Polk County, Tennessee

Fights and Raids in Polk County

In the fall of 1864, on the 17th day of December, James C. Donaldson, of Company A, Second Tennessee Cavalry, was killed at Ducktown. He, with some others, was cut off in the Yankee lines when Wheeler made his raid through East Tennessee in 1864. They had started to make their way back to their command, and were captured. The command that had captured them went on to Ducktown, and there they ran upon Captain Carder with a company of Confederates. The officer in command put a guard over his prisoners and joined in the fight, and while he was absent Donaldson and Luttrell were killed.

In February, 1865, Capt. P.L. Bible, Capt. W.L. Harbison, Lieut. F.M. Longley, Lieut. Goodson Fleming, Jack Green, Jasper McConnell, William Crockett, Fate MeClelland, T.B. Haney, and Renfro came into Polk County on a scout. They visited their families and friends, and on the 14th of February decided to start back to their command. They notified those of the company who were not present where to meet, and went across the mountain just opposite Benton Springs and camped. Early in the night a company of bushwhackers slipped up on the camp and fired a volley into it and killed T.B. Haney and wounded Bill Crocket. Captain Bible and those who were with him ran off in the dark. The company which had fired into them took their horses, bridles, saddles, and arms, and left Captain Bible and went back to the camp and got Haney and brought him off of the mountain to his father's house. Those who got away were left with just their night clothes on. Bill Crockett, wounded and bleeding profusely, made his way through the mountains to the old Copper Road. Colonel Haskins found him there and took him to his home. Crockett started with his pistol, but he was bleeding so badly that he hid it. It was found and recovered. The men who lost their clothing had to remain in the county for some time to get clothing and boots and shoes. T.B. Haney was buried in the Ocoee Baptist Cemetery.

Not long after Haney was killed on the mountain, Rube Mastin came into the county with a company of Confederate soldiers. They had stopped at the old Elisha Dodson place, on Hiwassee River, and some of the company which killed Haney shot at them and wounded one man in the hand. Some of Mastin's men went up the mountain after them and gave them a race, but they got away. Then Mastin's company started back through the mountain, and in the gap of the mountain they met Maranda Borin and John Womac Mastin's men killed them and went on through the mountain. They met two of the Hooper boys (Ike and Andy) and one of Chris Kirkland's boys. The boys had a gun, but ran, and were killed.

Joe Smith was killed about the same time, but I do not know whether or not it was done by some of the Mastin company. He belonged to the "Home Guard" as they called themselves. Most of the men who were in the company which killed Haney, if not all of them, had been in the Confederate Army, but had come home and organized this company.

In the late summer or early fall of 1864 Captain Gatewood came into the county with a company of men, and down in the lower end of the county some of them killed a man by the name of Armstrong. They went on to Benton, and there some of them killed Bill Kinser, who had belonged to the Confederate Army and had come to Benton and opened a shoe shop. When he saw Gatewood's men coming, he ran, and that caused his death. If he had gone on with his work, in all probability they would have paid no attention to him. They went up the valley toward Ducktown, and up above the mouth of Greasy Creek they met a crowd of men who had started to join the Yankees. Six of the crowd ran up the side of the mountain, and some of them shot at Gatewood's men. Gatewood's men called to them and passed themselves off as Yankees and got them to come back to the road. Then Gatewood's men began firing into them, and killed all but one of them. He jumped into the river and made his way to a big rock on the far side of the river and, although hit by three or four bullets, he was found by friends and taken off and got well. They went on up Ocoee to George Barnes'. George ran, and someone in the company ran him down and shot him in the eye, the ball coming out at the back of his head, but he got well.

In the winter of 1863-64 Captain Harbison attacked and captured a squad of Yankees at Boyd's Mill. There were six or seven of them. They had gone to mill with a wagon load of wheat. Only two shots were fired, one by a Yankee and one by a Rebel. No one was hit. One of the Yankees and a young man by the name of Taylor made their escape that night. The balance of the Yankees were turned over to the Confederates at Dalton.

