The Shelton Laurel Massacre

Zella, I assume your Candlers had the stand on the Buncombe Turnpike?
Possibly? My great-great grandmother was Charles's granddaughter. Her father (Charles's son) was, quite frankly, an unhinged lunatic, and I am not sure how much interaction she and her siblings had with the rest of the Candler family after he abandoned them and moved to Idaho. (He came back right before he died, and I have older relatives who still complain about how awful a person he was.) My grandfather spoke quite fondly of her, but because of that unfortunate family situation, I don't know that he was ever around any of the rest of her family, except for her brother. So yeah if any of them had a stand, I wouldn't know.
 
My ancestor Captain Charles Candler stayed with the 64th until nearly the bitter end. There is some confusion on his CSR in that he was listed as a deserter, but it seems like there was just confusion about his status, but he was finally captured in early 1865--his 2nd time as a POW.

He was paroled on the condition he stay north of the Ohio river for the remainder of the war, but there is a somewhat bitter note in his CSR that he was last seen en route to Knoxville. LOL

I don't know that he made it back to the unit before the end of the war or if he intended to. Charles seems to be one of the staunchest Confederates in my Madison Co. family tree--he enlisted early and as an infantry officer rather than a medical officer, though he was a doctor, and one of his little brothers accused Charles of forcing him to enlist in the 64th against his will--but I wonder if he realized the end was nigh and just wanted to go home by that point. He'd been in the army for nearly 4 years.
An unfortunate day for the 64 and 62 when they fell under John Frazer's Command. I have read that one of the 62nd Captains physical attacked Frazer and had to be pulled off by Union officers when he surrendered the Cumberland Gap without a single casuality.
 
It was a bad situation. Frazer was left hanging out to dry by Bragg and Buckner when Knoxville was abandoned. But, he could and should have retreated into SW Virginia and regrouped around Bristol. Forty years after the war, many of the confederates were still boiling mad over his cowardly surrender. And, it didn't help that Frazer's excuse was that his officers were all incompetent.
 
And, it didn't help that Frazer's excuse was that his officers were all incompetent.

Poor guy had to be buried in New York!


The 64th Virginia (SW. Virginia) was also surrendered. One of my wife's 2nd great-grandfather's was one of a handful that managed to escape. Many of the ones that remained died at Camp Douglass.

 
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Poor guy had to be buried in New York!


The 64th Virginia (SW. Virginia) was also surrendered. One of my wife's 2nd great-grandfather's was one of a handful that managed to escape. Many of the ones that remained died at Camp Douglass.

Glenn, it is hard to imagine he would surrender a well fortified place so easy. It seems like a competent non com could have held it. Burnside just faked him out.
 
I came across a brief report that mirrors the one common dialogue running in this thread, and wondered if any had heard about this affair.

"The scouts sent by me into Georgia five weeks since returned this morning. They report that in Clinch County deserters and others are banded to resist being placed in the rebel army. Daily conflicts take place between them and the militia. A Captain of militia was lately killed in one of these fights." [J. Hatch to W. Burger, Jacksonville, Sept. 19, 1864]

[Series 1 Volume 35, Part II, Page 297].
Lubliner.
 
Aware of Union sentiment in northern Georgia. I believe Clinch County is in the southeastern part of the State.
It seems there were swaths of Unionist supporters spread all through the south. Cohutta Wilderness was a hide out for confederates to raid into Polk County, Mississippi had a Unionist proclivity near Selma (Adam's County?), Alabama too. The problem of protection for these groups seems a large part of the problem. The northern troops didn't always treat them properly, such as at Bridgeport and numerous places. They were caught in the middle and then left to hold their own. I could hardly be persuaded to pick a side if alive at the time. The only reason enforced conscription wasn't coercion was because Congress made it legal, and placed all under duress to serve.
Lubliner.
 
Three pages from Civil War Questionnaire of Smith Ferguson Paine, 64th NC:
scan0001.jpg
 
My ancestor Captain Charles Candler stayed with the 64th until nearly the bitter end. There is some confusion on his CSR in that he was listed as a deserter, but it seems like there was just confusion about his status, but he was finally captured in early 1865--his 2nd time as a POW.

He was paroled on the condition he stay north of the Ohio river for the remainder of the war, but there is a somewhat bitter note in his CSR that he was last seen en route to Knoxville. LOL

I don't know that he made it back to the unit before the end of the war or if he intended to. Charles seems to be one of the staunchest Confederates in my Madison Co. family tree--he enlisted early and as an infantry officer rather than a medical officer, though he was a doctor, and one of his little brothers accused Charles of forcing him to enlist in the 64th against his will--but I wonder if he realized the end was nigh and just wanted to go home by that point. He'd been in the army for nearly 4 years.
Zella, check out answer to question #39 in Paine's document above. I believe he's speaking of C. N. Candler.
 
Zella, check out answer to question #39 in Paine's document above. I believe he's speaking of C. N. Candler.
Oh thank you so much for bringing that to my attention--I really appreciate it! I agree it is likely CN Candler. None of his other brothers were an officer, and I am pretty sure he was still a lieutenant at that time. I'd have to double-check, but I think at least one of his siblings was captured at the Cumberland Gap.
 
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