Thursday, January 16, 2014

1/16/2014 Tennessee Civil War Notes

        16, Notice concerning enforcement of Confederate Conscription in East Tennessee

Notice to all Subject to Conscription

Office Commandant of Conscription

Knoxville, Jan. 16th, 1863

I am authorized by the commanding General to say that as soon as all the conscripts in the different counties have been called to the rendezvous, the railroad, provost and other guards, commanding officers of posts and detachments, will receive orders to arrest all male white citizens of conscript age, who cannot show a certificate of exemption from conscription, a discharge from service by reason of having furnished substitute in the army, or a detailed transcript of employment in the government service.

Hereafter all certificates of exemption granted by enrolling officers will be sent to me for approval. All claims to exemption under the law must be made to the enrolling officer of the district, who will refer the application with his endorsement, to me.

All persons who may be arrested after the call to rendezvous in the county to which they may belong, will be tried for desertions.

Certificates of exemption on account of disability will be signed by the examining board.

E.D. Blake, Lt. Col., C. S. A., Commander of Conscripts

Chattanooga Daily Rebel, February 12, 1863.

 

 

        16, On Confederate Cherokees in Tennessee and North Carolina

The North Carolina Cherokee Indians.—The Ashville (N. C.) News says:

It has seemed to have escaped the attention of the public the very important services rendered the cause of the South by the North Carolina Cherokee Indians, organized and now commanded by Col. William H. Thomas, of Jackson county. These troops have done much valuable service in the mountains of this State and Tennessee, and we are pleased to observe by General Order that they have attracted the attention of General Bragg in a marked manner. The detachment of Captain G. H. Taylor, (himself a half breed) are all Cherokee Indians. We believe that since the commencement of hostilities, the war has not developed a single Indian tory or traitor. And in connection with this creditable fact we may state another. Some two or three cases only of desertion have taken place among the Indians, and they were cases in which a youngster just ran off to see his sweetheart, or a husband to see his wife, and in both cases the offender expected to be back before he was missed. On the appearance of the truant at home, the chief immediately called his council together to deal with the matter, considered to be a disgrace to the tribe. In one or more of these cases the deserter was arrested and soundly thrashed, and in all of them they were tied securely and sent back to their command in custody of a guard composed of elder members.

Richmond [VA] Whig, January 16, 1864. [1]

 

 

        16, "Though as some of the U. S. solgers [sic] have commenst [sic] taking my crop & stock again, I have concluded to let you know alittle [sic] as to how I have acted & been treated for the last 3 years."

From Samuel W. Adkisson

Cheatham, Co, Tenn. January, 16th, 1865,

20 miles west of Nashville on the Charlotte Pike,

To Govr Johnson,

Dear Sir, I hate to aske favours [sic] or to intrude on the time or attention of others, & have not been to see you but once in 3 years & then to let you know about some bridge irons & timbers that was in Harpeth River near my place.

Though as some of the U. S. solgers [sic] have commenst [sic] taking my crop & stock again, I have concluded to let you know alittle [sic] as to how I have acted & been treated for the last 3 years,

When Govr Harris left Nashville, I put my self to some trouble & expence [sic] in trying to get my friends to submit to the law of the U. S. or go South, & have continued so to do, & there was little or no damage done near me untill [sic] last December.

I have taken 2 oathes [sic] & given one bond for $5,000, with security, for good behaviour, for which they gave me an obligation for full protection or pay for the damage don [sic] me. signed by you & Gen Rosencrance [sic] I think, if you put name to such a paper, I think you should know how some others have been acting, & will state some of the facts for you to think about, (I had heard that many other both black & white was intruding on you & I thought I would not.)

