By Mary Helen Hill Haines

2006

Preface:

This history is based on the records available from the National Archives for our Civil War ancestors, as well as pension applications filed by themselves, or their widows. I also made use of the battle reports written by various commanders, and a couple of secondary histories written by modern historians to fill in the gaps.

One difficulty for our White County relatives was their changing units. They joined one unit at the beginning of the war, and then changed in the middle. To order records, you must order twice for each person. There also are many missing records. It is not clear if those records were never filed, or have gone missing after the fact, but some individuals might have pages of records, and others have none, even though we have eye-witness records of their being in the units. For example, John Meredith has no record at all, yet family history records that he joined with his brothers and must have died on the battlefield, because his mother kept watching for his return.

It also seems clear that our relatives fought with their units, and at times were separated, or captured, and then continued to fight by joining other units. It also seems that they took pledges of loyalty to the Union when captured, and then went on to fight some more when they had a chance.

We are lucky to have the remembrances of Amanda Meredith Hill and Joe Meredith Hill, but how I wish it was even more.

Mary Helen Haines

Our Hill, Meredith, and Scott Ancestors in the Civil War

The History of the 25^th Tennessee Cavalry, Colms’ Battalion, and the 8^th Tennessee Cavalry (aka 13^th Gore’s)

On February 4, 1861 the Confederate States were formed, and on April 12, the actions at Ft. Sumter were the beginning of a violent exchange of gunfire. Seceding from the Union was a difficult decision for Tennessee to make. Slavery did exist in White County; the 1860 census indicates there were around 1150 people held in slavery in the county. Wealthier individuals like James C. Officer owned thirty-nine people, G. G. Dibrell and James Scott owned sixteen each, while men of more modest means, such as James W. Meredith (Jim) owned four people- a woman and her three children.

Owning slaves was not the defining factor in secession for White County, because George Gibbs Dibrell was elected to represent the Unionist side at the state convention held to debate the issue. He must have been representing the will of the White County population. However, those favoring secession were in the majority throughout the state (104,913 to 47,238) and on June 8, 1861, Tennessee approved secession and joined the Confederacy; the last of the eleven states that joined. In July, the battle of Bull Run was followed by the organization of the various military regiments throughout the south.

The three units that our White County relatives joined in 1861 were the 25^th Tennessee Infantry and the 1^st Tennessee Infantry (Colms’) Battalion. In 1862, most of our relatives transferred to the 8^th Tennessee Cavalry under George Gibbs Dibrell.

Our Civil War Ancestors

Elisha Meredith

8^th Tennessee Cavalry

Co. D

Family and Friends in:

25^th Tennessee Infantry

Col. Sidney S. Stanton of Carthage, TN

Lt. Col. George Gibbs Dibrell of Sparta, TN

Co. A – men from Sparta, White County

Capt. James H. Snodgrass

Sgt. William H. Meredith

James Hill

James Scott

Jonathan Scott

Charles A. Lowry

Mark Lowry

George Dawson Carrick

Plus many more Lowerys (Addison, Hough, Simpson, Thomas, William A.)

Co. C – men from Cave (Doyle), White County

Capt. George H. Hash (from McMinnville, Warren Co.)

Sgt. William Ransom Hill

Plus Keathleys, McBrides, Andersons

1^st Infantry (Colms’) Battalion

Major Stephen H. Colms of Sparta, TN

Co. D

Capt. David J. Snodgrass

James Meredith

Edward Meredith

Marion Fisk

William Anderson

8^th (13^th) Dibrell’s (Gore’s) Tennessee Cavalry

Col. George Gibbs Dibrell

Lt. Col. Ferdinand H. Daugherty* (from Livingston, Overton Co.)

Major Mounce L. Gore (from Jackson Co.)

Co. D

Captain Jefferson Leftwich

1^st Lt. James Revis

2^nd Lt. William Ransom Hill

Elisha Meredith

James Meredith

Edward Meredith

William H. Meredith

James Hill (brother of W.R. Hill)

Lowery: H.L., Montgomery C.

Carrick: Elijah, George D., N.D., Samuel, White

Snodgrass: L.D., L.F., and Samuel

Plus Keathleys, Jarvis, Hudgens, Officer, Wm.

Co. I: Francis Marion Kerr (bugler) – (also Co. G, 28^th Consolidated TN. Inf.)

Battles and Skirmishes of the White County Confederates

Colms’ Battalion, 25^th Infantry, 8^th (13^th) Dibrell’s Cavalry

1861-1865

Camps in Green

Most significant battles for the White County men in Red

1- battle between Readyville and Woodbury

2- battle of Blant’s Hill (Dibrell’s Hill)

Timeline of Civil War Events

1861

June: organization of the 25^th Tennessee Infantry

1862

Jan. 18: Battle of Fishing Creek (Mill Springs) Kentucky- 25^th Infantry

Jan. 26: organization of 1^st Infantry (Colms’) Battalion

Feb. 11-16: Battle for Ft. Donelson- Colms’ Battalion present and captured as prisoners

May 7: Corinth, Mississippi- 25^th Infantry reorganized

August 2: organization of the 8^th Tennessee Cavalry (officially the 13^th) under G.G. Dibrell. Most of the Sparta men who had been in other regiments transferred to this regiment for the rest of the war.

September 10: Colms’ Battalion prisoner exchange and reorganized at Jackson, Mississippi

December 31: Battle of Parker’s Crossroads in Tennessee- 8^th Cavalry; and Murfreesboro- 25^th Infantry

1863

March 25: 8^th in Florence, Alabama

August 9, 17: 8^th at Wild Cat Creek (Meredith’s Mill) near Sparta, Tennessee: skirmishes with Federals

September 19-20: 8^th , 25^th, and Colms’ Battalion at Battle of Chickamauga

December: 8^th and 25^th in East Tennessee, at and around the Knoxville siege

1864

January 27: 8^th at Battle of Blant’s Hill (Dibrell’s Hill) east Tennessee on road from Sevierville to Newport

September 2: 8^th furloughed in Sparta

September 7: 8^th attacked between Readyville and Woodbury, Tennessee

October 2: 8^th in Saltville Virginia, then to Georgia to follow Sherman’s March

November: Atlanta, following Sherman’s March to Sea

December: Savannah, Georgia

1865

February: Columbia, South Carolina

March 16, 18-19: 8^th in Battles of Averysboro, Bentonville in North Carolina

April 11: 8^th in last battle at Beulah, N.C. (near Kenly, N.C. today)

