Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1880-05-25
A RARE OLD COAL.
Worn BY an American Colonel at
the Surrender of Lord
Cornwallis.
The Owner Buried in shelby
County Over Fifty Years
Ago.

Shelby county sends forward to the
Tennessee historical society, through
the LEDGER office, a rare old relic Of
the revolutionary war. 1t is a dingy
faded blue coat of English pilot
cloth, worn by Colonel Clement Nc.
Daniel, who commanded a regiment Of
infantry in the American army from
Spottsylvania courthouse, at the sur.
render of Lord CORVALLIS. 1t was
cut away in front in the style of the
times, with short breast and long tail
or skirt, and flaps at the hips as il
%concealing pockets. The buttons.
only a limited number of which re-
main, are of plain gilt, such as were
used by our revolutionary fathers.
Colonel Mcdaniel came to the wiIds
Of Tennessee soon after the revolu-
tionary war and settled at or near
Nashville. 1t is said that he at
tempted to establish iron works there,
but failed, and came a few years later
to the wilds of what is now Shelby
county. He had a wife, a son and
seven daughters. Tradition says that
his daughters were very beautiful.
Colonel Mcdaniel located at the
mouth Of Big creek, where it empties
into the Hatchie river, and where he
built tents, opened a clearing, and
carried on a traffic with the Indians.
He and his family were among the
first white people from the east who
settled in this county.
Mr.. John Ralston, one of the early
pioneers of this section, came here
from near Lebanon, Tennessee, in
1895, when about nineteen years old.
lie was a surveyor, and surveyed
large tracts Of land both in Tennes-
see and Kentucky. One day he came
suddenly upon Colonel MeDaniel's
camp on Big creek, and was greatly
surprised. al he had never heard of
the settlement. The colonel could
not induce him to come in and face so
many handsome girls until he went to
the creek and attempted to improve
his appearance. 1t seems that he sue
ceeded then or subsequently, for in 1915
he married Miss Lucy Tice Mcdaniel,
the sixth daughter, then only fifteen
years old.
Colonel Mcdaniel died at the resi-
dence of his son-in-law, in this county,
over fifty years ago.
Mr.. John Ralston laid out the an
cient town of Raleigh, and was one Of
the first three or five magistrates of
county. He died In the year
1868 at the age of Seventy-nine. His
wife, Lucy Tice Ralston, died Novem-
Der 18th, 1879, also at the ripe old age
of age of seventy-nine. She kept her
fathers continental uniform intact
until 20 years ago. About that time
she took off the epaulets, which were
very fine and heavy, and gave them to
her children, and by some accident
the war they were lost.
After the death of Mrs. Ralston, her
son-in-law, Captain W. M. Coleman,
Of Lucy depot, administered upon
her effects. 1t was decided in the
to present the coat worn by
Colonel Mcdaniel at the surrender of
Lord CORVALLIS, to the Tennessee
historical society. 1t was accordingly
at Mr.. James Kirkland's yes.
and forwarded by express to
MIR. AnSon Nelson, secretary Of the
society.
The dust Of Colonel Mcdaniel and
wife, Mr., Ralston and his wife, and
other members of the family, lies in
the family burying ground near Lucy
depot, a few miles north Of Memphis.
They wereall highly respectable intel
Iigent people, and the descendants of
the two old couples mentioned are
very numerous, and widely scattered
over Shelby, Fayette, Upton and
other counties, and even in the dis
tant west. They are generally people
means, influence and high stand
ing. They may, however, well be
proud of their pioneer ancestors.