Perryville “Horrible Barbarities of the enemy in Kentucky.”

Joined
May 18, 2005
Location
Spring Hill, Tennessee
Private William M. Woods was thirty-two years old when he enlisted in Company G of the 6th Tennessee in May 1861 in Jackson, Tennessee. He was originally from Hawkins County in East Tennessee. In the 1860 census he was a thirty-one year old merchant living in Jackson, Madison County Tennessee with a personal estate worth $5,000. Little did he know what his fate would be only two years from then.

"From different sources we are informed of unparalleled atrocities committed upon our helpless soldiers who were left in Kentucky, after the retreat of Gen. Bragg, by the Union bushwhackers of that State. A correspondent of the Knoxville Register details the particulars of one case—that of Willie M. Woods, of Col. Porter’s Tennessee regiment, who was wounded at Perryville, and had his leg broken by a wagon, and was left at the house of John Pitman, three miles beyond Loudoun. He had been there about two weeks, when a notorious Unionist named King, with five others, went to Pitman’s, tied a rope around his neck and dragged him from the bed to a wagon and threw him in, breaking his leg anew. They drove a short distance, to the nearest tree, where they hung Woods, and shot him while hanging. Woods was a native of Hawkins county, and entered the service, at the commencement of the war, under Col. Stephens. There was, also, a Mississippian named Gray at the same house who had been left sick. The same party tied a rope around his neck, and hung him to the same tree with Woods and he was buried in the same grave. Two others were hung with telegraph wire, and another soldier who was on the very verge of death was dragged out and hung.—Dispatch, 6th​."

Sure would be interesting to find out a little more about the Unionist named King. @lelliott19 ?
 
Interesting @huskerblitz This article below says John Pitman's house was three miles from London - not Loudon. Do you know if Bragg's army would have retreated by way of London KY? It's an important distinction if we are going to determine who this King was. I've found a possibility, but that King was from Crab Orchard - which is very near London, KY but not very close at all to Loudon, TN. Let me know. If the King at Crab Orchard is the correct one, then he was hung, evidently in retaliation, around the end of October.
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Not off the top of my head, but the story isn't unusual. There is a very similar story tied to a man in the 22nd Ky that mirrors this pretty closely in Carter County. There seems to be a number of Kentuckians that 'up and disappeared' and generally tied to issues with the home guards and the likes.
 
Without knowing if the incident occurred in Loudon, TN or London, KY, it's really impossible to pin down the King described in the OP with any degree of accuracy. If I had to guess, I'd say this is him. The dates are too close. Plus Capt. King's brother, Jack, and a relation named Will Owsley confirmed the charges. A specific date is not given, but it's apparent from the dated correspondence, that Capt. King was hung around the end of October.
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Interesting @huskerblitz This article below says John Pitman's house was three miles from London - not Loudon. Do you know if Bragg's army would have retreated by way of London KY? It's an important distinction if we are going to determine who this King was. I've found a possibility, but that King was from Crab Orchard - which is very near London, KY but not very close at all to Loudon, TN. Let me know. If the King at Crab Orchard is the correct one, then he was hung, evidently in retaliation, around the end of October.
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Actually, I should have corrected the article's mention of Loudon. I forgot to mention that, but yes, this is the route the army took out of Kentucky through both Crab Orchard and London.
 
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