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

[Kathi Bobb]

J. Arch Stewart was a fiddler and so were some of his children.  They played as a family various stringed instruments and those who remember them describe good times surrounded with beatiful melodies in the Stewart household.

Part of the stories relayed stated that Arch didn't play as well after his hand was shot in the Civil War.  Recently, with the aid of Footnote/Fold 3 online records.  I have recently found documenation to support the family stories regarding the wound that Arch recieved.  The records are filed under different names, J.V. Stuart/Stewart and James Stewart/Stuart under his brother Van Stuart/Stewart's records.  There are many inconsistencies woven into this tapestry of records, but there is a scarlet thread that can be followed running through them.  Looking at all of the J.V, J.P., James and Van Stuart records, my guess is that these follows must have traveled together.  They were listed in Company B, K and H, although mostly in K of the 23rd GA INFY.There are hospital records for vaious ailments at Gen Hopital Number 18 formerly Greamer's Hosp Richmond VA for V. Stewart PVt Co K.  May 11, 1862 returned to duty May 28th 1862.  The next record is for James Stewart Co B 23rd GA at Wayside Hops or Gen Hosp #9, Richamond VA Oct 16, 1862 transferred to Winder hosp. The next record shows J.V. Steward Pvt Co H 23rd Regmt GA appear on Register of Chimborazo Hosp No. 2.  Disease:  shell wound of finger, broken Dec 1862, wounded Dec 13, 1862 or Vul. Sclopeticum index and middle fingers of Lt. hand on Furlough 60 days beginning Jan 12, 1863.  He is listed as Sergt Co K 23rd Ga. in another record.  The next record listed shows J. V. Stewart Pvt Co K 23rd appears on register of General Hospital Farmville VA Jan 15, 1863 furloughed 60 days to (sp looks like ves or res or rep)  to regmt.  Another records shows the transfer from Chimborazo Dec 21, 1862 to Farmville.  Van Steuart/Stuart is listed as Sgt. Co K 23rd Regmt. GA INFY various dates between August 31, 1861 through July 1863 to Apr 1864.  There is a summary of his service from 1912.

[Kathi Bobb]

Hello Terrell it has been awhile since we have had a chat.

My Stewart ancestor James Archibald Stewart, builder of the Stewart cabin located not too far from Robbinsville is also buried in the Old Mother Cemetery along with his wife Catherine and his mother-in-law Elizabeth Lorenz Ash. 

Arch had brothers who were in the CW Captain Van Stewart, William Stewart and John P Stewart.  They  lived in Union Co GA from around 1842 until sometime during the CS when they moved to Polk Co TN. They moved to Robbinsville in the late 1880's from Polk Co TN. 

"Arch" and ""Cate" were married in Union Co GA.  Arch's parents were John and Ruth (Tutt) Stewart.  John and Ruth moved with their family to Union Co GA from Buncombe/Haywood NC.  John's father was Noah Stewart and Noah's father was John Stewart of Macon Co NC born between 1740 and 1760.  John's wife was Marion or Mary Ann. I have been told that  either John or Noah served with their friend Michael Driver in the Indian Wars under Jackson. 

I have never found records supporting the service of Noah/John and Michael but expect that somewhere is a pension application for Michael Driver as the rest of the story is that Michael married Noah's sister (Emily or Emilia) at the Noah Stewart (b 1785) plantation.  This story and the wording are consistent with those pension appplications that I have read where a widow is proving her marriage.  I have been spending some time in Footnote, or Fold 3 as it is now called looking for this Mystery Q record, but so far have had no success in finding it.  However I have recently found some interesting CW information on this family that I will continue in a second post.

[terrell garren]

General McElroy Stone To Be Dedicated

 

The Yancey County Sons of Confederate Veterans are in the process of installing a stone at the grave of Brigadier General John Wesley McElroy. The grave is located at the Old Mother Cemetery in Robbinsville, Graham County, North Carolina. McElroy was in Confederate service as a state appointed General. He was given command of The North Carolina Militia For Home Defense, better known as "The Home Guard." McElroy was a Yancey County resident until after the war. At that point he moved to Robbinsville.

