CIVIL WAR TRIP
OF CLARK AND CURTIS CARLEY
This is a trip
tracing the steps of THE IOWA 5th. Detachment E and the
places our great grand father was during the CIVIL WAR.
5-19 -
5-30, 1996
LAWSON
H. (LOTT) CARLEY
5-19 SUNDAY. Days Inn, I-24, Exit 81, Murfreesboro, TN.
Curtis arrived Nashville Airport early at 1:45 p.m. Bags
took 30 minutes to arrive. Went out I-24 and stopped for
coffee at Waffle House a mile south of Briley Parkway
(Used to be Thompson Lane). Talked with 3rd generation
local whose grand father had been member of rebel General
Bedford Forest unit. Learned that "Morse's Gallery
of the Cumberland, 25 Cedar St., opposite the Commercial
Hotel, Nashville, Tenn." would have been in down
town Nashville on what is now Charlotte Avenue. Asked
about 5th Iowa camp ground described by J. Conzett in his
memoirs. He agreed it could be along Mill Creek just east
of Murfreesboro Pike. In memoirs called
"Murfreesboro Dusty Pike." Returned north about
a mile and a half on I-24 and turned east on Briley
Parkway for about a mile and then north on Murfreesboro
Pike to Mill Creek Road on south side of Mill Creek. Went
east on Mill Creek road ending up in someone's front yard
in about a quarter of a mile. Told resident what we were
looking for. Informed area had been used as camp during
Civil War. People still find Civil War buckles and mini
balls in the fast moving creek. Informed there was a
spring S.W. of there near the Shoney's and Hill's Market.
Got permission to visit the creek, took slides and video
tape of creek. Creek flows rapidly over limestone base.
Nice creek. Went back to Murfreesboro Pike, crossed
bridge and went east a half-mile to back of
Curtis with
camcorder on Mill Creek just off of Murfreesboro Road in
Nashville, Tennessee.
"Millwood Apartments" parking
lot where creek turned north. Didn't see any sign of a
spring in area; however, the apartments could have been
built over it. Drove S.E. on Murfreesboro Pike, noticed
railroad paralleled the road on the west. Historical
marker at Smyrna, Tenn. said railroad depot was built in
1851 and new depot built in 1873. Railroad was the one
guarded by the 5th Iowa in summer of 1863. Historic
marker on north side of Murfreesboro on Hwy. 41 said
"Army of the Cumberland" June 24, 1863. Moving
to Bradyville, 14 miles southeast XXI Corp. (T. L.
Crittenton) advanced against minor confederate resistance
on Manchester to ronduefo with the rest of the army under
cover of Grainger's faint of Shelbyville. This bluffed
the Army of Tennessee out of its position in the Duck
River heights and caused withdrawal to
Chattanooga." In Murfreesboro for the night.
Supper at Shoney's,prepared notes on lap top computer.
5-20 MONDAY. Scottish Inn, I-24 Exit 114, Manchester, TN.
Got up at 7:00 a.m. Went to Fortress Rosecrans in
Murfreesboro. Fortress built along Stones River and
Nashville - Chattanooga Railroad in late Winter and
Spring of 1863 as largest earth fortification built
during the Civil War. Served as major supply depot for
Union troops in Battle of Chattanooga. Able to serve
50,000 troops for 90 days. 14,600 feet of earth works.
Photo graphed and video taped all information signs.
Drove north on Hwy. 41, then returned to Murfreesboro
checking historic markers. Visited Stones River National
Battlefield. National cemetery had over 6,100 burials
with 2,562 unknown. Cemetery has Union dead from Stones
River Battle and area of central Tennessee. Went to
Nat'l. Park Service Visitor's Center. Watched Park
Service slide show. Interesting, but prior to arrival of
5th Iowa Cavalry from Nashville. Checked cemetery
register for names of Carley, Bowland, Craighead, Burdue,
Dunn, and Clark. Had 3 Dunns and several Clarks, but all
from wrong states. Checked cemetery list of Iowa dead,
there were 14 with 9 of them from the 5th Iowa Cavalry
from several locations in the state. None were from Co.
E. Given copy of list. Clark purchased copy of "The
Official Military Atlas of the Civil War" It
contains maps of all the battles of the war. Staff very
helpful. Located "Silver Springs" just west of
Lebanon, TN. Only took pictures of park service sign.
