Robert Clay Crawford

[TnFed]

I am looking for information on a counterfeiting scheme ran by Col. Robert Clay Crawford. He organized the TN1st Battalion of Light Artillery USA.

Apparently he was very good at organizing things as he formed about 8 Batteries and had his counterfeiting activities going on at the same time. I just ran across his name. All I found on the Internet today was a small article on his court martial. He seems like a Harry Flashman type..Except Flashman never got caught. Things were going well for Crawford till a couple of his officers revealed his extra circular activities.

 

[RedRover]

I am looking for information on a counterfeiting scheme ran by Col. Robert Clay Crawford. He organized the TN1st Battalion of Light Artillery USA.

Apparently he was very good at organizing things as he formed about 8 Batteries and had his counterfeiting activities going on at the same time. I just ran across his name. All I found on the Internet today was a small article on his court martial. He seems like a Harry Flashman type..Except Flashman never got caught. Things were going well for Crawford till a couple of his officers revealed his extra circular activities.

From "The Nation," Sept. 13, 1877:

 

[major bill]

I never heard of him. I do wonder what he was counterfeiting.

 

[RedRover]

From the Augusta, GA, Daily Constitutionalist, 1-17-1866...

 

[TnFed]

From "The Nation," Sept. 13, 1877:

View attachment 521383

Wow, he seems more like the fictional Harry Flashman than I even first thought. Thanks.

 

[Nathan Stuart]

It's noted there's a published title (236 pages) by Lewis Lawson about Robert Clay Crawford which is called,

A Rogue's Life: R. Clay Crawford, Prison Escapee, Union Army Officer, Pretend Millionaire, Phony Physician and the Most Respected Man in Macon, Georgia

Thought this title alone might say much about him. (Believe that Crawford was court-martialed during Aug., '64, in Nashville, TN).

 

[TnFed]

It's noted there's a published title (236 pages) by Lewis Lawson about Robert Clay Crawford which is called,

A Rogue's Life: R. Clay Crawford, Prison Escapee, Union Army Officer, Pretend Millionaire, Phony Physician and the Most Respected Man in Macon, Georgia

Thought this title alone might say much about him. (Believe that Crawford was court-martialed during Aug., '64, in Nashville, TN).

Lol, that does say a lot. I will have to check out that book. Thanks.

 

[Stryker65]

The LTC Reed mentioned was Lt. Col. Arthur F. Reed, 40th U. S. C. T.

He was cashiered from the service on June 14, 1865.

 

[East Tennessee Roots]

I am looking for information on a counterfeiting scheme ran by Col. Robert Clay Crawford. He organized the TN1st Battalion of Light Artillery USA.

Apparently he was very good at organizing things as he formed about 8 Batteries and had his counterfeiting activities going on at the same time. I just ran across his name. All I found on the Internet today was a small article on his court martial. He seems like a Harry Flashman type..Except Flashman never got caught. Things were going well for Crawford till a couple of his officers revealed his extra circular activities.

Robert Clay Crawford

The residence was not listed; 35 years old.

He was enlisted on 2/9/1863 as a Captain.

On 2/9/1863 he was commissioned into "B" Co. TN 5th Infantry
He was transferred out on 6/6/1863

On 6/6/1863 he was commissioned into the TN Batty B Light Artillery
He was Mustered Out on 8/1/1865


Promotions:
* Lt Colonel 11/1/1863

 

[TnFed]

Robert Clay Crawford

The residence was not listed; 35 years old.

He was enlisted on 2/9/1863 as a Captain.

On 2/9/1863 he was commissioned into "B" Co. TN 5th Infantry
He was transferred out on 6/6/1863

On 6/6/1863 he was commissioned into the TN Batty B Light Artillery
He was Mustered Out on 8/1/1865


Promotions:
* Lt Colonel 11/1/1863

Copied this off the Internet..