April 12: 8^th ordered to march to Greensboro to join Pres. Davis

May 11, 1865: 8^th paroled in Washington, Georgia

History of the White County Regiments

25^th Tennessee Infantry Regiment

Many of our White County ancestors signed up in July, 1861 with what became the 25^th Tennessee Infantry Regiment under Colonel Sidney S. Stanton and Lt. Col. George Gates Dibrell. Sidney S. Stanton, 32 years old, was practicing law in Dixon Springs, Smith County before the war broke out. George Gates Dibrell, 39 years old, was farming in White County on land valued at $17,000 in 1860. Our relatives were either in Co. A, under Captain James H. Snodgrass and after his resignation, Mark Lowry, or Co. C under William Gooch Smith. Company A men were from Sparta and Co. C were men from the Cave Hill community near present-day Doyle.

Among our relatives was Jonathan Scott, age 19, brother of Lee Ann Scott, son of William James Scott, who joined the 25^th Regiment Tennessee Infantry, Company A, on July 25, 1861 in Tullahoma under Lt. A.B. Hardcastle for a period of 12 months. The captain of the company was James H. Snodgrass in October, 1861. Jonathan Scott’s papers of Dec. 30, 1861 state he was furloughed for discharge Nov. 20, 1861. There are no more official records under the name Jonathan Scott, however he died in a confrontation with Union men in 1864.

William H. Meredith, age 21, youngest brother of Elisha Meredith, joined Company A on July 25 also, and rose from private to Sergeant during his service in this unit. It seems that all the Lowerys joined this company: Addison, Hough, M.L., Mark, Simpson, Thomas, and William A. Lowery. George D. Carrick was in Co. A, as well as James Hill, brother to W.R. Hill. They must have been very eager to join in the “fun” to ride to Tullahoma to enlist, approximately 62 miles away from home.

William Ransom Hill, age 18, joined this same Regiment the next day on July 26, 1861 in Cave Hill, signed up by Lt. A.B. Hardcastle for 12 months. He was in Co. C, and enlisted as a 4^th Sergeant. John D. and William Anderson were both in Co. C as well.

The men moved to Overton County at Camp Zollicoffer where they were organized into a regiment. Then shortly after they went to Camp Myers, also in Overton County, to be drilled and trained and were mustered into Confederate service. They spent time skirmishing with home guards and Federal units along the Kentucky line north of Overton County and then were ordered to move to Mill Springs, Kentucky. The 25^th was placed under the command of Brigadier General Felix K. Zollicoffer. (Tennesseans 226-227)

1862

The first formal engagement of our men in the 25^th Infantry from White County came in January at the Battle of Fishing Creek (Mill Springs) Kentucky. After drilling, training, and skirmishing for a few months, the troops from Tennessee were ordered to move up into Kentucky, which they did by coming through Monticello to reach Mill Springs on the south bank Cumberland River in late November.  Here they set up camp and fortified their positions. The battle took place on January 19, 1862. Approximately 6500 Confederates had gathered at this location. The Tennesseans were very poorly armed with antiquated flintlock muskets (called Tennessee rifles) that often did not even fire in the rain. In the confusion of battle, Gen. Zollicoffer was killed, which led to more confusion among his regiments. Colonel Stanton, leader of the 25^th Infantry, was wounded, yet continued to fight, but General Crittenden could not regain the necessary control and the end result was a rout, with the Confederate troops abandoning their artillery and supplies and crossing the Cumberland River during the night, hoping to avoid capture. Over 300 were killed or wounded in this first serious engagement, and 100 taken prisoner. The 25^th retreated to Livingston in Overton County where it was disbanded for 10 days (Sanders 403). The 25^th lost 55 men either killed, wounded, or missing (Tennesseans 227). I assume everyone went home to see their loved ones after this first really harrowing experience at war, and to fill their knapsacks. Kentucky was now in the hands of the Union, and the next move was to go south into Tennessee.

1^st (Colms’) Tennessee Infantry Battalion

Another popular Regiment for the White County men was the 1^st (Colms’) Tennessee Infantry Battalion under Major Stephen H. Colms’. Colms was a White County citizen, native of New York State, forty-two years old, and owner of seven slaves. Companies B, D, and E were White County companies. Co. D was under Captain David J. Snodgrass. In it were Aaron England, Marion Fisk, and Edward (age 31) and James (age 27) Meredith, both younger brothers of Elisha Meredith.

This battalion was first organized in December, 1861 and accepted into Confederate service January 6, 1862. Edward Meredith’s record states that the enlistment date in Sparta was December 9, 1861. They were organized into this battalion on Jan. 26, and moved to Fort Donelson the same day, before the muster of some of the companies had been completed. Time was of the essence as Gen. U.S. Grant was moving from Kentucky to Tennessee to gain access to the Tennessee and Cumberland Rivers.

Battle for Ft. Donelson

On Feb. 6, Ft. Henry on the Tennessee River fell to Grant easily with the support of Union gunboats. Ft. Donelson was 12 miles to the west on the Cumberland River and the rebel forces gathered there numbered 15,000. The fort stood high on a bluff, and Union boats were not able to successfully bombard it the way they did Ft. Henry. Grant then settled down for a siege on Feb. 12, his men camping in the bitter winter cold. The number of Union men was around 25 to 35,000, before reinforcements arrived. The siege and fighting went on for several days. On Feb. 15, Gen. Gideon Pillow led a force out of the fort to create an escape route and engaged in much fighting, but considered his gains to be impermanent. Nathan Bedford Forrest was also a part of the action, leading his Tennessee cavalry. That evening the commanders met and decided they were not willing to sacrifice any more of their men. The casualties stood at around 1400 for the Confederates and 2500 for the Union men. Neither Gen. Pillow nor Gen. Floyd wanted to surrender to Grant, so they escaped by boat during the night of the 15^th. Gen. Forrest was determined to not surrender, and said he would lead anyone who was willing to follow him. Crossing the extremely cold river on foot was not an option for infantry- they would have frozen, so surrender was their only option. Gen. Simon Bolivar Buckner of Kentucky asked for surrender terms, and Gen. U.S. Grant privately said “No terms with traitors, by God!” but officially responded with, “No terms except an unconditional and immediate surrender can be accepted.” Buckner, who thought this “unchivalrous,” felt he had no choice and surrendered the entire garrison of 15,000 men. It was this statement by Grant that became his nickname. This defeat gave the Union army control of this section of both rivers, and Nashville came into Union hands soon after. (Ward 95-97)

At Fort Donelson, Colms’ battalion had not been attached to any brigade, and had no time to even drill or practice before being in battle. In official reports, Company "A" reported 59 men and four officers surrendered and Company "E" 43 men surrendered. No reports were found from the other companies, including Company D, however it can be assumed that our White County men also surrendered. The majority of the prisoners were shipped to Illinois to be held in either Camp Douglas in Chicago, or Camp Butler in Springfield. The Union was probably in shock having to house and feed 15,000 prisoners and must have felt sure the war should be close to ending with this victory.

