Herald and tribune. [volume] (Jonesborough, Tenn.) 1869-current, 1894-03-14
A MILITANT PARSON.
Some "reminiscences of a Sturdy East
Tennessean.

W. N' Naitei drtlCle, On une history
of the First Tennessee Federal Cavalry,
i'll last Sundays Journal, was very in.
teresting-e especially the mention made
OF the GOODNESS and bravery of the chap.
lain, Rev. John p. Holtsinger, at the
battle near Messy Creek. Parson Holt.
singer, was native of this country
was borned and reared a few miles
rather southwest of this place. His
father, John Holtsinger, or Uncle John
ME as he was familiarly known, came
from Pennsylvania, and although a
very quiet and peaceable man, he was
as brave as old Andrew jackson: his
eyes were black and piercing. He was
a Henry Clay Wing of the most pro-
nounced and radicalt type. Uncle John
ME married Miss Patton, whose fam
lily, including herself, were all intense
ly Democratic. All of their children,
including the future chaplain of the
FIRST Tennessee Calvary followed their
mother into the Democratic camp, SO
that Uncle Johnnie was the only Whig
voter In a very numerous connection,
but what he lacked in numbers he
made up in backbone-and never sur
rendered. Such was the father of Rev.
John Patton Holtsinger.
Parson Holtsinger was a member of
the Cumberland Presbyterian Church
and was very earnest and useful min
lister in the denomination and was al
ways very popular with the "plain peo.
pie. After a time the parson moved
over into the northeast part of Greene
County, where he preached for time
and made many friends. Later on he
moved down near Greeneville, where
lived Andy Johnson, then in the zenith
OF his power and glory as a Congress-
man. In 1851 Andy made his fifth
and last race for Congress, and his
competitor was Landon C. Haynes, of
this county, and also Democrat.
Holtsinger was Haynes man in
that fight and he never did anything
by halves, he was Haynes man with
all his might and down on johnson
like thousand of brick. So on cleo
tion day he concluded to 60 back to the
good old Seventeenth District, where
he had lived and preached for years
and where he imagined he had many
friends and much influence, and to do
little missionary work in behalf of
HBynes. Now II there was any one
place that Andy johnson was entirely
solid with the dear people" it was in
this same Seventeenth Precinct of
Greene County; it was "deestrict"
where Democrats were numbered by
the hundred and wings by the dozen
for years and years Andy had been
coming among them, drinking their
corn Ticker" and making stump
speeches until Parson Holtsinger or
any one else might just as we'll have
tried to persuade the Turks that Ma
homet was not true prophet, as to
have attempted to turn the Democrats
of the Seventeenth District of Greene
County away from johnson when he
wanted their votes. But, however, the
parson went to the voting ground on
election day and soon gathered num-
ber Of old friends and admirers around
him and was excoriating the great
commoner in style that was anything
but pleasing 10 his audience; so one of
them slipped away and got jug of
good ELECTION Ticker" and then stole
quietly back into the crowd, and, hold
ing the jug high, yelled out, "Holtsing-
er's treat The crowd roared; Holtsing-
er got roaring mad and left in disgust,
leaving the people to drink their
Ticker" and vote for johnson in peace.
Ten years rolled around 1851 and
the war came, johnson and Holtsinger
were both for the Union and were as
great friends as David and Jonathan
Of old. Holtsinger took johnson in a
buggy and they drove through Cum,
berland Gap, where the bullets were
whistling over their heads into Ken
lucky, at that day and time, regarded
as the Promised Land" for the Un.
iodists of East Tennessee.
Johnson's history from that time on
is too we'll known to be repeated here.
Parson Holtsinger went through the
war as chaplain of the First Tennessee
Cavalry. His brother William, from
this county, was in the Southern army,
but did not come home at the close of
the war, and has never been heard of
since.
Three of his first cousins from this
county-the Bottles boys, were also in
the Southern army. Maj. j. L. Bottles
of the Twenty Sixth Tennessee regi-
ment, was killed in fight in upper
East Tennessee along in 1868. William
I. Bottles was killed at Drury's Bluff
Va. The one great sorrow of Mr..
Holtsinger's life was the mysterious
loss OF his son, a young man in his
teens, who started from his Greene.
vile home dun ing the later part of the
war, to make his way to the Federal
lines at Knoxville. He was riding on
horseback and had. some money; but
was never heard of after passing Mud
Creek, near Russellville. 1t was always
supposed that he was killed for his
money.
When johnson became Presidant he