It’s been quite sometime since I’ve mentioned anything about the United States Volunteers.
You know… the Confederate POWs who were offered a chance to get out of POW camp and serve in the U.S. Army.
Anyway, recently, I was perusing the records of the USV* and noticed that, in their records of enlistment, the fellows from East Tennessee were making a point of indicating their place of birth… the STATE of EAST TENNESSEE. When I saw this, I wondered… were these guys really putting emphasis on this fact, or were those enrolling them putting the emphasis on it… or, was it something else?
Now, having pointed this out, it’s also interesting to see that this was NOT the rule of thumb with ALL those from East Tennessee…
For those who may not be familiar with it, after Lincoln’s call for troops, the western and middle portions of Tennessee may have showed support for secession, but East Tennessee (with a more solid Whig background) held a bit more firmly (70% opposing secession). In fact, after a series of meetings, by June, 1861, East Tennessee drafted a memorial, asking that Tennessee allow the pro-Union East Tennessee counties to form their own state, and remain in the Union. It should really come as no surprise… Tennessee rejected this. (For more on the “secession” of East Tennessee, see here).
So, this raises a question… how did these fellows, clearly defining themselves as “East Tennesseeans”, find themselves fighting for the Confederacy in the first place?
William E. Bowman was formerly in Co. D, 60th Tennessee (Mounted) Infantry (Crawford’s 79th Tennessee Infantry), at Boons Creek, Tennessee. He was captured in May, 1863, at Big Black (the battle of Big Black River Bridge, Mississippi). There is no reference to conscription (which does not necessarily mean he was/was not a conscript, but it is always worth keeping in mind, as well as the fact that what we see in the service records is not always an actual reflection of how one enlisted).
Andrew F. Carr was formerly in Pitts’ Regiment (61st) Tennessee Infantry, having enlisted at Henderson’s Depot/Mossy Creek, in November, 1862. He was captured at… as above, the battle of Big Black. Again, no note if a conscript or not.
Gaston P. Laws (aka, George P. Laws) was formerly in Co. A, 60th Tennessee (I’m seeing a trend here…), having enlisted in November, 1862, at Jonesboro, Washington Co., Tennessee. As for capture and conscription… no change from the first two. In addition to being shuffled into the rolls of the USC, Laws was later on the rolls of the 1st Virginia Eastern (Loyal) Regiment.
Sydney/Sidney Tallant was also formerly of Co. A, 60th Tennessee; was captured at Big Black; and, yes, that’s correct… no mention of being conscripted. What’s really interesting is that, in his service record, he is shown as having enlisted in November, 1862, at Haynesville, EAST TENNESSEE. On top of that, he was listed as having enlisted as a substitute.
Oh, before I wrap this up… as for Yunas and White… well, I did a cursory search for Yunas, with no luck. it’s likely that his last name may have been mangled a bit. White, on the other hand, appears in Co. C, 3rd (Lillard’s) Tennessee Mounted Infantry. He enlisted in February, 1863, in Benton, Tennessee… and was ALSO captured at Big Black.
SO, if “East Tennessee” was being recognized in the enlistment records of men, as they enrolled in Confederate units, then the use of “East Tennessee” in enlistments of Tennesseans with the USV was not (I suggest) necessarily a matter of those men making a statement. More than likely, it was little more than the matter of (and despite Tennessee’s rejection of the proposal made by counties in east Tennessee), a larger number of people (in that area) recognizing the counties of east Tennessee as having successfully demonstrated ample evidence of secession, in their own right.
As to whether those who enrolled as USV soldiers were Southern Unionists… that’s another topic for another day, but the short answer is… it’s to be considered only from a soldier-to-soldier (one person at a time) basis, and… it’s not that simple to come up with a definitive answer.
*As opposed to looking directly into the records of a particular regiment of the USV, I found these records in the miscellaneous papers of the U.S.V.
Cenantua's Blog 
Bummer
February 3, 2013
Wifey does most of the digging into Eastern Tennessee kin. Out of ten family names and fifteeen Civil War enlistees only three joined the Confederate Forces. That’s just our relatives, but the journals and diaries of the time relate how some could be impressed by Rebel recruiters, then desert and hide in the mountains our join militia or travel to Kentucky and join a Tennessee Volunteer Unit. Thanks for the research!
Bummer
Robert Moore
February 4, 2013
Interesting point regarding being impressed by Confederates, Bummer. Finding the truth, one way or the other (to the left or right of the fence), is a painful thorn that many of us can’t seem to shake. While Confederate service records don’t always show it, conscription (and sometimes to the level of forced impressment) into the ranks is a reality. When I assess an individual Confederate soldier, because the Confederate records are not always clear, I look carefully at the date a soldier “enlisted”. Some of these dates suggest that an enlistment may have been the result of concerns that one might be impressed/conscripted. Why, for example, would one wait until April, 1862, or… May, 1864? Of course, this isn’t the only answer. As I’ve seen with Southern Unionists, there are sometimes breaking points… and some enlisted in the Confederate army because they were tired of what they saw being done at the hands of Federal soldiers (while others may have grown tired as well, but felt that staying home would be the better option, allowing a better chance to protect personal property and family). There never seem to be easy answers, and in the absence of exact details from each and every person, we’re going to be trapped in that loop.
mib8
February 4, 2013
One of the papers whose headlines I check regularly often refers to its location in East Tennessee, in a way that suggests it has more meaning to locals than merely designating that they’re in the eastern part of the state of TN.