It is likely that our Meredith ancestors who were in Co. D chose to take their chances with Nathan Bedford Forrest and escape the encircled Ft. Donelson, because their records do not show imprisonment at this time. In Edward Meredith’s service record, on September 29, 1862, the date a full accounting was made after the prisoner exchange in Jackson, Mississippi, Edward is shown as “absent without leave” in the Company muster roll of Colms’ Battalion. This is the way he is reported by Colms’ Battalion for the rest of the war; however, we know that on September 26, 1862, he enlisted in Col. Dibrell’s newly formed 8^th Tennessee Cavalry Regiment.

Battle of Shiloh

By April, Grant’s troops had moved down the Tennessee River and were encamped near Pittsburg Landing, Tennessee. Grant was waiting for Gen. Buell and his Army of the Ohio to join him before they marched on Mississippi. Gen. Albert Sidney Johnston, leading the Confederates camped at Corinth, Mississippi, twenty-two miles to the southeast, decided he should not wait for Buell to arrive with more Union troops, so on April 6, led the attack on Grant’s forces, in what became known as the Battle of Shiloh, named for a church at the location of the fighting (Ward 112). As the horrific battle broke out, the 25^th Infantry was guarding the railroad leading up the Tennessee River from Corinth (Sanders 404). Lucky for them! The end result of the battle of Shiloh, was 100,000 men engaged in battle, almost 25,000 casualties—3,477 men dead, with Gen. Johnston losing his life here as well. It was now clear to Grant that the Confederacy was not going to collapse and his costly victory led to his reassignment (Ward 121). The 25^th was now in Corinth till May, engaged in skirmishes while the army was reorganized.

On May 10, a full reorganization of the various regiments took place at Corinth, Mississippi and Sidney Stanton was reelected as Colonel; however Lt. Col. George Gates Dibrell was not reelected, and he chose to resign the 25^th and go home to Sparta to organize his own regiment, the 8^th Tennessee Cavalry (Dyer 681). William Ransom Hill, our direct forefather, and later husband to Amanda Meredith Hill, resigned from the 25^th as well. His records state he was transferred to the 8 Tenn. Cavalry on May 10, 1862, although the 8^th was not yet formally organized. He must have chosen to leave with Col. Dibrell that same day.

From Corinth, the 25^th Regiment moved to Tupelo, leaving behind an empty city by the time the Union army advanced the twenty-two miles from Pittsburg Landing. Company A was now being captained by Mark Lowry from Sparta. The 25^th then took the railroad to Mobile, a steamer to Selma, Alabama, then to Atlanta, Georgia, before returning to Tennessee at Chatttanooga. At Chattanooga, both Stanton and Dibrell’s replacement, Lt. Col. R.C. Sanders, resigned their commissions and returned to McMinnville where they organized a new regiment called the 84^th Tennessee (Sanders 407).

The regimental report states that Colms’ battalion was exchanged at Vicksburg on September 10, 1862 and reorganized at the Camp for Exchanged Prisoners at Jackson, Mississippi on September 20, 1862. Both James and Edward Meredith had left this organization to join the newly created regiment under George Gates Dibrell.

The 8^th (13^th) Tennessee Cavalry

The history of the 8^th Tennessee Cavalry is most completely recorded in The Military Annals of Tennessee. Confederate, published in 1886. The movements and battles of the 8^th are recorded by General G.G. Dibrell himself, making this an excellent primary source. According to muster rolls of various relatives, enrolling in the 8^th began as early as August 2, 1862. The designated number assigned this unit is confusing. It began as the 8^th Tennessee Cavalry, but by the time the rosters arrived at headquarters the designation “8^th” had been assigned elsewhere, and the 13^th became the official designation for records, but in the field they always were called the 8^th, and Gen. Dibrell and his men considered themselves to be the 8^th Cavalry. When ordering official records however, it is necessary to look for our men under the 13^th (Gore’s) Tennessee Cavalry.

By 1862, Elisha Meredith, our direct ancestor, father of Amanda Meredith Hill, had just returned to Tennessee from Texas, where he and his family had tried their fortune for a couple of years. On August 2, Elisha, age 34, father of four children ranging in ages from nine to one, joined Dibrell’s regiment.

Each of the men brought with them their own horses and equipment. The horses were valued from $225 to $300 and equipment at $25. James and Edward Meredith joined the newly organized regiment under Dibrell on September 26, 1862. James (Jim) and Ed’s had the more valuable horses valued at $300. There are three other Meredith brothers: William H., who was still with the 25^th, John, whose records are missing, and Joseph B. Meredith, who was living in Waxahachie, Texas. In 1863, in Texas, Joe joined Baird’s Regimental Cavalry, also known as the 4^th Regiment of the Arizona Brigade, and served as 2^nd Lieutenant in Company D. We can only imagine how their mother, Margaret Meredith, must have felt having all six of her sons engaged in this war.

In The Military Annals, Dibrell states that his regiment was organized at Yankeetown, in White County, as partisan rangers on September 4, 1862. It had 960 men when muster was held near Sparta, and on October 8 the regiment marched to Murfreesboro and reported to Gen. Nathan B. Forrest, where they were re-mustered as regular cavalry and assigned to Gen. Forrest, and Jeffrey E. Forrest was appointed Major.

Our White County men were all in Company D, and the Captain of the company was Jefferson Leftwich, the 26 year old brother of Col. Dibrell’s wife Mary, son of Wayman Leftwich. His Compiled Military Service Record states he enlisted August 2, 1862 in Sparta, and his horse was valued at $850.00—a most valuable horse!!

