BETH JORDAN
Contributor
To this date, the Civil War is the most devastating conflict that our nation has ever faced, with roughly 3 million Americans donning the Blue or the Gray. A little over a million of these soldiers became casualties. The conflict radically changed the face of the nation and dramatically reshaped the landscapes and communities that the armies marched through. Once the dust settled, the men of the Blue and the Gray had to return to their communities and rejoin civilian life, though forever shaped by the experiences.
During the War, East Tennessee was viewed as a crucial region for the war effort on both sides. It contained vital railroad lines and fertile grounds for recruiting for both sides. Marion County followed the general trend found in East Tennessee. In the succession votes, Marion voted to maintain the Union both times, like most East Tennessee Counties. Confederate forces occupied the region following secession and engaged in recruiting in the area in 1861, but Union sentiments remained strong. In October 1861, an article from the Sequatchie Herald tells about how Captain Peter T. Rankin’s company moved into the town and raised the Confederate flag over the courthouse square and administered oaths of loyalty to the Confederate States to “forty two of our union friends.” These oaths of loyalty were not sincere, as the same article notes that the next morning the Confederate Flag was found cut down and “torn to pieces and scattered over the streets.”
Throughout the war, this division characterized Marion County. While the Sequatchie Herald told of citizen’s support of the Confederate troops,a later article from the Athens Post recalls citizens rejoicing at the arrival of Federal forces. This divided even split families, such as with the Pryor family. Captain William Alexander Pryor served with Company C of the 6th Tennessee Mounted Infantry in the Federal Army. His brother, Pvt. Benjamin Franklin Pryor, however, served in Company H of the Confederate 4th Regiment, Tennessee Cavalry. Their Cousin, Pleasant Marion Pryor, served as a Captain for the Union 10th Tennessee Infantry, along with his brother Pvt. Richard Stone Pryor. Another Pryor cousin, Phillip Green Pryor, served as a First Sergeant in the Confederate 2nd Regiment, Tennessee Cavalry and a Second Lieutenant in the 4th Regiment, Tennessee Cavalry. Corporal John Street Prigmore of Whitwell served in the Confederate 35th Tennessee Infantry, also known as the First Mountain Regiment, while his Uncle, Ephraim Lafayette Prigmore, served as a Private in the Union 6th Tennessee Mtd. Infantry. Brothers Hamilton and John Slatton, who are both buried in Red Hill Cemetery in Whitwell, served in the 1st Alabama and Tennessee Vidette Cavalry along with their brother George, who is buried in Alabama. Their brothers William and Hiram both served in the Confederate Army. Brothers Elijah Duncan Tate and Elisha Davidson Tate were also split across battlelines, with Elijah serving as a Sergeant in the Vidette Cavalry and Elisha serving as a Lieutenant in the Confederate 36th Tennessee Infantry.
Other families laid strictly in one camp or the other. Pvt. John Lemuel Minter of Jasper, along with his father Antony both served in Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia. Twin Brothers James and John Price both served in the Confederate 6th Alabama Infantry Regiment. James survived the War and is buried in New Hope, while John died at Gettysburg where he was laid to rest along with the other Confederate dead. On the other side, the Kilgore Family had at least 9 men serving in the Federal Army, according to local cemetery records. 6 of the Kilgores served in the 1st Alabama and Tennessee Vidette Cavalry and the rest in the 6th Mounted Infantry. Additionally, the Holloway Family had 5 Union Soldiers, with 3 serving together in the 2nd Tennessee Inf. and the other 2 in the 6th Mtd. Infantry. Brothers Pvt. John and Serg. William Thornton fought together in the Unionist 5th Tennessee Infantry.
Through comparison of cemetery records and muster rolls around at least 180 Marion Countians served during the war, not including those who are buried elsewhere or whose service records were lost, which was common often with the Confederate muster rolls. Out of these confirmed veterans, those who fought for the Union outnumber the Confederates nearly 2 to 1. While this contrast could be brought closer when accounting for lost records and post-war migration, it aligns with the pre-war Unionist sentiments of the county. Many of these veterans served together. On the Federal side, a majority served in the 6th Tennessee Mounted Infantry, with the 1st Vedette Cavalry and the 10th Tennessee Infantry being the next two largest. The Confederates were more dispersed between various Tennessee regiments and those of other states, mostly being from Georgia or Alabama. Interestingly, several Marion Countians served in the 3rd Confederate Cavalry, which was a “Regular Army” regiment rather than a state one.