To the Editor of the Morristown Gazette I see that a joint resolution has passed both honses of tho ' Legislature appointing a committee to investigate the new Torbett issue of the State bank of Tennessee and think that a few facts — personally known by me — concerning a part of that money which was put in I circulation might be of some interest to the public I will state them as briefly as possible In 1863 when General Burnsides occupied East Tennessee R Clay Crawford was in command of a battery known as the First Tennessee Battery U S Vol nnteers arriving at Knoxville the said Crawford obtained anthority from Gen Burnsides to 'recruit a regiment of artillery in a short time he left Knoxville for the upper counties of East Tennessee and was gone some two weeks or more when he returned he had a considerable number of horses mules' carriages buggies &c and now and then some of the men who were with him on his trip would have some State bank money On the first day of Novem ber 1863 Col R Clay Crawford with a part of his command left Knoxville and marched to Camp Nelson Ky All along the road some person or persons would occasionally pass a blank Tennessee bill of some denomination from one dollar to five No one was detected as the guilty party CoL R Clay Crawford being personally in command not much was said about the matter We arrived at Camp Nelson about the 12th day of November In a short time Colonel Crawford left and went north to Cincinnati and probably to New York Iu January" 1864 CoL Crawford took his command to Nashville Tenn where it remained with the exception- of a few companies Capt Vincent Meyers Co "C" 1st Tennessee Light Artillery was left at Nash-villeT CoL Crawford's headquarters was at Nashville also Sometime in the spring of 1864 Capt Meyers preferred charges and specifications against CoL R Clay Crawford tor uttering and passing counterfeit money of the Bank of Tennessee Among the several specifications was one that the said Crawford had broken open the branch Bank of Tennessee at Rogersville and had taken therefrom a large amount of unsigned bills of said bank that he the said Crawford had signed or procured the signing of the said billB —counterfeiting tiie names of E G Torbett and F C Dunnington to the same and that he had passed and caused to be passed a large amount of said connterfeit money The said Crawford was arrested and one H C Avery who was a second lieutenant of Company "C" 1st Tennessee Light Artillery Avery was carried before Maj J W Church and CoL C O Loomis chiefs of artillery Major Church for the post of Nashville aud Col C O Loomis for the district of Tennessee — aud made a fall confession of the robbing of the bank at Kogersville and of Crawford's having bad the blank bills filled up and that he with some other members of the company and regiment had acted as Crawford's agent for the passing of said money aDd that the counterfeiting was so perfect that the bankers of Nashville had not detected the same to be counterfeit — that any of the merchants and broheis of Nashville would take the said money at sixty cents to the dollar readily On in -vestigation of the statement made by the said Avery Capt Meyers found about eight thousands dollars in possession of members of Co "C" 1st Tennessee Light Artillery some of whom had bought the same of the agents of CoL R Clay Crawford for forty or fifty cents One had sent the amount bought by him home believing the same would be worth dollar for dollar when the war was over CoL Crawford was put on trial by a court-martial organ ized by Maj Gen George H Thomas with Gen Thomas E Champion late of Knoxville Tennessee President of the same The charges and specifications were fully sustained and Colonel Crawford was dishonorably dis missed from the service of the United States — never to hold office of trust and profit in the United States by General Orders No 150 from Headquarters' Department of the Cumberland tbe proceedings of 'which trial I suppose are on file in the adjutant-general's office 'of the State of Tennessee Captain Miller a brother of the present' Senator from California was the jndge advo- cate who conducted the case for the United States and J A Campbell fpr Crawford before the coart martial Respectfully Joseph Grigsby Late 1st Lieut and Capt Co "C" 1st Tennessee Artillery Vols U S A — Morristown Gazette.

 

[TnFed]

Copied this off the Internet..

