Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1882-06-03
Cant. FRANK p. Gracey.

BuZ, the ancient mariner OF the
wild Suwanee, through the Aliens
vile Gazette, contributes the fol-
lowing biographical sketch TO o.
NJ. Blackman's Vine Histor-
ical Society:
Dock Gracey r0w n prominent
citizen CO JIarksville, was born
years ago-Seventy-five more or less
lin Eddyville, where he married
his present estimable ana accom-
plished wife, at that time the belle
Of the village, and the most beauti-
full woman in Southern Kentucky.
In complimentary honor OF his son
he named the bully Julien Gracey,
whose picture appears every week
in this paper. His own name was
proudly worn by one OF the best
steamboats, that ever turned a
wheel in the Cumberland river.
And that hind-wheel canoedlement
he named after his brother Matt
made a heap OF money IL she was
too slow to work before oxen. Frank
began his nautical career i'm 1851, as
mud clerk on the America. 'Fo de
wah he was the very first clerk of
the Lpella, Embassy, j. G.. Cline,
John Simpson, ST. Francis, Ingo-
mar, and Josephine Savage. Since
the war he has been an officer of
only one boat, the Alice, a mighty
disreputable, 8 x 10 marine insti-
tuition. He is now wharf boat pro-
prietor, railroad agent, a coal mer-
chant, the owner of the Gracey To-
h.ann nd fnt oil
manager of several steamboats,.
Not having been down thar myself,
/ am not, perhaps very well posted
about the Captains military ex-
ploits in the Sufferin' Confectionery,
but j do know that he played sol
dier for three years, first as a Lieu
tenant, then as Captain of Cobb's
Kentucky Battery. In 1861 at
Johnsonville, he was ordered by
Gen. Forrest to go into the steam
boat business, and in il he went,
you bet. His first prize was the
Mazeppa and her barge, both heaY-
lily laden with supplies for the Fed
eral army. A shell from Morton's
battery having disabled this trans
port, she landed on the opposite
side of the Tennessee river, and her
crew, with the exception of three
men abandoned her and slightly
demOralized lit out for the woods.
The river was very high and all tho
small water crafts had been des-
troyed by the enemy, but our hero
could not resist the temptation TO go
boating again, 50 he rolled log In
to the river and himself leaped in
the angry flood determining TO go for
that boat. With the log he gall
lantly breasted the waters OF the
swollen stream and made a land
ing just below the steamer. Alone
he approached the boat and boldly
demanded her surrender, which the
same was quickly done. With the
resistance of his three prisopers he
then stretched line across the riv-
er, and his company Of soldiers
pulled over the valuable prize. On
the same day he captured the j.
w. Cheeseman, Venus, and the tin
clad gunboat 30 Undine. This
vessel was made Confederate
cruiser and was turned over, by a
complimentary order, to the COM
mand of Capt. Gracey. When she
started out Gen. Forrest waved his
hat and told Frank to ''give them
d-n Yankees h-llr The final
destruction of this gunboat with
three others, twelve transport
steamers, forty barges, and their
immense Government stores is his
toric. His last military steamboat
ing was done at Cumberland City,
where he captured and burned the
Thos. E. Tut, Ben. South and
Echo.