Garren's Civil War research

[terrell garren]

I am Terrell Garren and I am searching for documents, photographs and other information pertaining to Confederate soldiers known as Junior Reserves. In the last year of the American Civil War seventeen year olds were drafted and sent to the Confederate Army. Many were captured before being officially assigned to regiments. Those not captured became part of what was known as the First Regiment North Carolina Junior Reserves. There were at least two hundred such boys from our area.

I am also searching for letters, military records, old newspaper accounts or any other information on Confederate soldiers from WNC who were in Union prisons during the Civil War.

Finally, I am seeking names and information on Union soldiers from WNC. Most of these men were in the Confederate Army first. Most went over to the Union Army very late in the War. There names may appear in both Union and Confederate records. Photographs of these men are rare and important if you happen to have one.

The state of North Carolina is also researching these same groups. Any important information I collect will also be sent to the North Carolina Office of Archives and History in Raleigh.

Thank you,
Terrell T. Garren

[terrell garren]

Rob,

I can't say for sure whether or not these letters have been published. All I can say is that I've never seen them before. I'm pretty sure that there is not a reference to them in Volume XIV of North Carolina Troops. This volume has the history and roster for the 60th NC INF. Here's what it says about Hall: "Hall, William F., Private Born in Haywood County and was by occupation a farmer prior to enlisting in Buncombe County at age 24, May 17, 1862 for the war. Reported absent sick in November 1862-April 1863. Returned to duty May-June 1863. Killed at Chicamauga, Georgia September 20, 1863." His record can be found on page 545 of Volume XIV.

I would encourage the family to send copies of these letters to the NC Office of Archives and History in Raleigh. They should be sent to the attention of Mathew Brown and Michael Coffey. If they don't have them, I'm sure they'd be pleased to get them.

Mashburn's efforts and Hall's letters are another demonstration of just how tough the manpower situation was for Confederates trying to stop the Union Army. This is obviously are very valuable collection from a historical standpoint and Mr. Mashburn should be commended for making them public.

Thank you.
TG

[Rob Neufeld]

Terry and all, I have posted a notice about the Civil War letters of William F. Hall in a notice about the book that contains them (J.L. Mashburn's Hominy Valley Revisited). See the forum. Are they never-before-published letters? They detail how in the summer of 1862, the Hominy Creek young father joined up with the 60th N.C. Regiment, got sick in camp and worse in camp hospitals, and, as someone who could walk, was sent to fight at Chickamauga, and was killed.

[terrell garren]

Another question came in today via email. "What areas were part of Henderson County in 1860?"

This is an important question because the slave counts for Henderson County involves the 1860 Census. Both Polk and Transylvania counties were carved off of Henderson after the 1860 Census was taken. Therefore, the names and numbers for Polk and Transylvania are included in the count for Henderson County.

Terrell Garren

[terrell garren]

My new work is more of a report than a book. The title is Slavery, Civil War and Freedom: A Period Study of African Americans From Buncombe County, Henderson County and Madison County, North Carolina.

This is a forty-four page work that includes a brief text on the Constitutional neccessity of a Slave Census. The text is followed by a listing of all slave owners and the number of slaves they owned in the three counties. The listing are sorted three different ways. The sortings are by alphabetical by the slave owners last name, another by the number slaves owned in descending order and the last is in the same order as the census slave schedule.

This work is considered reference material and not recommended for casual readers. But for those who want to know who owned the slaves and how many, this is the ticket. A regular printing of this work is not planned. A small number of copies were produced for the UNC-Asheville Center for Diversity and the upcoming visit of the Forever Free Project coming to Asheville in September of 2009 and to Hendersonville in 2010.

The highlights are as follows: There were over 3,400 slaves in the three counties in 1860. Buncombe County had 1,902; Henderson County 1,339 and Madison County had 212. The largest slave owner was Mr. V. W. Woodfin who owned 114 slaves. There were 283 slave owners in Buncombe County, 206 in Henderson and 46 in Madison County.

A regular publication of this work is not planned at this time. Reference copies are avaiable at Pack Library, Henderson County Library, Main Branch and the UNC-Asheville Library. The only copies available for purchase will be sold by the Henderson County Heritage Museum Store in the old Courthouse on Main Street in Hendersonville. The price is $20 plus tax.

Terrell Garren

[Elaine Campbell]

We heard you have a new book coming out about slavery in Western North Carolina. If so, what is the name of the book and where can we get it?
Elaine C.

[terrell garren]

Rob,

If one is not familiar with Dan Slaqle, he is well known in regional Civil War history circles. He is recognized to be well informed on both the Battle of Swannanoa Gap and The Bloody Madison incident at Shelton Laurel among other things.

