil War, and the causes that led up to it from the point of view of the East Tennessee Loyalist.
For many years previous to the war the contention over the institution of slavery and the doctrine of State's Rights, as it was termed, had been growing in earnest- ness and intensity between the great political parties, or rather between the Northern and Southern wings of each of the great parties, both in Congress and among the people. The growing sentiment of opposition to slavery among the people north of Mason and Dixon's line alarmed the people of the cotton-growing States who be- lieved slave labor indispensable to their success in grow- ing the great staple, cotton, which had been proclaimed "King" by them; and which with the cultivation of rice, tobacco and sugar-cane constituted the base of the wealth and prosperity of the Southern States.
The people of the South contended that the institution of slavery was of divine origin; and moreover, was clearly recognized by the Constitution of the United States. They were also jealous of their rights as States, believing the Union of the States was merely a tempor- ary compact entered into for convenience and mutual pro- tection which could be annulled at the discretion of the individual States without reference to the consent or pleasure of the general Government.
On the contrary, the Northern people, or a large por-
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tion of them, condemned the institution of slavery as wrong, cruel, and subversive of the principles of justice, liberty, and freedom to all people, as set forth in the Declaration of Independence and embodied in the Consti- tution. They contended that the United States was a Nation, and that the Federal Government had the right to hold the several States in subjection to its authority ; and that no State had the right to sever its connection with the General Government without its consent. For more than fifty years these questions had been agitated with more or less acrimony.
The enactment of the "Missouri Compromise" in 1850, the last great measure championed by Henry Clay, which was designed to settle the sectional differences of the peo- ple, only postponed the evil day.
The Republican party, organized in 1854 from the anti-slavery elements of the old Whig and Democratic parties of the North, and which developed such unex- pected strength under the leadership of Gen. John C. Fremont in the presidential election of 1856, was a grave cause of alarm and apprehension on the part of the pro- slavery and State's Rights people of the South. The anti- slavery people of the North were, of course, correspond- ingly elated and encouraged over the result.
In the interval between the presidential election of 1856 and that of 1860, the tendency of the times pointed to the overthrow of the great Democratic party which had controlled the affairs of the Government since the days of Jefferson with but two brief interruptions, and which in later years had championed the cause of Slavery and State Rights, so dear to the hearts of the Southern people.
To make this result almost absolutely assured the Democratic party, which met at Charleston, S. C., in April, 1860, for the purpose of nominating candidates for President and Vice President of the United States, failed to agree, either upon a platform or candidates, and made what was called a "split" in the party. Later, in June, it met again at Baltimore, but the two factions
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were farther apart than ever. The Southern wing of the party nominated John C. Breckenridge, of Kentucky, for President, and Joseph Lane, of Kansas, for Vice Presi- dent. The Northern wing of the party nominated Ste- phen A. Douglass, of Illinois, for President, and Herchel V. Johnson, of Georgia, for Vice President.
The party known as the "Constitutional Union Party" nominated John Bell, of Tennessee, and Edward Everett, of Massachusetts, as its standard bearers, This party was composed largely of the old Whig party of the South, which was opposed to secession, but was not in sympathy with the Republican party. This party received the elec- toral vote of but three States, viz : Tennessee, Kentucky and Maryland.
The Republican party met in convention in Chicago, May 16, 1860, and nominated Abraham Lincoln, of Il- linois, and Hannibal Hamlin, of Maine, as candidates for President and Vice President.
The Southern leaders seeing that the Democratic party was hopelessly divided and the election of Mr. Lincoln was a foregone conclusion, urged upon the Southern States the necessity of withdrawing from the Union rather than submit to the election of what they termed a sectional President, and one whose administration would be inimical to Slavery and State's Rights, so dear to the people. The election resulted, as had been anticipated, but Mr. Lincoln could not take his seat until March 4th, 1861.
Mr. Buchanan, the predecessor of Mr. Lincoln, was in full sympathy with the South, although he was a native of Pennsylvania. His cabinet, being mostly Southern men, were also favorable to the Southern movement of secession.
The administration of Mr. Buchanan was vascillating and undecided; and the Southern leaders took advantage of the four months that elapsed between Mr. Lincoln's election and inauguration to make every preparation for the coming conflict. They had already been drilling men and making preparation for war, but now that Mr. Bu-
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chanan put no obstacles in their way, but on the contrary permitted his Secretary of War to so dispose the arms and munitions of war in Southern forts and arsenals that they would readily fall into the hands of the enemies of the Government, they went forward with the work of drill- ing, organizing and preparing for war without molesta- tion from the Federal Government, so that when the new administration came into power on March 4th, 1861, the following States had already seceeded from the Union : South Carolina, Georgia, Mississippi, Louisiana, Florida, Alabama and Texas. Gen. Twiggs, who was second in command of the army to Gen. Scott, was in command of the Department of Texas and disposed and arranged the troops so that the materials of war, guns and ammunition, would easily fall into the hands of the enemy, as was the result.
