(from the archived Roots of Roane Web site)

Contributed by Sandy Brannon

Three brothers fought in the Civil War and died as Prisoners of War in Andersonville, GA. They were all in the 2nd Infantry Regiment of TN. Names Elias Branam captured 11-6-1863, died 4-30-1864; Lafayette Branham captured 11-6-1863 died 8-6-1864 Company A; John Branham captured 11-6-1863 died 7-20-1864 Company A. The names are spelled this way on the Andersonville records, but later the family spelled it Brannon.

Elias Mitchell Branham enrolled in the Civil War on January 27, 1862 and was mustered into service at Camp Carter in Somerset, Kentucky. He was in the Second Regiment, Company F of the Tennessee Volunteer Infantry. On November 6, 1863, 474 men were captured at Rogersville, Tennessee, and sent to Andersonville, Georgia, as Prisoners of War. Elias was among them. The conditions were horrible and he died of Chronic Diarrhea on April 30, 1864. He is buried in Andersonville, Georgia, National Cemetery in Grave # 808 in Section”K”.

John Branham enrolled in the Civil War at Kingston, Tennessee on August 10, 1861 and was mustered into service as a Private on August 20, 1861, at Camp Robinson, Kentucky, in Company A, Second Regiment of Tennessee. Company “A” was the dress company. The 2 flank companies, A and B, were sometimes equipped with better or longer-range weapons than the other companies of the regiment to better protect it from flank attack. John Branham was among the 474 men captured at Rogersville, Tennessee, on November 6, 1863, and sent to Andersonville, Georgia, as Prisoners of War. John died of Chronic Diarrhea on July 20, 1864, at the age of 23. He is buried at Andersonville, Georgia, in Grave # 3643 in Section “J”.

Marquis Lafayette Branham enrolled in the Civil War on August 10, 1861, at Kingston, Tennessee, and was mustered into service as a Private on August 20, 1861, at Camp Robinson, Kentucky, in Company A, 2nd Regiment of Tennessee Volunteers. He was captured at Rogersville, Tennessee, on November 6, 1863, and sent to Andersonville, Georgia as a Prisoner of War. He died August 6, 1864, He would have been 21, had he lived ’til August 17, 1864. He is buried at Andersonville, Georgia in Grave # 4888 in Section “F”.