Civil Wargasm #4

Timmy at Sam Davis's Grave

       Last weekend was a great weekend for me, my son Timmy, and three of my good friends. Stacie's girls had a lads to leaders convention in Nashville, Tennessee. Of course it was a chance for me to see the Civil War sights again. We went up on Friday and Timmy was excited because I told him it would be just me and him that day. With two girls and two boys, it gets difficult at times to have just one on one time. Unfortunately, by the time we got to the Opryland Hotel, unpacked and back to the car, we were running short on time. 

       Timmy and I headed south to Smyrna, Tennessee and arrived about thirty minutes before closing time and too late to take a tour of Sam Davis's home. I had told Timmy the story about Sam Davis, the "Boy Hero of the Confederacy" while we were driving. The story really interested him and he couldn't believe that the Federal troops could be so cruel. He has a lot to learn about war. Timmy is only six. 

Sam Davis's Home

       The fellow running the museum did allow us to walk around the grounds and visit the grave of Sam Davis. This also gave Timmy a chance to run off some of that energy that had been building all day in the van. Next I took Timmy to the rock and tree where Sam had hidden his horse during his last visit home. The tree he tied his horse to, still stands there today beside the rock Sam hid his horse behind. 

Rock and tree where Sam hid his horse

       The next day, Jerry and Lance came up and we were gonna tour Mount Olivet Cemetery and the Old City Cemetery. We prowled around Mount Olivet and I helped Jerry find a couple of general's graves he had missed on his lone visit last year. It was Lance's first visit to Mount Olivet and we would later learn why. 

       After spending a good hour at Mount Olivet, I learned that Jerry had never been to the Tennessee State Museum which houses a good deal of Civil War memorabilia. We left the cemetery and decided to eat at McDonalds before heading to the Tennessee capital. Of course, Lance has to use the bathroom before we leave and upon exiting the restaurant he opened the emergency exit. This seemed to have upset the manager as she gave him a look that seared his very soul. Jerry, Timmy, and I were of course, laughing.

       We spent most of the morning hunting a place to park, finally gave up and paid ten dollars to park for one hour. Jerry said, "I would love to own a spot of ground here. It would earn you a living just letting people park their cars at ten bucks an hour." We entered the state museum and headed past all the exhibits to the Civil War section. Now, I'm aware of a lot of Lance's fears. He is terrified of spiders and most other insects. He has a fear of most all animals at some level or other. He once beat himself mercilessly with an umbrella because a spider fell in his lap while driving down the highway at sixty miles an hour. A neighbors ostrich attempted to attack him through a fence while he mowed his grass. The list of animal encounters goes on and on. And then there's the story about the dragonfly that he swears had rabies, but that's another story entirely.

       I had no idea that he was afraid of death until reaching the museum. In order to get to the bottom floor, one must walk past a mummy that has been embalmed since at least 1200 B.C. I thought nothing of it since I've been past that mummy at least ten times over the past few years. 

3000 year old mummy at the Tennessee State Museum

       We enter the room with the mummy and I walk right past giving it not a second glance. Jerry and Timmy immediately become infatuated with the dead man lying in the glass case. Lance walks over and bends over the glass and peers inside. Suddenly, he realizes that this thing is a real person and almost panics. He races to the edge of the room and stares from a distance. Jerry says, "Lance, come look at his lips." "Unnh Unnh," Lance shakes his head and takes a step toward the exit. "Lance, you gotta see his eyes," Jerry repeats. "Unnh Unnh," Lance repeats and takes another step toward the exit. Soon Lance races past me as if he is in a haunted attraction on Halloween. 

       We go on down the stairs to the Civil War section. Jerry catches up and asks, "Lance haven't you ever touched anything dead before?" Lance thinks a moment and says, "I touched a dead squirrel once. It was cracking on a power line and then both died." When Jerry attempts to reason with Lance that there is nothing wrong with viewing a dead body, Lance attempts to argue back. He said, "Yeah, but, but..." That was about all the argument he could think of at the moment. 

Flag of the CSS Alabama

       In the Civil War section, we viewed the flag that flew aboard the CSS Alabama during its raids on the high seas. We saw items that belonged to Generals Cleburne, John Adams, Zollicoffer, John Hunt Morgan, and James Rains. The collection is enormous. We stayed an hour and barely had time to view just the Civil War collection. Then came time to exit the museum. I told Jerry that it would be interesting to watch Lance have to walk back past the mummy. Lance immediately asked, "You mean we have to walk back past that thing?"

