Dispelling the myths of Jacob R. Wilhoite's Civil War service

There are many myths online and in published materials concerning the Civil War service of Jacob R. Wilhoite, son of William Wilhoite and Anna Adeline Warner. There have even been myths about his brother, John Benton Wilhoite, as well but those seem to have dissolved over time for the most part.

Here is a summary of Jacob R. Wilhoite's service in the Civil War according to family myths and legends:

Jacob was a Colonel under General Nathan Bedford Forrest in the 4th/8th (Baxter Smith's) Tennessee Cavalry. He was killed at the Battle of Chattanooga near Missionary Ridge on 24 Oct 1863. His mother and a house-slave went to the battlefield, recovered his body, and brought it back home through enemy lines to be buried in the family cemetery.

Now the last half of this story could easily be true; in fact, if Jacob's body actually is interred in the Wilhoite Cemetery in Chapel Hill, then it most likely is true. The other parts of the myth are what need to be dispelled:

1. That Jacob R. Wilhoite was a Colonel. (Not true)

2. That Jacob served in the 4th/8th Tennessee Cavalry under Baxter Smith (Not true)

3. That Jacob served under Nathan Bedford Forrest (Not true)

4. That he was killed at the Battle of Chattanooga (Almost true, but not quite)

There are no service records for any men with the last name of Wilhoite (or any of the alternative spellings) in the records of the 4th Tennessee Cavalry or the 8th Tennessee Cavalry (Smith's). To be fair, Company A of the 8th Tennessee Cavalry (Smith's) was made up of men from Marshall County, Tennessee, which is where Jacob is found in the 1860 Census. However, there are no records indicating Wilhoite served among the 4th or the 8th in either the regiments' records or regimental histories. If Jacob were a Colonel, he most certainly would have had a service record and/or some sort of mention among the regiments' records at some point in time (whether it was when he was elected an officer, appointed a colonel, and/or killed in action). In fact, if you Google-search "Colonel Wilhoite", "Colonel Jacob R. Wilhoite", "Colonel J. R. Wilhoite" or any variations of the sort, what few results you do find are posts by descendants of this family further perpetuating this myth. The book "The Ancestors & Descendants of Jacob Wilhoite, 1751-1821" is often cited as a source for this information, but unfortunately, the information is just wrong. Jacob did not serve in the 4th or the 8th Cavalry units and he was not a Colonel.

It is not that Jacob did not serve; he did, just not with the units people stated. Company F of the 17th Tennessee Infantry was made up of men from Bedford and Marshall Counties. (See TN GenWeb page for the 17th, or Steve Arnold's page on the 17th http://www.tngenweb.org/franklin/fran17th.htm). Among their ranks was a Private J. R. Wilhoite. After thoroughly scouring the few Wilhoite men named James, John, Joseph, Jeremiah, or any other J name from Bedford, Marshall, and their surrounding counties, I concluded that none of those "J. Wilhoite" men had the middle initial of R. It is listed in some trees that John Wilhoite, son of John M. Wilhoite and Huldah Warner, born about 1842 in Bedford County, bore the middle initial of "R", but he is not listed with any middle initial in any County, Chancery, or Circuit court books. While his brother Richard is consistently listed with his middle initial (these are primarily in guardianship hearings after their father had passed away), John never is; he is simply listed as "John". Further, this John does not appear in any Bedford County or surrounding county records after these guardianship proceedings, and he does not appear in the 1860 Census. So not only is their no proof of his middle name being "R", but there is no proof he even lived to see the Civil War.

Based on the conclusion that there are no other "J. R. Wilhoite"'s anywhere in that region of the state, it was reasonably decided that this J. R. Wilhoite is indeed Jacob R. Wilhoite, and despite his service record being relatively small, it appears to give a significant detail further proving J. R. to be Jacob. O  May 15, 1862, about a year into his service, Col. Hawthorne assigned Wilhoite to a special detail as a courier for the regiment's surgeon. The very last service record for J. R. Wilhoite for the 17th Tennessee Infantry is dated 2 Sep 1863 in Charleston (meaning Charleston, TN in Bradley County, as the 17th would be engaged in the Battle of Chickamauga on September 19-20. It says the last Wilhoite was heard from was 30 Aug 1863. Jacob R. Wilhoite's headstone bears his date of death as 24 Oct 1863, and the family stories are that his body was recovered near Missionary Ridge, which is near Chattanooga. The 17th fought at Chattanooga (These personal notes from various members of the 17th bear that out: http://www.petersburgbreakthrough.org/17thTNnotes.html), and I don't think it is just a coincidence that J. R. Wilhoite's last service record is dated 2 Sep 1863 and then Jacob R. Wilhoite dies on 24 Oct 1863, just over a month later, and both just happened to be from Marshall County. Based on this information, I have concluded that Jacob R. Wilhoite died serving in the 17th Tennessee Infantry, rather than the 4th or 8th Cavalry, which also means he did not serve under General Forrest, as Forrest was in charge of cavalry units at Chattanooga.