After the war, these men returned home or, in the case of some, moved into Marion County. To preserve the comradery they found in the army and to support their former comrades, along with their widows and children, many soldiers created veteran organizations, just like today’s VFW and American Legion.
On April 6th, 1866, Dr. Benjamin F. Stephenson founded the first camp of the Grand Army of the Republic in Decatur, Illinois, and assumed the position of provisional commander in chief. The G.A.R. became a fraternal organization for Union veterans with the mission to advocate for veteran pensions, support the rights of African American veterans, and commemorate “decoration day,” now known as Memorial Day. These camps began to spread throughout the nations and on September 2nd, 1892, several local Federal veterans assembled at the Jasper courthouse to charter the “James G. Spears” Post, No 53. This camp was named after Union General James Spears of Bledsoe County, whose son Ashley L. Spears lived in Jasper and was district attorney. Ashley had served as a Lieutenant and Adjutant in the 5th Tennessee Infantry. Post 53 was fairly active within Marion County with countless obituaries of Federal veterans mentioning the involvement of the camp in funeral services. Along with the services, various articles denote Post 53 assisting in obtaining Veteran headstones. As the years went by and veterans increased in age, the camp also began hosting reunions.
The Union Veterans were not alone in establishing fraternal organizations. Following the end of the war, various organizations began to form for Confederate veterans, such as the Association of Confederate Soldiers and the Veteran Confederate States Cavalry Association. In 1889 these various organizations decided to unite, forming the United Confederate Veterans. A booklet prepared for the 1903 reunion of the U.C.V. containing a list of all U.C.V. camps lists 2 in Marion County. In Jasper, there was the “Henry Havron” Camp 931, named after Lt. Henry Havron, who is buried at Havron’s Chapel Cemetery. James A. Walker is listed as the commander of the camp, and Phillip Green Pryor is listed as Adjutant. In South Pittsburg, there existed Confederate Veteran Camp 672 commanded by “Captain Jeptha Bright.” There is record of a Jeptha Bright living in South Pittsburg, but he was born in Kentucky in 1861, leaving this camp a mystery. The Confederates also held reunions and decorated graves, but there are less available records of the camps’ activities. Sometimes these veterans joined with the GAR post in celebrations, with an article from May 1900 noting “several who wore the gray” joining the Post 53 for the decoration of graves and a parade.
As the veterans began to age and pass away, various associate and auxiliary groups were created to assist and continue their mission. These were mostly “Sons of” and “Daughters of” groups. For those of Union heritage, Sons of Veterans groups emerged, which continue to today with the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War (SUVCW). In Marion County, the “Captain P.M. Pryor” Camp 7 was chartered on the 17th of November, 1897. Many of the Sons of G.A.R. Post 53 joined up with the camp and assisted with their events. While the national organization of the SUVCW continues and some active camps remain in the state, Camp 7 ceased to exist, though the exact date of when is uncertain. While the Federal veterans had sons, the confederates had daughters with a fairly active Chapter of the United Daughters of the Confederacy being formed in South Pittsburg. While the date of this chapter’s establishment is unknown, it was active by 1896, as it was a charter member of the Tennessee Division of the UDC which was established that year. The UDC regularly hosted reunions and banquets for confederate veterans along with awarding several the Southern Cross of Honor. Just as with the Sons of Union Veterans, their local chapter eventually ceased function, while the national organization continued.
While these veterans and their organizations are no longer with us, the effects of their actions still reverberate to us today. These men of Marion County went to war to fight for their beliefs. Some died and others came back in peace to build up their communities and reconcile the nation.
This was only a glance at the stories of Marion County’s Civil War Veterans. To be able to cover them all would fill a book if not several, and there is much research left to do. In partnership with the Jasper Regional History Museum, I will be giving a more in depth talk on Marion County Unionists on November 21 at 5pm at Jasper Elementary School, and plan on giving another on Marion County’s Confederates in early 2025.
Hughston Burnheimer is a local resident of Jasper. He has a Bachelors of Arts in History from Tusculum University. He has been a volunteer at the Jasper Regional History Museum for several years and an active member of the Missionary Ridge Camp #63 of the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War.