Parker’s Crossroads

According to Dibrell’s personal report, this regiment was never formally drilled before being put into action. They also were poorly armed with whatever personal guns they might possess, and the single issue of 400 flint-lock muskets and 600 sabers, with a small quantity of ammunition. This was the only issue of arms they received in the war. Their first assignments were in eastern Tennessee, sleeping in the open, sometimes under blankets of snow. Their first noteworthy success was in Trenton, Tennessee in December, where the 8^th was responsible for capturing a U.S. stockade, with all the Enfield rifles and muskets and army supplies they could carry away. They also captured 101 prisoners, and lost no men. (Dibrell 652-3) This success, however, was followed by the only surprise in Gen. Forrest’s record—Parker’s Crossroads.

On the same day that the battle of Murfreesboro (Stone’s River) began, December 31, 1862, the 8^th with Gen. Forrest became engaged with Union forces under Gen. Sullivan and Col. Dunham at a hill about a mile south of Parker’s Crossroads, about 120 miles west of Murfreesboro, where today Hwy. 40 from Memphis to Nashville is crossed by Hwy. 22. Although the battle started out a Confederate success, with the battleground in their hands, another brigade came up behind by surprise and all of a sudden they were being fired upon in both the front and the back. When his staff asked what they should do, Forrest famously responded, “Split in two and charge both ways.” (Ward 346)

Forrest escaped, but the 8^th did not fare as well. As Gen. Dibrell’s account states:

The Eighth Tennessee being thus engaged, lost more heavily than any other. Our loss in killed, wounded, and captured was one hundred and forty-six men and about one hundred horses. This was a heavy blow to the regiment. It had been so successful prior to that time that this loss was severely felt, and they were never satisfied about the enemy being allowed to come up in their rear unmolested until they were completely surrounded. The wonder is that the whole regiment was not captured. (Dibrell 654)

According to the Ed Meredith’s Confederate pension request in 1895, he was wounded in this battle by grape-shot and was incapacitated for about six months. He also states he was captured and taken to Camp Douglas in Illinois. Camp Douglas was established in what is now downtown Chicago. It was named for Illinois Senator Stephen A. Douglas, who died in 1861 and is buried where the camp was placed. Ed Meredith’s nephew Joe Meredith Hill recounted this memory of Ed’s capture:

Since I have mentioned Uncle Edd Meredith recounting his experiences, I will tell you one humorous story he told on himself. He was captured and was being sent back up the river on a boat to the Union Prison at Rock Island, Ill. When the boat passed near Memphis, Tennessee, he and another Tennessee boy decided they would escape by jumping off the boat and swimming ashore. They did and lay out in the cane brakes of the Mississippi River for a couple of nights and became so cold and hungry they decided to walk out on the big road and let the yanks capture them. They were sitting on the side of the road, wet, cold and bedraggled until a detail of Yankee cavalry came along and the Yanks threw down their guns, looked at them and said, “We’ve got you.” Without arising, Uncle Edd said, “Well, it’s a hell of a git you got.” Uncle Edd had rheumatism after the war and he always blamed it on that episode. He also used his rheumatism for an excuse to drink considerably. He was a good recounter of his battle experience, especially when he had a few nips. (Hill 25)

In Ed Meredith’s CMSR, he appears on a Roll of Prisoners of War at Camp Douglas in Illinois, although it is not dated. It does, however, say that he was captured on Dec. 31, 186_ at Murfreesboro. In the details it states that he was part of the prisoners of war captured at the battle of Stone River and they arrived in Chicago January 27, 1863. Because the Battle of Murfreesboro (Stone River to the Union side), occurred on the same day, any prisoners picked up must have been lumped together. In Ed’s pension application he states that he was not seen by a surgeon while there, and by this time, 1895, is crippled and not capable of manual labor. He also states he only uses intoxicants when prescribed by his physician. He goes on to state that he returned to service—and did not stop fighting until after the Battle of Franklin, which was in December, 1864. He has a muster record dated June 30 to Dec. 31, 1864 that states he was last paid in Dec. 31, 1863 and was now on detached service in Middle Tennessee. He must have been exchanged and allowed to rejoin the 8th. Oddly, his pension was denied for insufficient evidence, and by the time he had more verification from W.L. Dibrell and J.H. Snodgrass (physician and former Captain in the 25^th Infantry), he died.

Another companion, James (Jim) Revis, in Co. D, was also captured on the same day, and his records show he was sent to Camp Douglas as well and then paroled there March 30, 1863 and delivered to City Point, Virginia on April 4, 1863. Jim Revis worked on the Scott place before the war. His records would explain how even though many were captured in battle, they returned to duty in some form or the other.

1863

The 8^th continued their expedition in West Tennessee in the first months of 1863, capturing about 3000 prisoners and a large supply of arms, ammunition, clothing, etc. from the Union army. In March the 8^th was sent to Florence, Alabama to protect the factories there and picket (serve as advance guard) down the Tennessee River, reporting to Gen. Bragg. They remained there about six weeks and were treated with great kindness by the townspeople according to their commander’s report (Dibrell 655).

Battles of Wild Cat Creek and Meredith’s Mill

After spending time in various maneuvers, the push was on by Union General William Rosecrans to move through Tennessee to Chattanooga. The 8^th was ordered to go to Sparta, which must have made them happy, and to scout and watch the movements of Rosecrans’ army. On August 9, Captain Leftwich’s Co. D, the company so many of our Sparta men were in, was doing picket duty about 8 miles south of camp (which was 2 miles north of Sparta) when they were charged by Colonel Minty’s cavalry brigade coming up from McMinnville. As they fought the advance, the pickets raced back into Sparta and arrived at the camp where the regiment hastily assembled just above the mouth of Wild Cat Creek where it empties into Calfkiller River, and below Fisk’s mill on the creek. This location is where the Meredith and Fisk homes were located, so the men were literally fighting in their own back yards. Colonel Minty was stopped from any further advance, and withdrew south of the Caney Fork River that day. However, a couple of men were wounded and eight of the pickets were captured. (Dibrell 658)

A couple of week’s later, on August 17, 1863, Col. Minty returned to Sparta after being reinforced, but the 8^th had also been reinforced by about 200 from the 4^th Tennessee under Col. W.S. McLemore. As Gen. Dibrell states:

