The National tribune., 1898-02-03
A pRo1oST'S STORY
Life in Southern Middle Ten
nessee During the Last
Months of the War.
By J. STUART WILSON, CAPTAIN, 43d WIS,
IORkvILLE, ILL.


Directly after the battle of Nashville my
regiment was ordered To Dechcrd, q town at
; the base and on the north side of the Cum
berland range OF mountains, in what is
called Southern Middle Tennessee. This
section spreads northward from the foot OF
the mountains into beautiful, undulatlng
plateau, extending on TO the Cumberland
River. Several of the wealthIest, most
populous and productive Counties OF the
State of Tennessee lay within this terri
tory and many thriving and cnterprislng
villages and towns were thickly dotted
over the landscape.
Previous to the war this section was
pronounced the garden spot OF the South.
One or more of the higher grades OF schools,
generally termed SemnarieS and colleges,
were To be found in almost every County
seat; always, however private enterprises.
Churches of the Cumberland Presbyterian,
Baptist and Methodist denominations
nourished, and the highest conditions OF
enlightened society prevailed. The land
holders and the professional men were
well educated and very hospitable.
| When the war broke out this section be-
came radically rebel, and every able bodied
man became a rebel soldier. The LIST Tenn.
was raised in franklin County, and 1T was
commanded by Col. Turney, afterwards "a
General. His brother was a Captain in the
same organization. They were the sons of
a noble sire, Senator Turncy, of ante
bellum times. The war was practically at
q close, although the great eliminating
victory did not take place until the sur
| render of Gen. Lee To Gen. Grant at Apo
mattox Courthouse on the 9Th day of April
| following.
The organized forces under Gen. Hood
! had been scattered and pursued to the
country beyond the Tennessee River, by
III
Gen. Wilson never 10 be modified again
The whole country had been occupied by
the advancing army Of the rebel Genera!
| Bragg in 1862; then he, in 1868, retreated
before the pursuing army OF Gen. RoSe-
Grams and in 1851, Hood S advancing army,
! IN its march on Nashville, filled this
! country.
All of these great aggregatonS Of men
marc hing to and .ro rendered desolation and
ruin inevitable. At The time that came
to the scene the whole country from louis
! Viie Ky, To- Chattanooga, on the TenneS-
see River presented one grand view Of de
1 yastation The common highways were
/ almost impossible. They were worn into
ruts by army baggage trains, and washed
I into eulles and deep holes by the rams.
/ The supervising hand of the road oversecr
! had not touched them for over four years.
The fences were destroyed and the rails
| had supplied the camplireS OF the con
tending armies. The land was grown up TO
weeds and the soil was badly washed
I away bv floods The houses were gener-
! ally destroyed and nothing was left to
mark the hearthstone, around which the
! family circle had gathered for many decades,
but the chimney, standing solitary and
| alone the mute monument OF the cruel
confagration caused by the ruthless hand
( OF the marauGer.
Every useful article for the house
! farm was missing II there happened to
he a dwelling left by the destroyers, 1T
/ would he tenanted only by the women and
children and the old folks The interior
would be lily furnished with the poorest,
the least useful and the oldest and most
! diapidated furniture and bedding, down,
! even to the most meager cooking utcusilS
and even they would have to he handled
with care to be OF any practical utility.
| The outhouses and barns were also
| stripped Of every Tangible thing that could
| be torn loose and carried away. If there
| was anything left at all, Il would be per
haps the running gears OF some old rickety
| wagon or carriage, apparently ready, ike
| the famous one horse shay, To fail to pieces
| at the least prOvocatiOn. IT might be an
| old croWbait OF q horse or mule would be
| seen standing in field i'm a very mourn
full attitude very sedate and melancholy in
| appearance, doubtless engaged in taking a
sad retrospect OF the time when oats and
| beans were plenty ana odmDo promptly
gave him attention.
10 the soldier Of either army any kind
of cooking utensils were a bonanza, and
they were seized at once as suitable
trophy Of war frying pan, a skillet or "a
covered baking oven, commonly called Il
spider were particularly priced and dotted
| upon 0ftentimes bedding and household
furniture were utilized in the camp OF the
soldier, and for day, < might be u week,
| they would serve as reminders OF the nome
and the home comforts left behind. one
! soldier was known to carry a bee hive 1ull
| OF honey for three days on the march;
| another Il rocking chair for five days
| In the towns even a greater degree OF
disorder and ruin was discernible. I'm
agine a town large enough 10 contain 2eCO
| or more inhabitants, possessing AL the
necessary buildings, shops, hotels, school
houses, semnarics COLLEGES and churches
| as well as residences, all Of them at one
| time well Kept and inhabited, now un
occupied. excepting q few dwellings. The
! stores were empty the safes blown open,
the floors covered with in,oiees ol goods
and general correspondence in many in
stances covering Il period Of 80 years before
| the war.
The court houses, County Offices, law
yers' Offices were all found in a great
state of disorder; the public records were
| burned scattered and tramped under foot.
| One peculiar feature ! noticed, and that
was the bills OF sale OF negroes and the
chattel mortgages on them were Just as
| plentiful as the same kind of instrument
/
| ] picked up a souvenir and brought
home with me the bill Of sale of a negro
| boy X years old, which was duly signed
sealed, recorded and delivered, and after
wards duly assigned upon the back thereof
| all in regular legal piraseoiogy.
| The churches and college buildings were
dismantled. At Winchester the Female
College was sacked and 80 heating stoves
taken from the dormitories and utilized by
the boys in their tents; even the feather
beds of the school were put into retius-
ton upon the hastily-constructed hunks
The churches were despoied of the
cushions, and the lamps were made to do
service for the comfort and convenience Of
the soldier These Expectations were com
mitted by both armies. business Of no
kind was carried on except by some baker
or suller from our own army who had OBJ
tanned permission from the General COM
manding to engage in traffic with the sol
diers. The mildcw of idlcness and the
devastating results Of grim-visaged war
had settled down upon the town as well as
the country.
Such was about the appearance ard con-
dtion Of the country when assumed the
duties of my Office as Provost Marshal OF
what was then termed THE First Military
Sub District Of Middle Tennessee by
| order Of Maj-Cen. Thomas commanding
10 say what the duties of the office were
or would be would be as difficult Ia define
as they were hand to carry out Ny iuris
] ..L. he,