On Tuesday January 10, 1865, the Nashville Daily Union published an especially long list following the Battle of Nashville. It also included a column penned by "B. F. Taylor" that I think bears repeating here and remembering for the sentiment today - Memorial Day.
Only One Killed.
"Our loss today was very small - only one killed and sixteen wounded."
"Only one killed." Every day we see this little sentence in the columns of the newspapers. Every day the sunlight of some happy home is extinguished forever; a breach made in some family circle, a bright jewel stolen from the treasury of some fond mother's love. Ah, yes, every hour some sentinel falls at his post of duty, and is thrown from the ramparts of time into the surging waters of eternity.
"Only one." The careless reader scans the words without a pang.
"One one." Who was that one? Perhaps a boy in years, a mother's darling; a youth whose happy laugh was but yesterday as the gush of a summer rill in a bower of roses; whose young life was the crowning happiness of an aged mother's declining years - or it was one just entering manhood's years, hopeful and generous, whose brow was crowned with fresh laurels, whose path was strewn with flowers were no serpent lurked; one whose great soul panted to do brave and noble deeds in his country's defense, and went forth early in the struggle, a very veteran in bravery and daring. But that lion heart is still now. Victory will never light that bright eye or flush that bronzed cheek with love again.
"Only one." A bridegroom, with the image of his girl wife imprinted on his noble heart, as she stood one short week before at his side. The orange blossom, not yet faded from her pure brow, must be replaced by the sable garb of widowhood. Was her loss small?
A tall, strong man, high in his country's favor, girt with the halo of victory won in many hard-fought battles, has fallen in a little skirmish, when our loss was "only one." Who mourns for that noble hero? All his noble self-sacrificing heroism is forgot by the careless reader, who rejoices that "our loss was small."
An aged patriot, bowed down with care and old age, who shouldered a musket and went forth in the defense of his country, when the young and strong heeded not her call, has fallen at his post of duty. Ah, old man, your generous self-sacrifice is not thought of when "our loss is only one."
Daily our brave soldiers, who risk life and happiness for our defense, are passing away hourly in some far distant battlefield the soil is flung upon the unknown hero. As often in the morn we find some sweet flower that blushed at sunset has withered up forever, so, daily, when the soldier rises from the bivouac to stand again at his post, he misses some brother soldier, whose cheery cry in the siege and struggle of yesterday so encouraged the faint-hearted.
Let us then, when we read "only one killed" give a tear of regret to the fallen, and a thought of sympathy to the stricken mothers, wives, and sisters, the joy of whose lives has been so rudely quenched.
 |
| Benjamin Franklin Taylor ca 1863 |
***********
List of Deaths. To help humanize the deaths so eloquently described in the above passage, I have pulled from the list of the deaths for the two week period ending January 7th, 1865 all those African American men who lost their lives. Primarily they were soldiers in the Army's US Colored Troops - many of whom were casualties of the Battle of Nashville. I concentrated on them because that is the focus of this blog, but there are many white federal soldiers, Confederate soldiers, federal employees, and citizens listed among the dead as well. When possible, I have tried to identify them and provide some background information about their lives so that their loss will not seem to have been "so small."
List of Deaths in the U.S. Hospitals, Nashville, copied from the Record of W. R. Cornelius, Government Undertaker . . . for two weeks ending January 7th, 1865.