The Fourth Tennessee took our former position at Wild Cat Creek, and the Eighth Tennessee took position half a mile above at Meredith’s mill, when the battle began about four o’clock P.M., and lasted until after dark. They lost heavily in wounded and a few captured. The battle was spirited and fierce until the darkness of the night put an end to the fray. Fearing the enemy would effect a crossing of the river above us, we left a strong picket and withdrew to the top of Cumberland Mountain to a very strong position, and expected the fight to be renewed early next morning; but in this we were disappointed, as when morning came Col. Minty, with his command, moved across the mountain in the direction Chattanooga, saying he would leave us in full possession of the country about Sparta. (658)

Gen. Dibrell noted that in both battles with Col. Minty, he had been outnumbered by quite a number of men. Dibrell believed that Minty had between 1500 and 2000 men, while the 8^th had no more that 200 on August 9, and 300 on August 17. Although Dibrell gives no hard numbers, he reported that Col. Minty had heavy losses. The importance of fighting on home turf was noted by Dibrell, “But we were at home, fighting for our own dear ones and we preferred death rather than defeat. Minty’s men made various efforts to charge us and drive us from our positions at Wild Cat Creek and Meredith’s mill, but the true and gallant boys of the Eighth met every charge with a yell and a volley that sent them to the rear in great confusion.” (659)

What must it have been like to be at your home and all of a sudden find yourself in the middle of a battlefield? In 1860, Margaret McCoy Meredith, mother of the Meredith men, lived in one home in Wild Cat Cove in Dist. 12 with her daughter Ann, son William, and two grandsons. Nearby were Edward and James Meredith, her sons, who owned the grist mill used for grinding grains. By 1863 all the men were away from home most of the time, leaving their wives, mothers, and younger children alone to protect and provide for themselves. James’ wife Mary would have been living in the house where the mill was located, and everyone had to be pleased that all their husbands, sons, and fathers were camped in the cove nearby. The Union army was all over the area in 1863 and the two armies were often playing a cat and mouse game with each other.

Shortly after these encounters with Col. Minty, the 8^th was ordered on August 20 to move out to Kingston, 63 miles to the east of Sparta. Dibrell states that a “great many of the Eighth were at home on leave getting up their winter clothing (for it will be remembered that the cavalry generally had to mount and equip themselves).” (659) He goes on to say that the majority remained at home and that Gen. Forrest had to send a detail with Lt. Col. Ferdinand Daugherty back across the Cumberlands to regather the men at a later date.

For those that did join Dibrell and march to Kingston, they joined the forces that gathered near Chattanooga and fought in the bloody Battle of Chickamauga in September. Dibrell had been promoted and was now the commander of the Second Brigade, of which the 8^th was a part. In his official report he notes that the 8^th was now being led by Capt. McGinnis and that four were killed and eleven wounded (664). They participated in the well-known fight at Missionary Ridge on the 21^st and at Lookout Mountain on the 22^nd and 23^rd. He reports that the brigade captured at least 500 prisoners, and arms enough to fully supply the brigade with Springfield and Enfield muskets. The total casualties of this battle on both sides were 35,000, with 4000 dead. The Confederates had pushed Rosecrans back to Chattanooga and Dibrell fully expected they would continue the fight the next day. Gen. Bragg, however, decided to not continue the battle into Chattanooga fearing the losses it would entail. The officers were furious and Forrest resigned his command and took up an independent command in Mississippi instead. That would be the last time the 8^th would be associated with Forrest. Dibrell’s brigade was sent by Gen. Bragg into Eastern Tennessee with Gen. Longstreet, while Bragg remained in siege of Chattanooga, only to be defeated in late November when Grant arrived on the scene with reinforcements for Rosecrans.

In September, 1863 Capt. Leftwich filled out a requisition for fodder for 70 horses for Company D. This gives an idea of the size of the cavalry unit at that time. In October 1863, Captain Leftwich requisitioned supplies for Company D. Included in his records is a requisition for 8 pair of shoes, 17 pants, 24 drawers, 24 shirts and one small tent—which Co. D did receive, but not until March, 1864, because they were not with the main Army of Tennessee at this time, but instead with Longstreet.

In December, the 8^th participated in the siege of Knoxville. Dibrell reported that “the weather was intensely cold, and forage and rations extremely scarce. We were compelled to subsist upon the country.” (663) In 1921, Waman Leftwich Dibrell, son of Gen. Dibrell, participating in a questionnaire about the war experience, confirmed the conditions were not ideal. He spoke about their rations; sometimes “beef without salt or bread…” and “We slept on blankets, sometimes in tents and some times without. We were greatly exposed to cold and hunger.” (Questionnaires 680) The attack on Ft. Sanders, the most heavily fortified of the Union positions near Knoxville, surprised Col. Dibrell, and it also failed miserably because of the excellent design of the fort’s walls. Reinforcements arrived for the Union troops inside and the siege of Knoxville was raised. During this time near Knoxville, William H. Meredith, who was present with the 25^th Tennessee Infantry, decided to leave that group and join his brothers in the 8^th. It must have been done spontaneously, because at first he was listed as deserted on December 3^rd, but on the company muster roll of April 7, 1864 it notes that he joined the 8^th Tennessee Cavalry. He changed regiments just as the troops were beginning to move out, since the siege ended on December 4.

The fighting was continuous during this month and Dibrell made a note about the number of men captured during these skirmishes. Captain McGinnis was commanding the regiment still and was severely wounded at Mossy Creek where a battle occurred on Dec. 29. The Confederate troops then moved further east and into Virginia for winter camp. Tennessee was now almost completely in Union hands.

In the June 30 to Dec. 31, 1864 muster rolls of Co. D, of the 8^{th ,} it is noted that pay was issued to the men on December 31, 1863. Ed and Elisha Meredith were paid by Capt. Gurly on that date. W.R. Hill’s records do not state any pay received.

1864

There were pockets of Confederate troops still present in Tennessee. The men of the 8^th that had not ridden out that day in August with Dibrell, had been put together again by Lt. Col. Daugherty and were operating separately from the main force now in Virginia. On Feb. 22, 1864 at Dug Hill, a spot a little over 10 miles northeast of Sparta, the 8^th fought against Union troops under Col. Stokes. This attack routed Stokes’ cavalry, killed about fifty men, disrupted the Feb. 22 oration being delivered by Col. Stokes in Sparta, but also led to the death of several of the 8^th as well as the capture and imprisonment of many more, Daugherty being one of those. There are no records that tell us positively today where our Hill and Meredith ancestors were at this time- Virginia or Tennessee.

