Union vs CSA Guerrilla

[leftyhunter]

Orders. FIRST BRIGADE, NORTH CAROLINA Home GUARDS,
Mars Hill College, Madison County, N. C., April 12, 1864.
Governor Z. B. VANCE:
A dispatch reached me last night that a band of tories, said to be
headed by Montreval Ray, numbering about seventy-five men came
into Burnsville, Yancey County, on Sunday night last, the 10th instant,
surprised the guard, broke open the magazine, and took all the arms
and ammunition; broke open Bradlys store and carried off the con-
tents; attacked Captain Lyons, the local enrolling officer, in his room,
shot him in the arm slightly, but accidentally he made his escape.
They carried off all the guns they could carry; the balance they broke.
They took, I suppose, about 100 State guns. No one else wounded.
They also took off the bacon brought in by my commissary about 500
pounds. On the day before about fifty women assembled together, of
said county, and marched in a body to a store-house near David Prof-
fitts and pressed about sixty bushels of Government wheat and carried
it off. I very much regret the loss of the arms. On Monday previous
to the robbery I wrote to one of the captains in that county and to the
ordnance officer to either remove the guns and ammunition or see that a
sufficient guard was placed there to protect them. It seems that neither
was done. I also urged on the citizens to lay to a helping hand in this
hour of danger, but all done no good. The county is gone up. It has
got to be impossible to get any man out there unless he is dragged out,
with but very few exceptions. There was but a small guard there, and
the citizens all ran on the first approach of the tories. I have 100 men
at this place to guard against Kirk, of Laurel, and cannot reduce the
force, and to call out any more home guards at this time is only certain
destruction to the country eventually. In fact, it seems to me that
there is a determination of the people in the country generally to do no
more service in the cause.
Swarms of men liable to conscription are gone to the tories or to the
Yankeessome men that you would have no idea of while many
others are fleeing east of the Blue Ridge for refuge. John S. McElroy
and all the cavalry, J. W. Anderson and many others, are gone to Burke
for refuge. This discourages those who are left behind, and on the
back of that conscription [is] now going on, and a very tyrannical course
pursued by the officers charged with the business, and men conscribe

Page 327

Cw& r. LXV.] CORRESPONDENCE, ETC.CONFEDERATE. 327


and cleaned out as raked with a fine-toothed comb, and if any are left
if they are called upon to do a little home-guard service, they at once
apply for a writ of habeas corpus and get off. Some three or four cases
[have] been tried by Judge Read the last two weeks and the men
released. What are we to do? There are no Confederate troops
scarcely in the western district of North Carolina. Longstreet is said
to have reft Tennessee. This emboldens the tories, and they are now
largely recruited by conscript renegades and very soon it is possible our
country may be full of Yankees. Give me your advice and orders. I
have been doing as I thought the best I could under all circumstances.
How far you may consider me culpable for the loss of the Yancey guns,
& c., I cannot say. I am sorry I did not act more promptly in their
removal, but I thought when the citizens were warned of their danger,
as I had warne(l them and told them it was impossible for me to send
them any force, that they would at once rally to their own defense and
use the guns against their foes, but alas, I was sadly mistaken; if I had
not believed that I would have brought the arms and ammunition to
these headquarters. If something is not done immediately for this
country we will all be ruined, for the home guards now will not do to
depend on. I have written you several times on subjects of importance
to me, and received no answer. I know your time is valuable to you
and that you are pressed to death with business, but some instructions
from you would be of great benefit to me and some encouragement to
our citizens. Do let me hear from you at once.
Very respectfully, your obedient servant,
J. W. McELROY,

Outstanding research!
Leftyhunter

 

[leftyhunter]

You're correct. I misspoke. It should have read Kieth not Kirk in my first post.

I have committed far greater crimes then that. I hope you and other posters can continue to contribute to this thread. Of course to be fair and balanced it can be about irregulars from both sides. I want to concentrate on Unionist guerrillas but of course that is only half the story.
Leftyhunter

 

[M.Warren]

I have committed far greater crimes then that. I hope you and other posters can continue to contribute to this thread. Of course to be fair and balanced it can be about irregulars from both sides. I want to concentrate on Unionist guerrillas but of course that is only half the story.
Leftyhunter

I've posted about multiple Confederate deserters too. Trying to keep it factual and fair. Otherwise its a waste of time. I've read so much and so many names that Kirk came from my keyboard even though my brain was thinking Keith. My fingers tend to outrun my brain at times. I'm used to that, lol.

