Civil War Stories from the Maternal Side of my Family Tree in Upper East Tennessee

I credit my grandparents, Annie Blakely Land on my Dad's side and Mom's parents Richard Carl and Sallie Gray Cox with developing an interest in the Civil War in me I obtained as a very small boy. At times I'am sure they thought their little grandson was " odd. " I'm sure I made a pest of myself but to their credit they would " humor " me. Carl & Sallie both would tell me what little they could remember hearing in their youth about their grandparents, great uncles, distant cousins " in-laws," " out-laws " and such that took part in " that war " during that " bad ole time." Carl and Sallie were distant cousins. His paternal grandfather, John Harvey Cox ( I've written about earlier ) and Sallie's maternal gr,grandfather, Ezekiel Cox were brothers. No doubt, many times they would be telling me about the same people and families but each giving different details some more, some less. With the exception of their grandfathers they never named names. ( didn't remember them ) Over the course of several years, through a lot of research and help from others,I've found some names to put with their stories about " that war " in those " bad ole days " Thru a great site like footnote I can see and show others their actual records.  

 Lydia Jane 'Ida' Cox was a sister to John Cox Jr. Carl's gr, grandfather and my 3 x gr grandfather. She was married about 1825 in Sullivan County, Tennessee to John J. Hale. By the mid-1830s they had relocated to Giles County, Tennessee. John died before 1850. The 1850 census lists :
Lyddia HAIL46
Sarah T.21
Eizabeth18 married 20 Jan,1858 in Giles Co.Tn.to JOHN M. DICKEY, IMAGE # 20  His brief Confederate CMSR says he was " on the rolls of Co. K 53rd Tenn Inf. Dec.9,1861. Absent on sick furlough. Afterwards died in Confederate service at Corinth, Miss."
Seanith Alabama married on 19 Nov.1852 to JAMES H. DICKEY,IMAGE #19 Confederate Pvt in Co's C & D 32nd Tenn Inf. " Mustered and on the rolls Oct 19,1861 thru Jan 1,1862. Captured at Fort Donelson Feb.16,1862. Died a P.O.W. at Camp Morton, Ind. March 8th,1862. James and John were probably brothers with the same names as the sisters' brothers. Both sisters were widowed by the war and according to census records never remarried and died in Collin County, Texas.
James M.10 
John P. 9M. James Martin Hale  enlisted in the Confederate Army abt Dec 1861 IMAGE # 1 Enlisting in Capt Milton Alexander's Co. K 53rd Tenn Inf Organized January 7, 1862; surrendered at Fort Donelson February 16, 1862; reorganized September, 1862; Co. "K". Men from Giles County. Enrolled December, 1861. He was captured at Ft. Donelson Feb 16, 1862. " On the roll " of POWs at Camp Morton, Ind. June,1862. " On the roll " of POWs sent from Camp Morton to Vicksburg, Miss " to be exchanged " Aug.28,1862. Apparently with his initial enlistment up he is listed as " Discharged " 6 Oct,1862 IMAGE # 2. IMAGE # 3  James would soon join the Union Army's 4th Tenn Inf Co. D. On Jan 10, 1891 he would file for and receive a Federal Pension for his service as a " Home-Grown Yank." The following is his Union Army record : 

Recruited in East Tennessee in the spring of 1863; seven companies mustered in at Nashville, June 15, 1863; mustered out at Nashville, August 2, 1865. , Co. "D". Men from 1st and 3rd Congressional Districts.

Rank: 1st Sgt.
Age: 22
Enlisted: Jan. 24, 1863 Mustered: June 15, 1863
Remarks: Promoted to 1st Sergeant June 7,1865 from 2nd Sergeant promoted to 2nd Sergeant Feb 3, 64 JOHN P. HALE Enlisted in the Confederate Army's 3rd Tenn Inf Co. I on 5-16- 61 " IMAGE # 4  Wounded at Donelson and sent home " Feb.1862. Name " on the rolls " thru April 64 " detached as a wagoner at headquarters and in Miss. " Captured at Cassville, Ga. May 20, 1864." On POW rolls " at Rock Island Illinois till May 65 when he took the Oath Of Allegiance  IMAGE # 5  apparently AFTER serving briefly in the Union 6th Tenn Mtd Inf.Co.G: ( ancestor / relative, William Land, also a former Confederate, served in Co. E of the 6th Tn. Mtd. ) In 1880 John filed for and received a Federal Pension IMAGE # 6 A rather " well-known " East Tennessean named David Crockett, after loosing re-election to Congress, announced " Everyone else could go to blazes. He was going to Texas " Lydia and her family probably had the same sentiments about Johnny Reb and Billy Yank following the war. Oral family history says they were one of thirteen families that left Tennessee and came to Texas by Ox Carts in 1873. The family lived out their days in Collin County, Texas
Rank: Private  ( John's UNION ARMY RECORD )
Age: 23
Enlisted: Feb 20 65 Mustered: Feb 20 65