Battle of Blant’s Hill

On the road leading from Sevierville to Newport in far-east Tennessee, near the home of a Mr. Blant, a battle took place on January 27, 1864 between the Union 23^rd Army Corps under Gens. Sturgis, Elliott, McCook, and Woolford, and the Confederate forces of the 4^th, 8^th, 9^th, and 10^th Tennessee, and the 11^th and 3^rd Arkansas. Dibrell was very proud of his regiment’s performance. He said it was the most significant battle they had been engaged in; being at the forefront of the fighting. They held their lines and did not lose any men, even though the Union lost around 300 men. No one straggled, and the battle ended when night came on and the brigade was out of ammunition. The men afterwards referred to this battle as Dibrell’s Hill, instead of Blant’s. In recognition of the fine service provided by the Tennessee Cavalry, Major-General Martin, who had been commanding the cavalry, issued a Special Order No. 1. He states:

In leaving East Tennessee, and parting with the soldiers and officers of Armstrong’s division, the Major-general commanding cannot permit the opportunity to pass of commending the zeal, patience, and gallantry of the division. In our short campaign-full of incidents, of battles and skirmishes, of privation and want, conducted in mid-winter, in a mountainous country—the division has covered itself with glory. At Maynardville, Mossy Creek, Dandridge, McNutt’s mill, and Blant’s Hill, and always opposed by superior numbers, it has fought with distinguished gallantry. (Annals 666-667)

While still in the east Tennessee area, William H. Meredith was captured on February 13, 1864 at Sevierville. He was then sent to Nashville, then to Louisville, Kentucky to the federal prison before being transferred to Ft. Delaware, where her arrived on March 7. Ft. Delaware was a fortress built on Pea Patch Island in 1859 in the Delaware River, surrounded by a moat, and considered impenetrable. It was built to protect Philadelphia, about 45 miles upriver, and not intended for use as a prison. However, it housed as many as 17,000 prisoners at one time, living in barracks surrounding the fortress. Close to 3000 men died there during the war, and it was considered the “Andersonville of the North.”

(Ft. Delaware Society photo)

Conditions at Ft. Delaware are described at the Park’s website:

The drafty barracks provided less than adequate, especially during the cold winter months. Each prisoner was given one set of clothes, a "cheap overcoat", and one blanket which did little to ward off the chill of icy winds. Heat was provided by coal-burning stoves, one stove for every 200 men. Those men who continually crowded the stoves were called stove rats. Organized efforts were sometimes undertaken to forcibly dislodge the stove rats in order to allow other prisoners to benefit from the heat of the stove. Some could not tolerate the severe conditions. The heat of the summer was of little concern to these Southerners, but the extreme cold and exposure of the winter months, combined with meager rations, led to the death of many.

William Meredith remained until February 27, 1865 when he was sent to City Point, Virginia for exchange. While at Ft. Delaware, Will Meredith suffered frost bite on his feet and legs according to his pension record. By the 1880 census, he was noted as being a cripple, and applied for his pension based on that injury.

******

Changes were afoot in Washington D.C. After his victories at Vicksburg and Chattanooga, U. S. Grant was summoned to the capital in March and appointed commander of all the Union armies, while Gen. William T. Sherman assumed Grant’s former command of the Western Armies. Grant planned a three-pronged attack on the South that would push Lee towards Richmond, from two directions and Sherman would march from west to east through Georgia with the aim of capturing Atlanta, the seat of most of the manufacturing of Confederate goods. (Goodwin 614-618)

At the end of March, Dibrell’s Tennessee cavalry brigade left East Tennessee and moved through Asheville, N.C., Greenville and Anderson, S.C. and then to Georgia where Gen. Wheeler ordered the 8^th to the front above Dalton, Georgia for picket duty. The drive was now on for Sherman’s push to take Atlanta. As the huge Union army thrust to Atlanta, the 8^th Cavalry was at the rear of Gen. Johnston’s retreat south. They were engaged in skirmishes all along the route losing several men. On July 26, Col. Dibrell was promoted to Brigadier General and Lt. Col. Daugherty was in command until he was taken prisoner this same year. On August 10, an official count reported that from the original 921 men mustered into service in September, 1862, the present regiment had 140 effective men. (669)

On September 3^rd, Atlanta was captured by Sherman. That, coupled with the now complete blockade of the South, was the light at the end of the tunnel for the soon to be victorious North.

Meanwhile, the 8^th was ordered to accompany Gen. Wheeler on his raid back into Middle Tennessee where the men were allowed to go to Sparta, visit their homes and gather up supplies. While there, the regiment was able to gather up all the men that had been separated for the past year, and even bring in new recruits so that the entire force numbered 1110 men, of which, however, only around 200 were armed. As Dibrell noted, “The absentees were greatly rejoiced at the chance of rejoining their old regiment. Many of them had been hunted for like wild beasts. Some had been killed, the houses of some had been burned and their families insulted and abused, and they had longed for a chance to get back into the army to avenge their wrongs.” (669-670)

As they left Sparta, the regiment moved west to rejoin Wheeler, who had been repulsed at Nashville. As the regiment camped between Woodbury and Readyville in Cannon County, they were caught by surprise early in the morning of September 7 before they were saddled. The pickets had been captured without a shot being fired in warning. As the men scattered everywhere, around 120 men were captured and two were killed. On the other hand, the 8^th captured around fifteen Union men and killed seven. Those that escaped capture gathered together and moved back toward Sparta to prepare rations for moving out again.

