2nd (Biffle’s) Tennessee Calvary Battalion (Read the Unit History)
9th (Gantt’s) Tennessee Calvary Battalion (Read the Unit History)
19th (Biffle’s) Tennessee Calvary Regiment (Read the Unit History)
The Lost Units
Union Soldier’s Grave
Lauderdale County, Alabama
Lat: 34° 59¢ 57² N
Lon: 87° 45¢ 51² W
Contributed by David Leon Montgomery on 16 December 2006.
An individual who lives in the immediate area of this grave informed me about this Union soldier’s final resting-place. He has hunted the surrounding woods almost all of his life and has known of its location for many years. According to this person, the grave was excavated by a person/persons probably looking for Civil War relics. The person/persons digging in the earth, dug down about four or five feet deep. By most grave standards, the headstone is always placed to the west of the gravesite. It appears that they didn’t know on which side of the headstone to dig. There has been no evidence or rumors of anything being found since it is believed they dug on the wrong side.
The headstone was removed from the gravesite in the 1980’s and was gone for about two years. Suddenly, it was returned and placed in the exact spot with the lettering to the west as originally placed. According to the inscription on the stone, Meadows was attached to Company “G” of the 2nd Tennessee Infantry. But he is listed in the Company “D” roster, of the 2nd Tennessee Infantry, also a Union Army unit. He enlisted at Savannah, Tennessee on January 15, 1864. He was mustered in February 1, 1864 at Nashville, Tennessee.
No major battles were fought in Wayne County, Tennessee during the Civil War. 
However, the armies of both the Union and the Confederacy traversed the county numerous times during the period of the war. An estimated 100,000 soldiers, both Union and Confederate, marched through Wayne County, Tennessee. The result was devastation for the people of the county. By 1865 the county seat of Waynesboro had been abandoned because of the constant threat of armies marching through. Food and supplies were exhausted through the county.
In 1861, the people of the county voted in the majority to remain in the Union, although there was a strong secessionist sympathy. When the State of Tennessee seceded from the Union, several companies of Confederate soldiers were raised in Wayne County. The men in these units came from all the various districts of the county, although the majority were from the Buffalo River area and from the Houston and Craven’s Mills area.
So great, however, was the sympathy of a majority of the people for the Union that as soon as General Grant’s army marched into Savannah in March 1862, many men of Wayne County walked or rode to Savannah and volunteered for Union service. These men joined Ohio, Illinois and Indiana units stationed with Grant at Savannah.
Following the Battle of Shiloh in April 1862, General Grant sent Captain Edward R. Bladen to Brantley’s Crossroads (in the area of present day Cromwell Crossroads) in Wayne County, Tennessee to recruit volunteers for Union service. Over 200 men volunteered at this time, forming the units of Co. A and Co. G of the 10th Tennessee Infantry.
By the end of the war, over 2500 men from Wayne County, Tennessee were either in Confederate or Union service. The only people left at home were old men, women, and children, who struggled to raise enough food to feed their families and protect their property from both the armies and marauding guerrillas.
On the following pages we will attempt to provide information on Confederate and Union Units and on the men who served in those units, as well as some history of the many skirmishes which took place inside the boundaries of the county during the war.
If you have information on any Wayne County, Tennessee resident or native, who served either the Union or the Confederacy, please let us know. We will be happy to add your information to these pages.
WAYNE COUNTY, TENNESSEE WAR BETWEEN THE STATES VETERANS BOOK AVAILABLE AT THE WAYNE COUNTY HISTORIAN’S OFFICE IN THE COURTHOUSE FOR $60.00 OR CALL 931 722-5016 AND ASK PRICE W/SHIPPING AND HANDLING THEN SEND CHECK TO WAYNE COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY, P.O. BOX 866, WAYNESBORO, TENNESSEE 38485
The following newspaper article gives a brief account of the Unionist Convention which was held at Clifton on the 1st of April 1861. The article was transcribed and submitted by Bill Page
“The Union men of Wayne assembled at Clifton on the 1st. On motion of Judge Morris, Col. C.B. McLean was called to the Chair and John Fuson and T.J. Cypert were chosen Secretaries. Ordered that the Chair appoint a committee of three to draft resolutions expressive of the sense of the meeting, whereupon he appointed Esquires T.H. Gibbs, Wm. Montague and John J. Porter. Said Committee having retired in a short time returned and reported strong Union resolutions, which were adopted. The following was also adopted.
“Resolved, That the Hon. Andrew Johnson is justly entitled to and will receive the warmest thanks and gratitude of every patriot of the land for his noble, gallant and patriotic defence of the Constitution and the Union.
“The following list of delegates were appointed, to wit:
“Thompson Morgan, King Preter, A.H. Montague, J.C. Sparman, Wm. R. Bell, J.R. Smith, Johnathan Morris, N.W. Poque, Wm. Montague, Isaac Griggs, J.J. Biffle, Peyton Craig, E.B. Martin, C.M. Thompson, J.L. Cypert, Martin Sims, Jas. Hinton, Thos. Adams, Jessee Davis, Johnathan Whitton, P.W. Hensley, Sam’l Bromley, Joseph Gallaher, Henry McGee, D.W. Carroll, Henry Culp, David C. Whitton, W.H. Brown, John Montague, T.H. Gibbs, J.A. Lawson, Wm. Cromwell, Jas. N. Staggs and Jas. North.
“Resolved, That in the absence of any of the regular appointed delegates, any good Union man from Wayne is requested to participate in said Convention as our delegate.
“Resolved, That the Chairman and Secretaries be added to the list of delegates.
C.B. McClean, Chairman
John Fuson, T.J. Cypert, Secretaries”
Nashville Republican Banner, 7 April 1861, p.2