Went south on Hwy. 41 a ways into Murfreesboro and
checked historical marker re "Army of the
Cumberland" and the 14th Corp on June 24, 1863. This
may have included the 5th Iowa. Had late lunch at 1:30 p.
at Lindy's Cafe right beside the historical marker.
Studied map, took a chance on going to Shelbyville, TN.,
worked out very well. Went south on Hwy. 231, stopped at
County Court House and referred to Mr. Paul Parker,
County Executive. He wasn't aware of a place name of
"Guys Gap" mentioned in the 5th Iowa Historical
Sketch and referred us to the "History Room" at
the city library. Asked librarian about an old map Mr.
Parker said they had, she pulled a 1963 Master's Thesis
by Charles Raymond Gunter, Jr. of Univ. of Tennessee from
behind desk. It had a note on it not to let it out of
sight. Scanned thesis and found reference to Guys Gap,
Liberty Gap, and Hoover Gap in just a few minutes. Made
copies of cover and pages 93-108. Still not sure of Guy's
Gap location, checked 1887 county map in "History
Room" and found it right off on "Shelbyville
Pike" (Hwy 231) just north of Hwy. 82. Later learned
that Guy's Gap was a Union faint for a deployment through
Liberty Gap just north of Bell Buckle. This action,
importance of which is not widely recognized in
Civil War history books, resulted in pushing the
Confederate Troops out of Tennessee costing them the loss
of control of Northern Alabama, Tennessee, and Kentucky.
Depriving them of many of their survival resources. That
same week they lost at Vicksburg, Gettesburg, and another
location. Hoover's Gap is on Hwy. U.S. 41 just north
of Beechgrove, TN. Went north of "Shelbyville
Pike" and confirmed location of "Guys Gap"
between "Ebb Joyce Rd." and "Springs
Rd." to the north. Photographed the cut through the
hills looking south past "Springs Rd." Went
back south and then east on Hwy. 82 to Bell Buckle, TN.
Referred to Mr. Jerry Wayne Smith ("The Blockade
Runner," 1029 Bell Buckle Road, Wartrace, TN. 37183:
(615) 389-6294) a few miles south of Bell Buckle toward
Wartrace as an authority on local Civil War history. He
is a "reenactor." Located his home
business on a very bad blind curve. Identified it by
Confederate flag flying in yard. He was busy fitting a
customer in a Confederate uniform in which he would be
married in June. His to be wife Brenda from Louisville,
KY. was still fighting the Civil War. She said her
son-in-law from Indiana was threatening to come in a
Union uniform. She wasn't going to have any
"Yankees" crashing her wedding. Photographed
and taped bride groom in uniform. Sash had same tassels
as Lott's GAR uniform. Learned sash is a common component
of uniforms even today. Once they left, had warm and
informative talk with Jerry W. Smith. He gave each of us a Union Cavalry slug he had
recovered from Guy's Gap. He told us an interesting story
of gold buried by local Confederate land owners just
prior to the
Battle of Guy's Gap and
only recently recovered by use of metal detectors. There
were 52 gold pieces, $5 and $10 pieces. Jerry wants
copies of any info. we have on 5th Iowa Cavalry
activities in the area. He
also said at Wartrace there was a Commercial Hotel, now a
private residence, where the Union spy Pauline Cushman
was held captive to be hung. It is painted an ugly blue.
I recognized the name and realized later she is mentioned
on page 58 of the memoirs of Josiah Conzett as having
waved to them as they rode through in pursuit of the
Confederates. It was due to Union eviction of
Confederates that secured her release. However, J.
Conzett said he saw her as they went through Shelbyville
rather than Wartrace (page 58). He may have been confused
about which town it was. The sun was near setting when we
left, so Jerry suggested if we only had time for one more
stop we should go to Beachgrove, TN. tonight to see the
confederate cemetery there. Returned to Bell Buckle and
then east on Hwy. 82 to Beachgrove. Located cemetery
photographed and taped monument that had statement from Gen. Bedford Forest to his troops after the end of the war.
Essentially he told them to forget their grievances and
be good citizens. Went south on I-24 getting off at Exit
114 and checked into the Scottish Inn at 7:20 p.m. After
supper caught up notes on laptop. Very long, but highly
rewarding busy day. Learned a lot. Got to bed after
midnight.
5-21 TUESDAY. Scottish Inn, Chattanooga. Got up at 7:00 a.m.
