Civil War

 

This page is a general picture of what happened overall during the Civil war. I begin  here with William Anglin who was wounded at the battle of Chickamauga as an overview and recap to blogs I am posting because of the arrival of the 150^th anniversary of the event. The story of William in detail occurs on the blog home page. This reading is a little more general in content, and may include information on extended family as I have time to include it. Let us begin with William, born in 1826, married to Sarah (Sally) McIntosh. –

His cousins William and James joined the 58 NC the last day of May, possibly together.  They had both the grace and misfortune of fighting for 2 years, until late in the summer of 64, cousin William was wounded (Aug. 31) and James was no longer present on the musters.  This William, then died on Sept. 19^th, 1864 in Macon, GA, the one year anniversary of the beginning of the battle at Chickamauga. He lived almost a year longer than our William.

Brothers, Raburn (see Donna Anglin Toncic's page) and our William, joined on separate days in July of ’62 according to this record. Yet another record has them listed as joining on the same day.  Raburn (Rabe) was age 29; William listed as being age 34.  William was not 34. He was in fact almost 36 according to the 1860 census. It truly looks as if he lied about his age, because he was old enough at this point to be exempt for now.  He must have done so in order to go with his brother.  Or because the forces assigned to be sure all available men be fighting somewhere, would not allow you to prove your age.
 

There was speculation that the draft would be extended to include him soon anyway, so he probably felt he would rather go now, and not be conscripted later, due to the stigma that conscripted men were Union sympathizers, or cowards.  He would have rather been with his brother than to go into a unit alone.  He may have also considered how alone his brother was going to be.  Who knows, but he lied about his age when he could have not gone at all. He was over 35. He joined 4 days after his brother.  He was older and taller, by 5”.  William caught the first illness he came in contact with and was listed as having deserted while recovering troops were in Clinton, TN. 

However, if the age he gave was not a lie, he was only a matter of months from being exempted. If he had waited as some did until the conscription dates, he would have been exempt. Perhaps he didn’t know that for sure at that time.  But, he had to have gone because he made a determinate decision to go. Yet murderous troops who went throughout the towns, taking able bodied men to fight, shot first and asked for birthdays later, IF they asked.  In fact, they assumed that if you weren’t already with your unit by the time they arrived, and you looked the right age to be in a unit, they considered you to be either a deserter, a traitor, or an enemy soldier. I am sure William knew of many cases in which this had already happened. Perhaps he felt he had no choice.

In those days, who had a birth Certificate to produce to show your age? There were no picture IDs.  And the men, whose job it was to eliminate any threats left behind, didn’t care. They just shot or hanged you if you didn’t have gray hair. Some mountain men were known to hide in caves in order to have someone stay behind to defend the women and children, mostly from soldiers stealing them to starvation. People who were discovered helping soldiers not in uniform, even if only feeding them and sending them on the way, were shot.  The soldiers were imprisoned. It was always considered that they were enemy or traitors/deserters.  It would be impossible to win sometimes as today it would be Union soldiers and tomorrow Confederate wanting to know which side you were on.  And soldiers without uniforms could always be spies.  So since it was so dangerous to give rest or food to any soldier, the soldiers stole to stay alive.  My own family has stories of hiding winter rations in caves or animal dens, along the creek banks.

Looking closely at the details, William had a daughter who was born about the time he was accused of desertion.  It would have been a wonderful reason to take advantage of any time offered to escape home. By railroad, getting home would have been a quick trip across the mountains.  I have to believe that this trip home for him was a joyous one, and possibly a dangerous one, considering that a confederate soldier would be walking into the approaching Federal forces.  Did he actually make it home? Did he see his new baby girl? Did he despise leaving his family once more knowing the federal forces were so close to his own family?  I don’t know. We can only imagine. Imagining is what good fiction is made of, but it also helps me ask the right questions to forward the research. 

The official journals of the officers at the time, indicated that the men were given leave, especially those who had been sick, or had family needs at home.  Both things applied to our William. He had been very sick.  Families at home were awaiting news of who died from the illnesses (for there were several at once in the camp) and who lived.  His wife had a new baby, which he may have wanted to go home to while being born, or just after to see it.  However, once the leaves were issued, they were rescinded soon after, and quite a few men who were already on their way home, did not get the message that the leave was rescinded.  Because William was not hanged when he returned to his unit, someone must have stood in the gap for him to let it be known he had not in fact deserted, but had actually taken leave which he thought was legitimate. If there were papers given, they would have been extremely valuable documents.

“In fairness to those who had been pardoned or received light sentences, the eight men of the 58th who were executed were reported to be strong Union men and had engaged in partisan warfare against the Confederate Government when they were not in ranks. Those pardoned or who received light sentences were considered men who would return to duty, but just needed some time at home. Perception was everything at the court-martials held in Reynolds' Brigade.” (Unsure of the source  at this time.)

