Forrest Golden Thread East Texas Grave of Confederate Heroine Emma Sansom

James N.

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It was such a beautiful Spring day here in East Texas, I decided to revisit the Little Mound Cemetery just across the county line from Rhonesboro ( home of the "world famous" Possum Fest! ) into Upshur County. I found out about this a few years ago in my travels around this part of the state. For those of you ( Yankees! ) who have NO idea WHO this is: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emma_Sansom


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As you can see, Little Mound Baptist Church and Cemetery are out in the country in a landscape vastly different from the stereotyped vision of Texas. The church itself, though pleasant enough, is nothing special architecturally, and is covered with functional but ugly plastic siding. The cemetry extends from it uphill on the "mound", which is actually a ridge. I took one view from the top of the area cleared for the "old" cemetery; more recent graves are on lower ground nearer the road.


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I doubt there's ANYONE who Nathanb1 would rather trade places with for an hour or so on a nice warm May day!
 
Great post! A couple of issues though. I know Gadsden, Alabama and go through there from time to time. It's in NE Alabama, which was dubious of the Confederacy. They went along, eventually, but these are the Appalachian foothills where slavery did not take root very well. And I can not imagine an Antebellum parent allowing a daughter to ride off on a horse, with a soldier! Forrest or not. Complete break with protocol for a young woman in that time and place. But maybe an exception was made.
 
Great post! A couple of issues though. I know Gadsden, Alabama and go through there from time to time. It's in NE Alabama, which was dubious of the Confederacy. They went along, eventually, but these are the Appalachian foothills where slavery did not take root very well. And I can not imagine an Antebellum parent allowing a daughter to ride off on a horse, with a soldier! Forrest or not. Complete break with protocol for a young woman in that time and place. But maybe an exception was made.

I'm pretty sure it happened. And he left a note, you know. :smile:
 
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Oh man! I didn't even know about her when I lived in East Texas (well, vaguely but I didn't start my Forrest studies till Larry and Diane got me in their clutches). Great photos! You've succeeded in making me VERY homesick, as well. Thank you. That was a nice, nice surprise.

I'd read about Emma in connection with her exploit in the Streight ( notice the stonecutter misspelled THAT one ) Raid, but didn't think any more about it. I was driving around looking for historical markers in the area one day when I visited the Upshur County Courthouse in Gilmer. On the lawn is one of the large pink granite monuments Upshur County C.S.A. put up during the Centennial ( below ). You can't read it in my photo, but the entire back ( often left blank on these ) is devoted to Emma, of course including the fact she's buried in the county! A short walk brought me to the local history museum where I got directions.


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Unfortunately, Sam was right!
 
Texas must have used pink granite for a lot of monuments--for example, the one you posted reminds me of the Texas monument at Gettysburg. Is pink granite found commonly in Texas, maybe?
 
I'm pretty sure it happened. And he left a note, you know. :smile:

Fair enough - I know of other young ladies who broke the rules, in a huge way, when circumstances called for it! But that was the exception, not the rule.
 
Wow. That's just too . . . pink.

LOL. It's actually gorgeous. That's probably a sunset photo. :smile: Marble Falls is the source for most of this. Historically, the reason we have that beautiful capitol is because the state traded with a construction company. They supplied the materials and built the building, and then received the giant XIT ranch in the Panhandle....good trade, IMO.

http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/ccc01
http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/apx01
 
I know Gadsden, Alabama and go through there from time to time. It's in NE Alabama, which was dubious of the Confederacy. They went along, eventually, but these are the Appalachian foothills where slavery did not take root very well.

I happen to be familiar with one family in Cherokee County of Alabama, up in a rocky, piney area where there was no good acreage for the whole planter thing. This family was a bunch of poor dirt farmers, trust me. Anyway, they and quite a lot of other men like them, rode all the way to Rome, Georgia, to join up in the Confederate cavalry. One of the recruits was sent home after a year, 'cause he was too old. His sons finished out the war in the saddle, though. After the war, they all moved west.
 
Great post! A couple of issues though. I know Gadsden, Alabama and go through there from time to time. It's in NE Alabama, which was dubious of the Confederacy. They went along, eventually, but these are the Appalachian foothills where slavery did not take root very well. And I can not imagine an Antebellum parent allowing a daughter to ride off on a horse, with a soldier! Forrest or not. Complete break with protocol for a young woman in that time and place. But maybe an exception was made.

Didn't have much to say about it! The situation was a very active one and Emma was only 16. Forrest was wanting to know if there was another place to cross and she piped up she knew where the cows crossed sometimes. Forrest sidled his horse up against the fence while she got up on a stump, then grabbed his arm so he could sling her on behind him. That's when Mama came around the corner and gasped, "Emma! What are you doing!" Forrest explained she was going to show him a ford and not to worry, he'd bring her back ok. Off they went! Proper or no...
 
How about that, an excellent "What ever happened to? question.
 
Apparently a round went through her dress while she was showing Forrest the ford. He cautioned her to be careful, and she had a vaguely racy comeback which totally escapes me.

Lol! Think it was him with the racy remark! He pulled her around behind him and said he wasn't going to make breastworks of her. :tongue: But that wasn't near as racy as when he asked her for a lock of her hair. She didn't know what to say to that, being a kid, and walked into the house. Forrest being Forrest, followed her and asked again! Oh, and by the way, I left a dead guy in your living room... :confused:
 
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