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]

Dawn,

That is very interesting history. The Southern Claims Commission paid claims for damage caused by the Union Army during the War. The important thing to remember is that the Commission only paid claims if a person could prove that they were loyal to the Union before, during and after the war. These requirements would qualify almost no one in WNC. Mr. May's claim that he was forced to join the Confederate Army may be somewhat true as many people were drafted. But it is likely that he along with many others were loyal Confederates until the war effort came crashing down. Most of the claims were filed and supported by ex-Confederates. One ex-Confederate would file a claim and get affidavits from other ex-Confederates supporting their claim, then they would file claims supported by affidavits from the Confederates who they had signed affidavits for. Most of the claims were denied because they were fraudulent.

One of the biggest reasons that people judge the war in WNC incorrectly is because of all the incorrect things or untrue things people said after the war. We know for example that William Pinkney Inman, the now famous soldier fieatured in the novel Cold Mountain, fought bravely for the Confederacy through most of the Civil War. In December 1864, at war's end, Inman went to Knoxville and lied to Union officers claiming he had been a Confederate deserter and hiding out since January of 1863, almost 2 years. The record proves that Inman was still shooting Union soldiers up until he was wounded for a second time at Petersburg.

The same issue emerges regarding slavery. After the war was over many people involved in the slave business claimed to have been against it all along. The same is true with "Loyalty to the Union." Many of the ex-Confederates, who probably killed Union soldiers, suddenly remembered that they had been loyal to the Union all along. The Union Army had all the power, all the money and all the food. Desperate times call for desperate measures. People began switching sides late in 1863 after Gettysburg. Many former Confederate soldiers went over to the Union Army to save themselves, to avoid conscription, to get out of a Union prison, to collect a US pension or to save their starving children. Almost none of them did it because they were loyal to the Union. The loyalty to the Union came after the war for the most part.

Almost all the men who went into the Union Army from WNC were Confederate deserters. Many had been wounded or decorated as Confederates. As for Thomas M. Kuykendall, he fits right in with this pattern.

Kuykendall was first in the 65th North Carolina as a Confederate then he is listed as having deserted in 1863. The record then indicates that he joined the 2nd North Carolina Mounted Infantry (Union). He was arrested by Union authority on Sep[tember 5, 1864, he was awaiting trial by Court Martial when he escaped. I know of no other record after his escape. I was wondering about the photo you have of Thomas M. Kuykendall "in uniform": Is he in a Confederae or Union uniform?

Thanks,
Terrell

[Dawn McCall]

Hi Terrell,
My 3rd great grandfather, Perry Merrell served on both sides during the Civil War. I have been told that he actually tried to file for pensions from both sides!
I only have photos of my 2nd great grandfather, Thomas M. Kuykendall in uniform and my 3rd great grandfather, Robert McGill Boyd in his uniform... will share copies with you if you would like to have copies.
I have been piddling with a May/Henson genealogy for the last while in my spare time (okay, what I refer to as spare time!) and I have a really good Southern Claims Commission from 1874 that I am transcribing that belongs to Prior May of Madison County, NC and Georgia. In it he talks of being forced to join the Confederate Army and escaping only to be caught and then being locked up in Richmond. It is a very interesting account that I will also gladly share with you when I finish transcribing it.

[terrell garren]

Deep Creek is moving forward

A meeting will be held in Swain County next week with local officials and interested parties. A site visit will also be undertaken. Additional commemorative projects are being considered by various groups.

Thanks,
TG

[Rob Neufeld]

Terry, see the page for the Deep Creek marker effort you've gotten going. (It's a current feature on the main page, too.)

[Kathi Bobb]

Please add my name as a supporter.

[terrell garren]

Kathi,

Thank you so much for the email. Yes, George Washington Bowers was there alright. He was one of 14 whites captured by the Union Army at Deep Creek, February 2, 1864. He was taken to Fort Deleware to the Union prison there and not released until June 7, 1865. He was very fortunate to have survived all that.

I'll hope you'll go to the "Deep Creek Civil War Battle Committee" and sign on as a supporter for getting a state marker at the site.

Thanks,
Terrell Garren

[Kathi Bobb]

Hello Terrell,
I am researching my ancestor George Bowers, born 1840 in McDowell County. He married Cordelia Mullins. He served in the Civil War in the first NC Regiment under Col William Walker, Capt Berry. He was in battles at Murfreesboro, Chicamauga and Knoxville and was captured at Deep Creek. Somehow he was put in prison in Fort Delaware for the duration of the war according to his pension application. He later lived in Monroe County Tenn at Tallent.
Kathi Bobb

[terrell garren]

Hello James,

You may want to refer to my book The Fifth Skull. Part two of the book is about the prison at Camp Douglas. While it is a fictional representation of the prison, the events are real. The names of the guards are real. Still, the best nonfiction source is To Die In Chicago by George Levy.
Thanks,
T Garren

[James Bryant]

Thanks Dan and Terrell,
You've helped a great deal. Isham is the middle name of the younger Edwards - His father was William and the family seems to have called him by the middle to keep down confusion. He survived and came home to East Tenn., and from there moved to Arkansas, where he became a Baptist preacher for many years before his death well into the 1920s. He was said to have been a strong and passionate preacher.

We have reports that John Edwards, born in 1843, may have been less fortunate as he was committed to an institution for the insane around 1900. James, the oldest at 20 when he enlisted we have no further word about what happened to him. It is likely that he is not the same one you reported later, as the age seems in question. He was born in 1842 according to census records of the family.

Again, I thank you for the research and I look forward to reading the recommended material on Camp Douglas. I had seen it referenced, and now have good reason to take a serious look at it.

James Bryant

[terrell garren]

Dan,

If you have time I'd like you to look into the Deep Creek event. Feb 2, 1864, see volume XVI of NC Troops, Thomas' Legion. I'd appreciate any support you can offer. Go to Deep Creek Civil War Battle forum on this site for some background.

Thanks,
TG