Gail Jenkins Underwood
August 24, 2013
I am more inclined to believe that many, if not most of the “recruits” during the late summer of 1862 in Upper East Tennesssee enlisted under impression/conscription. I am also inclined to believe that because conscription was an ugly monster in this area that the Confederate records were not entirely transparent regarding those who were conscripted. In the case of the “substitute” noted earlier in this thread, could that indication be noted in his record as a point of favor? One example to consider is my 3rd great-grandfather, David Krouse. He was the grandson of the German-speaking preacher of Knob Creek Church of the Brethren in Washington County, TN. It is a documented fact that the Church of the Brethren was a pacifist group, and did not support the war effort. At the same time, the church also opposed slavery, but I would suggest that in East Tennessee where slavery was uncommon, most residents wished to stay out of the argument and out of the war. It is also important to note that many of the CSA recruiters promised the enlistees that they would remain in East Tennessee to guard the railroads and bridges and protect their families. Not surprisingly, they were immediately shipped off to Knoxville and deployed to the Department of the Mississippi. Confederate commanders were concerned that the East Tennessee recruits were less than loyal to “The Cause,” and, if left near their homes, simply would not show up for work every day. I do not have any correspondence or documentation to support this notion as it relates to my ancestor, but in the research, reading and lifelong residence in Upper East Tennessee, I contend that most of the men in the mountains of East Tennessee didn’t give a lick about the war.
David Copus
December 28, 2013
The fact that your examples are from men of the 60th or 61st TN captured at Big Black River in May 1863 is not a coincidence. Tennessee is officially divided into three parts: West, Middle and East Tennessee. Prior to the Civil War, West and Middle Tennessee were well-integrated into the Deep South by virtue of their vast plantations and many slaves. Politically, West and Middle Tennessee were heavily Democratic, as was the remainder of Southern states. East Tennessee, by contrast, had very small (mostly subsistence) farms and very few slaves. Politically, East Tennesseans were overwhelmingly Whigs. Predictably, West and Middle Tennessee heavily favored secession, while East Tennessee heavily favored remaining in the Union. When Tennessee seceded, the Governor sent troops to occupy East Tennessee and declared martial law there. Before Oct., 1862, East Tennessee produced only ten Confederate infantry regiments, while the region supplied six Union infantry units. East Tennessee pro-Union men who remained at home engaged in a protracted guerrilla war against the occupying Confederate troops. When the Confederate congress enacted the Conscription Act in April, 1862, many East Tennessee men fled to Union lines in neighboring Kentucky. Agitation against the draft was so substantial in East Tennessee that Confederate Pres. Jefferson Davis suspended the draft in that portion of the state in May, 1862. Agitation in East Tennessee was unabated however, and on September 5, 1862, Confederate authorities ordered the draft reinstated in East Tennessee and embarked on a strong, very public campaign to enforce conscription. Although no new Confederate infantry regiments had been raised in East Tennessee in many months, the September resurrection of the draft yielded three new “volunteer” infantry regiments: 60th TN, 61st TN, and 62nd TN. However, because the loyalty of the new volunteers was so suspect, Confederate authorities promptly ordered the three new regiments (known as Vaughn’s Brigade) to Vicksburg, Mississippi, in the heart of the Deep South, where true-believing Southerners could indoctrinate the men from East Tennessee and where they men would be a long way away from the Unionist influences back home. Vaughn’s Brigade arrived in Vicksburg at Christmas, 1862, and saw extremely limited action a few days later at the Battle of Chickasaw Bluffs. They saw no further action until May 17, 1863 when they were assigned to defend the bridge at Big Black River during Union General Grant’s land-based assault on Vicksburg. When Union troops were still 200 yards away, the bulk of Vaughn’s Brigade shamefully surrendered without firing a shot. Others in the Brigade retreated in a mad panic back to Vicksburg. Adding to the shame of Vaughn’s Brigade, Union forces captured the colors of the 60th and 61st TN regiments. Under these circumstances, it is not surprising that men of Vaughn’s Brigade captured at Big Black River might later choose to join the U. S. Volunteers. I’d love to find a relatively easy way to identify them.
Robert Moore
December 30, 2013
“The fact that your examples are from men of the 60th or 61st TN captured at Big Black River in May 1863 is not a coincidence.”
Right; I didn’t suggest that it was. Please see another web project of mine, over at Southern Unionists Chronicles.
Thanks for your comment.
David Copus
December 28, 2013
I should have mentioned that I had five family members in the 60th TN who were at Big Black River. Two surrendered, and they died of disease in Union prison camps. Three family members retreated and survived the war.
Steve
June 11, 2015
Somebody “fired a shot” from the Confederate left. The 23rd Indiana alone took 70 wounded and killed in the three minute charge.
Steve
June 11, 2015
sorry guys, shouldve read the 21st Iowa, not the 23rd Indiana.