One of the eight executed was a Silver cousin.  He and his wife according to their letters felt they were unfairly judged, that reports that he was a traitor was a lie. It could have easily gone the same way for William, had he been discovered while traveling. 

This roster is missing family names, because at the time of publishing, all had not been discovered, In addition, the author explains that where names are the  same, within families, it was sometimes impossible to differentiate the men.  On this page alone, I recognize other family friends or cousins, Thomas Ray, Jacob Ayers, and Jesse Bailey.  I wish I had known to look for John Gibbs, and some of the Silvers who are actually family line.

 

"Our" William was listed as having enlisted as a Phifer, and remained so until his demotion, after he was presumed to have deserted.  The duty of a Phifer was to help direct troops, as a member of a corps which played various sets of notes designed to proclaim to troops the intent of their officers.  They would have learned to maneuver out of the way in formation as they played.  It was doubtful that even as they began in formation, that they remained in formation.  But William was infantry by the time he arrived to Chickamauga, GA, where he was wounded.  And his demotion rather than hanging, a heavy indicator that he was not deemed to have actually deserted. Else he would have been hanged as others were.

ANGLIN, JAMES G.: Co. C, Enl. on 5/29/62 in Yancey Co., then age 18, 5'7«", na- tive of Yancey Co. Pres. thru 8/31/64.

ANGLIN, RABURN: 2nd Sgt., Co. C, Enl. on 7/11/62 in Yancey Co., then age 29, farmer, 5'5", native of Yancey Co. Reduced to pvt. by 4/30/64 muster. Pres. on 8/31/64. Paroled at Greensboro, NC on 5/1/65. Res. Yancey Co.

ANGLIN, WILLIAM: 4th Sgt., Co. C, Enl. on 5/29/62 in Yancey Co. Pres. thru 8/31/64. Died on 9/19/64 at Macon, Ga., had been MWIA on 8/31/64 at Jonesboro, Ga. Res. Yancey Co.

ANGLIN, WILLIAM: Co. D, Enl. on 6/27/62 at Boone, NC, then NFR in CSR.

>>ANGLIN, WILLIAM: Co. G, Enl. on 7/15/62 in Yancey Co., age 34, 5'10", farmer, native of Yancey Co. Sick on 2/28/63 muster. Deserted at Clinton, Tenn. on 5/26/63, returned to duty, MWIA at Chickamauga, Ga. on 9/20/63, died of effects on 10/5/63.

Note:
"Killed in Action, Mortally Wounded in Action, Captured, Deserted, Failed to Return, Galvanized Yankees"

"This important list has only just begun.  It will be complete only when the Individual Service Records in the Unit Rosters are complete.  As soon as I complete an individual's record and he meets any of these criteria--KIA, MWIA, WIA, POW, etc.--I will post his name and information to the appropriate part of this list, with his name linked back to his Individual Service Record in his unit's roster." (found in information reguarding the formation of a web site for Cajun confederate troops. Answers the question of what MWIA means.)
___________________________________________________________________
 

 THE BATTLE OF CHICKAMAUGA 
(notes I found)

• The Confederate victory at the Battle of Chickamauga was complete by about 7 p.m. on September 20, 1863. Kelly's Brigade's strength entering the battle was 876. Its reported casualties were: killed 62; wounded 238, missing and presumed captured 29, total 329 for a 37.55% loss according to the official report. The 58th lost 46 killed, 114 wounded and one missing, for 161 casualties, over 50% of the regiment's pre-battle strength, and sustained 49% of the total casualties for the brigade. The 63rd Virginia lost at least 19 killed, 28 wounded and one missing, while the 5th Kentucky suffered 14 killed, 75 wounded, one captured and one miss- ing according to Colonel Hawkins' report. Despite the official report, totals on muster rolls of the regiments involved indicate the brigade lost at least 79 killed, 217 wounded, and three captured or missing for a total of 319, ten fewer than initial reports indicate, but higher levels of killed in actions.

• The 58th North Carolina camped on the battlefield the nights of September 20-22, perhaps surrounded by their dead. Fatigue details were assigned to dig graves, others were on picket, while others had the odious duty of carrying the dead to their graves.

• William Preston was not oblivious to the aftermath of the battle in his October 31, 1863 battle report. On September 21, Preston ordered the burial of the dead. The hill Gracie's men had assaulted was afire from the musketry, which had sparked the dry brush along that ridge. Many bodies were burned beyond recognition. 

 Our own William may have incurred burns from these fires, if he had not yet been located and moved. (since writing this, I have discovered that John Gibbs, his brother- in- law, present at Chickamauga on that day, gave testimony that he had been wounded in the leg of a gunshot wound.)