- Gilbert Riggans, 12th USCI, Co E [born in Clarksville, he was 31 years old and married to his wife Louisa, father of 4 young children; he died Dec 23, 1864 of small pox, buried in the Nashville National Cemetery]
- Anderson [Andrew] Price (Cpl), 13th USCI, Co F [born in Franklin Co., AL, died of pneumonia on Dec 23, 1864; buried in Nashville National Cemetery]
- Alex Shields, 13th USCI, Co K
- Wilson Lubley, 13th USCI Co K
- Samuel McNight 13th USCI Co D
- Harvey Lee, 9th USCI
- Lewis Martin, 13th USCI Co A [born in Sumner Co, Tenn; enlisted in Franklin when he was 31 years old; died Dec 19, 1864 of wounds received in the Battle of Nashville; he left behind a wife Minerva]
- George Tilford, 100th USCI Co C [enlisted when he was 31 years old; died of typhoid fever]
- Charles Evans, a "colored recruit" [buried in the Nashville National Cemetery]
- Wm Lewis, 13th USCI Co H [born in Brunswick County, VA, he died of smallpox in Nashville when he was 27 years old; buried in the Nashville National Cemetery]
- Alex [Alexander] Thompson, 100th USCI Co E [born in Harrison Co., Kentucky; enlisted at 33 years old in Covington, KY; died Dec 24, 1864; buried in the Nashville National Cemetery]
- James H Welch, 12th USCI Co A [born in Circleville, Ohio, died Dec 24, 1864, in Nashville of disease]
- Arthur Scruggs [Stigger], 12th USCI Co E [born in Madison County, AL, enlisted when he was 33 years old at the Elk River; died December 24, 1864 of disease; buried in the Nashville National Cemetery]
- O Owens, 12th USCI Co G
- Lt. Dennis Dease, 12th USCI Co H [was born in Ireland, enlisted in a New Jersey regiment before transferring to be an officer of the 12th USCT; he died of wounds received in the Battle of Nashville on December 25, 1864 in Nashville, he left a widow Margaret, buried in the Nashville National Cemetery]
- Louis Logwood, 9th USCI [USCHA] Co B [alias Lewis Feruguson, born in West Virginia; buried in the Nashville National Cemetery]
- [Clayborne] Moore, 12th USCI Co B [born in Limestone, Alabama; enlisted when 18 years old; wounded in action in the Battle of Nashville; died Dec 25, 1864, of a gunshot wound; buried in the Nashville National Cemetery]
- Jno McFeeters, 13th USCI Co C
- George Lewis, 12th USCI Co I [born in Madison County, Alabama, 24 years old; died of wounds received in the Battle of Nashville; buried in the Nashville National Cemetery]
- Mose Sweet [Streets] (Cpl), 100th USCI Co E [born in Woodford Co, KY; wounded in Battle of Nashville, died of effects of a gunshot wound to right breast December 25, 1864
- George Blue, 18th USCI Co B [Born in North Carolina, enlisted in Missouri; 43-year-old Blacksmith; died of disease; had been enslaved by Betsy Blue of Calloway Co., Missouri; buried in the Nashville National Cemetery]
- Jas Taylor, 100th USCI, Co E
- Edward [Edmond] Galbreth, 100th USCI Co H [born in Clarksville, TN, accidentally shot Dec 26, 1864 at Camp Foster, in Nashville; 15 years old, drummer boy; buried in Nashville National Cemetery]
- Richard Day, 13th USCI Co D [born in Davis Co, NC; enlisted at 26 years old in Nashville he was married; died of smallpox; buried in Nashville National Cemetery]
- Henry Clay, 13th USCI Co F [18 years old, born in Winchester, Franklin Co., Tenn; died of smallpox; buried in the Nashville National Cemetery]
- Anderson Dougle [Douglass], 13th USCI Co H [20 years old, born in Maury Co., Tenn; killed in action in the battle of Nashville]
- James Yowe?s, "colored recruit"
- J [Jacob] D Toliver, 100th USCI Co H [died from wounds received in action; gunshot wound received in the Battle of Nashville; buried in the Nashville National Cemetery]
- Edward Blackwell, 13th USCI Co D
- Henry Holland, 13th USCI Co K [born in Todd Co, KY, died of wounds received in the Battle of Nashville, buried in the Nashville National Cemetery]
- Geo Harrison, 17th USCI Co A [born in Christian Co., KY; 21 years old when he enlisted in Clarksville, TN; died of a gunshot wound in the leg received at the Battle of Nashville; he is buried in the Nashville National Cemetery]
- M Hown, 18th USCI Co A
- Edward Vanher [Vanleer], 12th USCI Co I [born in Brumsy?Co., Virginia; a 49-year-old engineer; died of wounds received at Battle of Nashville; he is buried in the Nashville National Cemetery]
- George McCray, 13th USCI Co B [born in Maury Co, died of wounds received in the Battle of Nashville]
- Robert Jones 111th USCI Co K [born in Lawrence County, AL, he enlisted at the Sulphur Branch Trestle when he was 25 years old; listed "slave" as his occupation; died Dec. 28th, 1864 of disease in Nashville; buried in Nashville National Cemetery]
- James [Isaac] Carter (Sgt) 18th USCI Co G [born in Boone Co, Mo; enlisted Jefferson City, Mo; died Dec. 28, 1864; buried in Nashville National Cemetery]
