Sequachee Valley news. (Sequachee [Sequatchie], Tenn.) 1896-1952, 1903-12-03
COMMODORE HARRIS,
CHS YARN"

lived In the Seventeenth district and
will easily be recalled as tall, straight,
good looking man, with black hair and
ljng, black beard.
He was reared in this county. and
sometime since, when he was on Wis
it here, he was asked to furnish some of
his recollections for publication. On
his return to Marion county, his pres
ent home, he kindly complied, but has
probably concluded that his interesting
letter found its way Into the scrap
basket" as he predicted that it might.
But it is altogether too valuable a con-
tribution to local history for that kind
of treatment.
Mr. Harris letter is given below:
81 first saw the light of day May 6,
1912, on what is now known as the Mon
roe Fry farm, out in the st, Elmo dis
trict Ispent all Of my childhood days
on that farm, living with my widowed
mother, my father having died when l
was little over years old.
after become old enough to 60 to
school was sent two months in the
year to the common public school of the
district and the school teachers of that
day were more perfect in teaching the
art of playing marbles than they were
in teaching mathematics. My mother
had arranged for me to go to school one
term to man by the name of Alderhoff,
who taught high school on top of
Lookout mountain, but the civil war
broke this up; therefore, my education
was cut off
According to what have heard my
mother say, | was the youngest of elev-
en- children, and they have all passed to
the great beyond, leaving me alone, too
soon to follow on.
MY father and two brothers OF his,
DR.. Nathaniel and Dr. Crawford,
with their brother-in-law, Richard
Cobbs, immigrated from Albemarle Co.,
Virginia, and settled in Monroe county
about the year 1887.
Richard Cobbs was the grandfather
of your fellow townsmen, jeff and Flet-
cher Rogers. Richard Cobbs, like my
father, died pretty soon after coming to
Hamilton county. Father and mother
and Uncle Richard Cobhs and his wife,
and Lucy Cobbs were all laid to rest in
the family cemetery on the Fry farm,
''Dr. N. Harris was the quartermaster
at Chattanooga, at the time the Indians
were taken from there. He and DR.. Mi
10 Smith practiced medicine together
all OF the time he remained in Chatta-
nooga. He left Chattanooga and moved
to Cleveland, Tenn, where he remained
till he died.
"Dr. Crawford Harris first made his
home at Talladega, Ala and remained
there until the civil war, when be ac-
cepted the position of medical director
for Joseph e. Johnson's army, in the
confederate service, and after the close
of the war he becaue medical director
for the medical institute of Atlanta.
my father, Robt. NJ. Harris. was a
colonel Of the state militia of Hamilton
county, and his two brothers and him.
self were jackson democrats. have
had some of the old citizens of Hamil.
ton county to tell me that if my father
had lived longer that would have been
democrat But this is not a recorded
fact, for the first vote ever cast was
for Abraham Lincoln, the second time
time he ran for president have OF
ten told Hon. John A. Moon that ad
mired him a good deal because be wal
from the same state and county tnat my
mother an 'ather were from.
II reme,~ Der Chattanooga when il
had only one or two stores, and one ho
tel, conducted by John q. Glass. Tht
hotel stood on Market street, betweel
Sixth and Seventh streets. My mothe
owned a colored man by the name Of AL
fred, whom she hired to Glass for eigh
or ten years for one hundred dollars pc
year. Alfred staid at tho hotel all th,
time Alfred was we'll known in afte
years as Alfred Cobb. lie was the ia
ther of the Cobb boys, colored, Of you
town. Alfred acted as justice of tn
peace for the colored people in matri
monial cases, and had great faith tha
Lincoln would free the negro. l an
sorry that be did not live to see it.
"When the civil war came up, an
the only brother had living, wer
farming on the Cobb's farm, on tb
Tennessee river, and now known a
Moccasin Bend The last crop we mad
in the bend was in the year 1862. w
we're living there in the month Of Jun
| believe, when the yankees first fire
on Chattanooga. A Lieutenant and 81
or seven privates rode up to our hous'
and asked me who's horses those wei
in the lot. told him they belonge
to nv brothers and myself He tol
me that he had orders TO take them.
told thom they were al we had and tn
u he took them we could not finish OF
erops. lie asked me how it was v
,,.ore mot in the confederate army.