       Jerry went ahead of us because he had an evil plan up his sleeve. When Lance walked into the room, Jerry jumped from behind the door and attempted to push Lance over to the mummy. Lance is six foot, two inches and weighs about 270. There is no pushing Lance where Lance doesn't want to go. I asked Lance what would have happened had Jerry pushed him over there and they both fell across the glass, overturning the mummy, and landing on it in the floor. Lance said, "Mummy parts would go flying everywhere. I just don't like those things."

       We left the museum and I had left a message earlier with another good Civil War buddy, Doctor Rick Price. He'd wanted to visit another museum that I cannot name here at present. (I will get to that part of the story in a moment.) "Doc" as I call him was late. Jerry, Lance, Timmy, and I go to the place and begin talking with a tour guide there. By the time Doc arrives, she understands how passionate we are about the war. 

Jerry and Doc

       Doc shows up with an Auburn shirt on and I tell him I will not take him to anymore Civil War sites if he continues to wear such ugly clothing. The tour guide decides to give us an abbreviated tour since we are only interested in the Civil War part. Suddenly, she looks at me and asks, "Would ya'll like to hold Forrest's sword?"

       We all answer, "Sure." That is what I was thinking at the moment, was sure, I bet, right. There is no way in this world I am gonna get to hold the sword of Nathan Bedford Forrest. But, she says follow me. En route to the location of this treasure, she says, "It's not the one he carried in battle, but a presentation sword. It belonged to him just the same." My hands began to shake as I began to realize how serious she was. We arrived at the scene and she hands the sword to me first. Shelby Foote once said that the proudest moment of his life was when Forrest's granddaughter allowed him to swing Forrest's sword over his head. Well, it was one of the proudest moments of my life. I made sure Timmy held the sword and explained to him that this was one of those once in a lifetime achievements and he'd most likely never get the opportunity again. Timmy and I both decided that we'd never wash our hand again. Each of us held the sword with the promise that we would not mention the guides name nor where we held the sword. 

       We left the place all smiles. Especially Jerry, since Forrest is his greatest hero. Doc said he will never turn down another trip with me anywhere. (It seems every time Doc takes a trip with me, something neat happens.) I told him not to expect this every trip. I took a trip two weeks ago to Cleburne's grave in Helena, Arkansas and thought I had accomplished something just taking rocks off his grave, so you can imagine how excited I was holding the sword of the Wizard of the Saddle. 

       

Dewitt Smith Jobe: A horrible death

Private Dewitt Smith Jobe

       Dewitt Smith Jobe was born in Rutherford County, Tennessee in 1840. In 1861, when the war began, Jobe joined Company D, 20th Tennessee Infantry Regiment. His cousin was the lieutenant colonel of the regiment, Thomas Benton Smith who would rise to the rank of brigadier general and eventually meet his own sad end. He had another cousin and namesake in the 45th Tennessee Infantry Regiment named Dewitt Smith who would become famous for avenging his cousins death. 

       Dewitt Smith Jobe was wounded in his first action at the Battle of Mill Springs, Kentucky and captured there. He would be exchanged in time to see action at the Battle of Murfreesboro. When Braxton Bragg began to retreat from Middle Tennessee, Dewitt Smith Jobe was chosen to serve in Coleman's Scouts along with another cousin named Samuel Davis. Davis became known as the 'Boy Hero of the Confederacy'. You can read his blog in my archives of January 7, 2011.

       

Sam Davis

       As a scout, Dewitt understood that he faced a more dangerous job than just serving as an infantry private in the Confederate Army. If he were captured he could be sentenced to be hanged. His cousin Sam Davis had been hanged in Pulaski, Tennessee in 1863 because he refused to provide information to the Federals when he was captured. 

       Dewitt Smith Jobe was operating behind Federal lines near Triune, Tennessee on August 29, 1864 and had just had breakfast with a relative. He was travelling by night and sleeping by day to avoid Federal patrols. He refused to stay at the house for fear his relatives would be punished if he was found sleeping there. He moved to a nearby cornfield to get some rest. Unknown to him, a Federal cavalryman had spotted him through a telescope and moved in with a squad of the 115th Ohio Cavalry. 

       As the 15 man patrol approached Dewitt, he tore up his dispatches, chewed and swallowed them. This seemed to anger the Federal patrol, who would later be reported as intoxicated. They demanded to know what the dispatch contained and who they were meant for. Like his cousin Sam Davis, a year earlier, Dewitt refused to betray his country. 

       The Ohio cavalrymen tied his hands behind his back and took a rein from one of their horses and strangled Dewitt in an attempt to get him to talk. Yet, he still refused. They then struck him over and over with a pistol, knocking out his front teeth. He was helpless and bleeding  but still refused to provide the Federal soldiers with information. 