- Frank Chapman, 111th USCI Co C [born in Madison, AL; 48 years old; died of disease on Dec 28, 1864; buried in the Nashville National Cemetery]
- James Hughes, 14th USCI Co G [born in Allen Co., Kentucky; 18 years old when he enlisted in Gallatin; Died in Nashville Dec 29, 1864; buried in the Nashville National Cemetery]
- Jordan McCain [McLain], 13th USCI Co K [born in Logan Co., KY; 19 years old, died of wounds received in Battle of Nashville; buried in the Nashville National Cemetery]
- Wm [Willis] Ruger [Rucker] (Sgt), 13th USCI Co D [born in Maury Co, TN; he was 34 years old when he enlisted; he was wounded in the battle of Nashville (gun shot wound to the left lung) and died in the hospital a few days later; he is buried in the Nashville National Cemetery]
- Thomas Angel 100th USCI Co D [21 years old from Pennington, KY; died on Dec 30, 1864, of wounds received in Battle of Nashville; buried in Nashville National Cemetery]
- Henry Crawford (Sgt) 100th USCI Co E [born in Missouri, enslaved by Mary Crawford; enlisted in Lebanon, KY; died of gunshot wounds, buried at Nashville National Cemetery]
- Unknown, 101th USCI Co C
- S [Sylvester] Sheridan, 12th USCI Co B [25 years old, born in Georgia; (perhaps Monroe Co, Ohio, enlisted Circleville, Ohio) died on Jan 2, 1865, of wounds received in the Battle of Nashville; buried in the Nashville National Cemetery]
- Unknown, colored
- F Case, 12th USCI Co F
- Thomas Watson, 13th USCI Co E
- Jno Saunders, 1 US Colored [I suspect this was the same Pvt John Saunders who was an unassigned recruit from Indiana; his records state that "no certain account" can be made of him; he enlisted in the fall of 1864 in Evansville, Indiana; per his records, he was a "drafted man"; he is buried in the Nashville National Cemetery]
- Benj Hughes, 101st USCI Co D [E] [born in Benton County, Arkansas, he was 21 years old when he enlisted in Huntsville, Alabama; he died of disease in Nashville on December 31, 1864; he is buried in the Nashville National Cemetery]
- Jos Richmond [Rickman], 12th USCI Co B [born in Ohio, "drafted man"; enlisted at Circleville, Ohio, living in Chillicothe, Ohio before service; wounded in Battle of Nashville, died Dec. 31, 1864; buried in the Nashville National Cemetery]
- Jackson Broadway (Sgt), 12th USCI Co K [born in Nashville; died Jan 1, 1865, of disease; he was married]
- Unknown, Colored
- D Rollins, 14th USCI Co C
- S [Samuel H] Armstrong, 13th USCI, Co A [born in Maury Co, enlisted in Franklin with his five brothers; died Dec 29, 1864 from wounds received in Battle of Nashville (gunshot wound, amputation at right thigh; he is buried in the Nashville National Cemetery]
- B Franklin, 10th USCI Co G
- George Pierce, 2nd [light artillery?] USCI Co A
- Robert Headon (Capt), 12th USCI Co E [enrolled in Evansville, Indiana; later appt Captain of 12th USCI; died of wounds received in the Battle of Nashville]
- Unknown (cold) soldier
- Jno Lewis (cold) soldier
- Wm Howard, 100th USCI [buried in the Nashville National Cemetery]
- Robert Nolen, 12th USCI Co B [23 yr old, born in Tennessee; enlisted in Cincinnati, Ohio; wounded in Battle of Nashville, died of gangrene]
- Henry Green, 13th USCI Co F [I] [born in Bedford, TN; 21 years old; died of wounds received at the Battle of Nashville]
- Ransom Wills, 44th USCI Co F [24 years old from Atlanta, Georgia; enlisted in Rome, GA; Died Dec 30, 1864, from wounds received in the Battle of Nashville; buried in the Nashville National Cemetery]
- Wm W Lewis, 12th USCI Co F [born in St. Louis, Mo; 22 years old; buried in Nashville National Cemetery]
- Sgt. Henry Lanear, 44th USCI [enlisted in Chattanooga, POW - captured at Dalton, GA; escaped and returned to duty; died of small pox in Nashville on January 4, 1865; no grave located]
- Josiah Dickey, 13th USCI Co F [24 years old, he a blacksmith from Louisiana; enlisted in Nashville; died of typhoid fever; he was married and had been living in Columbia, TN before enlistment; buried in the Nashville National Cemetery]
- Thos Greedy [Grigsby], 12th USCI Co B [born in Limestone, Alabama, he was 19 years old when he enlisted at the Elk River; he was wounded at the Battle of Nashville; died in the hospital January 2, 1865; he is buried in the Nashville National Cemetery]
- George Nancy, 12th USCI Co E [born in Madison Co, Alabama; 44 years old; died Jan 2,1865 of disease in an ambulance going to the hospital in Nashville; buried in the Nashville National Cemetery]
- M [Marshall] Hoffs [Hobbs], 17th USCI Co H [19-year-old from Alabama; died of disease; buried in the Nashville National Cemetery]
- Hamilton Lisbry, 12th USCI Co C [buried in the Nashville National Cemetery]
 |
| The_Nashville_Daily_Union Tue__Jan_10__1865_ |
No comments:
Post a Comment