 

[CSA Today]

Robert Sandow devote a whole chapter to the "Fall of Fort Hamby."

My senior moment, it was William R. Trotter that included a chapter "The Fall of Fort Hamby" in his Bushwhackers: The Civil War in Western North Carolina, The Mountains not Robert M. Sandow who wrote about Pennsylvania in his Deserter Country, Civil War Opposition in the Pennsylvania Appalachians.

 

[M.Warren]

@leftyhunter . I ran across some interesting information on William (Keith) Blalock that made me rethink my previous notions of him. After the war he was brought up on 20 charges ranging from forced trespassing to murder. The most interesting part of this was his representation. The person who defended him was Lt. Col. George Folk commanding officer of the 7th battalion NC Cav. 6th NC Cav. 65th NC troops (CSA), and the regiment in which both my wifes and my GG Grandfathers served from 61-65. Folk argued that the actions of Blalock, who it turns out was a Union recruiting officer were acts of war, committed during hostilities and Blalock wasn't prosecuted for the "crimes" but was responsible for the court costs. Its obvious that no matter where we get our information there is always another side of the story to be found elsewhere. Many of the views of people at the time vary widely and history depends on who's point of view was recorded. One more interesting note to add is that George Folk was also charged with murder after the war of a man named James. I can't find any information at this time of his trial if there even was one. I've read of a man named "Big Jim" that was part of Folks unit that was said to have been shot for desertion during the East Tn. Campaign and don't know if the charges were from that or if they were from an incident involving a group of Unionists that were broke up by the regiment in Fish Springs Tn., what is now Butler Tn. where a number of men were shot and hanged by order of Lt. Col. Folk. I also happened across information in the history of the 13th reg. Tn. Cav.(Union) of Folks reg. and there kindness to local Unionists during this time. One account is of the unit escorting local Unionists to the federal lines in KY where they would be safe from the noted evil actions of the Johnson County Tn. home guard (CSA), instead of conscripting or killing them due to many of the men in the reg. knowing these noncombatants and vouching that they were peaceful men and that they wanted no part of forcing service on men who wanted no part of the war. Very interesting to say the least. I'll be continuing my research on the subject and adding information as I find it.

 

[leftyhunter]

@leftyhunter . I ran across some interesting information on William (Keith) Blalock that made me rethink my previous notions of him. After the war he was brought up on 20 charges ranging from forced trespassing to murder. The most interesting part of this was his representation. The person who defended him was Lt. Col. George Folk commanding officer of the 7th battalion NC Cav. 6th NC Cav. 65th NC troops (CSA), and the regiment in which both my wifes and my GG Grandfathers served from 61-65. Folk argued that the actions of Blalock, who it turns out was a Union recruiting officer were acts of war, committed during hostilities and Blalock wasn't prosecuted for the "crimes" but was responsible for the court costs. Its obvious that no matter where we get our information there is always another side of the story to be found elsewhere. Many of the views of people at the time vary widely and history depends on who's point of view was recorded. One more interesting note to add is that George Folk was also charged with murder after the war of a man named James. I can't find any information at this time of his trial if there even was one. I've read of a man named "Big Jim" that was part of Folks unit that was said to have been shot for desertion during the East Tn. Campaign and don't know if the charges were from that or if they were from an incident involving a group of Unionists that were broke up by the regiment in Fish Springs Tn., what is now Butler Tn. where a number of men were shot and hanged by order of Lt. Col. Folk. I also happened across information in the history of the 13th reg. Tn. Cav.(Union) of Folks reg. and there kindness to local Unionists during this time. One account is of the unit escorting local Unionists to the federal lines in KY where they would be safe from the noted evil actions of the Johnson County Tn. home guard (CSA), instead of conscripting or killing them due to many of the men in the reg. knowing these noncombatants and vouching that they were peaceful men and that they wanted no part of forcing service on men who wanted no part of the war. Very interesting to say the least. I'll be continuing my research on the subject and adding information as I find it.

