Civil War Reminiscence
by Jessee G. Jones
Chapter 10 (written 1911-12, Knoxville, Texas)
A negro influenced by a little silver money put us across from the Kentucky to Illinois banks. We grew chumy but made slow progress toward knowledge of each other’s business. By slow degrees we picked up dots here and there that gave a clue and a basis for supposition. Illinois was having an upheavel in home affairs. The Copper-heads were making the trouble. They refused to go to the Federal army and help coerse the southern states back into the union. They were strong state-right people. Valandingham was at the head of the party and he was very strong. My partner in trouble thought I was either a Copperhead or a Confederate. He expressed himself as being an uncompromising Copper-head himself and had been run out of Indiana two weeks before for being so and had been down in Kentucky trying the virtues of the state's neutrality. He insisted on us remaining togather as long as our sentiments did not cross. I told him that I could tolerate anything except Federalism and I was willing to continue the journal with him to Indiana and study conditions existing with the people. He reminded me to keep a still tongue and a wise head for we were approaching a veritable volcano. I assured him that I was not altogather without practical knowledge down that line and would try to prove worthy of all confidence reposed in me. A bad state of affairs disturbed the country. Life was in danger, people hiding out in the woods and I was forceably reminded of former days. After a long consultation with my Copper-head brother I decided to go north and keep going until I found a more tranquil element. This friend insisted on my taking letters of introduction to his brother in Ohio. With a kind farewell from Indiana in due time reached Ohio and found the brother as expected a full-fledged Copper-head. By this time I had gotton enough stock in other people’s business and was willing to change tactics a little. I confessed at once that I was a Confederate soldier and wanted to return south. The Copper-heads were willing to render me any help but stood no better chance than I did myself, for I stood higher in the Federal soldier’s estimation that they did. After three of four days of hard study and reflections over the matter decided to run the risk of going back to Dixie Land. Mapping out a route, went off the Tenessee river exposed to Federal troop home guards for more than 300 miles, I cannot say that I was not scared all the time and felt as skittish as a wild buck for through a large portion of the country I was well known.I crossed the Ohio river a few miles above the mouth of the Tennessee river and ten miles up the Tennessee crossed to the west side of it. In settling the ferry bill it was necessary to go to a little grocery store to make change, here I saw about twenty men merry and lively, they eyed me closely I done them the same way. They were evidently afraid of me and I know I was afraid of them for I took them to be Yankees and they took me to be a Yankee. If I had been 100 yards away I could have done some runing. They were northern men trying to get south to join the southern army. I was trying to do the same thing but wanted more caution and less whiskey in mine as the Yankees were thick all over that portion of Kentucky. Keeping them in the dark I evaded their company and at Como, Tenn., heard the great Metherd, a former U. S. Senator. He was a gifted orator and a rabid Unionist. He flayed the South for what was out and belittled the sesession move. He scored the Confederate soldeirs, his audience being chiefly Yankee soldiers who was carried away with his eloquence and lustily cheered him. For policy sake I joined in with them the only instance during the war that such charge could have been laid at my door. Being a little refreshed by the eloquence of my enemy continued my journey south, often meeting Yankees I was well stocked with all kinds of stories suited to different occasions and was fairly posted on war times generally. A man waith a six-mule team drove out of a field into the road before me. He was loaded with ear corn and kindly asked me if I wanted ride and thinking he belonged in the neighborhood I accepted his kind offer. I found him to a sedate kind of a fellow that would talk only when questioned. Having graveled one mile or more I said to him, “How far down this road do you go?" "About 50 miles," he replied. "Do you go the Clifton road?" I asked. "Yes I am going there." I told him I had a sick brother there and was trying to get to him, without being asked a question I told him that my brother belonged to the 2nd Ky. regiment. A small squad of Yanke soldiers met us in the road, they did not bother us but listened attentively to one of my best spun stories. We camped out and I helped with the team. What worried me most was my friend had not a word to say to me or anyone else while it was my aim to impress everybody that I was a Yankee or a sympathiser. Wee were crossing the Tennesse river over into Clifton. He turned to me and asked if I was acqainted in Clifton. "No," I answered. "Well permit me to introduce one of my best friends to you." I thanked him and said I would be glad to form the acquaintance of any of his friends. He looked around and called out. "Come here Dock," and he approached us and I received the introduction. He was all business and as quick as double trigers as he whist off said for me to follow him, which I did in a turkey trot. He kept up his brisk gait and landed in a big store which was doing a big business, making no halt in the front part but kept on to the counting room, told me to take a seat and in the same haste snatched up a pen and done some writing. In the short space of ten minutes he was out and ready and said for me to come with him. After going 200 yards on pavement we turned to one side and entered a beautiful yard that contained one of the most costly dwellings of the town. Into the house we bolted and without much ceremony dropped in our seats at the dinner table. He ate like he walked and our meal was soon over. Into a private room of the house we went, he turned and asked what he could do for me. I replied that I wanted to get through the Yankee lines into north Alabama. He said thae the country was chuckful of Yankees and home guard and for me to follow him upstairs where I could have a private room?
Source:Cheryl's Family Index | email to Cheryl Grubb
All information and
photos included within these pages are here for the
express purpose of personal genealogical research and
may
not be included or used for any commercial purpose or
included in any commercial site without the express
permission of Cheryl and Elroy Christenson. Copyright
Elroy Christenson 1998-2016.