IMAGE # 7 a Post- Civil War photo of my Grandmaw Cox's paternal grandparents, JOHN & MELVINA WHEELOCK GRAY Like the majority of Cox, Copass, Jobe, and Kincheloe families the Grays and Wheelocks it seems were staunch Confederate at least till the 1st week of July 1863. Afterward, Rebel folk in East Tennessee must have felt they were standing below a volcano about to erupt !!!! Melvinia had brothers and uncles in the Confederate Army. Her father, William Wheelock IMAGE 18 even served in the Rebel home guard. Grandmaw used to laugh when she would tell me about her grandpaw, John Gray hating horses to the extent he would never plow with a team !!!! She didn't know exactly why but it had something to do with his service in the Rebel Army. IMAGE # 8  John Gray " enlisted Sept 25, 1862 at Fordtown Tenn " " mustered at Haynesville, Tenn." ( present-day Johnson City ) Nov.7,1862. IMAGE # 9 By the roll for March & April 1863 John is " sick at home. " This is the last card in his file. John never returned to the Confederate Army. In 1922, one year before his death, he filled out a " Civil War Questionnaire " sent from the State of Tennessee to surviving Civil War Veterans in the State both Confederate and Union. Many of those were published in several volumes by the Tennessee Civil War Centennial Commission in the 1960s. I can still recall the thrill of finding John's name quite by accident there in our local library in the early 1990's. Taking the questions and his answers here is a " statement " in his own words about his life and brief time as a Rebel Soldier :

" My name is John Gray. I now reside at R.F.D.13,Jonesboro,Washington County,Tenn. I am now 80 years old. During the conflict between the North and South I served as a Confederate Soldier in Company E 60th Tn Mtd Inf. My father was ROBERT HALE GRAY from Cedar Creek,Washington Co,Tn. He did not serve in the war. My mother was RACHEL BASKETTE, daughter of CHARLES AND SARAH BASKETTE. They were from " Boone's Creek near the Boone tree in Washington County. My gr,grandfather came here from Scotland and claimed 640 acres of land in what is now Washington County,Tenn. Our family has always lived by farming the land. My parents owned 200 acres of land and $ 3,000.00 worth of property at the start of the war but never owned any slaves. Our home was a 5-room log house. Father did all kinds of farm work Mother cooked,spun,and wove. As a boy I worked on the farm,plowed,and used the hoe and mattock. Sometimes I split rails. All this was considered honorable work. The nearest school was a mile away. I would go when I could. Altogether I had about 18 months of schooling. I enlisted in the Confederate Service July 4,1862 at Grays Station near Johnson City,Tenn. They sent us to Mobile,Ala. where I took sick ( probably malaria ) and during times of being unconscious and delirious I fell from a window injuring my back for life. I was in the hospital in Mobile,Alabama IMAGE # 10  and treated very well. The examining board sent me home by train and my regiment was sent to Vicksburg,Miss. where they served in the line till the surrender of that place. I was never called out by the army again. Since the end of the war I have farmed and served two terms as school director. Notable men I served with were my uncles, Anderson and Harve Gray. R.D., Montgomery, Tom, and Van Copass. R.D. and Van along with my uncle Harve died in the North while prisoners of war." John applied for but was refused a pension from the State Of Tennessee.