They say truth is stranger then fiction but there it is. I would have never thought the above would happen. Then again it reminds me when john Adams among a few others defended the British troops who took part in the so called "Boston Massacre" . History like politics does make for some strange bedfellows. great work once again. I hope others can also come up with interesting information. I look forward to more of your posts.
Leftyhunter

 

[leftyhunter]

Hi Major Bill,
Has discussed before their was no central agency to coordinate partisan or guerrilla war against the CSA. None the less some union military officers did understand the importance of what is now know as special operations. Has you know the admiral of the Southern Atlantic Blockading squadron very much 'got it" and has shown above Gen.Schofield understood it when he gave a commission to 24 year old George Kirk to recruit CSA deserters into the 2nd and 3rd Nc Mounted Inf US. In the book "Loyalty and Loss Alabama's Unionists the Civil War and Reconstruction professor Margret Storey Louisiana State University Press p.161-162 General Mallory organized home guards to fight CSA guerrillas. Brig Gen Dodge used his army scouts and members of the 1st Al Cavalry US to lead independent partisan units. "they hold the mountain district(south of Decatur) in spite of all efforts of the rebels to catch them". These units foiled attempts of CSA cavalry to cross the Tennessee River. In the summer of 1864 the 102nd Oh was approached by Unionists who helped them exterminate CSA guerrillas. On p. 163 -164 Unionist guerrillas assisted Union gunboats in locating and attacking CSA guerrillas.
Leftyhunter

 

[leftyhunter]

From p.166 to 168 of Loyalty and Loss. In April 1864 5 CSA soldiers where tied to trees and shot in the head behind CSA lines In Fayette County Al. A group of Unionist guerrillas from Walker and Winston County successfully liberated fellow Unionists and burned down the jail in Jasper,Al. P.168 some Unionist guerrillas where armed from the Union Army. Unionist guerrillas did not always join the Union Army preferring to fight close to home. Some of course did join the Union Army . Revenge of course was a huge motivator on both sides .
Leftyhunter

 

[matthew mckeon]

Wasn't there a Disney movie with Richard Anderson based on the Fort Hamby incident?

A recent book, about two northern war correspondents captured by the CSA, described that after their escape from Salisbury, a network of both black and white who assisted them to get to the Union Army. Interesting account of guerilla bands and homeguard forces.

 

[leftyhunter]

Wasn't there a Disney movie with Richard Anderson based on the Fort Hamby incident?

A recent book, about two northern war correspondents captured by the CSA, described that after their escape from Salisbury, a network of both black and white who assisted them to get to the Union Army. Interesting account of guerilla bands and homeguard forces.

That book would be "Junius and Albert's Adventures in the Confederacy a Civil war Odyssey by Peter Carlson publicaffairs.com which I quoted above earlier.
Leftyhunter

 

[southern blue]

There was a vast amount of spillover from East Tn. Georgia, and AL, into Western NC by fall of 64. I have good references from personal accounts of the time. I'm looking for the information for you now.

My ggrandfather lived in Cherokee NC and his farm was raided by both sides. He was reimbursed by the Federal Govt for the things taken by the Union troops.

There are stories about bushwhackers here in the Shenandoah Valley and apparently one of the 'gangs' was led by President Lincoln's cousin. I'm having a hard time finding out much about him but he was mentioned in Heatwole's book 'The Burning'.

 

[leftyhunter]

My ggrandfather lived in Cherokee NC and his farm was raided by both sides. He was reimbursed by the Federal Govt for the things taken by the Union troops.

There are stories about bushwhackers here in the Shenandoah Valley and apparently one of the 'gangs' was led by President Lincoln's cousin. I'm having a hard time finding out much about him but he was mentioned in Heatwole's book 'The Burning'.

I ran across a source that stated many of Lincolns relatives fought for the Confederacy. I did not write it down. Perhaps another poster can cite it.
Leftyhunter

 

[leftyhunter]

My ggrandfather lived in Cherokee NC and his farm was raided by both sides. He was reimbursed by the Federal Govt for the things taken by the Union troops.

There are stories about bushwhackers here in the Shenandoah Valley and apparently one of the 'gangs' was led by President Lincoln's cousin. I'm having a hard time finding out much about him but he was mentioned in Heatwole's book 'The Burning'.