 

Former SCV Brigade Commander and Civil War author Michael Hardy is organizing the event.

 

TG

[terrell garren]

Unionism Myth Strikes Again

 

This past week I spoke at Mills River Methodist Church. A question came from a lady who said her ancestor was a loyal Union man. After hearing her question I asked her: "What Confederate regiment was he in?" She said she was not aware of him being in the Confederate Army.

 

The man's name was Elisha K. Nelson from Henderson County and he was a Confederate hero. He fought in Company I, 16th Regiment North Carolina Infantry, under famed leader Robert E. Lee in the Army of Northern Virginia. He was at all the great battles of 1862 like King's Schoolhouse, Mechanicsville, Malvern Hill and Fredricksburg. He was wouned at the Battle of Fredricksburg in December 1862.

 

At some point in 1863 he gave up on the Confederate cause and deserted. He was an outlier for about a year and a half. In August of 1864 he did what so many other loyal Confederates felt forced to do, he joined the Union Army.

 

Most of the men who went to the Union Army were in the Confederate Army first. Those who were not were usually very young or very old in terms of military service age. The Confederate Conscription laws of 1864 forced the older and younger ones to make a decison. Almost all of the men from WNC who went to the Union Army were Confederates who gave up on the war. They went to the Union Army to save themselves, not because they were loyal to the Union. It was a reasonable thing to do.

 

TG

 

 

[terrell garren]

General William Jackson Palmer

Colorado Springs Lecture, June 11, 2011

I will be giving a lecture on the military performance of Union Civil War General W. J. Palmer of the 15th Pennsylvania Cavalry in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Preparation for this event has led to extensive research on Palmer's overall performance. The prepared speech is fifteen pages long and cites about twenty-five different quotes and related sources.

 

Printed copies will be provided to local libraries if their staffs wish to keep a copy. Copies will be availble from me for the cost of printing.

 

I've spent many hours over a number of years researching this man. He was awarded The Medal of Honor for a single event but could have been nominated another forty or fifty times for service "above and beyond the call of duty." I am now ready to say that he was one of the greatest military officers in the history of the United States.

 

Terrell Garren

 

[terrell garren]

The Conspirator directed by Robert Redford,

The most important film of the time.

I wish to advise my blog readers that this film shocked me. The reason I found it so shocking is because it was very true to the history of the matter. I have not studied the Lincoln murder enough to claim to be an expert but I do know it well enough to tell you that this film is as good as it gets when it come to telling the truth about history. It exposes the rampantly corrupt nature of the Union military machine and their ruthless criminal tactics. With the 150th here, the timing couldn't be better. No American should miss this movie.

 

For those of you who read my book The Fifth Skull you may remember my efforts to expose a credible possibility that Captain Jack and the Modocs were fraudulenty convicted by the same kind of Kangaroo court that was used to hang Mary Surratt. The Modocs were entrapped, framed, denied representation, hanged then beheaded. The entire affair was scam. It was perpetrated by Union war criminals from the Civil War against American Indians.

 

I hope you will take the time to see this film.

Terrell Garren

[terrell garren]

There still might be a "Tilman" in the 5th Tenn but there is no chance of finding Thad there. I'll get over there Monday. I'll make some copies so if you want some email me your address and I'll send you a few copies of Compiled Service Records. [e-mail]

TG 

[Kathi Bobb]

I stand corrected!!! I must have read Thadeus, and not Tilman !  I hope your computer will survive the terrible pox that I brought upon it!

[Kathi Bobb]

5th TN MI CO C

Here is the link where I saw the name.

[terrell garren]

A search of the Soldiers & Sailors website came up empty. There was no Tilman Bryson in either Tenn or NC listed on the site. I searched both Confederate and Union units. Are you sure you have the name correct?

TG