Lastly, according to this website's timeline for the Chattanooga campaign: http://blueandgraytrail.com/event/Battles_for_Chattanooga, on 24 Oct 1863, no official engagement appeared to occur. The Battle of Brown's Ferry occurred a few days later, and The Battle of Missionary Ridge did not occur until a full month later. This could mean a couple of things. If Jacob's headstone is correct and he died in 24 Oct, then he likely was killed in a skirmish of some sort, or else was shot while acting as a courier. It is possible though that the date was off by a few days or even a few weeks, depending on when Jacob's headstone was actually erected. If the detail in the family's bible mentioning that Jacob was found near "Myssionary Ridge" is true, then perhaps is date of death was actually 24 Nov 1864, plus or minus a couple of days. If Jacob's body was recovered from the battlefield as the story goes, then it would have been several days after he was killed that the news of his demise would have reached his mother and she would have been able to reach that battlefield, so it is possible she knew not exactly what day her son was killed and was simply estimating. Now according to Steve Arnold's page, J. R. Wilhoite "died in camp" (http://home.comcast.net/~sandkarnold/17thCoF.htm). While his service record did not mention this, it is possible this information was gleamed from another source of the 17th. I have reached out to Mr. Arnold for more information, and should he provide it, I will add it to this essay.

All in all, I think the documentation speaks for itself. It's a nice story to pass on through the generations that one's long-lost-uncle was a Colonel in the Civil War and fought with a famous general and died heroically. While he certainly could have died heroically, the rest of the information in the old family story of Jacob R. Wilhoite was purely a myth. Who knows where the legend began, but I think it's time that the facts were laid out for all to see so that only the true information of Jacob's story is perpetuated further. It is certainly not a tarnish to one's legacy to have been a Private in the Infantry rather than a Colonel in the Cavalry, though some may see it that way. I think it is more harmful to Jacob's legacy to have completely false information about his life spreading throughout the family, so I hope this information will help other researchers of the Wilhoite Family in and around Bedford County, Tennessee with having their information as accurate as possible.

Wolf men of the Ozark Region in the Civil War

Michael Wolf, the son of a German immigrant, came from Pennsylvania to the Ozark region in the early 1800's and became the progenitor of a large, storied family of the area. He was the father of the famous Major Jacob Wolf of the Wolf House, now the oldest standing structure in Arkansas. Many of his grandsons and great-grandsons served for the Confederacy in the Civil War. This is a "Master List" of sorts of Wolf men who have service records. It is completely possible, and very likely, that there were others than just these, but these are the ones I could find records of. A total of 18 descendants of Michael (with the last name Wolf) can have their service confirmed by records, with another 2 who possibly served but do not appear on official records, 1 who received a pension but has no service record, and 1 who was said to have served in the pension of his son but for whom no service record exists.

You'll notice several of these names are repeated throughout the family, so it was a bit of a chore to determine which records applied to whom, especially when it came to identifying the "J.M. Wolf" of the 1st Arkansas Mounted Rifles, differentiating between the two George W. Wolf's in the 14th, differentiating between the two Michael H. Wolf's, who were both officers, and differentiating Jacob and Jacob H., as well as John, John B., and John H.B. There was also another Charles who could have been (and actually, could be) the Charles of the 27th. This family would be much easier to research if they didn't all have to name their children the same names.

Major Jacob Wolf, son of Michael, had 5 sons and 7 grandsons who served.
1. Joseph Marion Wolf - 1st Arkansas Mounted Rifles & 14th Arkansas Infantry (Powers')***
2. John H.B. Wolf - 14th Arkansas Infantry (Powers')
3. Andrew Jackson Wolf - 14th Arkansas Infantry (Powers')
4. Jesse Wolf - Fristoe's Missouri Cavalry
5. Martin J. Wolf - Freeman's Missouri Cavalry (No service record or pension, but an affidavit in his son Edwin Wolf's pension by his daughter Jennie Wolf Strickland states he served with Edwin in Freeman's Missouri Cavalry. Edwin received a pension based solely on affidavits, so it is fair to assume the same affidavits can be applied to his father.)
6. James Madison Wolf (s/o William) - 14th Arkansas Infantry (Powers')
7. Jacob H. Wolf (s/o William) - 14th Arkansas Infantry (Powers') & 1st Consolidated Arkansas Infantry*
8. George W. Wolf (s/o William) - 14th Arkansas Infantry (Powers')
9. James M. Wolf (s/o James) - 21st Texas Infantry
10. Asa Wolf (s/o George) - 27th Arkansas Infantry**
11. Jacob M. Wolf (s/o George) - 1st Arkansas Mounted Rifles & 14th Arkansas Infantry (Powers')***
12. Edwin M. Wolf (s/o Martin - Freeman's Missouri Cavalry (No service record, but receives pension from Texas.)

Reverend John Wolf, son of Michael, served as a Chaplain for the 14th Arkansas Infantry (Powers'). He took ill while on duty and died in 1863. He had 1 son who served.
1. Michael H. Wolf - 14th Arkansas Infantry (Powers') & Fristoe's Missouri Cavalry

Michael Wolf, son of Michael, had 4 sons who served.
1. John B. Wolf - 14th Arkansas Infantry (Powers')
2. George W. Wolf - 14th Arkansas Infantry (Powers')
3. Charles S. Wolf - 27th Arkansas Infantry
4. Jacob Wolf - 27th Arkansas Infantry

Lorenzo Dow Wolf, son of Michael, had 2 sons who served.
1. Michael H. Wolf - 27th Arkansas Infantry
2. Azariah Wolf - 27th Arkansas Infantry

These 2 Wolf's likely served as well, according to family stories, but no service records have been found at this time.
1. Charles Wolf (s/o Lorenzo)
2. Robert L. Wolf (s/o Reverend John) - His son John Q. Wolf's auto-biography mentions his father's service.

