Wild West of South Georgia

jekct1212

Corporal
Joined
Dec 31, 2015
Location
Thomasville Georgia
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I decided to put this in because of another thread I got started, plus its a pretty interesting story. In 1865 in Coffee County Georgia there was a war. The war was between a group of Confederate deserters and some legally discharged soldiers and the local Home Guard, the "Coffee County Revengers" (There was a cavalry unit in the army of the same name but not these guys I believe). These Home Guard had gone a little power crazy, think Cold Mountain, Free State of Jones. The Deserters actually became the hero in this convoluted feud when they took over the role of the local vigilantes. What develops is a series of skirmishes, lynchings, shootings and assassinations that turn Coffee County into a war zone. I will continue to post any other info on this thread such as photos and eyewitness accounts if there is interest!
 
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I decided to put this in because of another thread I got started, plus its a pretty interesting story. In 1865 in Coffee County Georgia there was a war. The war was between a group of Confederate deserters and some legally discharged soldiers and the local Home Guard, the "Coffee County Revengers" (There was a cavalry unit in the army of the same name but not these guys I believe). These Home Guard had gone a little power crazy, think Cold Mountain, Free State of Jones. The Deserters actually became the hero in this convoluted feud when they took over the role of the local vigilantes. What develops is a series of skirmishes, lynchings, shootings and assassinations that turn Coffee County into a war zone. I will continue to post any other info on this thread such as photos and eyewitness accounts if there is interest!
Do you mean that there were real little civil wars within the Confedercey ,not just along the border states? The question I have as we realize that the North wrote most the history from thier unbiased view.,was there any little wars within the North,like IL. and states that had connections with the South?
 
Do you mean that there were real little civil wars within the Confedercey ,not just along the border states? The question I have as we realize that the North wrote most the history from thier unbiased view.,was there any little wars within the North,like IL. and states that had connections with the South?
Well I find this one interesting in that it went on very close to where I live
 
Do you mean that there were real little civil wars within the Confedercey ,not just along the border states? The question I have as we realize that the North wrote most the history from thier unbiased view.,was there any little wars within the North,like IL. and states that had connections with the South?
If there were then by all means post them. I have read a few accounts of counterinsurgency in non Union border states. That indeed would be a great subject for a new and separate thread. Maybe my good friend @CSA Today could collaborate on that.
Leftyhunter
 
I decided to put this in because of another thread I got started, plus its a pretty interesting story. In 1865 in Coffee County Georgia there was a war. The war was between a group of Confederate deserters and some legally discharged soldiers and the local Home Guard, the "Coffee County Revengers" (There was a cavalry unit in the army of the same name but not these guys I believe). These Home Guard had gone a little power crazy, think Cold Mountain, Free State of Jones. The Deserters actually became the hero in this convoluted feud when they took over the role of the local vigilantes. What develops is a series of skirmishes, lynchings, shootings and assassinations that turn Coffee County into a war zone. I will continue to post any other info on this thread such as photos and eyewitness accounts if there is interest!
The website esesential civil war curriculum has an article from David Willams that mentions Unionist guerrillas in Georgia. Williams book "Bitterly divided the Souths inner civil war" does as well. Georgia did not have as much armed resistance to the Confederacy as say Tennessee or Alabama but it certainly had more then South Carolina.
Leftyhunter
 
The website esesential civil war curriculum has an article from David Willams that mentions Unionist guerrillas in Georgia. Williams book "Bitterly divided the Souths inner civil war" does as well. Georgia did not have as much armed resistance to the Confederacy as say Tennessee or Alabama but it certainly had more then South Carolina.
Leftyhunter

What I find interesting about this particular event is there is no record of the confederate deserters acting as unionists. They just did this because they found the home guard to be the real bad guys. There is also some pretty interesting guys in this story. I'm putting it all onto one document to put on here instead of piecemeal. Stay tuned!
 
If there were then by all means post them. I have read a few accounts of counterinsurgency in non Union border states. That indeed would be a great subject for a new and separate thread. Maybe my good friend @CSA Today could collaborate on that.
Leftyhunter

It would depend on with whom I am expected to collaborate? It does matter. :unsure:
 
Do you consider Illinois a boarder state.I have read that it was like North Vs South .You may want to start there.Indiana would also be interesting to hear from.

I consider them mid-western states that sided with the US. There was Copperhead activity in those states so, therefore, some Confederate sympathy. There was at least one Tennessee regiment that had a company of men from western Illinois and there may have been others, but I don't consider those states as major contributors to the CS.
 
You will find anti-war activities in the northeast as well. Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont, Massachusetts and New Hampshire all had instances of armed resistance. These were mostly rooted in opposition to the draft as opposed to pro-Southern sentiments.

A good example was the “Second Boston Massacre” in Massachusetts.
 
You will find anti-war activities in the northeast as well. Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont, Massachusetts and New Hampshire all had instances of armed resistance. These were mostly rooted in opposition to the draft as opposed to pro-Southern sentiments.
It would be intresting to post sources on armed Northern opposition to the Civil War vs the same in Confederate states to measure which side had the most per capita.
Leftyhunter
 
I decided to put this in because of another thread I got started, plus its a pretty interesting story. In 1865 in Coffee County Georgia there was a war. The war was between a group of Confederate deserters and some legally discharged soldiers and the local Home Guard, the "Coffee County Revengers" (There was a cavalry unit in the army of the same name but not these guys I believe). These Home Guard had gone a little power crazy, think Cold Mountain, Free State of Jones. The Deserters actually became the hero in this convoluted feud when they took over the role of the local vigilantes. What develops is a series of skirmishes, lynchings, shootings and assassinations that turn Coffee County into a war zone. I will continue to post any other info on this thread such as photos and eyewitness accounts if there is interest!
There was also open combat by 1863 in Lumpkin County Georgia between Unionists and Confederates starting on p.35 of "Guerrillas, Unionists and Violence on the Confederate Home Front" edited by Daniel Sutherland The University of Arkansas Press.
Leftyhunter
 
I decided to put this in because of another thread I got started, plus its a pretty interesting story. In 1865 in Coffee County Georgia there was a war. The war was between a group of Confederate deserters and some legally discharged soldiers and the local Home Guard, the "Coffee County Revengers" (There was a cavalry unit in the army of the same name but not these guys I believe). These Home Guard had gone a little power crazy, think Cold Mountain, Free State of Jones. The Deserters actually became the hero in this convoluted feud when they took over the role of the local vigilantes. What develops is a series of skirmishes, lynchings, shootings and assassinations that turn Coffee County into a war zone. I will continue to post any other info on this thread such as photos and eyewitness accounts if there is interest!
I am new to this site and am learning to navigate. Did you post more information on this topic with the photos and eye witness accounts? I am from Coffee County and am very interested. I actually found this site by finding this post on a Google search. Thank you.
 
I would like more information on this story, please. I am from Coffee County, live here still and I have never heard of this before so would be interested in finding out more.
I'm not even from Georgia and would love to hear more about this.

My own research on my ancestors has revealed that they were victimized by a home guard unit that was supposed to be protecting the area, so in that respect, this subject is of particular interest to me as well.:smile coffee:
 
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