From Sparta, the regiment, now some 500 strong, moved out to Virginia to protect the salt works at Saltville. The 8^th was now being commanded by Capt. Leftwich, and they met the Union troops on October 2. The battle lasted the day, and resulted in 500 Union dead and their withdrawal. It was the first battle for the new recruits, and was successful. As they were marching back to Tennessee, the 8^th was ordered to go instead to Atlanta and meet Gen. Sherman as he began his march to the sea on November 16. Dibrell notes that “the cavalry could do very little to impede him; but we did what we could, and kept his stragglers up pretty well, and prevented much destruction of property.” (672)

This continued to Savannah where Dibrell reports, “We were constantly on the move, without rest, and frequently, when in the rear, scarce of rations and forage, as Sherman’s army left nothing that they could carry away. They destroyed stock, grain, barns, cotton-gins, burned houses, and tried what destruction they could make. The writer saw respectable ladies, who had always had plenty, in the deserted camps of Sherman’s army gathering up the waste corn for bread.” (673) The 8^th subsisted ten days without issue of rations and were subsisting on the countryside, that already had been cleaned out. Sherman said, “We cannot change the hearts of these people of the south, but we can make war so terrible…and make them so sick of war that generations [will] pass away before they again appeal to it.” (Ward 342) Savannah fell on December 22, 1864, when Sherman telegraphed Lincoln about his Christmas present—the city of Savannah.

So, where were all our White County relatives at the end of 1864? The last time that an official muster was taken was Dec. 31, 1864. William Ransom Hill’s company muster roll for the period of June 30 to Dec. 31, 1864 in the Remarks section says “Bears certificate as “Commanding the Company.” At the top of the muster roll, he is listed as the 2^nd Lieutenant of Co. D, 13 Reg’t Tennessee Cavalry. In later years he was known as Captain Hill, but this designation never made it into the official record. According to family history, W. R. Hill was with Dibrell to the very end, so he would have been outside Savannah, Georgia with the regiment. What ever happened to Captain Leftwich, who was the captain of Company D? His muster roll says that he was under arrest since about November 1, 1864. Why? Who had arrested him, and for what reason? Where was he under arrest? There is no official explanation to fill in the gaps.

Elisha and Edward Meredith’s muster for this last period said they were absent and on detached service in Middle Tennessee. There are no records for brother James. William Meredith was being held in Ft. Delaware during this time. And John Meredith was probably dead.

Back in Tennessee the last major battles took place at Franklin on November 30, and Nashville on December 5. John Bell Hood joined forces with Nathan Bedford Forrest’s cavalry and threw themselves into hopeless charges that completely demoralized and disintegrated Hood’s army. Where were the Sparta men who were on detached service in Middle Tennessee? Did they join Hood and Forrest, their former leader? There is no record that says where our Meredith relatives were on those days. There is one hint that they may have been at Franklin and Nashville during these last two Tennessee battles. In Ed Meredith’s pension he states that he fought until after the Battle of Franklin. On December 14, 1864, Elisha was listed as a deserter and under the remarks section it says, “His family.” He had five children at home, ranging from eleven to one year, so it is easy to imagine the need to be with his family, and the hopelessness of the cause, if you had participated in those two battles. Assuming the brothers participated in these battles, they would likely have made their way home to Sparta, trying to avoid the Union soldiers camped everywhere. Whereas Edward seems to have avoided them, Elisha was not successful.

It was in mid December that Amanda Meredith recalls the death of Jonathan Scott in White County.

The country was overrun with the Union troops. One night while some of the Confederates were having a dance at the old Bailey Place near East Sparta…and a bunch of Yankee soldiers raided the dance. The Confederates had to hide under beds, jump out of windows, and such to escape. They were greatly outnumbered and were surprised. Nevertheless a great deal of joking was done about the undignified way the Confederates took leave of the dance. Lieutenant Jim Revis (1^st Lt. in Co. D of the 8^th) …had sought refuge under the high four poster bed and was particularly humiliated by the joking handed out the next day. I remember when the little Company of Confederates passed Grandfather Scott’s house. He was home and tried to tell young Lieutenant Revis that he didn’t have enough men to attack the Yankees. I remember hearing Grandfather say, “Jim, there must be at least 500 Yankees camped at the foot of the mountain on the Lowrey farm. You can’t fight them with less than 100 men.” …They met in battle about a half mile or mile from our house and I could hear the firing. In about one hour Mr. Jim Hill, a brother of Capt. W. R. Hill, whom I later married, came up with Uncle Jonathan Scott across the front of his saddle. (Hill 101-102)

Jonathan’s death date is either December 12 or December 17, 1864. * Amanda’s memoir does not mention where her father or her future husband were during this time. On January 28, 1865 Elisha took the oath of allegiance to the United States in Nashville. Had he been held since December 14? Was he then allowed to go home, to wait till the end came? No record gives an answer.

* The stone at the cemetery seems to read Dec. 12, however, history written by descendant Cynthea Johnson Amason says Dec. 17.

1865

From Savannah, the 8^th Cavalry followed Sherman into South Carolina, witnessed the burning of Colombia on February. Now led by Col. Mounce L. Gore, the former Captain of Co. G who was promoted to Col. in March, 1865, continued to fight and even captured 150 prisoners with 150 horses and mules and 14 wagons filled with forage. They moved on into North Carolina and were involved in the Battle at Averysboro and then Bentonville on the 18^th and 19^th of March, 1965. By this time the Confederates had a total of 20,000 men against the Union forces of 100,000, and all they could hope to do was slow the inevitable. On April 1, Lee had to retreat from Petersburg and tell Pres. Davis he must abandon the capital at Richmond. As Richmond emptied, and Lee’s army was surrounded, prolonging the inevitable would only lead to more dying. On April 9, Gen. Lee surrendered his army to Gen. Grant at Appomattox.

Two days later, on April 11, the last fight by the 8^th took place at Beulah, North Carolina, near the Little River in Johnston County, about 25 miles west of Raleigh. Several were wounded, but none killed. The next day the 8^th officially learned of Lee’s surrender, although they had been hearing it in shouts from Union soldiers, and orders were received to march 85 miles to Greensboro to report to President Davis. Two days later, they arrived in Greensboro to escort Davis and his Cabinet as they moved out of the path of the Union forces. Dibrell observed that “Greensboro was full of soldiers from Gen. Lee’s army, together with a great many stragglers, State troops, and others, all of whom were greatly demoralized, and many soldiers were drinking.” (676) One of the 8^th in Co. D, James Brown, was killed that night by a N. C. State trooper, much to Dibrell’s disgust, so the command moved out of town to camp and then began their escort duty the next day, guarding the trains of Davis and his cabinet, as they moved to Lexington, then Charlotte, N.C., and on to Abbeville, South Carolina. It was decided by Davis, and all the generals present that those who wished to accept surrender could do so, and that Davis and his staff would proceed to the West, which had not been defeated. Also, after they crossed the Savannah River into Georgia, the commanders would divide some of the gold specie from the Confederate treasury to pay the men. One hundred eight thousand dollars was divided, each man receiving $26.25 on May 3, 1865. On May 11, 1865 the men of the 8^th (13^th) were paroled in Washington, Georgia by the Fourth Iowa Cavalry, Captain Lot Abrahams, and began the journey home to Tennessee. (676-678)

