| Sources |
- [S23] Atchley Funeral Home, (http://www.atchleyfuneralhome.com/), 25 Jun 2011.
Clyde Wade Maples obituary
- [S106] The Mountain Press, 18 Dec 2011.
Upland Chronicles: Sevier County soldiers died in Civil War prison camps
By Beulah Maples Carr
On a cold, damp morning in early November 1863, several men made their way along the road from Rogersville, Tenn., toward Richmond, Va.
They were young men, not older than their 20s, who, before the outbreak of the Civil War, had been living in the valley region of Sevier County. The men were now prisoners of war, having been captured while resting quietly in camp near Rogersville. Their fate now lay in the hands of the enemy.
They were members of Company K of the Second Tennessee Infantry. Their commanding officer was Capt. Joseph Underdown of Boyd’s Creek. Underdown had recruited the men from his neighborhood to enlist in the Union Army. The men had enlisted in February 1862, and had recently been assigned to Gen. Ambrose Burnside, who with his Army had entered Knoxville in September 1863 to relieve East Tennessee of the Confederate stronghold.
The men had been at Cumberland Gap at the surrender of that place, and had participated in the Battle of Blue Springs, in East Tennessee. They had just completed a mission to Bristol, on the state line, where they had destroyed the railroad.
On Nov. 5, they returned to Rogersville, where the regiment went into camp about four miles east of town. The following morning, their camp was surrounded by a superior force of the Confederate Army. The Rebels charged, and fired into the Union men.
After a sharp fight of about half an hour, the men were compelled to surrender. James Petty of Sevier County was killed by the Rebels.
The Rebels marched their captives toward Bristol. Some of the men managed to escape in the darkness, but morning found most of the men still captive. From Bristol they headed to Richmond, where they finally arrived at that most dreadful place, Belle Isle prison.
A soldier of the regiment who later managed to escape wrote in his memoirs:
“The tents was so bad that it was poor protection against the much bad weather we had there. There was so many that froze to death and fell victim to the severity of the winter. The sufferings of us poor prisoners could not have been described. We had neither fire, shelter, nor blankets; and many had nothing but a few old rags to cover their nakedness except vermin, with which most of us were covered.”
A number of our Sevier County boys did not survive the harsh conditions at Belle Isle. They perished and died of exposure and starvation. Their bodies now rest on the grounds of the prison.
After the worst of the winter, and due to overcrowding, about the first of February some of the men were transferred to that most horrible Rebel prison: Andersonville.
Another member of that regiment, Private Paul Grogger, tells of the journey to Andersonville:
“It was about the first of February 1864, when my squad left the island for another bullpen farther south. The day of our departure was one of the coldest days that I had witnessed since I had been on the island. It had just cleared off and froze after a dusting of snow. Taking nothing but our blankets, we marched into the city of Richmond, and there remained in a building two days without drawing a bit of rations.
“I got quite sick for the want of something to eat. At length they brought us some cooked peas and bread, which we ate like a starved set of dogs, and retired for an early call in the morning to start on the train for Georgia. We were crowded in freight cars, from 75 to 100 men together, like a gang of hogs a going to market or the slaughter pen.”
In Andersonville, the men fared no better. As the long days dragged by, the plight of the men grew more desperate. Escape was usually futile. Here, a number of our men from Sevier County perished from exposure and starvation. Their bodies now rest on the grounds of Andersonville prison.
Those who perished at Belle Isle Prison, at Richmond:
n William G. Bailey; age 24, died June 26, 1864
n Leroy Bales; age 18, died March 20, 1864
n James Curby, age 25; died January 15, 1864
n Joseph England, age 30; died December 5, 1863
n Robert Esslinger; age 24, died April 11. 1864
n Isaac Esslinger; age 22; died March 9, 1864n Caleb Hickman; age 21; died March 7, 1864
n Frederick Peter Hickman; age 25; died March 24, 1864
n Ephraim Porter; age 19; died March 1, 1864
n John Randles; age 19; died March 24, 1864
n Joel Robinson; ; age 19; died March 24, 1864
Transferred from Belle Isle Prison to Andersonville Prison, where they perished:
n Henry Bales; age 21; died September 2, 1864
n Verling Browder; age 22; died May 2, 1864
n James Brown; age 20; died October 23, 1864
n Arnold Covington; age 32; died April 18, 1864
n John B. Covington; age 29, died June 16, 1864
n Samuel Cresswell; age 27; died April 8, 1864
n Levi Dykes; age 25; died January 2, 1865
n Pleasant Dykes; age 23; died May 11, 1864
n George Esslinger; age 22; died May 20, 1864
n James Esslinger; unknown
n Joshua A. Galyon; age 31; died July 25, 1864
n John S. Hudson; age 19; died June 14, 184
n John H. Huffaker; age 22; died February 14, 1865
n William B Palmer; age 23; died April 23, 1864
n Isaac Russell; age 25; died April 9, 1864
n John Sweatman; age 19; died October 2, 1864 at Florence, SC
n William H. Thomas; age 22; died May 7, 1864
— Beulah Maples Carr grew up in Sevier County and currently resides in Southfield, Mich. This is part of the Upland Chronicles series, celebrating the heritage and past of Sevier County. If you have suggestions for future topics, would like to submit a column, or have comments, contact McMahan at 453-6411 or e-mail to cmcmahan@scoc.org; or Ron Rader at 604-9161 or e-mail to ron@ronraderproperties.com.
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, d. 25 Jun 2011, Sevier County Health Care Center, Sevierville, Sevier County, Tennessee