A glance at some of the Civil War “witness buildings” in Clear Spring
Following-up on my post from Saturday, I look back again at the village of Clear Spring. I have nothing to show how my ancestors felt… there and in nearby Four Locks. Instead, I rely on what is available… not so much as a reflection of what they also felt, but to add another dimension to the place that they called home, at the time all of these events were unfolding.
Otto Nesbitt
I’ve mentioned him before, but once again, Clear Spring’s more famous slaveholding Unionist, Otto Nesbitt left us something to consider in his diary* entry for the day.
Between noon and 1 p.m., folks from the town “put for the mountain,” leaving “scarcely anything…but women and children.” The day being cloudy and drizzling, Nesbitt predicted a difficult night for those who fled the comfort of their homes.
Just the day before, Nesbitt documented the fear in Clear Spring’s other residents…
The free Negroes nearly looked ashey, nothing like a laugh could be seen in any of their countenance. It was understood they were to be taken South and sold in place of hte ones taken of run off by the Union army.
Otto’s brother, Jonathan, was equally concerned and watched the horses for two or three nights, worried that the free blacks would take the horses with them as they fled.
* Otto Nesbitt’s diary is with the Clear Spring District Historical Association.
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Gary Smith
January 2, 2013
Nesbitt’s correct first name is OTHO, not Otto. He is buried at Little Rose Hill just east of Clear Spring on the National Pike, route 40. He is one of my wife’s ancestors (sort of). She is from Clear Spring and my Mother’s family is also from there. My Great Great Grandfather was John Moore, and his son, John Henry Moore, was my Great Grandfather. John Moore lived outside of Clear Spring at McCoy’s Ferry, near Four Locks. My maternal Grandmother was John Henry Moore’s daughter. I don’t know if we are related or not. My distant Uncle was Walter Scott Myers who was captured at Loudoun Heights, sent to Libby and then on to Andersonville where he died. His parents were Emanuel and Tamzin Myers. I think all six of the captured pickets at Loudoun Heights were from the Clear Spring area. I don’t know whether or not James Draper Moore was a relation to me or not as he has not shown up in my research. Please feel free to contact me for any more information concerning the Nesbitt family or anything else about Clear Spring. Thank you, Gary Smith
Robert Moore
January 7, 2013
Thank you, Gary. I think the error was confined to the post as I entered his name correctly on the Find-a-Grave page. It’s interesting to hear about your Moore relatives. Being in such close proximity, one might think we may be related, but I think your set of Moores may be different. The big question is… who was your John Moore’s father? It might be that it was my fourth great grandfather’s brother, since a few of them also settled in the same area (though most moved on). I’m familiar with W.C. Myers. Yes, he, along with about half a dozen other troopers from Co. B, Cole’s Cav. were captured on that day, and my distant first cousin (James Draper Moore) was one of them. James Draper Moore was a son of Hamilton Alexander Moore. Hamilton was a son (by first marriage) of James Draden Moore, who died in 1840. Looking forward to hearing from you again, if you can shed any further light on your Moore kin from the Clear Spring area.