Johnson County Tenn.

[East Tennessee Roots]

Ellis, I suspect, was looking more for book sales than honesty and to justify his own actions in the war.

Ellis was reportedly illiterate. His wife and a co-author wrote it. I'm sure he was brave, but I take many of his escapades with a grain of salt. I've lived all my 76 years in Sullivan County and have numerous relatives on both sides from East Tennessee and the mountains of Western NC. Also, a few who switched sides.

 

[East Tennessee Roots]

In 1953, the last surviving son of Daniel Ellis was interviewed by The Knoxville News-Sentinal.

Daniel Ellis Part 1

Clipping found in The Knoxville News-Sentinel published in Knoxville, Tennessee on 8/16/1953. Daniel Ellis Part 1

www.newspapers.com

Daniel Ellis Part 2

Clipping found in The Knoxville News-Sentinel published in Knoxville, Tennessee on 8/16/1953. Daniel Ellis Part 2

www.newspapers.com

Ulysses Simpson Grant “Uncle Grant” Ellis...

U. S. Grant Ellis, July 20, 1866 - October 16, 1956 (Uncle Grant, a teacher, Carter County school superintendent, county surveyor, and member of the state legislature, was the youngest of Dan Ellis' seven children, and the last to die). SOURCE: Allen W. Ellis Professor of Library Services W...

www.findagrave.com

 

[Mountain Rebel]

Scott and Angels account, while stil! partsan, was more balanced. Most unionist accounts rationalized the murder of Confederates as just retribution. But, when Confederates did the same thing it was.cold blooded murder.


There was a lot of interaction between Johnson and Ash counties during and after the war. Most people in East TN and western NC had family on both sides and many were bitterly divided. I had relatives in the Johnson county home guard who hunted down their cousins in Carter county.

 

[13 IL Cav & 64 GA Inf]

Scott and Angels account, while stil! partsan, was more balanced.

There was a lot of interaction between Johnson and Ash counties during and after the war. Most people in East TH and western NC had family on both sides and many were bitterly devided. I had relatives in the Johnson county home guard who hunted down their cousins in Carter county.

Wow - about hunting down their cousins! That reminds me of the Revolutionary War.

 

[Mountain Rebel]

Wow - about hunting down their cousins! That reminds me of the Revolutionary War.

The cousin who was shot was harboring confederate deserters and draft dodgers. By late in the war it became official policy of both governments to show no quarter to bushwhackers, marauders, outliers and deserters. Most were shot on sight or hanged where found. If you were caught aiding and abetting the enemy you might receive the same treatment and your house and barns would be burned to the ground.

 

[JLPoff]

In 1953, the last surviving son of Daniel Ellis was interviewed by The Knoxville News-Sentinal.

Daniel Ellis Part 1

Clipping found in The Knoxville News-Sentinel published in Knoxville, Tennessee on 8/16/1953. Daniel Ellis Part 1

www.newspapers.com

Daniel Ellis Part 2

Clipping found in The Knoxville News-Sentinel published in Knoxville, Tennessee on 8/16/1953. Daniel Ellis Part 2

www.newspapers.com

Ulysses Simpson Grant “Uncle Grant” Ellis...

U. S. Grant Ellis, July 20, 1866 - October 16, 1956 (Uncle Grant, a teacher, Carter County school superintendent, county surveyor, and member of the state legislature, was the youngest of Dan Ellis' seven children, and the last to die). SOURCE: Allen W. Ellis Professor of Library Services W...

www.findagrave.com

Thanks so much for posting these! That was really interesting. I had heard Ellis had help writing the memoir. It's full of Shakespeare and Byron quotes, not something you would necessarily expect from an illiterate mountain man.

 

[13 IL Cav & 64 GA Inf]

The cousin who was shot was harboring confederate deserters and draft dodgers. By late in the war it became official policy of both governments to show no quarter to bushwhackers, marauders, outliers and deserters. Most were shot on sight or hanged where found. If you were caught aiding and abetting the enemy you might receive the same treatment and your house and barns would be burned to the ground.

I have only read one book about this topic, "Bushwhackers," by William Trotter, but should study it more.

 

[Mountain Rebel]

I have only read one book about this topic, "Bushwhackers," by William Trotter, but should study it more.