Also, according to "Jacob Wolf - The Mansion & The Man" by Bill D. Blevins, John R. Wolf (s/o William, s/o Major Jacob) and George Wolf (s/o Major Jacob) also served in the Confederate Army, but he does not specify where they supposedly served and I did not find service records for them. George would have been fairly old to serve (but clearly not too old, since his uncle John served as a Chaplain), and no record of John R. has been found after the 1850 Census.

*He does not appear on the muster rolls for either of these regiments, but does apply for a Confederate pension as a member of these two units and his pension is approved.

**He does not appear in the muster rolls for the 14th, but he is mentioned in multiple letters of John M. Casey, husband of Major Jacob's daughter Mary, who was a member of the 14th, and Casey's references to him appear to imply he was a member of the unit. Many of the 14th's early muster rolls and records are lost. Casey's letters also reflect Richard "Dick" Hutcheson, son of Nancy I. Wolf who was a daughter of Michael Wolf, was a member of the unit, but he also does appear in the early muster rolls.

***These two men switched units. Apparently Joseph, as a member of the 1st Arkansas Mounted Rifles, was unsettled by the carnage of Wilson's Creek. He requested a transfer to the 14th and traded places with Jacob, who was a member of the 14th and then mustered into the 1st Arkansas Mounted Rifles. This "substitution" is noted in Jacob's and Joseph's service records with the Mounted Rifles, but is not noted in Joseph's records with the 14th, and Jacob does not appear in the 14th's records at all. This is because of the aforementioned problem of most of the regiment's early records and muster rolls having been lost.

Much of this research was previously put together by Dorothy Boynton, whose information I took, analyzed, added to, and adjusted.

Kentucky Eversole Men in the Civil War

All but one of the men with the last name Eversole who fought in Kentucky units during the Civil War can be traced back to Jacob Eversole, whose last documentation is found in the 1810 Census of Clay County, Kentucky. Jacob had 5 sons, and those 5 sons led to his having 17 grandsons and 7 great-grandsons who served in the Civil War. Two them were Confederate soldiers, while the rest were Union. Two of them were killed while serving, while another and his brother were killed on furlough by guerrillas. This is a summary of the Eversole men who fought in the Civil War, which will show what unit(s) they served for and establish their biological relationships with one another. I spent the last several hours going through various service records, pension abstracts, and interviews to make this as complete and accurate a list as possible.

John Eversole, son of Jacob, had 1 son and 3 grandsons who served.
1. Hiram Eversole - 14th Kentucky Cavalry (UN)
2. John C. Eversole (s/o Hiram) - 53rd Kentucky Infantry (UN)
3. John Eversole (s/o Rolin) - 6th Kentucky Cavalry (UN)
4. Irvin Eversole (s/o Absalum) - 13th Kentucky Cavalry (CON)

Peter Eversole, son of Jacob, had 3 sons who served.
1. Theophilus Eversole - 7th Kentucky Infantry (UN)
2. Woolery Eversole - 8th Kentucky Infantry (UN) - Died sick in Nashville on 9 Oct 1862
3. John Eversole - 49th Kentucky Infantry (UN)

Abraham Eversole, son of Jacob, had 6 sons who served.
1. Joseph W. Eversole - 14th Kentucky Cavalry (UN)
2. Abraham Eversole - 8th Kentucky Infantry (UN)
3. James Eversole - 8th Kentucky Infantry (UN) & 14th Kentucky Cavalry (UN)
4. John Eversole - 14th Kentucky Cavalry (UN) - Enlisted but never mustered in
5. Elijah Eversole - 14th Kentucky Cavalry (UN)
6. Lewis Eversole - 14th Kentucky Cavalry (UN)

Woolery Eversole, son of Jacob, had 3 sons and 4 grandsons who served.
1. William Eversole - 14th Kentucky Cavalry (UN)
2. Joseph Eversole - 14th Kentucky Cavalry (UN) - Killed by guerrillas at home on furlough in 1864
3. John C. Eversole - 14th Kentucky Cavalry (UN) - Killed by guerrillas at home on furlough in 1864
4. William B. Eversole (s/o Joseph) - 6th Kentucky (UN) & 14th Kentucky Cavalry (UN)
5. Abner Eversole (s/o Joseph) - 6th Kentucky Cavalry (UN) & 14th Kentucky Cavalry (UN)
6. Anderson Eversole (s/o Joseph) - 14th Kentucky Cavalry (UN)
7. George Eversole (s/o William) - 14th Kentucky Cavalry (UN)

PLEASE NOTE: Though it is commonly accepted that Joseph Eversole, son of Woolery Eversole and brother of Major John C. Eversole, was killed in the 1864 ambush of his brother's home, it has been incorrectly reported that he is the "Joseph W. Eversole" who was a member of the 14th Kentucky Cavalry, the same unit his brother is in. This is not correct. That Joseph Eversole was the son of Abraham Eversole; he survived the war and later drew a pension from his service with the 14th. He appears in the 1890 Veterans' Schedule as a member of the 14th. This Joseph Eversole, son of Woolery, registered for the U.S. Draft in 1863 while the rest of the 14th was serving and did not report any prior U.S. Military Service. Therefore, I have concluded that the Joseph W. Eversole of the 14th Kentucky Cavalry, Company L, with the 1st cousin of Major John C. Eversole, and not the Joseph Eversole who was Major John's brother.