About George Gray : ( John's great-grandfather he spoke of )
George Gray came to East Tennessee (Watauga Settlement) along with William Bean & other families. They came from Pittsylvania Co., VA. He owned land in current Patrick County, near the Meadows of Dan, VA. George received a deed from Charles Robertson, Watauga, dated Nov. 27, 1774, for 470 acres of land located in upper Cedar Creek (now Gray, Tenn). He paid one hundred English pounds for the land. He died and was buried in Washington County, Tennessee. He could at least sign his name. Records show that George built a cabin here around 1768 or 1769. George Gray a pioneer settler on Cedar Creek appears on the first tax list on Washington County in 1778. He came here from Scotland and his great grandson verified this information in the 1890 Census of Civil War Veterans. William Bean and wife Lydia along with the families of Hardemans, Russells, Chisholms and Grays came from Pittsylvania County, Virginia. They were credited for bringing the first white settlers into Tennessee. *NOTE: Taken from an old Gray family Bible: `Seven or eight Gray brothers migrated from Melrose, Scotland in 1746. Fought in Rev. War under Colonel Sevier in Battle of King`s Mountain, NC. ` He received a land grant for 399 acres located on Cedar Creek of `Holstin` River in Washington County, on October 24, 1782. He paid fifty shillings for eleven hundred acres.

 Image # 11 Confederate Pvt HARVEY GRAY Co. E 60th Tn Inf. Uncle of John Gray ( younger brother of his father, Robert ) Enlisted Sept.25,1862 at Fordtown,Tn. Mustered at Haynesville,Tn. Nov.7,1862. Captured at " Big Black River Bridge " May 17,1863. Received at Ft. Delaware ( Pea Patch Island ) prison June 15,1863. Died at the hospital there, July 20, 1863. Harve is buried at Finn's Point National Cemetery, Salem,N.J.

Image # 12 Confederate Pvt ANDERSON J. GRAY Co. E 60th Tn. Inf. Uncle of John Gray, younger brother of his father, Robert. ( Only 4 cards in his file.)  Enlisted age 34 at Fordtown,Tn. Sept 25,1862. Mustered at Haynesville,Tn. Nov.7,1862. Surrendered at Greenville,Tn April 20,1865. Oath of Allegiance at Nashville May 22,1865.  After the war the railroad bought land from him for a depot. Hence the community has always been known as " Gray's Station " to this day.

IMAGE # 13 Confederate Memorial Plaque, Confederate Cemetery, Chattanooga,Tenn. 4th name from the bottom in the right hand column is Pvt John D. Hashbarger Co K 19th Tenn Inf. Son Of Hannah Cox and Elijah Hashbarger. ( I have " spotlights " on both father and son. ) Also see my story pages on The Hulse Family from East Tennessee, Jackson Simmons , and my gr,gr,grandfathers, John Harvey Cox & David Land.

IMAGE # 14 Confederate Private John C. Hale Co G 60th Tn. Inf. Married to my grandfather's gr aunt, Leoma Emiline Cox, the other sister of his grandfather, John Harvey Cox.Enlisted Feb.22,1863 at Blountville,Tn. Surrendered and paroled at Vicksburg, Surrendered at Jonesboro,Tn. May14,1865. Oath of Allegiance, Jonesboro,Tn. May 22,1865.

 IMAGE # 15 Confederate Pvt Nelson Gray Co G 29th Tn Inf. 1st cousin of John Gray, son of John's uncle George W. Gray. John would name a son George W. He was my grandmother Sallie's father. In the 1920 census a widowed John was a member of their household. Grandmaw would have been 9 or 10 at the time. Nelson enlisted Aug 21,1861 at Camp Powell " on the roll " at Dalton,Ga Jan 15, 1864. Surrendered April 10,1865 at Jonesboro,Tn. " Oath Of Allegiance " May 22,1865 at Nashville,Tn 5'10" dark complexion,dark hair,gray eyes. ( only 4 cards in his file )

IMAGE # 16 Confederate Pvt John HULSE Cox Capt Trivitte's Company of Mounted Home Guard ( Sullivan County Reserves ) John was the son and only child of Sarah Cox ( Carl's gr gr,aunt ) He and Carl's grandfather John Harvey Cox were often confused one for another. John HULSE Cox may have been the " brother " or " kinfolk " that saved John Harvey Cox in an effort by the home guard to hang him according to oral family history.

IMAGE # 17 Confederate Pvt Charles M. Cox 60th Tenn Mtd Inf. ( apparently unassigned to any company ) born abt 1845 he was probably used as a blacksmith ( a Cox family trade ) the 60th was mounted late in the war. His father, Ezekial Cox was Carl's gr,uncle and Sallie's maternal gr,grandfather. His mother,Elizabeth Copass was also Carl's gr,aunt sister of his grandmother, Cynthia Copass Cox. Oral family history says John Harvey was extremely close to his brother's son who lost his father in the 1850s. Another son of Ezekial and Elizabeth Was John " Spoolie " Cox. He would marry Sallie Hulse. ( see story on the Hulse family ) their daughter Florence, was grandmaw's mother.

