Excerpt from: History of Dickson County, Tennessee Civil War and Readjustments, 1861-1870 

Some weeks after the battle of Fort Donelson and the resulting Forrest march through the county, a group of about sixty Federals visited the county on a raiding party, and engaged in a bitter hand-to-hand encounter. By the summer of 1862 guerrilla warfare was at its peak in Dickson and the surrounding counties and a prison was established by the Federals on the public square of Clarksville, which lay some thirty miles north of Charlotte. By the fall of 1862 there were seven guerrillas from Dickson County in the prison facing charges such as “Rebel Agent or Spy”. In nearby Humphreys County considerably more guerrilla activity was transpiring and several men were shot and others were hanged by the vengeful Federals.

By March 1863 Colonel Sanders D. Bruce who was in command of the ‘Twentieth Kentucky Infantry’, United States Infantry was in complete control of Clarksville, and his men visited Charlotte not infrequently. On March 13, He wrote his commanding officer of a foray in that vicinity. “My Calvary found another party of rebel cavalry yesterday near Charlotte,” he wrote, “captured 13 prisoners with horses. Five are new conscripts who claim to be Union men, and desire to take the oath. Instruct me.” In the late fall or early winter of 1863 a portion of two Federal regiments numbering around four hundred took Charlotte and remained there until March, 1864.

They established headquarters in the courthouse, pitched tents in the courtyard, and built makeshift barracks. The Cumberland Presbyterian Church was taken over and used as a hospital. Much damage was done to the public buildings, and some of the public records were destroyed. Smokehouses were raided, stores were taken over and much property was destroyed in a wanton manner.

To combat this activity the people of Dickson County went underground and engaged the invader in guerrilla warfare. According to one source, “a continuous fight was kept up between the Federals and the guerrillas, and not a few lives were sacrificed as a result.” Several weeks before they broke camp, the Federals captured a Charlotte citizen named William D. Willey and shot him as a guerrilla. He allegedly killed John Lindsey, a Dickson Countian who cooperated with the Federals. Another citizen named Demps Dobson was shot about the same time by the Federals, who paced a scrap of paper in the dead man’s hand on which had been written, “Shot in retaliation for the killing of John Lindsey”. This Federal contingent was under the command of a Major Kirwine and a Lieutenant Donnehue. After Kirwine’s men evacuated Charlotte another group of Federals passed through the town in going from Johnsonville to Nashville. They had been led to believe that General Forrest was on his way to Johnsonville intent upon wiping out the Federals, and they were said to have reached Charlotte “in a state of demoralization, having left behind them a trail marked by guns, ammunition, blankets, flour, meal, meat, and in fact everything they found unhandy to carry in their flight.” Upon reaching Charlotte they learned that the crafty Forrest had shifted his command in such a manner as to block their flight from Charlotte to Nashville. At Charlotte the Federals decided to join other Federals at Clarksville rather than to risk and encounter with Forrest.

This is additional information on the same people:

William Willey b.ca 1750 in Salisbury Dist of NC, either in Halifax or Guilford, on the Haw River..died ca 1842 in Dickson was receiving a Rev War pension at that time. Have been unable to obtain RW pension record but it must be there. A plaque on the courthouse lawn in Charlotte, Dickson Co shows names of RW veterans buried in Dickson Co. and he is listed there.

This story is written by Jewell Willey Beakley , who was born in 1895 and died in 1994.

Civil War Story about William Daniel Willey

In the fall of 1863, Nov. to be exact, a Federal troop under Major Kirwine (not sure of spelling) took possession of Charlotte, Tenn, which is the county seat of Dickson County. and he did a lot of damage to the town. He took over the courthouse and not only destroyed the furniture and county records but stripped the country side of all food and supplies.

Our grandfather, Felix Empson Willey, had a relative William Daniel Willey (not sure if an uncle,nephew or cousin) who was at Fort Donelson with Nathan Bedford Forrest’s Cavalry when Ft Donelson fell to General Grant.. Nathan Bedford Forrest and his Cavalry made their escape although Grandpa Felix was captured. William Daniel was discharged in early 1864 due to his age, which was approximately 64 years and that being very old for that time. He managed to make his way home on his cavalry mount, coming through the Federal lines, He was so incensed when he got home and saw what was being done that he began harassing the enemy at every opportunity..Since he was familiar with every hill and valley he would mange to elude the local troops. A number of times he would escape and taunt them with waving his cavalry hat and giving the “Rebel Yell” But later in 1864 he and another man, whose name I can’t remember, were captured by a troop of Federals under Lt Donohue and shot in retaliation for allegedly killing John Lindsey, a northern sympathizer and collaborator. I suppose you would now have classified Dan as a guerrilla for he was a discharged soldier. I was told this story as a young child by Ida Willey Pack, daughter of grandfather Felix E. Willey, but did not remember “Uncle Dan” was captured and executed., She was born before the Civil War and remembered everything vividly. Later I found the account of this happening in an early history book in the Dickson Public Library. It is told that a song was composed and sung locally about Dan Willey and the legendary black stallion. Later I read that another man, Demps Dobson, was also implicated in the Lindsey man’s death. Dobson was shot to death and left lying where he was shot. While he was being prepared for burial a note was found on his body saying ” shot in retaliation for Lindsey’s death.”

A researcher on the Lindsey family said that it was found Dan was innocent of any part of Lindsey’s death. It was also found that the Federals executed him due to harassment he had inflicted on them.

End of Story

This is most interesting as it is possible that Susan Willey, wife of Demps Dobson, was the sister of William Daniel Willey. She had to be related to him someway A thorough research should be done of that possibility and was probably the cause of Demps death. He may have been trying to avenge William Daniel’s death. William Willey b.ca 1750 in Salisbury Dist of NC, either in Halifax or Guilford, on the Haw River..died ca 1842 in Dickson was receiving a Rev War pension at that time. Have been unable to obtain RW pension record but it must be there. A plaque on the courthouse lawn in Charlotte, Dickson Co shows names of RW veterans buried in Dickson Co. and he is listed there.

A researcher on the Lindsey family said that it was found Dan was innocent of any part of Lindsey’s death. It was also found that the Federals executed him due to harassment he had inflicted on them.

This information provided by a friend of Dickson County, Lee Hoover.