, 1886-04-18
A. J. Kicks RecoIIections of Judge
Baxter.

Onloi ntlu al tDe Onlted states court
rooms. at Cleveland. o., Friday, April 7,
called to take suitable action concernine
the death of Judge Baxter, among the
addresses delivered was the following by
A. j. Kicks, clerk of the court, and a
friend of the deceased Judge Of long
standing;
"On a bright September day, in 1868,
the Union army made its victorious march
into Knoxville amid the welcome cheers
of 10000 East Tennessee Union people.
In the advance was a brigade of Ohio
infantry regiments, with which / served
as an officer of the brigade staff. On the
balcony of the leading hotel stood Gen.
Burnside and staff, surrounded by dis
tinguished East Tennesseeans, reviewing
the army massed in front of them.
"A resolute. portly man, with clean
shaver face, black hair and deep-set,
piercing black eyes, whose every feature
and movement indicated force, courage
and ability, was delivering an address of
welcome to the army on behalf of the
Union people of East Tennessee. hoard
his even tempered but vigorous speech,
and my hat and ringing cheers helped to
swell the response to his loyal u~tterances
from the enthusiastic army. Such were
the surroundings under which | first saw
and heard Judge John Baxter, whose I'M
timely death we this day deplore.
"As post adjutant of Knoxville, imme-
diately following its capture and occupa-
ton, my official duties brought me into
close communication with the leading men
OF that section, and enabled me, under
peculiar and varying circumstances, to
measure their courage and study their
character, and among them all no one so
universally enjoyed the confidence of all
in command, from Gen. Burnside down,
as Col. Baxter, as he was then universally
called, and no ones advice was SO freely
sought or relied upon.
After the battle of Chickamauga,
when Longstreet's forces were sent to
drive Burnside's army out of East Ten
nessee. and the success OF the expedition
seemed more than probable, Burnside
telegraphed Brownlow and Baxter adyis-
inc them of the danger, and suggesting
that they cross the mountains to Cincin-
natl until the fight for Knoxville was
over.
"On a dark November night | was
directed to report with a small mounted
escort to a certain well known point in
the city, there to receive sealed orders.
On reaching the appointed place | found
the orders were to escort n party of lead
ing Union men as far north toward Clinch
river as | could safely do, so as to return
within our lines by daylight the following
morning. l found by the designated hour
for starting a group of excited, anxious
men. each of whom realized that capture
meant probable death. One man of the
group, from the beginning of the hazard
Gus ride, impressed me with the coolness,
judgment and courage with which he cal
culated the dangers confronting them,
and advised as to the best means of avoid
ing them, and it was soon apparent that
to him tue distinguished band looked as
leader and adviser. And when, at al
hour when all agreed my orders required
me to leave them to their own chance, l
parted from them with many misgivings as
to their safety. | noticed they all ~instinc-
lively turned to Baxter as pilot and com
mander.
Amid such surroundings and under
many other circumstances Of a similar
character, during that e%ventful period OF
war and devastation in Tennessee, l be-
gan an acquaintance with Judge Baxter
which, in years Immediately following the
war, when l became a resident of Knox
vile, ripened into friendship. Intimate
personal and official relations extending
over twenty years have enabled me to
know him SO well that | feel it a duty on
this occasion to give to you, as members
Of the bar of this court, a few Incidents of
his life and thereby aid you in better es.
tImating his worth as a man, and better
able to understand his merits as a lawyer
and Judge. And if in this preliminary
statement of the exceptional circumstan-
ces under which our friendship COM
menced, | have departed from the usual
procedure on occasions of this character,
| trust the remarkable character of the
man whose many noble traits deserve
perpetual record, and the unusual and
almost romantic circumstances under
which they were developed and manifes-
ted, will be my sufficient justification.
Judge Baxter was born on the 5th day
of April. 1879, in Rutherford county.
North Carolina. His father, William
Baxter, was an Irish Protestant, born
near Dublin, who came to America when
20 years old. He landed at Charleston,
S. c., and Immediately located on a farm
in Rutherford county. North Carolina,
where he died, 1852, at the ripe age Of
% years. He was a man Of great force
Of character and possessed many of those
traits strongly marked in his son John.
His family was remarkable for the physi-
cal vigor and strong mental traits Of the
children, of whom there were many, and
all Of whom grew to manhood and woman
hood. John was the sixth son, and his
earlier years we're spent on his fathers
farm, where he enjoyed only the edrca-
tional advantages of the country schools
of that sparscly settled Southern State.