The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1903-10-23
Samuel Gullett, Of Leftwich, one
of Last Survivors OF Sem
mole War.
SOMETHING OF HIS CAREER
How He and Band of Brave Maury
countians Drove the Blood-thirsty
Savage off the Warpath and
Saved the White Set
tiers of the south.

Mr.. Samuel Gullett, Of the Left witch
neighborhood, one of the most interest
ing characters in this section OF the
state. was in Columbia Thursday. Mr..
Gulletr has the distinction OF being
probably the last survivor in Tennessee;
at least, in Maury county. of the
Seminole Indian war In 1885. He Is
an octogenarian, being now 80 years
ola, but his step is as elastic as tnat OF
man twenty years younger. His
eve is as bright, and his memory 10
unusually clear for a man OF his age.
A Herald reporter had the pleasure
this morning of meeting Mr.. Gullett
and of obtaining something OF MS
interesting career.
II was in 1886, while Davy Crockett
and his baud of heroic Tennesseans
were fighting the Mexlcans for the
independence of the Lone Star State
ana winning Imperishable fame at the
Alamo. that the Seminole Indians In
the southern country became unruly
and Went on the warpath, terrorlZing
the sparsely settled sections into which
the white man had blazed his path,
and threatening destruction to the
pioneers who had penetrated the
wilderness and paved the way foI
ciyllization g tread IN Florida aud the
southern parts of Georgia. Andrew
Jackson. ''Oid Hickory, was
president. When the Seminoles went
on the warpath, the President
promptly issued call for volunteers
to suppress the uprising.
Two companies of militia were at
oace organized In Maury county ana
one In Williamson. William ]. Frier-
son. who lived in the Frierson
/ ne,phborhood, commanded one
comp any, and George Llpscomb, who
lived near WllIiamsport. commanded
the other. Capt. Lipscomb was the
father of the present Register, I. T..
Lipscomb, and Messrs. W. Fl. ana Ben
Llpscomb, of Columoia. a1d OF Cap.
| A. A. Lipscomb. of Ashwood. HIS COM
pany was recruited around Williams
port. Porter Gordon. father OF the
present County Judge, W. y. Gordon,
was Major of the regiment OF wnicn
these companies formed q part, anu
Terry II. Cahai, who was lawyer at
the Columbia bar before the war broke
out. was Colonel.
Mr.. Guilett was a member or capt.
Erlerson g company. The uprising OF
the Indians was speedily crushed, the
war lasting less than a year. Mr..
Outlet tells in most interesting
manner of the campaign against the
Red men. After peace had been
restored. the soldiers returned to ZEN
nessee VIA the Gulf of Mexico ana the
Mississippi river At Mobile they
embarked on steamers for New
Orleans, thence up the Mississippi.
into the Ohio and up the Cumberland
to Nashville. From there they came
home by the stage coach, but most OF
them marched through the country
Mr.. Gullett draws pension from
the government for the service In the
Seminole war, but it was not until
1880 that he began to receive THIS
reward. While a soldier in this war
he received $22. 90 per month. which is
interesting because 1t shows tnat IL
was worth more to fight for Uncle sam
then than it is now. toe present pay
for army service during war being
S15. 80 per month.
Was Confederate Soldier
| Whan the civil war broke out, Mr..
Gullett enlisted in the Conte"ola.o
army, serving ia tue company oV~
manded by Capt Davy Sowell OF this
county, and In the regiment COM
manded by Col VIM. Soweil. ne was
taken prisoner at the surrender OF rorI
Uonelson, IN 1859. and taken to Gan p
Douglass, near Chicago, where he was
i;murisuned. While lncarcerated there,
he contracted acute rhe umat,sm,
which, after his exchange and release
A fsW months later, rendered hlm I'M
able to march, and he was forced ~
s;neular fact in Mr.. Gullett's
career il that he is still Living rlgnt
On tho spot where he was born III 1910,
.; ohty i've years ago. His father was
ore az the first white men to settle IN
Many county. He located out IN
II WHAT'S now known AZ the Leftwlnn
neiuborhood, but what was then notn-
inc INIT a vast wilderness. he ana MS
wife and children were the only wnlte
rsm,lv within twenty or thirty miles,
md surrounded by tribes OF Indians.
The latter, however, were irie.ls
and no trouble ever resulted WIZ
them. Mr.. Gullett IL the last u a
large family of ten children. His last
hrnfher TO die was the late Col. New
ton 6. Gullett, of Galveston, Ie1as,
, who lost his life in the great hood
which swept over that city IN lsoo.
Col. Gullett was man OF large
ttdrtnne. having accumulated an estate
worth something like 800. ON. Mr..
ffinliett has recently hao 8, 600 monn
ment placed over has brothers crave III
Galveston.
A LIfe-Lone Democrat.
!. MIR. Gullett Is life, long democrat,
and has voted for every democratic
nominee for president since 1913; Int
frat vote he ever cast was tor cover
nor Newton Cannon in 1884, VINO
thoueh a Wing, was relative OF Mr.
tjullett's family. Mr.. Guilett remem
her, well the citizenship of President
lanes X. Polk In Columbia, before
: that distinguished statesman mac
receiyed the high honors which wer'
asterwards his. He recalls distincti
The nomination Of President Polk ,!
the baltimore convention in lS44, AM
WAS a participant in the popular dem
lnustrati6ns which took place In 20
Iirmbia when the news OF Polk's noml
nation was received. - .;n,
MI. Guliett Is y bachelor. naviul