John Cox Jr. had a younger brother, Abraham Cox. He was married a 2nd time to a Lucinda Beard. His first wife is unknown but they apparently had a son named WILLIAM born abt 1836. There are 2 Confederates, one in Co.E and the other in Co.G ( both companies were from Sullivan County ) of the 60th Tn. Inf. by this name. The William in Company E was elected Sergeant in Feb 1863. He enlisted at Fordtown,Tn. Sept 25 1862 as did most of the other " kinfolk " in this regiment. Captured at Big Black River May 17,1863 he died at Point Lookout,Md. Aug.18,1864. The other William Cox ( age 26 ) enlisted at Blountville ( I've seen Cox genealogy that places Abraham's family in the Blountville area in 1850. ) His record shows some time spent " sick and in the hospital " and some sort of dispute with the Confederate Army abount his pay. He was paroled at Vicksburg,Miss and apparently never returened to Confederate service. William isn't found in later census records. There was another COX family in the Blountville area not related to ours. It could have been either William !!! I'm inclined to believe it was probably the William in Company G. Abraham & Lucindas' son, John H. served briefly in Co. G of the 60th untill a " back injury " resulted in his early discharge while in Mississippi.

Two lines of my maternal Coxes in East Tennessee left the area in the 1830's. My gr,gr,gr,grandfather,John Cox Jr.'s brothers, Jacob ended up in Northwest Arkansas and Moses in Kentucky. Their sons fought for the Union in the Civil War. Jacob's sons, Joshua Steven,Samuel,and Sinclair Cox along with Moses Son John R. Cox filed for and I assume drew federal pensions for their service.   Name: Joshua Stephen Cox Rank: Private-Sergent Company: B 1st Ark Inf U.S. Volunteers

Company B, 1st Arkansas Infantry, enrolled 23 February 1863 at Fayetteville, Arkansas, age 43, born Sullivan County, Tennessee. Census records reveal Joshua ( like many folk in those days ) was unsure of his age ( 1850-24 yrs old, 1860-38 yrs old, 1870-44yrs old and 1880-50 yrs old !!! ) COX, JOSHUA Enl 23Feb1863 at Fayetteville, AR. Age 43, farmer, ht 5' 6', eyes blue, hair lt, complx fair. Absent sick at Ft Smith, AR since 18,May 1864. Name: Sinclair Cox Rank: Corporal

Company: B 1st Ark Inf

COX, SINCLAIR Cpl 1st Ark Inf U.S.Volunteers
Enl 23 Feb 1863 at Fayetteville, AR. Age 19, farmer, ht 5' 8', eyes drk, hair drk, complx drk, born in Madison Co, AR. Aptd Cpl 23 Feb 1863. In confinement at post guard house since 18 Aug 1963. Detached with a section of Arty since 15 May 1865.

SERVICE.--Duty at Fayetteville, Ark., until April, 1863. Cabell's attack on Fayetteville April 18. March to Springfield, Mo., April 25-May 4, and duty there until July. Newton County June 14. Moved to Cassville July 6. Joined Army of the Frontier at Fort Gibson, C. N., August 17. Pursuit of Cabell to Perryville August 22-26. Perryville August 26. Devil's Back Bone, Back Bone Mountain, Fort Smith, September 1. Capture of Fort Smith September 1, and duty there until March, 1864. Moffatt's Station. Franklin County, September 27, 1863. Mt. Ida November 13. Scout from Waldron to Mt. Ida, Caddo Gap and Dallas December 2-7. Steele's Expedition to Camden March 23-May 3. Prairie D'Ann April 9-13. Moscow April 13. Camden April 15-18. Jenkins' Ferry, Saline River, April 30. March to Fort Smith May 1-16. Garrison duty at Fort Smith and escort and duty on the Frontier until August, 1865. Skirmish, Bates Township, November 2, and Newton County, November 15, 1864. Mustered out August 10, 1865.

IMAGE # 21 UNION ARMY PENSION FILE FOR JOSHUA STEVEN COX

IMAGE # 22 UNION ARMY PENSION FILE FOR PVT JOHN R. COX CO C 37TH KY MTD INF. In an Ironic twist of history, there were other men from differnt branches of my family tree as well as my wife's that served in this unit !!!