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BENTON COUNTY, TENNESSEE
in the Civil War

CONFEDERATES


WILLIAM FRANK HENDERSON
46th TN Infantry Co. A

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William Frank Henderson was in the Confederate army from Nov 29, 1861-Sept 29 1862. He was captured April 8, 1862 and sent to Camp Butler, Springfield, ILL. He escaped on June 1, 1862. He was in the 46th TN Infantry Co. A as a substitute for a man Named Coleman.

Submitted by Diana Allison


JOHN JACKSON HENDERSON
46th TN Infantry, Co. A

John Jackson Henderson enlisted in the 46th TN Infantry, Co. A on Nov 29, 1861. Was captured at Island #10 & taken to a prison in Nashville, TN On the way North to another prison, he escaped & returned to the 46th Infantry, Co. F. He was wounded July 28, 1864 at Atlanta, GA, was captured a & escaped Again. Negro soldiers captured him and would have killed him if he had not taken an oath of allegiance to the US. He was taken to prison in Chattanooga, TN, Sept. 27, 1864.

After the war he applied for a pension, however, since he took the oath to the US he was denied. They said that he wrote to Governor Rye to no avail. He died penniless, heartbroken, disabled man(because of his wounds) having served his Southland, with no pension.

Submitted by Diana Allison


THOMAS BEVERLY HERRIN
Captain Barbee's Company

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Letter to Pension Board of Confederate Veterans

Thomas Beverly Herrin
Born:  February 04, 1845 Big Sandy, Tennessee

Died:   July 1930 Big Sandy, Tennessee
Married: Fredonia Ann Lockhart December 25, 1866

Parents of Thomas Beverly Herrin were:

William Riley Herrin
Born:  October 9, 1821 Mancoe's Creek Davidson County, Tennessee
Died:    September 20, 1895 Hazel Kentucky - Buried in Rushing Creek
Married:  Nancy "Martha" Stone Born: 1824 NC or TN
Died:  Between 1865 - 1869 - Buried in Ramble Creek
Thomas Beverly Herrin and wife Fredonia Lockhart Herrin had 7 children:

M.M. Herrin - Born May 1876 Big Sandy, Tennessee - Died May 1876 Big Sandy, Tennessee
Ida Herrin - Born July 1868 Big Sandy, Tennessee - Died October 1868 Big Sandy, Tennessee
Dolly Ann Herrin - Born 1870 Big Sandy, Tennessee - Died 1878 Big Sandy, Tennessee
J. Herrin - Born and Died 1889
Ephraim Herrin - Born February 6, 1886 Big Sandy Tennessee - Died December 25, 1944 Big Sandy, Tennessee
Richard "Bud" Harrison Herrin - Born July 7, 1872 Camden, Tennessee - Died March 14, 1957 Big Sandy, Tennessee -
    Married Bertha (Nee?) about 1895
W.J. Herrin - Born October 1874 Big Sandy, Tennessee - Died October 1875 Big Sandy, Tennessee

All of the Children were buried in Rushing Creek Cemetery. Thomas Beverly Herrin and wife Fredonia buried in Baker's Chapel Big Sandy, Tennessee.

Submitted by Norma Watson


JAMES WASHINGTON HENDERSON
20TH TN Cavalry Co. F.

James Washington Henderson enlisted Sept. 20, 1863 with Co. F., 20 TN Cavalry. Became ill in Paducah, KY. Left regiment and came home. Died April 20, 1864.

Submitted by Diana Allison


STEPHEN PLEASANT CLEMENT
33rd. Regiment, TN Volunteers

Stephen Pleasant Clement was in the 33rd. Regiment, TN Volunteers. Colonel Campbell, Humbolt, TN Cammander. Stephen was "Missing in action at the Battle of Shiloh on 6 April 1862".

Submitted by Diana Allison


WILLIAM RILEY HERRIN
55th Regiment Tennessee Infantry Company A

William Riley Herrin enlisted on Oct. 9, 1861 at Trenton, Tn. He was last paid by Thomas Peters on Jan. 1, 1862. William Riley Herrin served in the Confederate Southern Army - March 1 to October 3, 1862. He was a 1st Sgt. Company A-55th Regiment Tennessee Infantry.

Submitted by Norma Watson


URIAH AKERS
5th Tennessee Volunteer Regiment

tn_uriaha1_jpg.jpg Birth Date: 1824
Birth Place: Carroll Co. TN
Death Date: 1897
Death Place: Arkansas

Uriah Akers was born in Carroll Co., Tennessee, in 1824 and died near Rector, Arkansas, in 1897. He served in the 5th Tennessee Volunteer Regiment, CSA, from May 1961 throughout the Civil War.

Submitted by JPieke


WILLIAM FRANKLIN THOMPSON

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5th Tennessee Civil War Roster Record

Obtained From National Archives

William Franklin Thompson was born on February 12, 1839 to Willis C. & Rebecca Thompson, a merchant on the Tennessee River at Camden, Benton County, Tennessee. Although unpopular with the residents in the area, Willis remained a Union loyalist throughout the Civil War, as most of his trade was dependent on trade with northern companies for goods not produced in the southern states. However, Willis never traded in information or harbored any Union troops or sympathizers or supported any northern activities during the war.

