Nashville union and dispatch. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1866-1868, 1867-10-03
HICKMAN VS.. BATE.

HICKMAN VS.. BATE.
The ConeIusIon OF the Tesum0ry and
she Charge of Judge Brien.
DEPOSITION OF p. NJ. TAYLOR, FOR
PLAINTIFF.
In the year 1861 was engaged with Gen.
James Hickman in raising and organizing
company for the Confederate service, in
Madison county, Alabama; Gen. Hick-
man seemed to be devoted to the Confeder
ate csuse, and boarded free Of charge some
Of the men while organizing said company;
at the election for officers of said company
Gen. Hickman ran for both Captain and
Lieutenant, and was beaten for both; ! be-
lieve the reason that he was beaten for
those offices was FROM his general charac-
ter in the community and not from any
doubt Of his loyalty to the South.
E. c. PRAGGINs-DEPosITIoN
] have been acquainted with the characz
ter of Gen. Hickman for the last ten years.
That character has been bad for honesty
and integrity. In the year 1857 or '58 the
witness and Thomas NJ. Mosely were en-
gagged in selling negroes; iHickmar ap-
piled to US for an agency to assistin selling
negroes, and proposed to give his own bill
Of sale for such negroes as were unsound,
as he was insolvent, and thus relieve wit
meas and his partner of any liability in the
matter. Knew that Edwin S. Douglas,
now United States Marshal for the Northern
District of Alabama, was sheriff of Madi-
son county, Alabama, in 1862, having been
elected in 1862
DEPOSITION OF GEO. W. DRAKE.
| am acquainted with Gen. Hickman, he
was trading in Huntsville, in 1862; pur-
chased a barrel of salt from him there, for
which l was TO pay him SIS in gold, that
being his selling price.
DEPOSITION OF wINsLow DYER.
resided in Madison county, Ala, in the
year 1862, and was acquainted with Gen.
Hickman at that time; the city of Hunts
vile was occupied by Confederate troops at
that time, and commanded by Gen. w. b.
Bate; this was in December 1864 | saw
Gen. Hickman under arrest in December,
1862, at Gen. Bates headquarters.
Cross-examined L was intimate with
Gen. Hickman, and | never heard him ex-
press any disloyalty dissatisfaction or op-
position to the Confederate cause, during
its occupation by the Confederate troops,
/ heard him say that he assisted in raising
a company for the Confederate cause, in
which he failed. He says he ran for the
Captains and Lieutenant's positions, but
was defeated ] also heard Gen. Hickman
say that he assisted D. G. Humphrey in
raising brigade, which also failed. 1t is
my impression that Gen. Hickman ran for
the Major Generalship of the militia and
was beaten by Gen. Weakley; this was
during the war never heard any thing
Of Gen. Hickman's moral character, but
cannot say what the community in general
thought of him, but as far as know, his
character was good, that is never heard
any thing against Gen. Hickman's char
acter, TO induce mEto believe he was bad
man.
Examination In chief; At the time
heard Gen. Hickman make these state
ments, the place was occupied By Copfede-
rates, and the feeling was very bitter to-
wards Union men, and it world have been
unsafe for a Union man to have expressed
his continents, both 10 his person and pro-
perty. After the occupation Of this placeby
the Federal forces, Gen. Hickman's house
was occupied BY Federal officers, and he
was both intimate and friendly with them.
/ heard citizens say he greatly assisted
them in saving their property, and fire.
quently saw citizens on the streets looking
for him heard citizens say that they felt
very grateful to Gen. Hickman for having
them released from arrest and their pro-
perty protected; / never heard anything
against the character of Gen. Hickman in
this community, that would leave the i'm
preston on my mind that he was a bad
man, or that the community had that opin-
ion of him his character, so far az know,
in the community, was that he was a kind,
benevolent man; | have seen evidences OF
his charity and benevolence myself
Cross-examined think | read circu-
lar published by Gen. Hickman, but do not
remember the substance Of it, but think it
was reply TO an article published by j.
Withers Clay. don't remember the nature
of the circular, whether in it, he claimed
to be Union man or Confederate.
DEPOSITION OF JOHN o. NOBLE
was with General Hickman in the win
ter of 1862 and the spring of 1868, know
that General Hickman was then passing
back and forth through the Federal lines,
and he then told that he did so for the
purpose Of buying and selling bacon, goods
and merchandise 10 the Confederates he
told me he had permission from Gems.
Buell., Negley, Rosecrans, Thomas and
Rosseau, and showed me passes from some
of those officers, and that he was trading
between Nashville and Huntsville, Ala. !;
he generally brought sugar, coffee, ham,
salt and molasses and grains, and sold the
same TO the people at the beginning of
the war Gen. Hickman was a Confederate,
and assisted 10 raise troops for the Con-
federate cause, and after the occupation of
Huntsville by the Federsls in April, 1862,
he suddenly changed and represented him.
self az q Federal, and stated to me that on
one occasion he loaded cannon and placed
il on platform car and went up to Point
Ruck Station, on the Memphis and Char
lesion r. r.. aud swore be would blow
the Oonfederacy to hill if ii molested
him, for he had the power to do 80 from
the Federal General commanding after
the Federals had evacuated Huntsville
and il was re-occupied By the Confede-
rates, he denied any affiliatioR with the
Federals, aud published a card in the
Huntsville papers in yindication of his
character az good Confederate. He
was q Confederate when with the
Confederates, aaaa Federal when with the
Federals; he was false to both, as his
private interest demanded. Gen. Hick-
man did trade cotton with the Federals,
though at this time he did not Own cotton
or have any credit of his own. II was a
notorious fact that Hickman seized and
sold private cotton that come in his way,
regardless of ownership and that he made
a proposition 10 witness 20 enter into cot
ton speculation with him, stating that he
had made a million and half dollars by
his cotton speculatlons.
Gen. Hickman proposed to me to enter
into partnership in 1862, to carry on the
contrabsnd trade, and farther solicited me
20 purchase arms and equipments sufficient
TO arm a brigade Of Confederate soldiers,
then being raised By himself and d. c.
Humphreys, and having at the time their
headquarters at Decatur, Alabama; he
exhibited 10 me a letter purporting TO be
from Gov. Neil s. Brown, authorizing him
to purchase arms for his brigade Wit
ness knows Of many acts of kindness done
by Gen. Hickman for Confederates: he
sent at one time as much as $1,000 70 Or
n :. 4