William GALLIMORE
John R. GALLIMORE Jr.
Samuel Josuha GALLIMORE Sr.
James J. WHITE
Mack PRUETT


ROBERT E. LEE. GALLIMORE and a story contained in TheWEAKLEY COUNTY PRESS on August 22, 1958.  After searching my records, I have found the original story, located on page 2 of Vol. 72, No. 34.  I have transcribed it below.  It also contains information about the Civil War ties of WILLIAM GALLIMORE, JOHN R. GALLIMORE, JR. and SAMUEL JOSHUA GALLIMORE, SR. [5 June 1844 - 22 July 1915, buried at Travis Chapel Methodist Church Cemetery near Dresden...he's my great-grandfather - Russell Gallimore].

WEAKLEY COUNTY PRESS

Vol. 72, No. 34, Friday, August 22, 1958
Old South Lives On In Hearts Of Many

by Ed M. Chenette



Transcribed by Russell N. Gallimore.accompanying the article are photos of 1) the three men interviewed, standing by a Confederate flag in the front yard of Robert E. Lee GALLIMORE in Martin; 2) Civil War mementoes owned by Sgt. Wayne HOOD, including a rifle, a powder horn, a Confederate uniform, an officer's sword, a Confederate battle flag, and a framed print of Gen. Robert E. LEE and his staff; and 3) Mr. GALLIMORE'Smantel mementoes:  an equestrian statue of Gen. Robert E. LEE, a pocketwatch carried by Mr. GALLIMORE'S father William throughout the war, a painting of Mr. GALLIMORE'S father in the Battle of Brice's Crossroads, and  an original photograph of a Confederate reunion held in 1882 at Birmingham.



Though the Civil War (or War Between the States) is now almost 100 years in the past, its memories are kept alive in the hearts of many of the residents of this community.  Three local mean are proof of this fact, and without a doubt, numerous others could also be cited.

The three men with whom this reporter spent several fascinating hours this week are Robert E. Lee GALLIMORE, attorney; Jim Bell WHITE, service station owner; and Wayne HOOD, sergeant with the Highway Patrol.  The men have different occupations, but they are united by a common bond, a reverence for the days of yesterday and for the men in grey, including two fathers and one great-grandfather.

Our look into the past started at the home of Mr. GALLIMORE, where a small Confederate flag flies on a flagpole in the front yard.  Inside the GALLIMORE home, we saw a print hanging over the mantel.  The print shows Gen. Nathan Bedford FORREST and his staff at the Battle of Brice's Crossroads, Mississippi, June 19, 1864.  Shown at the left foreground are two men, not officers, second of whom is Mr. GALLIMORE'S father.  The print is about 26 inches by 40 inches and originally hung in the lobby of the Gayoso Hotel at Memphis.  It was given to Frank SMITH of Martin by a Mrs. GUERRY, a Georgia woman who "married one of the Sewanee Guerrys," Mr. GALLIMORE said, "and Frank in turn gave it to me."

On the mantel below the print is a small equestrian statue of Gen. Robert E. LEE (the horse is the famous Traveler) and as Mr. GALLIMORE said, "I always keep them pointed north or northeast and never turned south."  Mr. GALLIMORE also has a watch carried through most of the war years by his father and a photograph of a reunion of Confederate soldiers taken in 1882 at Birmingham, Ala.  It is believed that the third man mounted in the picture is Mr. GALLIMORE'S father.  However, this cannot be completely verified as the horse and man are facing away from the camera.

An interesting sidelight of these reunions is that both Frank SMITH and Claggett MARTIN were appointed honorary colonels on the staff of Capt. H.A. TYLER following the war and attended many of the reunions.  The Mrs. Guerry mentioned earlier was secretary to Capt. Tyler.

Mr. GALLIMORE'S father William enlisted in Henry County in 1861 as a member of FORREST'S command at the age of 18 and served in the artillery.  Two of William's brothers, John, 19, and Sam, 16, also enlisted with Forrest at the same time.

In 1861, some 8,000 Confederates were on Island No. 10 in the Mississippi when attacked by Foote's gunboats operating from Cairo.  Some 1500 of the men, including Mr. GALLIMORE'S father, swam to shore but the other 6,500 were captured.

Another instance recalled by Mr. GALLIMORE concerned a time that a detachment of FORREST'S troops commanded by a Col. FAULKNER were bivouacked near Dresden.  A number of Weakley County soldiers were given permission to visit their homes for a few days.  Several of the men overstayed their leave, but returned when assured by Col. FAULKNER that they would not be punished.  Notwithstanding the promise, the Weakley Countains were placed under arrest, upon which one of them shot and killed the colonel.  FORREST exhonerated the young soldiers, stating that the colonel had given his solemn word and then gone back on it.  Col. E.H. LANNON of Union City then succeeded to the command.

Following the war, William GALLIMORE became a tobacco planter and merchant and lived at the old BRASFIELD place on the Sharon Dresden road.  He was 69 when Mr. Robert E. Lee GALLIMORE was born.

Mr. WHITE also has the distinction of the being the son of a Confederate veteran and added that people usually ask him if he "doesn't mean grandfather or great-grandfather" when the point comes up.  He says his father, James J. WHITE, enlisted at the age of 16 from Weakley County and also served with FORREST.  He was with FORREST at the battles of Okalona, Miss.; Paducah, Ky.; Fort Pillow, Tenn.; and Brice's Crossroads, where he was wounded.  He was invalided until February, 1865, when he returned to FORREST'S command and served until he was paroled May 12, 1865, at Gainesville, Ala.  He held the rank of acting sergeant at the time.

Following the end of the war, James WHITE farmed in Weakley County until his retirement, at which time he moved his family to Martin.

Sgt. HOOD has perhaps the most extensive collectson [collection] of the War yeriod [period].  His collection includes a print of LEE and His Generals, which when originally published sold for 50 cents but is now conservatively valued at $100.  His collection of books of this period is valued at about $1000 and other items increase the collection's value to more than $3,000.

Sgt. HOOD has a Confederate uniform that is in perfect condition.  The uniform was made shortly after the end of the war and was worn by Claggett MARTIN at Confederate reunions.  The collection also numbers two original rifles, one inscribed S.S., Richmond, Va., 1863, and the other a rifle made by Tower of England for the Confederacy in 1861.  He also has an officer's sword, powderhorn, and a very beautiful Confederate battleflag.

Sgt. HOOD'S great grandfather, Mack PRUETT, and his great-great-uncle, Sam PRUETT (and four other brothers) all enlisted in the Confederated Army.  Mack PRUETT served with Forrest while Sam PRUETT served with Gen. Albert Sydney JOHNSTON, and took part in the battle of Shiloh and battle of Murfreesboro.  The six brothers lived in Middle Tennessee and all six survived the war, following which they engaged in farming.

Just to keep the circle complete, the great-grandfather of Sgt. HOOD'S wife, John WARDEN of Fayetteville, also served in the Confederate Army under Gen. Joe JOHNSTON.

William GALLIMORE, James J. WHITE, Mack PRUETT, soldiers in the army of the Confederacy, patriotic Southerners, and, let it be remembered, great Americans too.
Submitted by Russell N. Gallimore



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