After breakfast, gassed truck, 238 miles on trip meter
since gassed at Bowling Green. Stopped at Wal-Mart. With
Clark driving, went south on I-24 to Exit 152 and
southeast on Hwy. 72 along north side of Tennessee River
into Alabama to Scottsboro. Got off at first Scottsboro
exit on Hwy. 279. Learned Owens Unclaimed Baggage Center
(509 Willow Street, Scottsboro, Al. 35768: (205)
259-4930) is on same road just west of the center of town
on the south side of the street. Later learned buildings
on the north side are their overflow stores. Did a lot of
browsing. Signed up for receipt of sales catalog. Drove
south through town to Hwy. 72 and stopped at Shoney's for
lunch. Went east and then south on Hwy. 35 across river,
then east on Hwy 40 and then northeast on Hwy. 71 to
Trenton, Georgia. Curtis took over driving at Flat Rock,
Alabama. Went southeast out of Trenton on Hwy. 136
climbing up steep mountain to intersect Hwy. 157 which is
the "Lookout Mountain Parkway." Noticed truck
engine was running a little hot as we climbed the
mountain. Went north on Hwy. 157 and guessed at winding
our way through the town of Lookout Mountain which wasn't
on our map. Stopped at top of "Lookout Mountain
Incline Railway" to get directions and confirm where
we thought we were. People quite helpful. We asked if
they knew of a "Crawfish
Springs" at the Battle of Chickamauga and were pleased to hear one of the men say he
lived near there. We were assured we would be able to
find its location when we got to battlefield. Told not to
spend money on seeing the "Battles For Chattanooga Museum," a commercial establishment at the base
of the mountain. Confirmed that "Lookout
Point," operated by the National Park Service was at
end of road in another 3 miles. Went to "Lookout
Point" and quickly walked through the park. Didn't
notice the Park Headquarters across the street.
Immediately located the camera location for the picture
of Chattanooga made
from Lookout Mountain and published on page 254 in
"The Civil War" book by Ken Burns. Using zoom lenses, duplicated the framing of
the picture in 35mm and video tape. Went out to
"OCHS Museum" on "Lookout Point" but
had difficulty locating camera location for pictures
taken by Royan M. Linn of men on Lookout Point and
published on page 261 of "The Civil War."
Hiked down trail to the west to what we later learned was
"Roper's Rock" where a shoulder fell off the
rock. View back to east was overgrown with trees and
brush; however, there was a rock face that looked similar
to the cliff in the picture
of U. S. Grant at Lookout Mountain as published by Ken
Burns on page 260. We
couldn't get the land marks in the
photocopy of the picture to line up. A sign back at
Lookout Point said that picture had been taken "near
by." Clark waited at "Roper's Rock" while
Curtis went down a long flight of metal stairs to scout
the trail to the east under Lookout Point. >From below
Curtis thought he found the point where Royan Linn took
his pictures; however, it was part of the area closed off
by the Park Service. On returning to "Roper's
Rock" Curtis encountered a hiker who turned out to
be Mr. Jerry R.
Desmond (Curator of Collections, Chattanooga Regional
History Museum, 400 Chestnut Street, Chattanooga, Tenn.
37402: work 615-264-3247, home 706-820-4250). Asked him about Lookout Mountain picture we
had from Lott's
chest and was told it was
taken at "Sunset Rock" about 1.1 miles away by
trail; however, one could drive near it on "West
Brow Road" and hike down a steep incline to get a
picture. Without our mentioning it, he started describing
popular Civil War pictures taken by Royan Linn in the
area and of Gen. Grant. At that point we showed him the
photo copies we had of the pictures he was describing. He
pointed out that the cliff face the flight of metal
stairs passed under was where the picture of Grant had
been taken; however, in putting in the stairs, the Park
Service had removed a lot of the dirt and fallen rock.
Where General Grant had been standing was now about 20
feet out in space in front of us. No wonder we couldn't
find his tracks. He also confirmed the point where the
Royan Linn pictures were taken was back at Lookout Point
at the "OCHS Museum" and had been closed off by
the Park Service. Photographed
and taped Clark standing as near as he could to where
Gen. Grant had stood. Returned to
museum at Lookout Point and found the photo location for
the Linn pictures. We were up too high on the museum
viewing area to duplicate the exact angle of the
pictures; however, we got pictures that were quite
similar. Started long up hill climb back to the truck.
Took pictures of artillery pieces overlooking
Chattanooga. We were covered with sweat when we got back
to the truck. Left area at 6:30 p.m. EDT and took Hwy.
