Additional Testimony for the Commissioners of Claims at Washington

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

Deposition of Herman Foster

Aged 55 years. I was examined before in rebuttal and answered such questions as were asked me. This as I understand was before the claimant had seen the depositions of Carrouth, Blount, Larrison and others. Now in answer before the questions says, during the few weeks I spent at the claimant’s house beginning the latter half of September, I met Captain Ainsworth E. Blount at least twice at the claimant’s house and heard conversations between claimant and Capt. Blount about the war and other subjects and I had private conversations with him and obtained the impression that claimant was one of the most firm and consistent true blue Union men of our county.

In our conversation the claimant told us about his various losses during the war and that if he had not used a little cunning his losses would have been still heavier.

He said that a small portion of his wheat had got spoiled and he, after putting his good wheat into a large garner, he then put this spoiled wheat on top of it and when the rebels first came they went and examined the top of his wheat and left and that the rebels came the second time with a number of wagons for the wheat but when they examined it again, went off and left the wheat and that he saved this and when the was over he sold it for good money.

My understanding both in these conversations in which Capt. Blount and I was present and other conversations was that claimant’s losses have been heavy.

During my stay at Mr. Cate’s, he introduced me to Mr. J.C. Steed, whom we met near Mr. Steed’s dwelling and that in conversation between them and myself as to our losses here and in Missouri where I had come from and I heard their statement and understood that Mr. Cate’s losses had been very considerable. They seemed to sympathize with each other and I recollect that Mr. Steed stated in that conversation that their losses would have been greater if it had not been that their neighbors were nearly all Union men and protected each other.

During the time that many of our citizens were making out and filing their claims before the State Commissioners appointed to investigate these claims, I recollect that Mr. J.C. Steed and the claimant had a conversation about their losses during the war.

Mr. Steed stated he was going to file his claim before those commissioners but the claimant said he did think their was any money in that concern. And Mr. Steed suggested that it might put them in better shape as men were constantly dying and moving away from the county and he insisted it would be better to file their claims.

I was engaged in the (nursery?) business and I got acquainted with the neighbors and found them generally Union men.

I heard the conversations between the claimant and Mr. Leonard Carrouth in which the sick wheat question came up, and it was talked over, as to how the claimant managed to deceive the rebels in regard to his wheat by having the spoilt wheat on top of it. The yankees were not mentioned in conversation with the spoilt wheat.

I heard this wheat matter talked over several times and it was alway stated as rebels and not as yankees that were fooled.

I never heard the claimant speak of having any wheat between the weatherboarding and ceiling in his house. I know the house well enough to know this could not be the case. But he did show me where he had his wheat hid.

I recollect that claimant and Mr. Carrouth talked about their losses as Union men and sympathized with each other, and that Mr. Cate’s losses were considerable. I never heard Carrouth speak of the claimant in any other way than as a Union man.

signed,
Herman Foster
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.