At some point after the Battle of Chickamauga, after the burial of those who had died there, the 58^th left their wounded in Ringgold, and moved North and were involved in engagements near Moccasin Bend, and then at Orchard Knob.  I finally did find a plaque at Orchard Knob, at the corner of a cemetery, but maybe not the one I was seeking. But I have also read info about men from the unit, sent there, included Silver cousins. (Cousins to us, but possibly not to William, at that time.)

Just past Orchard knob, lies Missionary Ridge. Atop the ridge was Braxton Braggs Headquarters. The 58^th NC, a unit of Reynold’s Brigade now, Buckner’s Division, was under the direction of Brig. Gen. A. W. Reynolds.  The brigade was positioned a the Chickamauga Train Station, ready to leave for Knoxville but was recalled, on orders by Bragg, to help defend his headquarters. Reynold’s Brigade consisted of  the 58^th NC under John B. Palmer, the 60^th NC under James T. Weaver,  the 54^th Virginia under Lieut. Col. John J. Wade, and the 63^rd Virginia under Maj. James M. French.  

 

An Iron plaque at the foot of the historical site of Bragg’s headquarters, tells their position and movement during the Battle of Missionary Ridge. It says:

• On the morning of Nov. 23^rd, this brigade was with its division at Chickamauga Station ready to leave by train for Knoxville when it was recalled by order of Gen. Bragg, and placed in the trenches at the western base of Missionary Ridge in front of Breckinridge’s Divisions, with its left resting on Moore’s Road and its right on the Bird’s Mill Road.  The brigade retreated to the crest of the ridge upon the advance of the Army of the Cumberland on the afternoon of Nov. 25, and retreated to and across the Chickamauga.

This action took place on Nov. 25, 1863, 2 months and a few days after the Battle of Chickamauga in Sept. and also about a month and 3 weeks after the passing of our ancestral grandfather, William Anglin, who was mortally wounded at Chickamauga, on the 29^th of Sept, but died in Marietta, Ga. on Oct. 5, 1863. 

The plaque stands along side a second one at the foot of the hill of Braggs headquarters at the corner of South Crest Road, which turns right to follow the base of the hill,  just after it crosses over I-24 going East. The address is 134 S. Crest Rd, Missionary Ridge, but there is not a house or structure of any kind at the location.  It is somewhat over grown, but mowed around the plaques.  They are literally on the right side of the road in the turn.  Considering the whole of the ridge, the embankment is very steep. The plaques are placed at what would be about half way up the hill if you consider that it goes below South Crest road down about 30 – 40 ft to the major highway below.   If you were on Hwy I –24 headed out of the city, away from Nashville, and Chattanooga, but about to cross this the lower gap of the ridge where the highway passes through, and S. Crest Road crosses above, the plaque would be above you and to your right on South Crest.  But it cannot be seen from the Highway.  South Crest crosses above just before Germantown and Belvoir Rds. come into the highway as you are going north.

The Anglins who should have been present here would be our William's cousins William and James and his brother Raburn, provided they had not been transferred into other units and I have not discovered it. (These men were recorded as being transferred to Co C, rather than Co. G. before this point. But I believe it was still in within the 58th.)  According to the records I can find, cousins William and James were together until some time near the summer of 1864, not quite a year later.  I know there were also Silver men in this unit as well.  I need to check for sure, but I think George W. Roland was also here, as a member of the 60^th NC. I recently discovered, his brother-in-law John Gibbs, was also there and survived as did Raburn until the end of the war.

 

The battle to defend this ridge would have put them seriously in harms way.  As I have already mentioned, the bank is incredibly steep along this whole west facing side.  The sign for Birds Mill Rd. still stands; but I couldn’t find Moore’s Rd.  If it is actually the Moore Rd of today, it presently ends about 2 miles away.  Since the larger highway cuts through the probable northernmost area of the battlefield, this end of Moore’s road may not still exist.  However, when it is said that they retreated up the ridge to the crest, it would have been a seriously difficult scramble. Much steeper than at Chickamauga. Firing downhill from positions there was nearly impossible for there would not be places to find traction to stand. I am sure it was hoped that the troops would hold back the Union soldiers from the trenches, and if not, that they would be easy targets from above.  But someone thought wrong.  Another plaque at the top, which describes the battle, explains that the cannons could not fire and expect to hit the enemy troops for two reasons. Due to the lay of the land, cannoneers could not see the approaching enemy, nor could they see the position of their own troops, visa vi our men, so as to not fire on them as they climbed the hill in retreat. 

Here are the links to the blogs as I have written concerning William's demise in the Civil War:

The Battle at Chickamauga -
https://theycametothemountains.blogspot.com/2018/08/william-anglins-civil-war-story.html

The Journey to War -
https://theycametothemountains.blogspot.com/2015/07/william-anglin-civil-war-soldier-journey.html