The situation confronting the Administration when it came into power on the 4th of March was most appalling indeed. The small standing army had been scattered, to the great disadvantage of the Government, and was di- vided in sentiment. Many of the forts and a large part of the munitions of war had fallen into the hands of the enemy. Many of the Northern leaders who had favored the election of Mr. Lincoln counselled peace. Horace Greely, the great Editor of the "New York Tribune," and who had been foremost in denouncing slavery, said : "Let the erring sisters go in peace." Much sympathy was expressed for the Southern Cause even in the North. At the same time, there was a strong feeling of loyalty to the Union in the Southern border States, especially in Kentucky, Tennessee, Missouri and West Virginia.
Among the first acts of President Lincoln was to call for 75,000 volunteers to suppress the Rebellion. This proclamation was condemned by the Southern press, and by the Southern sympathizers in the North, though it was known that the Southern States had already called out troops and were drilling and forming an army to destroy the Government.
However, Mr. Lincoln was held up as an Usurper, a
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Tyrant and Despot because he had the courage, at this momentous crisis, to make an effort to preserve the in- tegrity of the country. But the call for only 75,000 troops showed how little Mr. Lincoln and his advisers. knew of the temper of the Southern people, or the de- termination and earnestness with which they had set about the work of dissolving the Union and forming a government of their own, thus setting a precedent that. would permit each State to withdraw from the Union, or from the Confederacy that was then being formed, at will, which could only have resulted, in the end, in a multiplicity of petty republics among whom continual disagreements would have arisen, as has been demon- strated in South America.
The next important act of the new Administration was to attempt to relieve Major Anderson, who with a small garrison, was shut up in Fort Sumpter, situated in Char- leston Harbor, South Carolina. Mr. Buchanan, pursu- ing his peaceful policy, had sent the "Star of the West," an unarmed vessel, under the national flag, with succor and provisions for the garrison which had arrived there on the 9th of January, 1861. Upon its arrival it was. immediately fired upon by the Confederate authorities. This act of hostility and insult to the flag was not re- sented by Mr. Buchanan. The Star of the West was compelled to withdraw without giving aid to the garri- son. Major Anderson was in Fort Moultrie until Decem- ber 26, 1860, when he withdrew his little garrison to. Fort Sumpter, which afforded a better opportunity for de- fense froin the rebels, who had continually threatened him since the incident of the Star of the West. This movement of Major Anderson enraged the Confederate authorities to such an extent that on the 12th of April they notified him that they would open fire on the fort in one hour. At 4 P. M. the first shot was fired at Fort Sumpter, "the shot heard round the world," and which was the beginning of the most stupendous and bloody civil war known to modern times.
It is beyond the scope of this work to follow the vary-
1
$
LIEUT. COL. R. R. BUTLER. (See page 264.)
LIEUT. COL. W. H. INGERTON. (See page 215.)
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ing fortunes of the contending forces in the great strug- gle that followed the reduction of Fort Sumpter, which, after a most gallant defense by its heroic garrison under Major Anderson, was compelled to capitulate. We will now confine our history to that part of the war that per- tained to events in East Tennessee and to the locality in which our history is laid, except so far as they relate to, or in some manner concern our history.
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CHAPTER IV.
Excitement over Fall of Fort Sumter .- How the News was Received .- Military League Formed .- Proceedings of Knoxville and Greeneville Conventions .- Names of Delegates .- Johnson and Nelson .- The State Secedes .- Vote in Carter and Johnson Counties .- Intimidation and Persecution.
Although the mutterings of Civil War had been heard for many months, few believed there would be actual hos- tilities until the news of the firing on Fort Sumpter was flashed over the wires. All had hoped that some means would be devised by the more reasonable leaders on each side to avert a calamity, the direful results of which, none could then fully realize, but which it required no pro- phetic vision to foresee must end in general ruin and dis- aster to the country.
But the news of the firing on Fort Sumpter quickly dispelled this illusion. Many still believed the war would not be of long duration, but the South had long been pre- paring for the great struggle and was in much better condition than the North, according to its resources, to maintain the seemingly unequal conflict. The excitement produced by the news from Charleston was intense. Men gathered in groups on the street corners, in the post office and business houses and listened with blanched faces to the reading of the dispatches by those who were so fortu- nate as to get daily papers. Mirth and merriment were laid aside, and the faces of men were grave and thought- ful. Business was neglected to a great extent, and tlie people's thoughits were turned to the one absorbing sub- ject of what was to be the result of the great contest that had now been appealed to the arbitrament of war-civil war-the most dreaded forni of that terrible scourge.
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