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- [S94] Sevier County, Tennessee Census, 339A, 1880.
Census Place: Harrisburg, Sevier, Tennessee
Source: FHL Film 1255277 National Archives Film T9-1277 Page 339A
Relation Sex Marr Race Age Birthplace
S. O. DICKEY Self M M W 68 TN
Occ: Farmer Fa: TN Mo: TN
M. A. DICKEY Wife F M W 55 TN
Occ: Keeping House Fa: TN Mo: TN
F. J. DICKEY Dau F S W 18 TN
Occ: At Home Fa: TN Mo: TN
O. B. DICKEY Dau F S W 16 TN
Occ: At Home Fa: TN Mo: TN
I. N. DICKEY Dau F S W 13 TN
Occ: At Home Fa: TN Mo: TN
N. B. SNEED Other M S W 15 TN
Occ: Servant Fa: TN Mo: TN
- [S106] The Mountain Press, 31 Jan 2011.
Upland Chronicles: Battle of Fair Garden county link to Civil War
by THERESA WILLIAMS
The home of Steward Dickey was used as a hospital and headquarters during the Battle of Fair Garden in 1864. Col. Eli Lilly, who later became a pharmaceutical industrialist, participated in Battle of Fair Garden. Brig. Gen. Samuel Sturgis led Union forces in the Battle of Fair Garden.
Jan. 27 is a significant date in the history of Sevier County. Yet that date is all but forgotten, and passed over as just another day.
When one hears of the Battle of Fair Garden, they assume that it was located in the Fairgarden community. The main battle site was in the fields around Walters State Community College, and in the fields around Rose Glen, which is located on the corner of Old Newport Highway and Pittman Center Road.
When word began to spread in Sevier County that Tennessee would secede from the Union, a group of citizens began to form a movement to become an independent state. This group of Unionists held meetings in Knoxville and Greeneville, but the movement ended when the Tennessee Legislature rejected the proposal.
Tennessee became the last state to secede from the Union when it became a member of the Confederate States of America on June 8, 1861.
At the close of the war, the Union army was advancing into Sevier County. A telegraph wire was laid from Knoxville to the Steward Dickey house just outside Sevierville. Here the Union forces made their headquarters.
Early morning on Jan. 27, 1864, a dense fog covered the area around the Dickey and the Dr. Hodsden houses. The Union forces were located on the ridge above present day Snapp Road. The Confederate forces were located on the ridge along the Newport Highway (now Harrisburg Mill Road).
These forces began the Battle of Fair Garden by firing across the valley with their cannons. A Col. Campbell led the charge across the valley to attack the Confederate forces on Harrisburg Mill Road. The Union forces were successful in driving the Confederates back more that half a mile.
The Confederate forces took up a new position at Harrisburg covered bridge.
Another skirmish occurred there, and the Confederates were forced to retreat again.
A running fight continued until 4 p.m., when the last skirmish occurred near present day Flat Creek Road. The Confederate forces then withdrew toward Dandridge. The Union army listed their casualties at 100 men; Confederate losses were 165.
One of the officers to participate in the battle was Col. Eli Lilly. He studied pharmacology at the Good Samaritan Pharmacy in Indiana in 1860, and then opened a drug store in Indianapolis. Lilly sided with the Union cause and help recruited the 18th Battery, Indiana Light Artillery.
He was the founder of the pharmaceutical company that bears his name.
Brig. Gen. Samuel D. Sturgis, U.S. Army, commanding cavalry, Department of the Ohio, commanded the Union forces in the area.
After the war he reverted to his regular rank of lieutenant colonel of the 6th U.S. Calvary; in 1869 he became colonel and commander of the 7th U.S. Cavalry and his lieutenant colonel was George Armstrong Custer.
He was on detached duty when the 7th Cavalry was destroyed at the Battle of Little Big Horn. His son, 2nd Lt. James G. Sturgis, was an officer in the 7th and was killed in battle. Samuel D. Sturgis took command of the 7th and in 1877 led a campaign against the Nez Perce. The town of Sturgis, S.D., is named for him.
James Longstreet was a major in the U.S. Army. When the Civil War begin he became a lieutenant general in the army of the Confederate States of America. His talents contributed to the Confederate victories of the Second Bull Run, Fredericksburg and Chickamauga.
He participated in the Seven Days Battles, the Battle of Antietam. At the Battle of the Wilderness he was seriously wounded. His armies occupied Sevier County during the Civil War.
After the war he worked for the U.S. Government as a diplomat, civil servant, and administrator.
He changed his political affiliation to the Republican Party and assisted his old friend, President Ulysses S. Grant, during this administration.
Sevier County has changed a lot since the Civil War. The soldiers and officers who fought here went on to more adventures, and left us behind. Walters State Community College and an industrial park now exist on what was once farm land.
Whenever you have the opportunity go to that field, close your eyes and listen closely. You, too, can hear the shout of “Charge!” the roar of cannon, and the cry of men on both sides who gave their lives for what they believed to be a true cause.
— Theresa Williams is a genealogist for the Sevier County Library System. The Upland Chronicles series celebrates the heritage and past of Sevier County. If you have suggestions for future topics, would like to submit a story or have comments, contact Carroll McMahan at 453-6411or e-mail to cmcmahan@scoc.org; or Ron Rader at 604-9161 or e-mail to ron@ronraderproperties.com.
- [S112] Census, 1870.
Name: Steward O Dickey
Estimated Birth Year: 1812
Gender: Male
Age in 1870: 58y
Color (white, black, mulatto, chinese, Indian): White
Birthplace: Tennessee
Home in 1870: Tennessee, United States
Household Gender Age
Steward O Dickey M 58y
Mary A Dickey F 46y
Alexander P Dickey M 23y
Rebeca C Dickey F 17y
Steward O Dickey M 16y
Mary R Dickey F 12y
Florance G Dickey F 9y
Olive B Dickey F 6y
Ida L Dickey F 4y
Joseph Inlow M 16y
Cliborn Mcmahan M 15y
Howard Babsen M 12y
Ibba Smallwood F 23y
- [S34] In the Shadow of the Smokies, Smoky Mountain Historical Society, (1993), 416.
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