Read War At Every Door: Partisan Politics and Guerilla War in East Tenn.

 

[Mountain Rebel]

November 23, 1863: "Headquarters34th VA Bat. Cavalry... To all whom it may concern: "Notice is hereby given to the people of Carter and Johnson counties that the Union men will beheld responsible, in person and property, for all plundering and bushwhacking of Southern soldiers and citizens. Whenever deserters, bushwhackers, and marauders, are known to assemble or whenever they may steal or plunder, the house and barns of Union men shall be burned to the ground. Citizens may appeal to, to organize and destroy the gangs of scoundrels who are infesting the country. The above order will be executed to the very letter.

The Federals had a similar policy. See General Orders 100

From the beginning of federal occupation of East TN officers and soldiers adopted a policy of giving no quarter to bushwhackers. Union troops dealt with bushwhackers by performing summary executions, torture to extract information and shooting guerillas on site. Like Confederate soldiers, the Federals concluded that guerrillas weren't legitimate combatants and didn't deserve the honorable treatment accorded to regular troops. General Order 100 gave federal troops permission to shoot on sight anyone engaging in guerilla warfare and stated soldiers were not obligated to give quarter.

 

[TnFed]

I have only read one book about this topic, "Bushwhackers," by William Trotter, but should study it more.

Trotter's main claim to fame was his book on the Russo- Finnish war. I thought it a great book. Robert Barker did a great job researching partisan warfare on the Southeast TN and Southwest NC border.

 

[TnFed]

Very interesting that you should bring up Ellis's book--I am reading it right now and I just finished reading The Dreaded Thirteenth Tennesse Union Cavalry: Marauding Mountain Men by Melanie Storie. I have nine relatives who were in the 13th, but they were all originally from Ashe County, NC. I was reading Ellis's book to discover what it was like to travel through the mountains to get to Union lines.

Ellis, I suspect, was looking more for book sales than honesty and to justify his own actions in the war. People on both sides wrote highly prejudicial memoirs to appeal to an audiences that all wanted to hear how awful and depraved the other side was. If you have ever seen Dr. Gary W. Gallagher's lecture series The American Civil War put out by The Teaching Company, he mentions this phenomenon, particularly with regards to Civil War prison memoirs.

Many of my Ashe County relatives moved to Johnson or Sullivan County, TN after the war. I also have Ashe County relatives who were in the 5th NC Battalion-Cavalry that you mentioned--The Graybeals of Ashe Co. had members in both that regiment and the 13th TN Union Cavalry.

I do have 5 relatives who served on BOTH sides: 2 were galvanized Yankees, the other three deserted the Confederate Army, then went to Union lines and enlisted in the Union Army. 4 of these men were from Ashe County.

I must admit I was very surprised when I started researching the Southern part of my family: I had assumed most would be Confederates, but about 50% of my relatives from NC fought on the Union side and all but 1 of my KY relatives fought on the Union side. They were all from Appalachia, which I now have found out did have quite a bit of Union support.

A fun bit of family legend (I can't verify this): Phoebe Graybeal Eastridge of Ashe Co., NC did not want her son Andrew to be drafted by the Confederates. As soon as he turned 18, she dressed him in a hoop skirt to evade Confederate authorities and sent him to Tennessee, where he enlisted in the 13th TN Cavalry.

Next on my reading list is the official history of the 13th by Angel and Scott.

I am always amazed at how old some of these partisan fighter on both sides lived to be. Those on both sides and both sides of the TN and NC border got to be pretty long in the tooth, in a region that was not a bit hesitant in the blood feud....Daniel Ellis, Keith Blalock, John Jackson Kirkland, John Wright and others. I believe Wright had about 30 kids by his five or six wives, so his name certainly lives on today.

 

[uaskme]

My GG Grandfather was in the 58th NC from Ashe County NC. Those boys from Johnson County who went all the way to the NC Coast were dedicated Confederates, unbelievable. When Bucker/Bushrod Johnson's Division went from Chattanooga to Knoxville and beyond. Over half deserted. Lot of Tennesseans.

 

[uaskme]

Trotter's main claim to fame was his book on the Russo- Finnish war. I thought it a great book. Robert Barker did a great job researching partisan warfare on the Southeast TN and Southwest NC border.

