Additional Testimony for the Commissioners of Claims at Washington

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

Deposition of Joseph H. Davis

who being duly sworn deposes and says my age 66 years, residence Cleveland Tennessee. I am not related to the claimant and have no interest in his claim. I was in March 1862 and sworn in the first of March 1862, as Clerk of the County Court of Bradley County and Tennessee and served in said office during the remainder of the war. The office was the usual place of meeting of the Union men about Cleveland during the war. We met to consult not only as to our own safety but as to the safety of other Union men and men that were starving to escape to the Union lines and then we often raised money by voluntary contributions to aid Union men who were lying out and waiting to get across to the Union lines.

The claimant William Cate was one of the Union men that constantly met with us at my office and constantly took part in our consultations and deliberations. He was perhaps in my office as much as once a week during the whole war from the time I was elected till the close of the war. There was no matter so sacred among the Union men of Bradley but what the claimant was fully posted about it.

I recollect that at one Mr. A.A. Clingan, one of leading Union of our county, came to my office and met some five or six Union men among whom was the claimant and made known to us that a number of conscripts who had escaped from the rebel army and was trying to get to the Union lines and had reached his neighborhood – part of them barefooted and in great need of assistance. I recollect that the claimant and Clingan were two of the men that agreed to purchase a pair of shoes for two of these men. For Clingan represented to us that three men had torn their shirts to tie up their bare feet in order to get this far. Shoes at that time about worth ten dollars a pair in Confederate money or three dollars in Tennessee money for common Brogan shoes.

After the shoes had been purchased, other men contributed to purchase socks for these conscripts. I recollect that claimant was active in purchasing these shoes and supplies.

My recollection is that the shoes and socks were handed over to Clingan in my office. I think this was in the summer of 1862.

The claimant was a quiet but bold man and could manage the purchases of such things as such conscript and Union men needed and he managed many of the money matters.

The Union men who met at my office was not bound together by any formal oaths but they were bound together by a private and faithful understanding to be true to each other and to secrecy, and to the government of the United States.

The following are a portion of the men that constantly met with us – John McPherson, A.A. Clingan, James H. Norman, William Cate, G.B. Thompson, (Ake.?) Henry, George (L.?) Parker, A.J. Cate, Felix Hirheart, John C. Gaut, Jesse H. Gaut, S.P. Gaut, Levi Tewhitt, William (Hewitt?), Samuel Hunt, Dr. John G. Brown, J.S. Robertson, Dr. Armstong McNabb and many others too numerous to mention.

Question by Claimant – Do you ever recollect meeting with Justus Campbell Steed, Leonard Carrouth or John F. Larrison in any of these meetings.

Answer – I do not, but yet outside of this I regarded Steed and Larrison as Union men.

And further this deposer saith not.

signed,
Joseph H. Davis
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.