Joseph Eversole, son of Jacob, had 4 sons who served.
1. Elihu Eversole - 8th Kentucky Infantry (UN)
2. Henderson Eversole - 7th Kentucky Infantry (UN)
3. William B. Eversole - 6th Kentucky Cavalry (UN) - Died of typhoid on 30 Apr 1862
4. Wilson Eversole - 5th Kentucky Mounted Infantry (CON)

The only other Eversole who served in Kentucky during the Civil War was not a descendant of Jacob. A Walter Eversole served in the 1st Kentucky Infantry, but he was a native of Ohio.

There is one other Eversole, Thomas Eversole, son of a Woolery G. Eversole, who also served in the 14th Kentucky Cavalry. It is unknown who the father of this Woolery is, though it is clearly one of the 5 sons of Jacob. It is most likely John Eversole, as John has 2 sons in the age range of this Woolery who are unaccounted for. In the1830 Census, he has 1 son 10-14 (Rolin), 2 sons 5-9 (neither have been identified), and one son under 5 (Hiram). In the 1840 Census, he has 2 sons 15-19 (neither identified), 1 son 10-14 (Hiram), and 1 boy 5-9 (this might be a son, but is more likely his grandson, Irvin son of Absalum, who was deceased at this time). The unidentified boys in both of these censuses are in just the right age range to be this Woolery G. Eversole (born about 1825). He is living next to Joseph Eversole, son of Jacob and brother of John, in the 1850 Census, but all of Joseph's sons are accounted for in each census.

On a somewhat-related note, I found a picture of my 4th great uncle, the aforementioned Henderson Eversole, online yesterday. A great-granddaughter of his posted it.

Captain Archibald Dodson Napier

Archibald Dodson Napier, who went by Dodson, was a Captain in the 3rd Arkansas Cavalry (Union) during the Civil War. Prior to that, he was Captain of the Arkansas 15th Militia of Pope County, which disbanded at the beginning of the war. He became a 1st Lieutenant in the 3rd Arkansas, and was later promoted to Captain. He was dismissed from duty on October 15th, 1864. He became sheriff of Pope County following the war and was killed as a result of a "militia war" that began in the county between those of Union loyalty and those of Confederate loyalty. I spent much of today collecting as many references to Dodson as I could find in preparation of my biographical sketch of him for my book.

Dodson was a son of Archibald Hubbard Napier and Jane Carter. I descend from his sister, Amanda Smith Napier, who married Stephen Clinton Vaughan. Dodson married one of Stephen's sisters, and also fathered children with another one of his sisters. I am awaiting copies of his pension files which I'm certain will have some interesting information. Until then, I am going to share here all the mentions I could find of him online.

Report of Maj. gen. Frederick Steele, U.S. Army, commanding the Department of Arkansas.
Headquarters Department of Arkansas, Etc., Little Rock, Ark., August 15, 1864
Record of military operations in the Department of Arkansas for the month of July, 1864:
...29th, Captain Napier, Third Arkansas Cavalry, returned from scout to Greenbrier, having killed the rebel Captain Birr near Red River.

September 2, 1864 - Skirmish near Quitman, Ark.
Report of Col. Abraham H. Ryan, Third Arkansas Cavalry (Union)
Lewisburg, September 7, 1864--7 p.m.
Detachment of forty men with ammunition for Shelby crossed at Dardanelle on Monday last. On the 2d instant Captain Napier and Lieutenant Carr had a skirmish with Colonel Witt, eight miles from Quitman, killed 7, and captured Captain Livingston and 4 men of Witt's command.

Both of these can be found in the "Congressional Serial Set" here: http://books.google.com/books?id=bRAbAAAAIAAJ&vq=Napier&dq=%22Captain+Napier%22+Arkansas&source=gbs_navlinks_s

Dodson is mentioned a couple of times on the website, which summarizes reports from the Red River Campaign. One entry mentions his skirmish with Witt, and later the dismissal of Captain Herring; it does not mention the fact that Dodson and multiple other officers were dismissed the same day. Another entry mentions a scouting report from Dodson.
http://www.forttours.com/pages/redriver06.asp
http://www.forttours.com/pages/redriver05.asp

The entry referring to Herring's dismissal alludes to the possibility that it was because of a skirmish that occurred on September 7th, 1864. The details given of said skirmish say:

"On Wednesday, September 7, 1864, General Price and his command and the wagon train crossed the Arkansas, completing this phase of the operation, and they moved to meet Shelby. Shelby was just ordering his scattered command to converge on Pocahontas, Arkansas, where they would join Price, and move towards St. Louis.

General Steele (USA) in Little Rock was dependent on his cavalry. He had sent a dispatch to Major General Canby that he had some 600 cavalry looking for Price. This would have been most of the 3rd Arkansas Cavalry. Steele continued to build up Little Rock. He also makes the statement that the general impression is that Price "intends making a raid into Missouri". He speaks of his defenses as being secure, but no mention of any attempt to engage Price.