       They screamed and yelled as they continued enjoying their torture of the young man. Neighbors nearby could hear the delight in their voices. They then decided if he wouldn't talk, they would gouge his eyes out. Still the brave young man refused to talk. They then decided to cut his tongue out. After cutting his tongue out, they decided to put the boy out of his misery. They tied a rope around his neck and attached it to a horse and dragged the young man to his death. 

       The members of the 115th Ohio Cavalry were never punished for their crimes. Legend states that the sergeant in charge of the patrol went mad after sobering up. Some members of the regiment were killed when the Sultana sank after the war returning them from Andersonville Prisoner of War Camp in Georgia.

       This wouldn't be the end of retribution for the horrible act. Dewitt's Jobe's cousin Dee Smith is said to have lost his mind in rage when he heard the news. He left Hood's Confederate Army and raised the black flag against Federal troops. He would take no prisoners. He would slit the throats of 14 Federal soldiers in their sleep near Murfreesboro, Tennessee in revenge and kill nearly 50 more before he was wounded and captured. The Federal's planned to hang the wounded prisoner the next day, but Dewitt Smith would die before the scheduled time. 

Grave of Dewitt Smith Jobe

       Dewitt Smith Jobe was 24 years old. The Federal soldiers who killed him later stated that he was the bravest man they'd ever met. His fiance found his body and placed a handkerchief over his face. Old Frank, a servant on the Jobe plantation placed Jobe's body in a wagon, tears streaming down his cheeks. He would be carried back to his home in Brookhill, Tennessee and buried there. 

Carved Sentinel at Jobe's Grave

Jobe's Confederate Medal of Honor

       Legend carried down from that time state that the place where these horrible things occurred to Dewitt Smith Jobe is haunted. People traveling by have reported having an eerie feeling at the place. Regardless, Dewitt Smith Jobe was one of the bravest men who ever lived. 

       

Boy Hero Of The Confederacy

Sam Davis

       Samuel Davis was born in 1842 near Smyrna, Tennessee. At age nineteen he left home to attend the Nashville Military Academy which was only about twelve miles from his home. When the Civil War began, he joined Company I, 1st Tennessee Infantry. He saw action near Cheat Mountain in Virginia under General Robert E. Lee.

       His regiment was sent back to Tennessee. Davis was slightly wounded at the Battle of Shiloh and wounded more seriously at Perryville. After recovering he joined a cavalry company called Coleman’s Scouts. This small group of soldiers operated behind enemy lines around Nashville and provided information to Confederate General Braxton Bragg. These men always wore their military uniforms which distinguished them from spies. The Federal army considered these men such a nuisance that they refused to treat them as soldiers. Federal General Granville Dodge ordered his men to kill all the scouts they could find. 

Sam Davis boyhood home

       Sam went home to visit his family in 1863 and on the return trip to join his command was captured by Federal forces under Dodge. He wore his uniform which should have given him a prisoner of war status. Davis was also carrying mail directed to the Army of Tennessee. Dodge charged him with carrying mail to persons in arms against the Federal government and of being a spy. Sam pled guilty to the first charge, but denied being a spy as he was captured in uniform. Of course, he was found guilty on both counts and sentenced to be hanged. 

Sam's boot cut open by Federal troops to find the papers he carried

       He was offered a chance to save his life if he would give information about Coleman’s Scouts. He refused, saying, “I would rather die than betray a friend or be false to duty. If I had a thousand lives to live, I would give them all rather than betray a friend.”

       Before his execution, he wrote to his mother: “Dear mother. O how painful it is to write you! I have got to die to-morrow --- to be hanged by the Federals. Mother, do not grieve for me. I must bid you good-bye forevermore. Mother, I do not fear to die. Give my love to all.” And to his father, he wrote: "Father, you can send after my remains if you want to do so. They will be at Pulaski, Tenn. I will leave some things with the hotel keeper for you."

       

Sam Davis Memorial on his hanging site

       He rode to the hanging site sitting atop his coffin in an army wagon. The Federal soldiers escorting Sam, begged him to cooperate so they wouldn’t have to see him hanged. Arriving atop the hill just outside of town, a noose was placed around his neck. It was his twenty-first birthday. The officer in command of the hanging had trouble performing the awful task because Sam looked so young. Sam told the man, “Officer, I did my duty. Now you do yours.”

       The Boy Hero of the Confederacy rests today behind his boyhood home in Smyrna, Tennessee. In a future blog I will tell the sad story of his cousin, also a member of Coleman's Scouts.

Stone marking the exact spot where he was executed

Sam Davis grave

A close up of his tombstone