I've read Trotter's book. Been a spell. Did Baker do research on Trotter's book or write one? Googled Robert Baker and Christian Books are all that came up.

 

[Mountain Rebel]

My GG Grandfather was in the 58th NC from Ashe County NC. Those boys from Johnson County who went all the way to the NC Coast were dedicated Confederates, unbelievable. When Bucker/Bushrod Johnson's Division went from Chattanooga to Knoxville and beyond. Over half deserted. Lot of Tennesseans.

I. think most of the Johnson county boys who enlisted, went to Ash county, Sullivan county or Abbington VA.

 

[SWS]

Found a distant East Tennessee relative, Pvt. Alfred N. Shell of Carter County, Co. H, 13th (Union) Tennessee Cavalry.

And to think General T.L. Clingman is a relative of the woman (my great-grandmother) who married-into the Schell/Shell line... genealogy is quite something.

 

[East Tennessee Roots]

Pvt. Alfred N. Shell of Carter County, Co. H, 13th (Union) Tennessee Cavalry.

National Archives NextGen Catalog

The online portal to the records held at the National Archives, and information about those records.

catalog.archives.gov

 

[TnFed]

I've read Trotter's book. Been a spell. Did Baker do research on Trotter's book or write one? Googled Robert Baker and Christian Books are all that came up.

Robert Barker did research on Monroe County TN and Cherokee County NC, during the Civil War. I believe all his info.is on file with the Mc Clung Museum in Knoxville. However you can get all his stuff from the Madisonville Public Library
305 College Street
Madisonville, TN 37354

I called there years ago and they sent me what I wanted through the mail at no cost. I live in Ohio. My research concerned J J Kirkland (reb guerrilla, formerly of the 3rd TN Mounted Infantry CSA.) My gg uncle LT. James K. Morrow.of the 3rd TN Mounted Infantry USA.and Capt Tim Lyons of the 3rd TN Mounted Infantry USA. If you want an idea of what small scale partisan fighting was like in the Unaka Mountains of Monroe Co. TN. and Cherokee County NC. You.can't beat Barker. He also has a good article on the burning of the Murphy Courthouse during the war.

 

[TnFed]

Wow - about hunting down their cousins! That reminds me of the Revolutionary War.

Not at all unusual in the hollers of East TN. and Western NC. I had relatives on both sides that fought members of their own family and killed them out of hand.

 

[13 IL Cav & 64 GA Inf]

Not at all unusual in the hollers of East TN. and Western NC. I had relatives on both sides that fought members of their own family and killed them out of hand.

I guess it was fortunate for me that my great grandfather in the 13th Illinois Cavalry never met my gg grandfather of the 64th GA Infantry!

 

[East Tennessee Roots]

13th Illinois Cavalry

ILLINOIS
13TH CAVALRY
(Three Years)

Thirteenth Cavalry.-Col., Joseph W. Bell; Lieut.-Col., Theobald Hartman; Majs., Latham Lippert, Charles A. Bell. This regiment was organized at Camp Douglas in Dec., 1861. It moved to Benton barracks Mo., where it was armed and equipped, then with Gen. Curtis through Arkansas, taking part in the skirmishes of the campaign to Helena. It returned to Missouri in the fall of 1862, and was engaged with Gen. Davidson in the campaign of southwest Missouri and northwest Arkansas, driving Marmaduke and his command from the state. In July, 1863, it moved with Gen. Davidson's cavalry division into Arkansas taking part in the battles of Brownsville, Bayou Meto and Austin in August, and again at Bayou Meto in September. It was the first regiment to enter Little Rock on its capture and was engaged in the pursuit of Price to Red river. In the spring of 1864, it accompanied Gen. Steele in the expedition to Camden, taking prominent parts in the actions at Arkadelphia, Okolona, Little Missouri river, Prairie d'Ane, Camden and Jenkins' ferry. After returning to Little Rock it was engaged in many raids and scouts and in skirmishing with the forces of Shelby and Marmaduke, defeating them at Clarendon and Pine Bluff. The remainder of its term of service was devoted to scouting and picketing. It was mustered out on Aug. 31, 1865, receiving its final pay and discharge at Springfield, Ill., Sept. 13. Source: The Union Army, vol. 3 ​