The Civil War Papers of William Mccullough
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
Sunland Tribune Volume 20 Article 10 1994 "My National Troubles" The Civil War Papers of William McCullough Kyle S. VanLandingham Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarcommons.usf.edu/sunlandtribune Recommended Citation VanLandingham, Kyle S. (1994) ""My National Troubles" The Civil War Papers of William McCullough," Sunland Tribune: Vol. 20 , Article 10. Available at: https://scholarcommons.usf.edu/sunlandtribune/vol20/iss1/10 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by Scholar Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Sunland Tribune by an authorized editor of Scholar Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. "MY NATIONAL TROUBLES” The Civil War Papers of William McCullough Introduction and Notes By KYLE S. VANLANDINGHAM This valuable manuscript provides excellent source material on the Civil War in Florida. The Tampa Historical Society expresses its deep appreciation to Mrs. Colleen C. Uhl of Bountiful, Utah, for allowing the publication his document in the Sunland Tribune. Mrs. Uhl reserves all rights to any future publication of the McCullough papers. The exhaustive research of Canter Brown, Jr, uncovered the existence of this document. We also express our appreciation to Spessard Stone for his research on the McCullough family, Virginia Jackson of the Brooksville Heritage Museum, and David Coles of the Florida State Archives. Introduction William McCullough's life was one of high adventure on the Florida frontier. Born in 1821 in Kentucky, he was left an orphan and spent his early years in New York and Ohio.1 In 1839, William enlisted in the United States Army for a period of five years, arriving with his company at Tampa Bay on October 22, 1840. He was present at the establishment of Fort Carroll and was involved in forays as far south as Big Cypress and the Everglades.2 He "participated in numerous scouting William and Nancy McCullough expeditions and was involved in the burning --Photo courtesy of Colleen C. Uhl of many Indian villages and their plantations, but only a limited number of Lotka (later renamed Payne Creek), a skirmishes with the Seminoles as they tributary of the Peace River, about ten miles 3 generally chose to avoid direct battles.” south of present day Fort Meade. On July 17, 1849, the post was attacked by a After completing his service, William was renegade band of Seminoles which resulted married to Nancy Whidden, November 14, in the deaths of store operator, George 1844, the daughter of Peace River pioneers Payne, and Nancy McCullough's brother, James W. and Mary (Altman) Whidden. Due Dempsey Whidden. William, Nancy and to "some irregularity" they were remarried their infant child managed to escape. Ida 4 on March 11, 1852. William and Nancy McCullough Walker, a daughter of the had a total of fourteen children, nine of McCulloughs, left this account in 1939: 5 whom lived to maturity. My Father fought his way out with William was employed at the Kennedy and my mother and baby. They were Darling Indian trading post located at Hatse badly wounded. There was a creek with a log to cross on so Father took The McCulloughs lived in that portion of the baby and made my mother get Hillsborough County that became Polk in down and crall across the log. They 1861. According to the 1860 census, were lost in the woods and it rained William owned no slaves.9 McCullough on them. My Father tore bark from remained loyal to the Union throughout the down pine logs and made a shelter Civil War. The Civil War letters, written in for mother and the Baby. Mother diary form, cover William's activities from tore up her skirt and bound up their early in the war until 1866. For the most wounds. The next morning they part, the original spelling has been retained. found their way out of the timber by However, the spelling of the names of going out the way mother had certain persons and locations has been dreamed. They found every thing as corrected and placed in brackets in the text. she had dreamed. Grandfathers house [was] burned down and his cattle drove off. They headed for the Peace Creek fort.6 July 4, 1864 The family eventually settled southwest of My Dear Sir: Fort Meade at what became known as McCullough Creek.7 During the Third On this day commenced my national Seminole War, William served as a private troubles, and for the good wishes that I had in Captain William B. Hooker's company of for my country's welfare, and success Florida Mounted Volunteers from January to against the rebel states. August 1856. He was present at the Willoughby Tillis battle of June 14, 1856. I held against the authorities for eighteen Lt. Alderman Carlton, William Parker and months after the first gun was fired at Lott Whidden (Nancy McCullough's Charleston, doing all that any man could so brother), were killed and Daniel W. Carlton, in the cause of my country and flag. John Henry Hollingsworth and John C. Oats were wounded. James D. Tillis, a son of At the end of this time, the Regulators got Willoughby, recorded McCullough's role in after me for my fidelity to that flag. They the battle: threatened my friends with death by hanging, and confiscation, or with the threat McCullough, infuriated at the death that they would not be allowed to live in the of his comrades, dismounted and ran country. This caused nearly all of my towards an Indian whom he spied adherants to leave me, and some of them secreted behind a pine tree. Pulling even became my persecutors and betrayers, him out, he grappled with him, man implicating several of my best friends. to man. Daniel Carlton ran to his aid. When I saw that I could do nothing more in Between them, they beat the Indian the cause of the old flag, and that the to the ground and cut his throat with regulators were determined with Capt. his own hunting knife. Oats and Pearson's Conscript Officers to take me and McCullough then dragged the my friends dead or alive, I made up my wounded Hollingsworth back to our mind to settle up my business and leave for house.8 the Indian territory, placing the Kisime and a marsh between me and my enemys, where my friends as well as myself thought I most unholy cause, and for what the would be safe until such time as the Union seceders claim to be fighting for.11 troops would take Tampa at Old Fort Brooke in Hillsborough County. Then, I Yet I remained here two days longer before I thought I could return and be of service to left for my home in the wilds of the Indian them in recruiting for a southern regiment to nation. When I left my ever-faithful act in the glorious cause of a free companion, I did not expect to be absent Republican government. But, the Union over three weeks, but was gone six weeks, officers never thought it worth while to take and when I returned I found my wife and Tampa. In the winter of 1862 [late 1862], children in a starving condition, with an my foes followed me to my new home, and infant of two months sucking at the breast. continued to harass me and my family until We had at this time seven children, my my wife begged so earnestly for me to oldest 14 years of age. My family had been move, that I decided to settle up all my living two weeks on the heads of cabbages business, and leave for Key West where I of the Palmetto tree, stewed in water, and might see the old banner that may yet wave seasoned with tallow and salt. On this they to the end of time when man shall cease to had subsisted for two weeks. My lady had to war against man, and the lamb and lion may take her children and go from one to two lie down together without fear.10 miles every day to cut this cabbage, and wade a branch of water for four hundred So, on the 10th day of June [18631, 1 left yards, the water taken them up to their my family and started for Peace Creek to waists. Previous to my leaving, the collect sum money that was due me for the regulators had been to see me and to hang rent of my farm, and to make arrangements me, but their cowardly hearts would fall with my friends to take care of my cattle and them, as I had built my little log cabin in a hogs until such time as I could return with manner that one man mite keep off ten or 15 safety. While I was at the farm, Lt. Hall, men, provided he had four or five guns, the Capt. Pearson's conscript officer was resolution to use them, and a wife with a through the country after deserters and men heart to load as fast as he would shoot them. subject to the war with orders to take me (the reason my family had been without dead or alive and one evening about sunset, food for two weeks was that (the he passed about 400 yards from me. I had regulators?) had been there, turned out my seen him and his party, and stepped behind a cattle, and taken what they had to eat; tho clump of bushes until they should pass out during the time of my absence, the Indians of sight. Then I proceeded on to Mrs.