Mountain Memories

Mountain Memories By Gene A. Morrell April 2014 2 Author’s note From December 1977 through January 1979, I wrote “Mountain Memories,” a weekly column, which was published in the Sullivan County News in Blountville, Tennessee. These local and family history columns were based on my research of published sources and on oral history derived from my interviews of a number of county residents, many of whom have since passed away. To the best of my knowledge, this is the first time that all the columns have been published at one time in a single publication. The columns are listed by the dates they were printed in the newspaper, and I have added a headline to each column to aid readers in quickly determining its topic. Hundreds of individual names and place names are mentioned in the columns, and, to aid readers in locating information of particular interest to them, I have included an index at the end of this book. Gene A. Morrell 3 December 15, 1977 Introduction History abounds in East Tennessee and, especially, Sullivan County. This is not just history as written in textbooks, or as constituted in established historical monuments, but is also the oral history of local communities that has been handed down from generation to generation. This history also includes family histories contained on the yellowing, aged pages of old family Bibles, letters from long forgotten relatives, and bits and pieces of papers with timeless notes of births, deaths, or marriages. Far too often these irreplaceable Bibles or other records have been thoughtlessly destroyed or lost. Far too often the mortal sources of history, the grandmothers and others, have died and taken their accumulated stories of local history with them, with none of their knowledge being recorded. The purpose of this column is to prevent, in part, the further loss of some of this history. Many people do not have the proper means of permanently recording their family histories or their memories of past events or people. Publishing a family history or other book is often a complex matter, and the costs of such a venture can be prohibitive. In this column, this writer will gather and record, as space allows, the sidelights of local and family histories. Contributors of material are solicited, and although this writer cannot promise that all the material submitted will be published, or published immediately, he will attempt to record as much of the history of this local area as possible. 4 December 22, 1977 Civil War in Sullivan County Sullivan County, “The Little Confederacy.” During the Civil War, most of East Tennessee was a sea of Union sentiment, but Sullivan County was an island of Confederate sympathy in that sea. The people of the county had strong economic and ideological ties with the Virginia Valley and the Southern cause. Tennessee held three referendums on the question of secession, and the majority of voters in Sullivan County voted three times to withdraw from the union. Numerous military units, both Union and Confederate, were organized in the county. Husbands, brothers, and sons died for the causes in which they believed. Many others were permanently handicapped by physical or psychological injuries suffered in the war. While major battles of the war occurred in such places as Gettysburg, Pa., and Vicksburg, Miss., the war directly affected the people of the county. According to oral history given by Cordia Childress Millhorn, Piney Flats, Union soldiers often entered area homes unannounced and uninvited. The soldiers ate their fill and took the remaining food, leaving civilians with none. Mrs. Millhorn said soldiers of both sides were often so thirsty they drank from water holes containing dead horses or cows. Although many county residents sided with the South, others sided with the North and refused any aid to Confederate soldiers or sympathizers. When the Union forces finally took control of the county, many of the Southern sympathizers were harassed or abused. Horses were an especially valuable commodity during the war, and Yankee soldiers often stole the animals. Local residents were forced to hide their animals from these foragers. 