The National tribune., 1902-08-21
ELLEJOY KNOBS.
Recollections ef War Days in a
Loyal Section of Tennessee.
BY MAI. WILL A. McTEER.

BY MAI. WILL A. McTEER.
There is a section of territory at the
eastern extremity of Blount County,
Tenn, known as the Ellejoy Knobs. 1t
is between the Chilhowee Mountain and
EllejOy Greek. being a strip about three
miles wide and eight miles in length. In
this section are the foot hills of the Chill
hOwee; rough. precipitous and heavily
timbered. At the time of the outbreaking
of the war these knobs were more thick
ly settled than most of the mountainous
regions in that locality. The lands were
steep, and on that account hard to cuti-
vate, but the soil was quite fertile and
productive. The people lived In open log
cabins, and from their birth were accus-
toned to hardships and exposure, and
loved the freedom Of their wild surround
ings.
At the opening Of the war there was
n man named Davis. near 20 years of age,
who espoused the cause of the South. His
age and feebleness prevented aggressive
action on his part, and on that account he
was not molested by those who opposed
him. William Elledge, who was in the
very zenith Of his manhood cast his lot
with the Confederacy, and at an early
day enlisted. A young man, McClanahan,
who really did not belong to that section,
but had come in just at the Outbreaking
Of hostilities, also enlisted. Afterward
another young man, John Farmer, espous-
ed the Southern cause. This completes
the list of adherents to the Confederacy.
All others were solid for the Union: and
nearly all. from the beardless youth to the
gray-haired grandfather made their way
to the Federal lines and became soldiers
under the Stars and Stripes. Part Of
these made their way to the Cumberland
Mountains just in time to follow in the
distance the retreating columns of Gen.
George w. Morgan from Cumberland
Gap to the Ohio River. and did not reach
the army until it was found in Ohio.
They followed thus in the track of a re-
treating army of starving soldiers. through
the mountains. beset on all sides by the
enemy, for a distance of nearly 400 miles,
suffering such privatiOns as it is seldom
the lot of man to suffer, from hunger,
fatigue and constant dread Of attacks
by what they regarded as a relentless
and merciless foe.
Having enlisted, Elledge and McClan-
ahan. clad in their Confederate uniforms,
went back among their old neishbors. The
probabilities are that they were taunted
and teased considerably by the UniOnists.
who were sOrely vexed Mt the presence Of
the uniform which they considered as
meaning oppression to them and the de-
structiOn of the Government they loved
so much. Elledge told many stories about
the stupidity of the Yankees, and one
Southerner whipping five Of them. and
how the Confederate soldiers would run
along the lines of the Yankees and cut
them off at the knees with sabers, and the
like. 1t was foolish, idle talk, but in
tended to COW and depress the loyal spir-
it, that was not to be intimidated. Nc
Clanahan did the same thing, and it was
said, in addition that he was insulting to
the loyal women.
One bright day in the very beginning of
the war, Elledge, clad in his gray uni
form, was walking near his home. A
shot was fired from a small rife, and the
ball took effect in his side. Fortunately
for him, the ball struck a rib, and not
having force sufficient to break or pene-
trate the rib, it followed the bone partly
around the body. He was carried home,
and suffered severely from the wound.
On the same day, at about the same time,
some two miles away, another shot was
fired which took effect in McClanahan's
wrist. The ball struck among the bones
on the outside and ranged downward and
inward, lodging under the tendons in the
palm Of the hand.
The physician found it wedged in be-
tween the bones and under the tendons
of the hand, so that he could not cut
down directly to it without great danger
of severing the tendons and thus making
a bad hand, and, being without forceps,
made an incisiOn as far as he felt it
safe in going, and left it for .suppuratiOn
to aid in opening the way out.
A few days after this, when the open
ing was almost sufficient for the exit of
the ball, the wounded man was sitting in
the door of cabin with knitting needle
picking at the lOosening ball. A shot was
fired from the hillside some distance off,
and the ball struck him in the right shOul
der, passing clear through and out at his
left shoulder. A gunsmith in the neigh
bOrhood had made gun with a large
bore, driving n forced and pointed ball.
This shot was from that gun.
McClanahan leaped high in the air, his
body twisting as he leaped, and he fell,
his head against a barrel near the door of
the cabin. He was dead.
John ii. Morgan was then a Colonel
commanding Il regiment. He was sent
from Knoxville with his command
to quell the rebellion in the Ell
lejoy Knobs. He went directly to the
house of Elledge to remove him. While
few were in the house preparing for
the removal of the wounded man to the
ambulance or wagon, and the command
was thC piClulsCS oh
guard and = watching for the enemy"
three shots were fired from n high point
above them. One of the bullets took ef
feet in the hand of one of Morgan's men.
Throwing out a skirmish line the soldiers
dashed with all speed possible up the side
of the ridge in search of the attacking
parties. They declared, however, that the
cork was drawn from the mouth of the
cloud, and it settled in utter darkness over
the knob that concealed the Lincolnites,
for they searched everywhere and could
not find them.
The'boys who did the shooting dropped
behind the body of a large fallen tree
which was lying alongside Of the ridge,
and the leaves had drifted against it on
the upper side. Here they stretched out
their bodies, twisting themselves under
the leaves close up under and against the
trunk of the tree. The cloud that sud-
denly lowered over the high point confused
the cavalrymen, and did much to conceal
the object of their search. A squad of
MOrgan's men lcaped their horses over the
fallen tree and the boys lying there in the
leaves, but did not find them. A few
months after this the three boys that did
the shooting enlisted in the Sd Tenn. Cav.
FederaD, and served as good and faith
full soldiers until their death. They were
all three lost on the ill-fated Sultana, April
27, 1865.
Tho other younp man that went with