To the Editor of the Morristown Gazette I see that a joint resolution has passed both honses of tho ' Legislature appointing a committee to investigate the new Torbett issue of the State bank of Tennessee and think that a few facts — personally known by me — concerning a part of that money which was put in I circulation might be of some interest to the public I will state them as briefly as possible In 1863 when General Burnsides occupied East Tennessee R Clay Crawford was in command of a battery known as the First Tennessee Battery U S Vol nnteers arriving at Knoxville the said Crawford obtained anthority from Gen Burnsides to 'recruit a regiment of artillery in a short time he left Knoxville for the upper counties of East Tennessee and was gone some two weeks or more when he returned he had a considerable number of horses mules' carriages buggies &c and now and then some of the men who were with him on his trip would have some State bank money On the first day of Novem ber 1863 Col R Clay Crawford with a part of his command left Knoxville and marched to Camp Nelson Ky All along the road some person or persons would occasionally pass a blank Tennessee bill of some denomination from one dollar to five No one was detected as the guilty party CoL R Clay Crawford being personally in command not much was said about the matter We arrived at Camp Nelson about the 12th day of November In a short time Colonel Crawford left and went north to Cincinnati and probably to New York Iu January" 1864 CoL Crawford took his command to Nashville Tenn where it remained with the exception- of a few companies Capt Vincent Meyers Co "C" 1st Tennessee Light Artillery was left at Nash-villeT CoL Crawford's headquarters was at Nashville also Sometime in the spring of 1864 Capt Meyers preferred charges and specifications against CoL R Clay Crawford tor uttering and passing counterfeit money of the Bank of Tennessee Among the several specifications was one that the said Crawford had broken open the branch Bank of Tennessee at Rogersville and had taken therefrom a large amount of unsigned bills of said bank that he the said Crawford had signed or procured the signing of the said billB —counterfeiting tiie names of E G Torbett and F C Dunnington to the same and that he had passed and caused to be passed a large amount of said connterfeit money The said Crawford was arrested and one H C Avery who was a second lieutenant of Company "C" 1st Tennessee Light Artillery Avery was carried before Maj J W Church and CoL C O Loomis chiefs of artillery Major Church for the post of Nashville aud Col C O Loomis for the district of Tennessee — aud made a fall confession of the robbing of the bank at Kogersville and of Crawford's having bad the blank bills filled up and that he with some other members of the company and regiment had acted as Crawford's agent for the passing of said money aDd that the counterfeiting was so perfect that the bankers of Nashville had not detected the same to be counterfeit — that any of the merchants and broheis of Nashville would take the said money at sixty cents to the dollar readily On in -vestigation of the statement made by the said Avery Capt Meyers found about eight thousands dollars in possession of members of Co "C" 1st Tennessee Light Artillery some of whom had bought the same of the agents of CoL R Clay Crawford for forty or fifty cents One had sent the amount bought by him home believing the same would be worth dollar for dollar when the war was over CoL Crawford was put on trial by a court-martial organ ized by Maj Gen George H Thomas with Gen Thomas E Champion late of Knoxville Tennessee President of the same The charges and specifications were fully sustained and Colonel Crawford was dishonorably dis missed from the service of the United States — never to hold office of trust and profit in the United States by General Orders No 150 from Headquarters' Department of the Cumberland tbe proceedings of 'which trial I suppose are on file in the adjutant-general's office 'of the State of Tennessee Captain Miller a brother of the present' Senator from California was the jndge advo- cate who conducted the case for the United States and J A Campbell fpr Crawford before the coart martial Respectfully Joseph Grigsby Late 1st Lieut and Capt Co "C" 1st Tennessee Artillery Vols U S A — Morristown Gazette.

I also found an article where a Robert Cay Crawford led a filibustering raid on Bagdad Mexico. In January 1866. Had about 125 Americans with him. 40 men from the 118 US Colored Infantry. It would seem to be the same man. I could not access the rest of the article. Busy guy.

 

[Nathan Stuart]

The activities and rogue behavior of Union Col. Robert Clay Crawford reminds me of reading about a similar character (I thought), Confederate Major Lamar Fontaine. Thought Fontaine was a boaster of questionable extraordinary exploits and a teller of tall tales (e.g. he claimed to have been wounded 67 times in the CW and to be the best shot in either army with lots of supporting anecdotes provided). His own penned narrative is shown at the link below:-

My life and lectures : Fontaine, Lamar, 1829- [from old catalog] : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive

2 p.l., 3-361 p. 23 cm

archive.org

Found it difficult to distinguish fact from fiction, with his many stories and claims. But don't think he ever stooped to the lowness of nefariousness, as Crawford apparently did.