5 Mrs. Millhorn and Letha Millhorn Morrell said some farmers often hid their horses in thickets along the present Enterprise Road on the former Carlie Allison property in Piney Flats. Gerald Seneker, Piney Flats, a man of remarkable recall, is an invaluable source of local history and genealogical information. His recollections of people, events, and oral history are extremely helpful. He said his grandfather hid horses in wooded areas near the present Akard- Seneker homeplace along Boone Lake. One partially blind horse was left unhidden, but the Yankees were positive this was not the only horse the Akards owned. The Yankees searched for other horses but were unable to find them. For days, the soldiers watched for evidence of food and water being carried to the hidden horses. The Akards, however, took pains not to wear a path to the hiding place as they carried water in gourds from the river to the horses. The Union soldiers eventually gave up the search for the horses. Before the Yankees left the community, however, they tried to kill some Confederate soldiers. The Confederates took refuge in a barn on the property formerly owned by Jim Warren and Rhett Cross on the Enterprise Road. Whether any of the Confederates were killed in the skirmish or where the Yankees relocated is undetermined. Some men in the county wanted to join regular army units of the Confederacy, but they were too old or infirm. These men often joined detailed conscript or home guard units. These units acted as military reserves in case of an attack upon the community and also helped guard railroads and other strategic sites. According to Ed Cross, Piney Flats, some men served the Southern cause in other ways. Some of the older men worked in saltpeter mines located in the Piney Flats area. Saltpeter was an important ingredient in gunpowder used in the war. 6 Next week, in this column, this writer will discuss some of the Confederate military units formed in the county and some of the soldiers who fought in them. 7 December 29, 1977 Civil War military units “The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here have consecrated (this land) far above our poor power to add or detract.” President Abraham Lincoln spoke these words at Gettysburg, Pa., in 1863. He eloquently expressed his high regard and deep feeling for those who gave their “last full measure of devotion” during the Civil War. When the war began, many of the brave men of Sullivan County enlisted in Federal military units. These men believed the Union had to be preserved, even if by force. Other men joined Confederate units to defend their homeland from invasion and to preserve their rights and way of life as they saw them. Company G, 60th Tennessee Mounted Infantry Regiment, was enrolled at Blountville on Sept. 25, 1862, and the company later mustered with the other companies of the regiment at Knoxville on Nov. 7, 1862. Cpl. William B. Millhorn was a member of Company G. He and other members of the unit were captured by federal troops at Big Black, Miss., but he was later paroled. He re-entered the fighting but was captured again in 1864. He was released from military prison in June 1865. The regiment fought in the battle of Vicksburg, Miss., and also fought in East Tennessee and western Virginia. Col. Nathan Gregg commanded the regiment for a long period. Company K, 26th Infantry Regiment, was organized in Sullivan County, with Capt. J.R. Morrell as the commander. Other officers in the company included 1st Lt. W. B. Carrier and 2nd Lt. C. R. Morrell. 8 Col. James O’Dell was the regimental commander when the regiment formed. The unit was captured at Ft. Donelson in 1862, but the prisoners were exchanged later that year. The Confederate unit re-entered the war and engaged in battles at Murfreesboro, Chickamauga, Ga., and other locations. The unit surrendered in April 1865 in North Carolina with Gen. Johnston’s Army. Pvt. George W. Morrell was a member of Company K. He died in Dalton, Ga., of an illness contracted while a member of that unit. Company E and Company F, 63rd Tennessee Infantry Regiment, were organized in Sullivan County as independent units. The companies assembled as part of this Confederate regiment in Knoxville in 1862. Company E was commanded by Capt. Crockett R. Millard, and Company F was commanded by Capt. A.M. Millard. Col. Richard G. Fain and Maj. John Aiken were among the regimental officers. The regiment fought in skirmishes at Rogersville, Bean Station, and Bluff City. In 1864, the unit marched from Bristol to Richmond, Va., and fought in the battle of Petersburg, Va. Rufus White Morrell was a member of Company D of the regiment. In 1862, he was wounded in the shoulder at the battle of Drewry’s Bluff near Petersburg, Va. He spent weeks in the hospital but never fully recovered from the wound. George Millard of Sullivan County was killed in a skirmish near Petersburg in 1864 while a member of the regiment. Company M, 1st (Carter’s) Tennessee Cavalry Regiment, was formed in 1863 in Sullivan County under the command of Capt. Edward Gammon. Elridge Morrell was an officer in this Confederate unit. 9 The regiment served in various locations and, in 1864, participated in the Virginia Valley campaign under Gen. Jubal Early. Other Confederate units, in addition to those listed, were formed in Sullivan County, and some Union military units were also formed.

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