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 H. Craigmiles

Age 48 years. I am a banker residing at Cleveland Tennessee. I am not related to the claimant and have no interest in his claim. I have known the claimant for 18 years and was acquainted with his reputation for loyalty.

And it was that he was always loyal to the cause of the United States. I never heard his loyalty doubted till the last few weeks, since Colonel Brownlow was here.

Question by the claimant – Were you the owner of the Cleveland mills? Did you grind any sick wheat for the Confederates? Did you grind any for the federals?

Answer – I was the owner of the mills. I had some damaged wheat that had been damaged in the shack and had the effect of sick wheat. I had it in the mill and I was ordered to grind it by General Forest. I told him it was sick and would not do to eat. But Forest ordered me to grind it or he would take charge of the mill and have it ground.

I had it ground. It made them sick. I was then arrested by General Dibbrel with some of my millers but General Forest came and admitted that he had ordered it ground and had us discharged.

The Federals never had any grinding done at the Cleveland mills. And I never head any complaint of sick wheat from the federals.

I could not grind after the army of Sherman passed here for they cut up my boults and elevators so I could not grind till I replaced them; which I did not do till the war was over.

signed,
J.H. Cragimiles
before, John W. Ramsey – Spec. Comm. 

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.