Additional Testimony for the Commissioners of Claims at Washington

Claim of William Cate of Bradley county, Tennessee no. 15.774 and 20702

Deposition of Andrew J. Maples

Aged 38 years, residence Cleveland Tennessee. I am a blacksmith not related to the claimant and have no interest in his claim. I was a federal soldier in Company (G?), 9th Tennessee Cavalry, and am now a pensioner for wounds received during the war. In May, 1864 I was at home in Cleveland, where I had been raised, on furlough from my wounds and was sent by Lt. Scott-Post Quartermaster at Cleveland with an orderly out to the claimant William Cate’s farm to look out the best pasturage for the Head Quarter horses. I went with the orderly to the claimant’s farm. The first of claimant’s fields that I came to was about ten twelve acres and was filled with convalescent horses. We then went to other fields of the claimant and found a field of 20 to 22 acres of excellent pasture well set with clover and timothy. The Head Quarter horses were sent to this field the next morning. I saw our considerable lot of horses sent. At the time I was out there, I saw another field of about 20 or more that had horses in it and seemed pretty well eaten out and tromped down. This had wheat in it that year.

These fields were all first crop upland – just about as good as can be found in this county.

There were more or less horses in all the fields except the one into which we put the Head Quarter horses.

In the preceding February or March this same orderly asked me to go out to Mr. Cate’s farm to show him the best way to haul hay and oats from his farm. But I excused myself on account of my wound. I saw the wagons start for his place saying that they were going to Mr. Cate’s place after hay and oats and I saw the wagons return loaded with hay and oats. I saw them return from that direction for several days. I recollect that when the people of this county were proving their claims under the Tennessee act to prove such claims before County Commissioners appointed by the Governor, that myself and claimant were setting near the door of the house when these commissioners were proving their claims, when Mr. J.C. Steed came up and asked Mr. Cate if he recollected certain property that was taken away from Mr. Steed by the federals and Mr. Cate replied he did. Mr. Cate then asked if he had filed his claim and my recollection is that Steed said he had not but was going to do so in a day or two.

Steed then asked Cate if he had filed his claim and Cate said he had no confidence in that business and did not think there was any money in that court and Steed replied he thought it would put their claim in better shape for the future and to get up the evidence up on it.

I had known the claimant from my youth and I lived at Cleveland all the time I was at home during the war and had for years before and have lived here ever since. I regarded the claimant as a Union man, always heard him so express himself during the war and since and I think that I know his public reputation for loyalty and it was that he was loyal to the cause of the United States. I never heard it questioned except by one man. I never doubted it myself.

signed,
A.J. Maples
before, John W. Ramsey – Special Commission

Links to each section of the transcribed file:

• Introduction & Part VIII — Conclusion
• Part I — William Cate’s Claimed Losses
• Part II — Notes from the Office of the Commissioners of Claims
• Part III — Depositions Taken in 1875 Regarding Claimant’s (Cate) Loyalty
• Part IV — Opinion Submitted by John B. Brownlow, U. S. Special Commission
• Part V — Additional Testimony for the Commissioners of Claims at Washington
  • Depositions:
    William Cate ~ Joseph H. Davis ~ Leonard Carrouth ~ Capt. A. E. Blount ~ John A. Steed ~ J. F. Larrison ~ Mrs. Sidney Henderson ~ Col. D. M. Nelson ~ Samuel Grigsby ~ Andrew J. Maples ~ John A. Hague ~ Herman Foster ~ Thomas L. Cate ~ James McGhee ~ Thomas Rains ~ D. B. Oneal ~ Thomas A. Cowan ~ C. L. Hardwick ~ Joseph Calloway ~ J. C. Steed ~ Joseph R. Taylor ~ William W. Wood(s) ~ James H. Brown ~ James S. Robertson ~ John H. Craigmiles ~ John H. Parker ~ John McReynolds ~ John W. Witcher
• Part VI — Summary of All Evidence for and Against Cate’s Loyalty
• Part VII — Opinion of Witnesses by John W. Ramsey
• Part VIII — William Cate’s Letter to Judge A. O. Alder

The information in these articles was formerly linked from Bradley County TNGenWeb to a site owned by Danny Roy Williams at Geocities.  The site was last available in 2009.  It is available through the Internet Archive here.  No copyright infringement is intended.