Per civilwarsaga.com Private Abraham Lincoln served in the 1st Va cavalry CSA until he deserted in 1864. Private Lincoln was a second cousin to the president. Ky had irregulars on both sides so it possible that a few of Lincolns relatives may of fought or led various band of CSA irregulars.
Leftyhunter

 

[southern blue]

Per civilwarsaga.com Private Abraham Lincoln served in the 1st Va cavalry CSA until he deserted in 1864. Private Lincoln was a second cousin to the president. Ky had irregulars on both sides so it possible that a few of Lincolns relatives may of fought or led various band of CSA irregulars.
Leftyhunter

The 'bushwhacker' cousin I was referring to lived here in VA. He was probably a closer relative to the above Private Lincoln. Sorry if that wasn't clear.

 

[leftyhunter]

The 'bushwhacker' cousin I was referring to lived here in VA. He was probably a closer relative to the above Private Lincoln. Sorry if that wasn't clear.

No problem. Has other threads here have attested to the CW really did have examples of brothers vs brothers.
Leftyhunter

 

[M.Warren]

Even though I've lived here my whole life, there was one instance of brutality I'd missed. @leftyhunter . I was talking to my Grandmother in Johnson Station,(Johnson City now) and she mentioned a place called "Bells Massacre". I did a few searches and couldn't find anything so I called my other Grandmother and she said check, Limestone Cove, @east tennessee roots might be able to fill you in on the details. I did and it was pretty rough. I'm not even going to post details here. Yeah, that bad. Lt. Col. Witcher was one dark soul for sure. If you want to justify your point or just get irritated check it out. I found a detailed account in the history of the 13th TN. Cav. Union. That might be your best bet.

 

[leftyhunter]

Even though I've lived here my whole life, there was one instance of brutality I'd missed. @leftyhunter . I was talking to my Grandmother in Johnson Station,(Johnson City now) and she mentioned a place called "Bells Massacre". I did a few searches and couldn't find anything so I called my other Grandmother and she said check, Limestone Cove, @east tennessee roots might be able to fill you in on the details. I did and it was pretty rough. I'm not even going to post details here. Yeah, that bad. Lt. Col. Witcher was one dark soul for sure. If you want to justify your point or just get irritated check it out. I found a detailed account in the history of the 13th TN. Cav. Union. That might be your best bet.

I did little research and it was about 8 Unionists captured and killed in Tn attempting to cross over into Ky to join the Union Army. I could see that leading to future payback.
Leftyhunter

 

[M.Warren]

HISTORY OF THE I3TH REGIMENT Page 338
THE MASSACRE AT LIMESTONE COVE.
This occurred at an earlier date than other tragedies already mentioned,
November, 1863, but we have written this chapter as the events were brought
to our minds without regard to their sequence.
One Col. Witcher, of Virginia, had just arrived in Carter county to try his
hand in subduing the "Lincoln-ites" and "Thugs," and he proved a fitting
successor to the bloody-handed tyrants who had come and gone, and
predecessor of those that were to come. Between them all it was a question
of ability to devise the most shocking methods of murder and rapine. In the
case of Witcher it would appear that behind him must have been an unseen
Beelzebub in spirit-form directing and aiding him in his atrocious work, as
well as men in the flesh so lost to justice and human sympathy as to go
with him and point out their neighbors as his victims. We suppress their
names for humanity's sake.
While in the army the murders and house-burnings perpetrated by this man
reached our ears and filled our men with unspeakable rage. In a charge near
Mount Airy, Va., some rebel prisoners were captured, and being

Page 339
asked to what command they belonged they said they were Col. Witcher's men.
A half dozen men grasped their carbine's to shoot them, but officers
interfered. We are informed that there were two Confederate officers named
Witcher who held the rank of Colonel in the C. S. A., one, Vincent A.
Witcher, Sr., of Pittsyvania county, Va., the other one's name was also V.
A. Witcher, Jr., a nephew of the former. It is said to have been the latter
who operated in these counties.
James and David Bell were well-to-do and well-known citizens of Carter
County. The latter was a reputable physician, and was a man of family, and
his brother James was a bachelor past the conscript age. Their home, like
that of every loyal man in Carter county, was a place of refuge for Union
people and they fed and cared for them with unstainted hands.
The morning of the tragedy a company of refugees, about 50 in number,
making their way from North Carolina to the Federal army had arrived at the
Bell home and expected to secure the services of Dan. Ellis to pilot them
through the lines. They had traveled all night and stopped in the yard
waiting to get something to eat which the family was preparing for them,
and to take a rest before proceeding on their journey. It was probably not
known there that Witcher, with his regiment, had come into Carter county,
and they did not expect to fall in with a large force of rebels, Witcher,
piloted by rebel citizens, came on to them unexpectedly and as was always
the case, being unprepared to fight, they tried to save themselves by
flight. The soldiers pursued them on horseback and shot them down without
mercy. Eight or ten men were killed, and one or two wounded. The following
are the names of the killed and wounded as far as we have learned them:
Calvin Cantrel, John Sparks, Wiley Royal, Elijah Gentry, Jacob Lyons and B.
Blackburn. Preston Pruitt was seriously wounded, as was a man named Madison
who was cared for by the family of a Union man named Thomas Green, who
lived close by, until he recovered from his wound.