Some time in the summer of 1864, Bill Harbison came into the county with a scout of men. They captured Jack Orr and Simon Orr and took them into the woodland near the Campbellite church house and killed them. They were both deserters from the Confederate Army.

Federal Occupancy

In the winter of 1863-64 the Federal cavalry established a picket line along the Hiwassee River, from Columbus up to the Savannah ford. The Federals occupied Columbus, former county seat of Polk County. Upon leaving it they tore down the last remaining store building and made a pontoon bridge of the lumber to cross the Hiwassee River on their way to Chattanooga.

At three different times General Wheeler came into the county with his corps for a few days. After the battle at Missionary Ridge, he came up from the vicinity of Tunnel Hill, Ga., and camped about the Biggs settlement, making his headquarters at T.B. Biggs'. He remained in the county a few days only, and returned to Tunnel Hill and established his headquarters there and formed a chain picket around Tunnel Hill and Dalton.

In the spring of 1864 his scouts reported that Colonel Brownlow's regiment was on picket at Moores Mill, where the Cleveland Road leaves the Stock Road. He took such of his corps as were not on duty keeping up the chain picket and determined to capture Colonel Brownlow and his regiment. Company A, of the Second Tennessee Cavalry, was selected to raid Brownlow's headquarters and capture him. When we arrived opposite the house where it was said his headquarters were, we surrounded the house. Some went in and searched the house, but he was not there. He had been relieved by another command. About the time we became satisfied that Brownlow was not in the house, the firing commenced. Some Wisconsin cavalry had relieved Brownlow's regiment. The Fifth Tennessee Cavalry had come up the Dalton Road, and the balance of the corps went on picket base on the Cleveland Road. The Federals surrendered, being surrounded.

Sometime in the spring or summer of 1864, Mose Matlock had come home on a scout. He started back to his command in the night and was captured by a scout from the Fifth Tennessee Federal Cavalry. He was dismounted and taken down the old Federal Road into Murray County, Ga., to a man's house by the name of Bates. He was there shot down in the road in front of the house, in the night. As it happened, there was no one except a young woman at home. She was afraid to go out, but slept no more. She said she heard Matlock groaning until just before daylight next morning. He died. He belonged to Company E, Fifth Tennessee Cavalry.

In the fall of 1863 Wad Thompson was killed just below Benton, between the Ben McClary place and Benton. Some of the Vicksburg soldiers had taken a mare from Thompson, and he had come to Benton to recover his mare. He was arrested by Frank Green and Logan Frady and taken down there and shot.

In the winter of 1863-64, not long after the battle of Missionary Ridge, a company of Alabama cavalry came into the county, crossed the Ocoee at the Hannah Island Ford, and went down the Matlock Valley. On the way they met with Captain Harbison and part of his company, and learned that some Yankees were at the home of Isaac Harrison. The company of cavalry formed a line in front of the house, along the big road, and told Captain Harbison to take his company and go on to the house. The Yankees were enjoying a dinner they had ordered. When they saw the Rebs coming, they broke in a run and, being halted, failed to stop, and were fired upon. One of them was shot through. The other three ran on, and ran into the company of cavalry and surrendered. Notwithstanding the one who was shot was shot through and through, he was left with Margaret Joyce. The Yankee doctors attended him, and he got  well.

In the beginning of this book I gave a list of many of the first settlers of this county, see Organization of Early Settlers; (http://genealogytrails.com/tenn/polk/early_settlers.html), and no new county was ever settled by a better citizenship. Very few of them were wealthy, even for that day and time, but the great majority of them were good livers, and most of them who were not in good circumstances when they came here soon became so. The land was rich and produced fine crops, and game - deer, wild turkeys, raccoons, and squirrels - was plentiful. They were industrious and frugal, and were soon in good circumstances. The Confederate soldiers from this county were largely descendants of this citizenship- sons and grandsons