Additional Testimony for the Commissioners of Claims at Washington

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

Deposition of John A. Steed

I am John A. Steed, aged 28 years. I am a druggist and reside in Cleveland but during the war lived on an adjoining farm to the claimant. I have no interest in his claim.

I remember that the claimant had a large quantity of hay in a large field that ran up to a few rods of father’s yard and this hay for 1862 was fed out by the rebels. In the year after the rebels fed out these ricks of hay the claimant had two large ricks in this same field near the same place.

During the year 1864 I saw a considerable number of government mules pasturing on the claimant’s lands.

Question by the Claimant – Did you ever tell Captain A.E. Blount that I told you that I never lost anything by either army during the war?

Answer – I never did.

Question – Did you ever hear that just after a skirmish at Cleveland about some federal soldiers being hid at William Cate’s straw stack.

Answer – I did hear about it, about the time of the skirmish and my father J.C. Steed, John Campbell and Gus Cate, son of the claimant, went across the Hiawassee [sic] River for protection from the rebels.

I recall seeing General Sherman’s men driving off the claimant’s flock of sheep about Christmas 1863. There was a considerable flock but I don’t know the number.

signed,
James A. Steed
before, John W. Ramsey – Special Commissioner

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.