Help w ancestor in TN CSA

[ADD]

I have been doing some family research and one brick wall I've found is about an ancestor named Andrew Dickey. He left his wife and 2 or 3 children in Cincinnati to join the CSA in Tennessee. Family anecdote says he served in the 10th TN infantry, was captured at Fort Donelson and died as a POW at Camp Douglas. However, that source has also said a thing or two that I found to not be accurate. In trying to find proof, I went looking for Civil War records which only deepened the mystery. There were two different records for Andrew Dickey in TN.
My question really comes down to this: Is there a way to find out more about the soldiers than what is on the compiled record such as hometown or other personal information? He never returned to his family in Ohio. I have not come across anything in pension records so far to help me determine which was my ancestor. The timing doesn't work for him to be the same person. I have no reason to doubt the anecdotal history but don't want to rely on it, esp now that I found two potential ancestors. Details are listed below if you are interested in reading more. Thanks for any advice you can offer.

I came across two compiled records for Andrew Dickey in TN CSA. One was Andrew J. Dickey in 13th TN Inf. Co. D. He enrolled June 4 1861 in Jackson, TN. Muster was in New Madrid, MO Aug 14, 1861. The second card said the next muster was in Shelbyville, TN 1863 but then it says he was discharged surgeons certificate in July 1862 in Tupelo, MS.
The second record was for Andrew Dicky with the 10th TN Inf. Co I. There is no enrollment or muster records, but he was on a Roll of prisoners of war at Camp Douglas, IL August 1, 1862. It says he was captured Feb 16, 1862 at Fort Donelson. It goes on to say he was sent to Vicksburg for exchange on Sept 8, 1862, was discharged Oct 9 and paid Oct 11.
I don't know why he went to join the CSA in TN. Family lore says he and his wife immigrated from Ireland but I suspect he may have been Scottish or at least Scots Irish. He and his wife were married and christened their children in the Presbyterian church so he was not part of the Irish Catholic community that made up the "Sons of Erin" 10th TN. However that doesn't mean anything. He still could have served with them. I don't know anything about his past and can't find any records about him, immigration or otherwise, prior to early 1850s in Cincinnati. Maybe he had family in TN or was just fighting to ensure freed slaves would not come steal jobs in Cincinnati which I've read was a concern for many Irish immigrants.
Anyway, thanks for reading if you made it this far. I'd love to hear any thoughts or advice. I feel like I've scoured every record and database out there but I'm sure there is more. There is always more.

 

[JacobCSA]

Andrew Dickey of the 10th Company I seems more likely as he aligns with your family story minus the death part. Its possible the family could have heard of his capture at Fort Donelson and perhaps where he was taken as a prisoner but they just never heard of him afterwards. He could have died after his exchange and discharge. Perhaps killed by bandits on his way back to Cincinnati or died to disease. He may have for some reason even just went off some where else and started a new life (this isn't very probable to me though as records would appear for him. Perhaps they do but are just not easily found records) See if you can find some sort of pension record. If his wife lived long enough she may have gotten a widows pension where they would have pulled his records.

 

[lupaglupa]

That is a tough situation. The best way I know is to research each man as if he weren't your ancestor. So take each Andrew Dickey you've found and flesh out his story - every fact you can find pre and post war about the man in the record. If he is someone else- not your ancestor - he will have left behind contradictory records (a pension that went to a wife, for instance, that isn't your ancestors wife). If you can fit him with someone else, he clearly isn't your guy.

The second avenue to look at is - can I find a Andrew Dickey using the facts I have without the family legend clues? Maybe he was in a TN unit but not the one remembered. Maybe he was captured but not at Fort Donelson. Families tend, in my experience, to remember the broad outlines correctly but the details imperfectly. It's well worth looking at the records without narrowing it to just what's been passed down to you.

I hope that helps!