340
They shot and killed James Bell, and it is said that after wounding him his
head was laid on a stone and his brains beaten out until they bespattered
the ground all about his body. One other man, named William Sparks, was
sick and had gone into the house and lain down and was in there while the
shooting was going on. After killing James Bell, Witcher ordered the house,
a large brick residence, to be set on fire which was done. Sparks made his
escape through the smoke and was concealed and finally saved through the
efforts of Miss Elizabeth Morrison, who lived in the neighborhood, and was
at Bell's house through all that scene of horror; she did many brave and
helpful deeds that morning.
The story of the inhumanity and cruelty practiced upon this family and
these men should bring a blush of shame to a Comanche Indian if one-half is
true that ha's been told.
On this same raid Witcher and his men killed two other Union men, namely,
Commodore Sloan, fifty-six years of age, and William Bird, the latter at
the house of William McKinney, and the former in his own yard and in the
presence of his family. It is said he boasted that in the brief space of
twenty-four hours he had rid the world of twenty-one Lincolnites. He was
soon called to other fields of usefulness and it was perhaps well for him
for Dan. Ellis and his lieutenants had his case under consideration, and
had he remained it would have been a wonder if he had escaped the fate of
Young and Parker.
We have omitted some details of cruelties in the foregoing account, it
being bad enough in the mildest form we are able to relate it.

 

[M.Warren]

I have an entire book on Dan Ellis and only live a few minutes from his original home. He was a very interesting character that started out as a quiet nobody and ended up being one of the most remembered people from the area of that time period. He's great to read about if you get some time @leftyhunter

 

[Allie]

@leftyhunter . I ran across some interesting information on William (Keith) Blalock that made me rethink my previous notions of him. After the war he was brought up on 20 charges ranging from forced trespassing to murder. The most interesting part of this was his representation. The person who defended him was Lt. Col. George Folk commanding officer of the 7th battalion NC Cav. 6th NC Cav. 65th NC troops (CSA), and the regiment in which both my wifes and my GG Grandfathers served from 61-65. Folk argued that the actions of Blalock, who it turns out was a Union recruiting officer were acts of war, committed during hostilities and Blalock wasn't prosecuted for the "crimes" but was responsible for the court costs. Its obvious that no matter where we get our information there is always another side of the story to be found elsewhere. Many of the views of people at the time vary widely and history depends on who's point of view was recorded. One more interesting note to add is that George Folk was also charged with murder after the war of a man named James. I can't find any information at this time of his trial if there even was one. I've read of a man named "Big Jim" that was part of Folks unit that was said to have been shot for desertion during the East Tn. Campaign and don't know if the charges were from that or if they were from an incident involving a group of Unionists that were broke up by the regiment in Fish Springs Tn., what is now Butler Tn. where a number of men were shot and hanged by order of Lt. Col. Folk. I also happened across information in the history of the 13th reg. Tn. Cav.(Union) of Folks reg. and there kindness to local Unionists during this time. One account is of the unit escorting local Unionists to the federal lines in KY where they would be safe from the noted evil actions of the Johnson County Tn. home guard (CSA), instead of conscripting or killing them due to many of the men in the reg. knowing these noncombatants and vouching that they were peaceful men and that they wanted no part of forcing service on men who wanted no part of the war. Very interesting to say the least. I'll be continuing my research on the subject and adding information as I find it.

When you say 13th do you mean Bradford's which later became the 14th? I'm researching them at the moment, interested in what you find out.