Three hundred and eighty-one men were still with Dibrell on May 11, 1865. Nine hundred and twenty-nine men began in October, 1862, and most of those men actually began their military service in July, 1861. They had supplied their own clothing, horses, muskets, and even food. They had been paid, rarely, if ever. The terms of the surrender allowed the men to keep the horses that had been the personal property of the soldiers. But when the men reached Tennessee, several instances of humiliation and theft took place at the hand of a couple of petty Union officers. The horses the men had been allowed to come home with (their own) were confiscated in Chattanooga by Union soldiers, in opposition to the terms of surrender. Although Union General Thomas in Nashville ordered the horses returned, by the time the men returned to pick them up, some of the best had been branded U.S. property, and others died from lack of rations. In all, 108 horses were lost. (678) After all the men had been through, this insult made reconciliation with former enemies even harder.

Postscript

Col. Sidney S. Stanton, the former commander of the 25^th Tennessee Infantry, had resigned that regiment, and shortly before the Battle of Murfreesboro had raised a new regiment, the 84^th, which consolidated with the 28^th which he commanded. Stanton died on the battlefield in the fight at Resaca, Georgia and was buried at the cemetery at Calhoun, Georgia. (Sanders 405) Capt. Mark Lowry, who had taken over Co. A of the 25^th, was killed at Signal Hill Virginia on September 29, 1864. (Sanders 408)

Stephen H. Colms continued living in Sparta after the war. He died in 1874 and is buried in the Old Sparta City Cemetery next to his wife Harriet and daughter Mary, who died at age five in 1849. George Gibbs Dibrell returned to Sparta as well and lived until 1888. He was elected to represent District 3 in the State Legislature in 1874, and served for ten years. He is buried in the Old Sparta City Cemetery with his wife Mary Elizabeth Leftwich Dibrell. Jefferson Leftwich died in 1871 and is buried near his commander and brother-in-law in Old Sparta City Cemetery as well.

Most of the Meredith brothers lived out their lives in Sparta. James and Edward (Jim and Ed) both lived till the year 1900, James dying in July, and Edward in September. They are buried next to their wives and each other at the Old Zion Cemetery, where their mother Margaret McCoy Meredith and sister Ann are also buried. Their older brother Elisha moved with his wife Lee Ann Scott Meredith to Alvarado, Texas. He died in 1888 and is buried in the Balch Cemetery beside his wife Lee Ann Scott Meredith. The youngest brother, William (Bill) lived past 1904 in White County, but his grave site and date of death in unknown to this author.

William Ransom Hill also lived out his life in and around Sparta. After the war he married Mary Anderson and lived in District One near town. He held the position of Tax Collector for a while and they had three children. When Mary died in 1873, he raised the children alone until he met and married Amanda Meredith Evans, a young widow with a daughter, Mollie. They married in 1879, moved to her first husband’s land at Evan’s Cove, which he purchased, and proceeded to add seven more children to the family. Besides being a farmer, Billy Hill, held several public positions over the years, and died at home in 1901. He is buried at the Bethlehem Church of Christ Cemetery outside Sparta, near his uncle James Anderson Hill. Amanda sold the farm and moved to Wolfe City, Texas where she supported her children by running a boarding house. Amanda (Mandy) lived a long full life till 1948 and she is buried in Mt. Carmel Cemetery in Wolfe City, near most of her children. It is her written memoir and the writings of Billy and Mandy’s son, Joe Meredith Hill, that provide the foundation for our family’s memories and research of the past in White County, Tennessee.

Civil War Records for William Ransom Hill

Civil War Records for Elisha Meredith

Close up from a 1863 map made by the Union mapmakers of Sparta, Tennessee

Showing location of Col. Dibrell, Scott, Carrick homes. Meredith and Fisk homes were just north of the Scott and Carrick homes in the Spur of the Cumberland.

Close-up of same Sparta map showing area south of Sparta called Cave Hill where Widow Hill’s (Elizabeth Pinner Hill, mother of Wm. Ransom Hill) home is located.

Bibliography

Dibrell, G.G. “Eighth Tennessee Cavalry.” The Military Annals of Tennessee. Confederate. Ed. John Berrien Lindsley, J. M. Lindsley & Co., Publishers, Nashville, 1886. pp. 651-681.

Dibrell, W. Leftwich. “Form No. 2.” Tennessee Civil War Veterans Questionnaires. Vol. Two. Compiled by Dyer and Moore. Rev. Silas Emmett Lucas, Jr. Publisher. pp. 679-681.

Dyer, Gustavus W. and John Trotwood Moore compiled. The Tennessee Civil War Veterans Questionnaires, Vol. Two. Publisher: The Rev. Silas Emmett Lucas, Jr.

Ft. Delaware State Park. http://www.destateparks.com/fdsp/index.asp

Ft. Delaware Society. http://www.del.net/org/fort/

Goodwin, Doris Kearns. Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln. Simon & Shuster, New York, 2005.

Hill, Amanda Meredith. “My First Eighty-five Years” A memoir included in the self-published book A Family History: Hill-Meredith-Lowery

Hill, Joe Meredith. A Family History: Hill-Meredith-Lowery. 1966

National Archives Compiled Military Records for W.R. Hill, Elisha Meredith, William H. Meredith, James Meredith, Edward Meredith, Joseph B. Meredith, Jefferson Leftwich, Jonathan Scott, James Revis

Pension Applications of Wm. H. Meredith, Edward Meredith, Lee Ann Meredith, Amanda Meredith Hill.

Sanders, R.C. “Twenty-Fifth Tennessee Infantry.” The Military Annals of Tennessee. Confederate. Ed. John Berrien Lindsley, J. M. Lindsley & Co., Publishers, Nashville, 1886. pp. 401-409.

Tennesseans in The Civil War. Published by the Civil War Centennial Commission. Nashville, Tennessee, 1964.

Ward, Geoffrey C., Ric Burns, and Ken Burns. The Civil War: An Illustrated History. Alfred A. Knopf Publisher, New York, 1990.