 

[ADD]

Andrew Dickey of the 10th Company I seems more likely as he aligns with your family story minus the death part. Its possible the family could have heard of his capture at Fort Donelson and perhaps where he was taken as a prisoner but they just never heard of him afterwards. He could have died after his exchange and discharge. Perhaps killed by bandits on his way back to Cincinnati or died to disease. He may have for some reason even just went off some where else and started a new life (this isn't very probable to me though as records would appear for him. Perhaps they do but are just not easily found records) See if you can find some sort of pension record. If his wife lived long enough she may have gotten a widows pension where they would have pulled his records.

Thanks for the reply. I don't know anything about my family's Andrew Dickey (birthdate, parents names, birth location) to be able to see if he matches up with any other one anywhere in the country. It is something I'm still investigating. I have looked in TN pension records but am new to that information so will have to spend more time on it so I know what I'm looking for. I assume I would look in TN pension records even though he and his wife lived in Ohio. Right?

 

[ADD]

That is a tough situation. The best way I know is to research each man as if he weren't your ancestor. So take each Andrew Dickey you've found and flesh out his story - every fact you can find pre and post war about the man in the record. If he is someone else- not your ancestor - he will have left behind contradictory records (a pension that went to a wife, for instance, that isn't your ancestors wife). If you can fit him with someone else, he clearly isn't your guy.

The second avenue to look at is - can I find a Andrew Dickey using the facts I have without the family legend clues? Maybe he was in a TN unit but not the one remembered. Maybe he was captured but not at Fort Donelson. Families tend, in my experience, to remember the broad outlines correctly but the details imperfectly. It's well worth looking at the records without narrowing it to just what's been passed down to you.

I hope that helps!

Thanks. I am trying to do just that - research both Andrew Dickeys and see where they lead but I am not sure where to look next. I have checked TN pension records but I'm new to that so I might have missed something. That's one of my next steps to is learn how to research those records. I have also been just checking any Andrew Dickeys in TN CSA esp using various spellings and that is how I came across the record of the 13th. I'll keep digging. Thanks for your suggestions!

 

[DixieRifles]

One was Andrew J. Dickey in 13th TN Inf. Co. D.

Probably NOT related but in my files on the Battle of Fort Pillow, I have a William A. Dickey in the 13th Tennessee Cavalry (US) [officially the 14th Tenn Cav but FOLD3 lists it as "Bradford's Tenn Battalion"]. I believe he was one of the wounded and he testified as a witness to the US Congressional Committee on the Conduct of the War. He testimony is mentioned in Ward's book "River Run Red".
Most of those in the 13th Tennessee Cavalry(US) were from Tennessee. I thought he might have dropped his first name just in case he was captured by Confederate Tennesseans.

 

[Northstep]

Thanks for the reply. I don't know anything about my family's Andrew Dickey (birthdate, parents names, birth location) to be able to see if he matches up with any other one anywhere in the country. It is something I'm still investigating. I have looked in TN pension records but am new to that information so will have to spend more time on it so I know what I'm looking for. I assume I would look in TN pension records even though he and his wife lived in Ohio. Right?

Give the TN State Library and Archives a try. You can do a general search of the records, but they offer also a great service to "Chat with a Librarian". Try the chat and ask if they can locate additional info about his war record.
https://tslaindexes.tn.gov/search-all-collections

 

[JacobCSA]

Thanks for the reply. I don't know anything about my family's Andrew Dickey (birthdate, parents names, birth location) to be able to see if he matches up with any other one anywhere in the country. It is something I'm still investigating. I have looked in TN pension records but am new to that information so will have to spend more time on it so I know what I'm looking for. I assume I would look in TN pension records even though he and his wife lived in Ohio. Right?

If his wife remained in Ohio the application may be in that states records but I'm not to in the knowledge of how northern states dealt with Confederate Pensions.

 

[East Tennessee Roots]

even though he and his wife lived in Ohio. Right?

His widow would have to be a resident of Tennessee for a year before applying.

