Coffee County, Tennessee, Genealogy & History

RECONSTRUCTION and the CHURCH One of the saddest things in the reconstruction madness was that the church tried to give the sanction of religion to the effort to steal our property and disfranchise us in favor of the carpet bagger, the sca’awag and the negro. The General Assembly of the Presbyterian church had been very bitter during the war denouncing rebellion as they called it, and in advising and encouraging the government in all its measures, however cruel and oppressive….

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BOONE, IOWA. FRIDAY MORNING, JUNE 28, 1912 CHAPTER XIII While we were in the trenches at Atlanta the authorities gave so much a pound for minie balls picked up in the rear of our main line, as our ammunition was running short and we wanted to send them back the first chance we got. Those that were whole did not have to be moulded again. Some of the men made good wages picking them up. When we would be in…

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BOONE, IOWA. FRIDAY MORNING, JUNE 14, 1912 CHAPTER XI We laid around in front of Nashville until something did happen sure enough. I was out on picket duty here some of the coldest nights I ever saw. We had to stay on picket two hours, then go back a short distance and thaw out. Our command was finally stationed on the extreme left. Our company was on a little round hill. We could not see the Yankees in our front…

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BOONE, IOWA. FRIDAY MORNING, JUNE 7, 1912 CHAPTER X -We then started on a march and I saw next day a lot of negro stragglers I never knew what became of them but suppose they and the Yankee officers were paroled. I remember on the march one day hearing a soldier say that Sherman had wound up the ball but Hood was unwinding it. There was nothing out of the ordinary during that march. I don’t remember the number of…

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BOONE, IOWA. FRIDAY MORNING, MAY 31, 1912 CHAPTER IX General Hood was in command of the Army of the Tennessee at this time and if anything was ever out of all sorts it was the Army of the Tennessee. Old Joseph E. Johnston looked after his men and did not run them into any unnecessary engagements. Hood would fight at the drop of the hat and drop it himself, so he thought he would show Sherman a few things out…

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BOONE, IOWA. FRIDAY MORNING, MAY 24, 1912 CHAPTER VIII We remained at Selma but a few days and then returned to near Dalton, Georgia. I had another trip, I think it was somewhere on our retreat from Dalton to Atlanta, that I was sent out with six men, down on a railroad, I do not remember what road it was, to see if we could find out what the Yankees were doing. We went about eight or ten miles and…

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BOONE, IOWA. FRIDAY MORNING, MAY 17, 1912 CHAPTER VII After we were put across the river we started on our way and got along all right until after we separated. I left him within about two miles of his destination and cut across to strike the road from his town to Holly Springs. I was making good headway till I looked ahead and saw a squad of cavalry coming my way, so I went back from the road a little…

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BOONE, IOWA. FRIDAY MORNING, MAY 10, 1912 CHAPTER VI After the battle of Chickamauga we fell back to Dalton and went into winter quarters and had a very quiet time. I remember a few things that happened while there. There was a wood shed and water tank and a detail was sent out every night to see that nothing was molested. I was a non-commissioned officer and I took half a dozen privates and went out there on guard duty…

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BOONE, IOWA. FRIDAY MORNING, MAY 3, 1912 CHAPTER V I got very hungry and one day while at Chickamauga I sauntered out to where some citizens were selling things that a hungry soldier likes and there I did one of the meanest tricks I was guilty of during the war. I never have felt just right about it to this good day. While I was standing around seeing others buying and eating I saw a woman selling half moon pies….

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BOONE, IOWA. FRIDAY MORNING, APRIL 26, 1912 CHAPTER IV At Chattanooga we went into camp southeast of town and had a very good time there. As usual, when I didn’t have any Yankees to whip I was in some devilment. I had a chum who was always ready for anything and when necessary I would write a pass, sign all the necessary officers’ names to it and we would go to town. I had two trusty comrades, Bob Tucker and…

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