madisonman
Private
- Joined
- Mar 3, 2019
- Location
- Western North Carolina
"One of those formed in March 62 and Keith was elected Captain. It would become Co. A of the 64th in July."One of the newspapers you posted mentioned that 2 "regiments" of militia and a company of Woodfins cavalry were sent into the area during the Jan/Feb. time frame.
Speaking of "Keith's Detail"...
Hardy discusses David Fry and the raids the unionists made for several months in 61 and 62 escalating to the point that several independent "Ranger Companies" were formed in the mtn counties for protection of the local citizens. One of those formed in March 62 and Keith was elected Captain. It would become Co. A of the 64th in July. Some claim that Keith felt slighted and was 'upset' when Allen took command of the new regiment. Thus there was always some friction between the two.
I've always had the sense that Allen was an opportunistic glory hound who wanted to reap the reward without bearing the responsibility. The more I study, the more I believe he was directly involved in the killing of the prisoners. There's no doubt in my mind that he was more than happy to let Keith hold the bag for what happened.
I believe this statement is incorrect. The earliest record I've found for James Keith in any unit was May 10, 1862, when he enlisted in the 64th NC. "Keith's Detail" did not exist until sometime after January 1863.
Col. Allen is a complicated subject. There was a 28 page booklet titled Partisan Campaigns of Col. Lawrence M. Allen, published in 1894 and again in 1901. It was supposedly written by one A. P. Gaston, who claimed to have been Allen's Adjutant during the massacre time period. Allen's Adjutant at that time was actually Lucius Smith, a relative of Governor Vance. There was no A. P. Gaston in the 64th, according to records, but there was a Josiah P. Gaston, and he was Adjutant, but later. My theory is that Lawrence Allen was actually the author of the booklet.