The federal government did not grant pensions to Confederate veterans or their dependents, however, southern state governments granted pensions to Confederate veterans and widows. Veterans filed for pensions in the state where they were living at the time, not the state from which they served

 

[ADD]

Give the TN State Library and Archives a try. You can do a general search of the records, but they offer also a great service to "Chat with a Librarian". Try the chat and ask if they can locate additional info about his war record.
https://tslaindexes.tn.gov/search-all-collections

Thanks. Actually I did that and did chat with a librarian. I did not get any more information than I already had, but I was really impressed with my correspondent Trent and how helpful he was and how he went above and beyond. What a fantastic resource!

 

[lupaglupa]

Thanks. Actually I did that and did chat with a librarian. I did not get any more information than I already had, but I was really impressed with my correspondent Trent and how helpful he was and how he went above and beyond. What a fantastic resource!

They are really terrific there - online and at the library.

 

[Story]

The second record was for Andrew Dicky with the 10th TN Inf. Co I. There is no enrollment or muster records, but he was on a Roll of prisoners of war at Camp Douglas, IL August 1, 1862. It says he was captured Feb 16, 1862 at Fort Donelson. It goes on to say he was sent to Vicksburg for exchange on Sept 8, 1862, was discharged Oct 9 and paid Oct 11.

Welcome to CWT.

1) Working backwards, second last - the Federals are the sources for the Consolidated Soldiers records of Confederate POWs.
Those dates jive with the early history of the 10th TN Infantry

Battle Unit Details - The Civil War (U.S. National Park Service)

www.nps.gov

2) For the 13th TN Infantry, using the same NPS source, those dates jive but there's no mention of men from the 13th folding into the 10th. https://www.nps.gov/civilwar/search-battle-units-detail.htm?battleUnitCode=CTN0013RI
3) Note - Dickey in the 13th, Dicky in the 10th. Hang out long enough and you'll see mangled spellings can be the norm.
4) Find a Grave is a wonderful place to poke around, but beware of Red Herrings and not-the-Dicky-you're-looking-for

Pvt Andrew J. Dickey (1841-1913) - Find a Grave...

Born in Sep 1841. Died on 13 Feb 1913. Buried in Fort Worth, Texas, USA.

www.findagrave.com

nor

Andrew G Dickey (unknown-1863) - Find a Grave...

Section A Site 2886 Service Info.: G 16 IND

www.findagrave.com

Ok, someone else can move the next piece on this chessboard.

 

[ADD]

Guess what?! I think I might have found my Andrew Dickey/Dicky!! After chewing and stewing on this for a while, I decided to learn more about the 10th TN regiment as a whole and come from that angle than from the singular soldier. Also I continued to look at the regiment after the dates that he was discharged and paid (Oct 1862). Turns out that as the regiments were getting consolidated, the 10th merged with the 30th. I had assumed he was not part of that (I know, I know..) In Confederate Veteran magazine I found a reference to a Sargeant Dickey in the battle of Chickasaw Bayou in late Dec 1862. The only references to TN regiments were the 3rd and the 30th and not the 10th, but given that they merged he may have been considered a member of the 30th at that time. It makes sense also in that his rank on his prison roll was 1st sgt and there are only two Andrew Dickey/Dicky soldiers in all the TN rosters. I may be wrong but it all seems to fit and he was sadly killed in the battle bringing in seven recently captured prisoners. That would also explain why he never made it home. I haven't gotten any further than that yet, but am feeling hopeful that I have found the right thread in Andrew Dicky in the 10th TN. Thank you to all the suggestions and comments and especially the mention of Confederate Veteran Magazine. Now I'm off to learn more about the battle of Chickasaw Bayou. Woo hooo!

 

[lupaglupa]

This is awesome! A great reminder to all of us that sometimes you just have to come at your search from a new direction. And, as Winston Churchill would say, never, never, never give up.

 

[Northstep]

Great news! Thanks for the follow-up. You came to the right place to get help. The experts here are amazing!