In the meantime at Lewisburg things are happening rapidly. Col. Ryan sends dispatches that he has started four flat boats for Little Rock and one to Cadron Ferry, taking out all the government stores there. In a later dispatch he asks for any information about Shelby. In the afternoon the 2nd Arkansas Infantry left Lewisburg on a forced march to Little Rock. Years later John D. Pruitt, in filing for a pension, would state that his disability was due to a heat stroke suffered during the forced march and retreat from Lewisburg, September 7, 1864.

Sometime during the late afternoon or evening of September 7, 1864, Lt. Col. Fuller with 130 men, evidently F and G Companies of the 3rd Arkansas Cavalry, met Price's army somewhere on the Dover to Springfield Road, as they were returning to Lewisburg. A sharp skirmish ensued and from the evidence it appears that F Company was cut off from the rest of the unit. The survivors of the skirmish did not reach Lewisburg until next day when col. Ryan sent two dispatches, which are crucial to our history:

Lewisburg, September 8, 1864 - 7.00 PM

Lt. Col. Fuller, with a scout of 130 men, met Cabell in cavalry and infantry force twenty miles from here, on Springfield and Dover Road, en route for this place. Fuller was surrounded, but cut his way out; Lieutenants Wishard, Carr and Greene, and 30 men missing. Have sent word to Col. Stephenson to start the train for Little Rock immediately. Have sent courier after the other scouting parties. I have everything in readiness to advance or retreat as soon as the scouts get in.

A.H. RYAN
Col., Commanding

BRIG. GEN. E.A. CARR

Almost 2 hours later Col. Ryan sent another dispatch:

Lewisburg, Sept. 8, 1864, - 8.40 P.M.

Lts. Carr, Wishard and Greene have come in, Greene slightly wounded. I do not think our loss will exceed 15 killed, wounded and missing. There are three brigades of the enemy- Dockery's, Cabell's and I think Fagan's. I presume the enemy will move to Springfield and try and cut us off from the Cadron, Our horses are pretty well used up; am giving them a few hours. If there are any horses to spare in Little Rock, I trust we can get some, as we need them badly.

A.H. RYAN
Col. Commanding

Brig. Gen. E.A. Carr

Lt. Wishard was Second-in-Command of F Company, and may have commanded the Company that fateful day. As will be later shown, there were problems with Captain Herring. There is no other record of the skirmish, and no detailed report of it, save that on September 9, 1864, General Steele (USA) at Little Rock sent a dispatch to Major General Canby in which he states "The rebel cavalry, or at least three brigades of them have crossed at Dardanelle. Price and Fagan are both present with this command. Cabell's brigade and some dismounted men were sent to attack Lewisburg. A scouting party under Lt. Col. Fuller of the Third Arkansas Cavalry, fell in with them and had a skirmish."

No muster roll of F Company would be taken until October 31, 1864, and regimental papers say nothing about the skirmish. Jim Nunnally and many other soldiers went home, and were charged with desertion. There was a great deal of confusion in the skirmish. Cpl. Nathaniel Page and Sgt. Thomas M. Jones were listed as killed in battle. Page was later to return -much later. On a muster roll dated February 28, 1865, he is listed as "returned to Company February 1. 1865, incorrectly reported killed". Nothing further was heard of Sgt. Jones, although on the muster roll his status was changed from "killed in battle" to "missing after battle".

The only report of the battle and it's aftermath came from what Nunnally's wife reported he told her. She told the family that the men were surrounded and cut off and told to scatter and rejoin the Company when they could. No doubt many went home, to check on their families as Prices army had just moved through Yell County. Many were later to return to the Company. Jim Nunnally would never have the chance."

 If the results of this skirmish is what led to Captain Herring's dismissal, it is possible that this was the reason for Dodson's dismissal as well. Herring's charges were "neglect of duty and inefficiency". Dodson in charge of Company I, and [Bright W.] Herring of Company F. Captains James F. Clear (Company D), Thomas Boles (Company E), and James H. Reynolds (Company G) were all dismissed the same day, October 15th, 1864. Another Captain, Anthony Hinkle of Company L, was dismissed a week before, on October 7th. It seems likely that all of these dismissals are closely related, but I have not been able to determine the precise reason.

An account of a man named James Bratton, a member of the 3rd Arkansas, was shared here: http://users.conwaycorp.net/tarnhart/arnhart/notes.html

"Napier found easy recruiting in Searcy County, according to James Bratton, "Myself, John Bratton and France Bratton were all conscripted into the Confederate Army (Captain Sam Leslie's Co. F, 32nd Arkansas Infantry), and was with the Army until after the Prairie Grove Battle. Ran away and came home and worked in a saltpetre works on Buffalo and Big Creek, until in December, 1863, when Capt. Naypner [sic Napier], out recruiting for the Union Army, came into the cave, and I and John and France went out with him and stayed with the Federal Army until we were discharged."

A comment from a user on the Encyclopedia of Arkansas website provided the first mention of Dodson's brother, Isaac, also dying during the Militia War. 