TG

[terrell garren]

Dan,

Thank you very much. That account matches up with the documented history of the event in Waynesville, NC May 6, 1865. The Monument in Waynesville/Hazelwood has the correct date on it. So we can be pretty sure that the 1916 account coming from an old soldiers home in California is off by one day stating the 5th rather than the 6th of May. It is impressive that the old guy had it that close.

It seems worth mentioning my opinion. The story is true as reported by John C. Pickens. Most of the records regarding the event say "Colonel Bartlett's men." Yes, and his regiment was the 2nd North Carolina Mounted Infantry (Union). Thanks to Pickens' testimony I think we can confirm that at least part of Company B was involved.

As to Pickens claim to have fired the last shot?: Why not? When some of "Bartlett's men," Union, ran into some of Robert Conley's Confederate Sharp Shooters, shots were fired and the greatly outnumbered Union soldiers retreated rapidly. I don't doubt one bit that Pickens was firing over his shoulder as they high-tailed it out of there. Since the Confederates were chasing off the Union soldiers and in pursuit, one might conclude that a Confederate fired the last shot. It seems a reasonable probability that Confederates were still firing after Pickens fired his last revolver round. Pickens probably fired the last Union shot.

The rosters for the 2ND North Caronlina Mounted Infantry lists Private John C. Pickens from Buncombe County enlisting September 25, 1863. Since he enlisted at age 18 and before the passage of the Junior Reserve Confederate draft, it is probable that he never served in the Confederate Army.

Thanks again Dan.

Terrell Garren

[Dan Slagle]

Here's another little tidbit about the action in or around Waynesville in May, 1865. The following comes from Madison County Heritage, Vol. 1, page 21, after the end of a letter written by J.C. Pickens:
"An interesting footnote appeared in the Washington National Tribune newspaper in November 16, 1916: A HISTORICAL COINCIDENCE
J. C. Pickens, Soldiers Home, Cal., says that the first gun of the war was fired by the order of Gov. Pickens, of South Carolina. The last gun of the war East of the Mississippi was fired by Comrade Pickens, of North Carolina, both of the same historic family. The first statement is already a part of history. In the regimental history of North Carolina (Confederate) it is stated that May 5, 1865, there was an engagement between the Confederates and a party of Federals at Waynesville, N.C. Of the Federals engaged, only three are still living; Calvin Maynor, Weaverville, N.C.; Patterson Reese, Mayor of Mars Hill, N.C.; and John C. Pickens, Soldiers Home, Cal. Pickens had the only revolver in the party, and continued to fire after the others had fired their last volley. He was a private in Co. B, 2nd N.C. Mounted Infantry, which belonged to the Union Army."

[Rob Neufeld]

Terry, the stories never end. Bill Carver refers to Capt. Aker's Raiders putting pressure on the Valleytown contingent. I understand Bartlett's position. Was Aker, from Tennessee, legit--or was he just a plunderer--or was he both, like Kirk?

[terrell garren]

Rob,

We know a little of what was said by way of letters and other documents from the period. According to Vernon H. Crow, author of Storm In The Mountains, the meeting took place on May 7th at Battle House Hotel in Waynesville, North Carolina.

We should remember that the Union Army under Colonel Bartlett was assembled in the town of Waynesville on the night of May 6th. Colonel William H. Thomas had his Cherokee Confederates build fires all over the mountains giving the impression that the Union Army was surrounded. Because of a scalping incident involving some Indiana soldiers in 1862, Union soldiers were terrified of Cherokee Warriors.

When the day of the meeting came a delegation of Confederates led by the Commander of the Western District of North Carolina General James Green Martin, rode into Waynesville. General Martin was accompanied by two other Confederate Colonels, James Robert Love and William Holland Thomas. According to historian William H. Allen, Thomas brought his personal bodyguard of about twenty Cherokee warriors. The natives were "stripped to the waist, painted and feathered." At the beginning of the meeting Colonel Thomas threatened to "...turn his Indians upon the Yankee Regiment and have them all scalped." I suspect all this bravado was a calculated move designed to get better surrender terms.

Cooler heads in the form of Confederate General Martin and Union Colonel Bartlett prevailed and the surrender was completed. In the process of negotiation General Martin requested that his men keep their weapons to defend against the criminal raiding that was rampant in the area. That request was denied but some of the Cherokees were allowed to keep theirs. Justified by Thomas who was now claiming that they were no longer in the Confederate Army but under his personal employ.

Meanwhile Captain Stephen Whitaker was in command of Stringfield's Battalion in Franklin. Colonel Stringfield was in jail in Knoxville. Captain Whitaker was not aware of the fact that General Martin had surrendered all of Western North Carolina. After learning of the surrender, Captain Whitaker surrendered the last organized force of Confederates east of the Mississippi River. The date of the official surrender is documented by the fact that Whitaker's parole survived. It is dated May 12, 1865.

Terrell Garren