INCIDENT IN BLUE-GRAY STRUGGLE

History gives that John Smith, a good citizen of Sullivan County, about 35 years old, was married and had a wife and three small children when he was shot and killed in 1863.

Smith was known as Fiddler John and lived in Turkey Town, a short distance from Bluff City, as the place is now known. He would attract the attention of almost any crowd by his fine personal appearance, having black curley hair, deep blue eyes and fair complexion with rosy cheeks.

As history and tradition gives the story, he was a recruiting officer for the Federal Army, but was captured by the Confederates and lodged in jail at Elizabethton, accused of being a party to a robber band who robbed the house of Issac L. Nave, a secessionist who lived on the Watauga River.

However, Smith said that he knew nothing whatsoever of the robbery and that was all he could do in his defense. He was condemned, without trial to be taken out and shot but was not notified of the verdict.

Released from jail under heavy guard he and several other prisoners were marched toward Bristol. When they reached a place called ‘the narrows" about four and a half miles north of Elizabethton, and not over one mile from Smiths own home, he was untied and separated from the other prisoners then taken to a place on a ridge known as Zan Wood’s timothy patch by two revengeful men named Motte and Duff.

The reports of the guns that sent Smith into eternity were heard by his wife. Someway she was warned that the shots she heard had killed her loving husband. She went searching, and with the help of information from neighbors, found her husband cold in death.

She noticed that he was minus one finger. On this he had worn a Gutta Percha Ring. One of the murderers had cut the finger off to get the ring and taken it to a small stream to wash the blood off and put it on his own finger. But the water that washed the blood off the ring failed to wash the stain from a soul that no amount of absolution could cleanse.

When the Federal authorities got the upper hand the Naves who were good farmers, and others, took refuge in Su1livan County, seeing that their lives were in danger. Some of them were parties to the murder of John Smith.

This writer was shown by Alfred Smith, oldest son of John Smith, a large hole in a steep slaty hill located at an old farm house on waters of what is now called the Underground Spring of Dry Branch.

The son said the Carter County men who were implicated in the death off his father would lay in that hole of at night and come down to the old farm house owned by friends to get their meals. The hole can still be seen and I have been told the same house is still there, although it has been remodeled.

The son, Alfred, was about seven years old at the time of his father’s death in 1863. One day his mother woke him and the other children up and told that she heard a strange rumbling noise coming toward the house; in a few minutes sixteen men appeared on horses just at daybreak.

A man by the name of Jan Ellis, who was among them asked her about locating the old farmer who lived near the hole and then the men headed for that place after she gave them the directions. She and the children headed for higher ground to see if they could hear anything that might occur.

In less than ten minutes, they heard shooting and plenty of it. The Confederates had just eaten their breakfast and started to run back up a nearly level field to the hiding hole where they had left their guns.

But it was too late. Dan Ellis and his men had seen them and began shooting. Some of them made good their escape but most of the crew were killed. History says that when Dan Ellis saw and recognized the Naves, he turned his back to keep from seeing them killed, knowing it was useless to ask that their lives be spared.

One off the Naves had his gun and shot right on until he was killed.

This writer was well acquainted with the two sons of John Smith, Afred and John. They both bought farms and settled on Dry Branch, not far from the place Ellis and his men did the killing, and only a few miles from the place where their father was killed.

This writer’s emotional feelings and views are as follows: No cruel deeds should be attributed to the Greys for they were true to their country, and true to their cause, and if they had won we could have prospered and still had sin. No cruel deeds should be attributed to the Blues for they were true to their country and true to their flag and although they did win, and the nation has prospered, we still have sin.