"Grandmother told me that Isaac C. Napier, brother of Archibald Dodson Napier, fought with Archibald in Co. H, 15th Ark. Militia, and he, too, was killed the same year,1865, by “bushwhackers” while plowing a field at home.
She said there was a big rock in Pope County that had blood stains of a Civil War soldier, where he fell. She saw it as a little girl and said that it was well known by all that saw it. She also said that all the rain that came never washed the stain away."
http://www.encyclopediaofarkansas.net/encyclopedia/comments/view-comments.aspx?type=2&entry=2277&KeepThis=true&TB_iframe=true&height=500&width=784

I've also found Dodson referenced in several books, most of which are brief mentions of him being the first victim of the Militia War. I am still trying to find evidence of Isaac being a victim of the "war" as well, but it seems possible based on the fact he was deceased by the time his wife re-married in January of 1869.

Michael Hutcheson in the "History of the Twenty-Seventh Arkansas Confederate Infantry"

Last week I ordered a copy of Silas C. Turnbo's History of the Twenty-Seventh Arkansas Confederate Infantry which was edited by Desmond Walls Allen, who has compiled several other books on Arkansas history; you can find his work at http://arkansasresearch.com. Turnbo was a member of the 27th Arkansas Infantry, and his history of the regiment is made up of dozens of stories about his experiences while a member of the 27th. Turnbo wrote several books in his lifetime concerning his life's experiences in the Arkansas Ozark region, all of which can be found at Allen's aforementioned website.

My 4th great uncle, Michael M. Hutcheson, son of Richard C. Hutcheson and Nancy I. Wolf, was a 1st Lieutenant in the 27th. His service records indicate he was in Companies A and H, but when Turnbo mentions him in one of his stories, he states that he was of Company I. Hutcheson's portrayal in Turnbo's story does not come off as very flattering. However, it's clear there is a significant amount of bias on Turnbo's part in regards to his thoughts on Hutcheson's character. I will share the excerpt and then share my thoughts on it.

An excerpt from the chapter "A Wearisome March and Sore Feet", pgs. 59-60:

"Some of the men's feet were made so sore by bad fitting old shoes that they were compelled to fall out of ranks and sit down, but when the rear guard came along, these men were forced to travel on. I remember on one occasion during that day, my feet became so sore that I could hardly walk and my company officers gave me permission to stop and rest my feet awhile. I did so and pulled off my shoes and socks and found my feet were badly blistered. Not very long after the rear guard came along in charge of Lieutenant Hutchison of company I. This man was of an overbearing nature and one of the few of Shaler's pets and would do almost anything to please him, and that day when he came along with the guard, he ordered me to get up and go on. I showed him my sore feet, but he had no sympathy for me and ordered the guards to bayonet me if I refused to get up and start on and I was compelled to go along barefooted until I caught up with my company. I told my officers how it was and Captain Fred Woods gave me a written pass to remain behind the army and catch up with it when I could, and the renowned Lieutenant Hutchison dare not order his men to abuse me again.

This was one of the cases I could forgive, but never forget. Some months after this, while Hutchison was in charge of the rear guard again, he tried this on a bunch of tired soldiers who had dropped out of ranks and were lying down by the roadside. When the officer came along with the guard, he ordered his men to prod them with their bayonets if they did not get up and march along with them. This greatly angered them and they informed him if he dared to carry out his order he would sure regret it and he went on without molesting them any more."

I think it needs to be noted, my own bias as well as Turnbo's aside, that yes, it was perhaps overly harsh and rash of Hutcheson to order that the soldiers be poked and prodded by bayonets if they did not continue to march. But to be fair, dropping out because of sore feet was a popular way for a soldier to desert or become captured. Some would wait until the unit was out of sight and them leave for home, or if the unit is being pursued, he would often get captured this way. Hutcheson was technically doing his duty by making sure that the men stayed with their command. If the unit was in the process of marching, then all the men within that unit were under orders to march, and as an officer, it was Hutcheson's job to make sure his subordinates followed their orders. It's pretty plain and simple. So while it's probably Turnbo's description of Hutcheson as being "overbearing" is accurate, referring to him as one of Shaler's "pets" seems to be a defensive reaction on his part from being annoyed by Hutcheson's confrontation with him.

Andrew Baker's Civil War Service

So my 4th great grandfather, Andrew Baker, was a 2nd Lieutenant in the Arkansas 14th Infantry during the Civil War. He was discharged May 23rd, 1862 when the regiment was re-organized. As far as I could find for the longest time, that was the end of his documented service. However, two biographical sketches of Andrew's son Felix, including one put together while Andrew was still alive, indicated that Andrew's service did not end after his discharge from the 14th.

In Godspeed Brothers' Reminiscent History of the Ozark Region (1894), Felix's biography, which was made when Andrew was still alive, claimed that Andrew took part in the Battle of Port Hudson. I found a comprehensive list of all the units stationed at Port Hudson through the duration of the war here: http://pth.thehardyparty.com/conf_units_sca.htm. The 14th Arkansas is listed, as it participated in the siege and two engagements at Port Hudson and then surrendered and disbanded there, but Andrew was no long in the unit at that time, so if he was really there as the biography states, then he must have been a part of one of the other units listed. Unfortunately, in searching their rosters, I found no one that matched up with Andrew.