The U. S. solgers [sic] have taken or destroyed the most of 3 of my crops of

corne [sic], fodder, hay, oates [sic], potatoes & turnipts [sic], about 120 hogs, 4 mules & horses, some sheep &cattle, fowls, 3 bird guns, & other things. My fences have been burnt to the ground 5 times, parte [sic] of my slaves was made to leave me & to work for the government, of the 8 slaves that went to Nashville 7 is dead, & the other one wants to returne [sic]. 3 times my Self & family was made to leave the house about mid night in December 1863, & to stand about 2 houres [sic] on the coal [sic] wet ground, & 2 of us sick with phisick [sic] in us, my house has been robed [sic] 5 times & I got back but little of what was taken, & I had to send my wife &children, mares &coaltss [sic] over Cumberland River, & my wife health & mind has remaind [sic] in a bad condition & she with doctors in & out of Nashville, most of his time, at one time they put fire to my house, & swore they would burn us or get $5,000, which put my wife &children nearly in to [sic] fits, at another time they took me & parte [sic] of my children of in the darke [sic] & shot at me, & treated me badley [sic] other ways, on the 30, of Novr/63 they bought 20 of my cattle, & gave me written orders to keep them, they then took all of my oates [sic], hay, & fodder & left the cattle with me to Starve, last fall the drovers put the beef cattle in my farme [sic] 5 times & destroyed part of my crops.

I have fed many of the U. S. solgers [sic] & three horses at different times, at one time they remained 5 days (by high water).

For all of which I have Rec but $125, & one little broken down mule, though I am glad to say that the most of the U. S. solgers [sic] & officers that I have seen have treated me as kind & as well as I could expect & I hope you will do the same, for I suppose you have the power & my obligation & I think I have complied with my part of the contract, & I think you should in part.

Though it is not my wish to produce any more ill will or contention, for I can work & live on but a little [sic] & will try awhile longer to comply with my oath & obligation & get others to do so, & I think it would be well for maney [sic] others north & south to remember they are but vain men like my self, & subject to the power & will of God, from a Slip hear with you may learn a little about me, & that I have been wanting to go to Virginia, please to forgive me errours [sic] & what you may think is amiss,

yours very Respectfully, S. W. Akisson.

A mechnic [sic].

Papers of Andrew Johnson, Vol. 7 pp. 412- 413.

 

 

        16, Adjutant General Thomas' communication to Gen. John F. Miller regarding restrictions placed upon African-American Citizens of Tennessee

Letter from Adjutant-General Thomas to Gen. John F. Miller, in relation to the Colored Citizens of Tennessee.

Nashville, Tenn., January 16, 1865.

General: The following are the views upon which I have acted, and which I desire to see carried out in the State of Tennessee in relation to the colored people.

By placing in the army, as we have done, a large number of able-bodied men, we have to this extend diminished the active labor in the Statue, and it is, therefore, essential that all others o f this race be kept in the State. No papers should therefore be given for blacks to go beyond its limits

Very many have left their homes and come to this city, or in default of finding employment, have gone to contraband camps. It is not desirable to receive them either ere or in the camps especially in the city, where, huddled together in miserable huts and inadequately provided for, the contract disease, and death, in many instance, is the consequence. All should be allowed to go to their former homes, or seek employment in the country, where they will be well treated, and receive fair compensation  for their labor.

Papers should, therefore be given, in all cases, to blacks desiring to leave the cit to see employment.

At the contraband camps the blacks will be hired on fair terms to those who desire them, provided the commanders thereof are satisfied that the will receive proper treatment, their hire, according to contract.

I have the honor to be,

Most respectfully,

Your Obedient serv't.

Signed: L. Thomas

Adjt. General

Brig. Gen. Jno. F. Miller, Commanding Post of Nashville, Nashville, Tenn.

Chattanooga Daily Gazette, January 22, 1865. [2]

 



[1] As cited in: http://www.uttyl.edu/vbetts

[2] TSL&A, 19th CN.


James B. Jones, Jr.

Public Historian

Tennessee Historical Commission

2941 Lebanon Road

Nashville, TN  37214

(615)-532-1550  x115

(615)-532-1549  FAX

 

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