The regiment was organized at Paris, Henry County, Tennessee, in the Provisional Army of Tennessee, and moved to Camp Brown, Union City, Obion County. Here it was reported on July 31, 1861, with 860 men present, armed with flintlock muskets.William enlisted for a one year period in the Confederacy on June 4, 1861 at Camp Brown, Union City, Obion County, Tennessee and sworn into service by Colonel W. E. Travis, under Captain J.T. Winfrey's Company. This Company was known as Company "M", "Men from Benton County, Tennessee." On May 6, 1882, Company "M" became 2nd Company "H".

The 5th Regiment was moved to Columbus, Kentucky where they remained until January 1, 1862, then moved to New Madrid, Missouri, a Confederate stronghold on the Mississippi River, which lay across the river to the south from Columbus, Kentucky. Here, the 5th Regiment engaged in skirmishes and artillery fire for thirteen days before marching on to Fort Pillow and Memphis; and finally to Corinth, Mississippi, where it arrived on March 25, 1862.

On April 6, 1862, William and the 5th Tennessee faced one of the worst battles in the war's first year at Pittsburg Landing on the Tennessee River. Here they faced Union General U. S. Grant's troops where 80,000 Union and Confederate forces would be locked in combat. General Albert S. Johnston's army, consisting of field General's Herdee, Polk and Bragg led the assaults on the Union camps around Shiloh Church at dawn in three waves of attacks. Overrunning camp after camp in the initial hours of the battle, catching the Union encampments sleeping and breakfasting. Union divisions under General's Sherman, McClernand and Prentiss were caught completely off guard. General Benjamin Prentiss' battered division of 2,200 men surrendered to General Johnston following a point blank, 62 piece artillery assault at what was known as "The Hornet's Nest" by 5:30 pm the first day. General Albert S. Johnston led the final attack on this position, was fatally wounded with a severed artery in his leg and fell from his horse dead 30 minutes later. The command then fell to General P.T. Beauregard, hero of Sumpter and Bull Run. General Grant was at his headquarters in Savannah, six miles south and was unaware the battle had started until he finally heard the sounds of artillery fire and rejoined his troops. By the end of the first day General U.S. Grant's troops were so battered and cut up, they not only could not make a push on the Confederate line, but had their backs to the Tennessee River and were just barely holding onto their position. In the dark of the night, Union gunboat's fired on the Confederate lines while 20,000 reinforcements under General Carlos Buell was being ferried across the river. The next morning, General Grant's reinforced army pushed the Confederate lines back through the Union camps they had taken the day before. By nightfall, the Union army broke off their attack when Confederate Colonel N.B. Forrest's rear-guard of Calvary began inflicting heavy casualties on the northern forces. The Union army under Grant was finally victorious by the end of the third day. This was known as, "The Battle of Shiloh." Over 3,500 soldier's dead, 17,000 wounded in an area only four miles long and two miles wide. In a wooded thicket in front of the area known as The Hornet's Nest, over 8,000 dead and wounded were counted. On the fourth day, burial parties started laying the fallen to rest in the long trenches they had dug to protect themselves and hold their positions in. One such trench held 721 fallen soldiers to be buried.

General Beauregard's Shiloh army retreat to Corinth, Mississippi where they received reinforcements, bringing his Confederate army up to 66,000 strong while General Henry Halleck reinforcements bolstered Grant's army to 100,000. To General Grant's dislike, General Henry Halleck took command of the Union troops for a slow, but steady march on Beauregard at Corinth, Mississippi. Knowing the Confederate force at Corinth was no match for the 100,000 northern troops, on May 30, 1862 General Beauregard ordered his troops to withdraw from the city of Corinth during the night and pushed south.

Following the evacuation of the 5th Tennessee Regiment from Corinth, Mississippi, I lost track of the 5th Regiment. However, William F. Thompson was still being recorded as present on the 5th Regiment's Muster Roll's until December 26, 1862, six months after his one year enlistment was over.

William went on to become a Minister for the Church of Christ who married Artimissa M. Poe on January 10, 1864. Reverend William F. Thompson and his wife, Artimissa, had eight children, all born at Camden, Benton County, Tennessee.

William and Artimissa moved from Camden, TN to Altamont, Labette Co., Kansas where Artimissa died on July 4, 1885. Her obituary was placed in the Camden Herald on July 24, 1885 on page 5.

William remarried two more times. His second wife's name was unknown and of whom he divorced within one year as he reported that she was unmercifully cruel to the children. He then married Melissa Elizabeth Turner, date unknown.

The Reverend William F. Thompson finally met his maker on November 3, 1914 at Coffeyville, Montgomery Co., Kansas from double pneumonia. William was buried at the Elmwood Cemetery, grave #830, Coffeyville, Montgomery Co., Kansas. Melissa and all of his children survived William, one of which being my grandmother, Mary Wilma Thompson.

Submitted By Arthur F. Freeman, on July 21, 1998 Loomis, California


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Graphics courtesy of Savage Goodner Camp 1513