A biography in Fay Hempstead's Historical Review of Arkansas: Its Commerce, Industry, and Modern Affairs, Volume III (1911) goes into even greater detail about Andrew's service. "He was in General Price's army and went on the raid into Missouri, [and] subsequently was detailed to raise a company in Newton County [AR] in support of the losing cause." So after having spent my time mostly scouring Arkansas units for a trace of Andrew, I decided to look at Missouri units a little closer. I had looked through them before briefly, but didn't delve into them much because of my assumption that since he was an officer in the 14th, he likely would be an officer in his new unit. That clearly wasn't a good idea, because once I started looking closely at the Andrew Baker's in Missouri's Civil War service records, I finally found what I was looking for.

I found a service record for a Private Andrew Baker in Jackman's Missouri Cavalry. The only record was a Muster and Descriptive Roll of soldiers paroled at Jacksonport, Arkansas on June 5th, 1865. According to the roll, Andrew Baker was 46 years old, with blue eyes, grey hair, and fair complexion. He was 5'9", a North Carolina native, and enrolled for duty in Searcy County, Arkansas. Well, "my" Andrew's headstone says he was born August 9th, 1820, which based on that would mean in June of 1865 he would be two months shy of 45 years old. However, in July of 1901 when he was re-applying for his Confederate Pension, he said he was 81 years old, which based on his August 9th birth-date would put his year of birth at 1819. Based on that, he would have been two months shy of 46 years old in June of 1865. There are 3 other facts that contribute to my determination that this is indeed "my" Andrew who is a part Jackman's Cavalry.

1. He enlisted in Searcy County, which is adjacent to Newton County where "my" Andrew lived.
2. He was born in North Carolina, just as "my" Andrew Baker was born in North Carolina.
3. I went through all of the 1860 Census for Arkansas, Missouri, and Texas for good measure and could not find another Andrew Baker who fit this description other than "my" Andrew. There was an Andrew Baker born about 1820 living in Linn County, Missouri, but he was born in Kentucky. There was another Andrew Baker born about 1821 living in McDonald County, Missouri, but he was born in Tennessee. And another Andrew Baker born about 1823 living in Nacogdoches County, Texas, but he was born in Tennessee. None of those 3 counties are very near Searcy County, with McDonald County being the closest. And in the entire state of Arkansas for 1860, there were no other Andrew Baker's besides "mine" who were even close to the age of 46. And finally, "my" Andrew Baker was the only Andrew Baker in that aforementioned tri-state area who was born in North Carolina.

So all together, I am thoroughly convinced that this the Andrew Baker in Jackman's Missouri Cavalry is the same Andrew Baker found in the Arkansas 14th Infantry. I've become even more convinced while reading up on Colonel Sidney D. Jackman, to whom the unit belonged. According to his well-sourced Wikipedia page (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sidney_D._Jackman), Jackman and his cavalry fought under General Sterling Price, and took part in Price's Raid, which lines up well with Hempstead's description of Andrew's Civil War exploits. So at this point, it would take an overwhelming amount of evidence to the contrary to convince me that the Andrew Baker of Jackman's Missouri Cavalry is not "my" Andrew Baker, and I am very glad to have found another piece in the puzzle of Andrew's life.

4 More New Civil War Uncles + It's A Small World

Last night, I found four more uncles with Civil War service records, which brings my total to 85 uncles and grandfathers who served in some capacity during the Civil War. They are:

Benjamin Holmes - Served in the 10th Arkansas Cavalry - He was the son of William N. Holmes and Sally Donelson. He was the brother of my 4th great grandfather, Absalom "Asa" Holmes.

*Welcome Holmes - Served in Company H of the 15th Arkansas Militia - He was the son of William N. Holmes and Sally Donelson. He was the brother of my 4th great grandfather, Absalom "Asa" Holmes.

John Moose - Served in North Carolina 4th Senior Reserves - He was the son of Jacob Moose Jr. and Barbary Barnhardt, and the brother of my 4th great grandfather, Levi Lawson Moose.

Jacob W Moose - Served in North Carolina 57th Infantry - He was the son of Jacob Moose Jr. and Barbary Barnhardt, and the brother of my 4th great grandfather, Levi Lawson Moose.

*The reason this one is so interesting is because I already had 1 grandfather and 3 uncles who served in Company H of the 15th Arkansas Militia (Stephen C. and William R. Vaughan and Archibald D. and Isaac C. Napier). The 15th militia was made up of all men from Pope County, Arkansas, with each company formed by the different parts of the county in which the men lived. It turns out Welcome Holmes (list as "Wm." in his service record, which has been understandably mistakenly transcribed as William) is just a couple of pages away from Stephen C. Vaughan in the 1860 Census.

Why is this is so cool? Because 95 years after this Census was taken in Pope County, Arkansas, the great grandson of Stephen C. Vaughan, Donald Gene Vaughan, and the 3rd great niece of William Holmes, Roberta Moose, were married in Tulsa, Oklahoma in 1955. They were my grandparents. Small world, eh?

4 New Civil War Uncles

After another long night of searching, I have added 4 new uncles to my master list of biological uncles and grandfathers who served in some capacity in the Civil War. (This excludes step-grandfathers, uncles by marriage, and any cousins--it is exclusively for close biological relatives.)

Tonight I added:

John Calvin Dooley - Served in the 19th Texas Infantry (CON) - He was the son of James Boyd Dooley and Frances Crump. He appears in the 1850 Census as Calvin Dooley. He marries Elizabeth M. Seago in 1856 in Cass County, TX, where he is found in the 1860 Census. He is in Titus County, Texas for the 1870 and 1880 Censuses and is supposedly buried in Morris County next to his wife. He was the brother of my 5th great grandmother, Emeline Pearl Dooley.

