Pepper said he was involved in combat against Grierson and his Cavalry. Since his surgery, Pepper's feet never fully healed and he had problems with his feet the rest of his life. After the war, Pepper settled in Fayette County, then Hardeman County, both of which are near Memphis, Tennessee. From this one man's answers, it becomes partly clear as to why he fought in the war. Poor, uneducated, caught up in the defense of his home state and the spirit of the times, Pepper went to war not because of slavery, but rather, a call to duty and devotion to his state that only he understood.
Pepper has relatives in Chester County, Tennessee.
Mickey Sadler, Henderson, Tennessee, a friend of mine, is a distant relative of Pepper and contributed the information for this article. Another Tennessee resident, Andrew Jackson Cody, age 82 at the time of the questionnaire, had similar answers. Cody said he was born near Asheville, N.C. and joined the Confederacy, serving with Co. F-39th N.C. infantry. Cody and his family had a farming background. Cody's answers were almost identical to Pepper's with the exception of slaveowners.