Beverly Ryland Jeter - Served in the 36th Virginia Infantry (CON) - He was the son of Sovereign Jeter and Matilda Vaughan. He drew a Confederate pension late in life. He was the brother of my 5th great grandfather, James Milton Jeter.

John Monroe "Jack" Mooney and William Jasper Mooney - They both served in Company K of the 20th Mississippi Infantry, as proven by their headstones and service records. They were sons of Reuben Mooney and Matilda Davis. They were brothers of my 3rd great grandmother, Mary Ann Frances Mooney.

I am very proud of all 81 of my uncles and grandfathers who served in the Civil War. Some deserted after just a few days, some were prisoners, and a handful died in various ways from being struck by lightning to dying in Camp Douglas.

Sorting out the 3 William Eversole's in the Civil War

I originally wrote this on May 18th, 2012.


There were 3 "William Eversole"'s in Kentucky units in the Civil War, though it appears as if there were 4, since there were 2 in the 14th Cavalry, and 2 in the 6th Cavalry. The 4 of them are regularly mixed up and switched around, so this is an attempt to straighten the mess for other researchers who can now apply the proper service records to the appropriate individuals. This problem is furthered by the fact that even Fold3.com has mixed up and switched around the service records of the 2 William Eversole's in the 6th Cavalry, even though it's clear they are 2 different men. The following is my explanation of sorting out the service records for the “four” William Eversole’s, and applying them to the three appropriate persons.

  First: There are 6 William Eversole's in the 1860 Census in Perry County and its surrounding counties. Of those 6, only 4 of them are of age to have fought in the war. One of those 4, William son of Rowlin Eversole and Lucinda Campbell, was disabled according to the 1860 Census. So that made this a little easier; match the 3 William Eversole's in the 1860 Census with the 4 William Eversole's in the 14th Cavalry and 6th Infantry.

  1. The first William is the easiest to sort. Private William Eversole of the 14th Kentucky Cavalry is listed as 45 years old. The 1860 Census has only one William even close to that age, and it's a pretty spot on match: There's William Eversole in Owsley County, Kentucky, born about 1814, which is a perfect match. This assertion is further verified by the 1890 Veterans’ Census where in Owsley County you can find “William Eversole” where he lists himself as a member of the 14th KY Cavalry.  So the Private William Eversole in the 14th Cavalry is the William Eversole (born 1814) in Owsley County in the 1860 Census. This William Eversole is the son of Woolery Eversole and Lucy Cornett. 

2. The second William in the 14th Cavalry is listed as 25 years old. He is the "W B Eversole" born about 1837 who is found in Owsley County, Kentucky in the 1860 Census. He distinguishes himself from his first cousin, William, who was killed as a member of the 6th KY Infantry, in his interview with John Dickey. In Dickey's diary it reads, "William Eversole, son of [Joseph], died in the army, on Clear Creek in Bell County in 1862. He belonged to the 6th Kentucky Cavalry." The entry itself actually says son of Jacob, who would be William's great-grandfather, but it's clear he was referring to the son of his great uncle, Joseph, as he is speaking about Joseph in the paragraph, and did not previously mention his grandfather having a son named William when he listed his grandfather's siblings. He is also the William Eversole who is listed as 24 years old and a member of the 6th Kentucky Cavalry; his Civil War Pension lists him as a member of both the 6th KY Cavalry and the 14th KY Cavalry. He was originally charged with desertion from the 6th Cavalry according to his service records, but those charges were dropped as he was discharged for a promotion. This is evident by the fact he was a Private in the 6th and a Captain in the 14th. Unfortunately, he does not appear in the 1890 Veterans’ schedule, but he is in the 1900 Census, so he was not deceased. So the Captain William B. Eversole in the 14th Cavalry and the Private William B. Eversole of the 6th Cavalry are the same person and he is the W B Eversole (born 1837) in Owlsley County in the 1860 Census. This William Eversole is the son of Joseph Eversole and Sallie Bowling. He is William #1's nephew. 

[Also note: Almost every online tree I’ve found has William’s year of death as 1909, but with no proof. As he is alive and well in the 1910 Census, this is not a correct assertion. I have not found a headstone or death record proving when he died, but it was after 1909, so researchers should note that in their information.]

3. The first William Eversole in the 6th Cavalry's service record is listed as age 30. This would be the William Eversole mentioned in Dickey's diary by William #2. This William is the son of Joseph Eversole and Henrietta Oliver. This can be confirmed by the 1850 and 1860 census, which each show him being born in 1829 or 1830. Also, his last child, Amanda, was born in 1862. This William Eversole's census records indicate he died April 30th, 1862 at the Union camp at Cumberland in Bell County, as mentioned in the diary. In the 1870 Census, this William's wife Jane Combs, does not have a husband and appears widowed. So that means this Private William Eversole, who is age 30 in the 6th Cavalry's service records, is the "Wm Eversole" in the 1860 census in District 1, Perry, Kentucky. He is the son of Joseph Eversole and Henriette Oliver. He is the 1st cousin of William #1 and the 1st cousin once removed of William #2. 

Hopefully this will help other Eversole researchers with applying the proper service records to the appropriate individuals.