148 down mountain to Hwy. 41-72 and onto I-24. Continued
east to I-75 and got of at Exit 1 (Ringgold Road) to
check into Scottish Inn about 7:15 p.m. EDT. Lost an hour
due to time change. After supper typed up notes. Another
good day, we accomplished everything but getting a
picture of "Sunset Rock." We will try to get
that picture sometime after we check out the battlefield
at Chickamauga.
5-22
WEDNESDAY, Scottish Inn,
Chattanooga. Got up at 7:00 a.m. After breakfast loaded
only items we would need for the day since we would be at
the motel one more night. Went south on I-75 to Georgia
Welcome Center at Exit 142 to pick up maps. Continued to
next exit (#141) and went west on Hwy. 2A (Battlefield Parkway) through the town of Fort Oglethorpe. Missed
sign for Chickamauga-Chattanooga
National Military Park at Hwy. 27
and continued west on Hwy. 2 to Hwy. 193 and then turned
around to return to junction with Hwy. 27 in Fort Oglethorpe. Went south on Hwy. 27 and soon arrived at
Battlefield Visitor's Center. As has been the case so far
this trip, the people were unbelievably helpful. Man at
information desk, named Hugh Odom started helping us and
then got two staff historians to work with us in the
library of the facility. They were James H. Ogden III
(Historian, Chickamauga-Chattanooga
National Military Park,
P.O. Box 2128, Ft.
Oglethorpe, GA 30742: 706-866-9241, 423-752-5213, FAX
423-752-5215) and Keith Bohannon.
Told bullet we got from Guy's Gap in Tenn. was a Spencer
and flat bottomed which was characteristic of a carbine
round the cavalry would use. It was a 58mm. Learned
Crawfish Springs was the
name of what is now the town of Chickamauga and that the
springs are in a park in the center of town. Confused at
first, the
5th Iowa was not listed as a unit that fought at
Chickamauga! Pulled Vol. 23 of the Official Records (OR)
and determined it didn't have dates that extended to the
time of the Battle of Chickamauga. It appeared Vol. 30 was for that period. After
James read the J. Conzett memoirs he determined the 5th Iowa Cav. was
probably on the "extreme left flank" of the
Army of the Cumberland, rather than the battle. It
appeared they were probably in the area of Stevenson, AL. a strategically vital railroad depot on the
Tenn River, or between there and McMinnville, TN. He said
the Battle
of Chickamauga was heard
as far as 40 miles away and it would have been possible
for the 5th
Iowa Cav. to have heard it while in that area. He also allowed us to tape record his
explanation of the organization of the army at that time
so we could better follow the activities of the 5th Iowa Cav. When asked about why there is never a
"Company J," he said he had been told the
reason was that in old hand writing the letters
"I" and "J" were so similar they
could be easily confused. To avoid the confusion they
never created a "Company J." He suggested we
check with the National Archives to see if any of the
unit's original records were preserved. They had the
register of the Chattanooga
National Cemetery and we spent a
couple of hours looking through it for 5th Iowa Cav. members. Had to go through the whole list, the names
were neither alphabetical nor by state. Only found a few,
none were from Co. E. Disappointed to learn that many of
the original records of the National Cemeteries had been
destroyed when the records were transferred to a new
system. They did not have a record of where bodies were
recovered before being buried at the National Cemetery
and didn't think such records would be available at Marietta either.
Learned their records for
Marietta were probably more complete than we would find
at Marietta. Broke for a late lunch in Ft. Oglethorpe.
Returned to Visitor's Center. Clark went through the
records for the Marietta
National Cemetery while
Curtis photographed and video taped around the museum.
Clark only found a few 5th Iowa Cav. and we already had
the 3 from
Co. E. Noted listed grave
numbers were different than some of those in the roster
of the 5th
Iowa Cav. David Conzett is now
#6104 E rather than Sec. E, grave 563, William Cousins
was the same, Sec. A, grave 320, Andrew Guler is now
#2327 C rather than Sec. C, grave PP. Found a Corbin, no
Company. Had to go through the whole list looking for 5th
Iowa Cav. Marietta
records had over 9,000 listings. Listings were
alphabetical, but not by state as we found at Stones
River National Cemetery. Curtis photographed a Parrot
Canon, the entrance to the military park, maps of the
battlefield, the list of units in the Battle of Chickamauga, the Spencer and Sharps carbines and the
"traveling forge" we had been told about by the
reenactor in Tenn. He was ringing wet from sweat. He
quickly purchased a large book on Civil War cavalry
photographs and a video tape of the Battle of
Chickamauga. We got thrown out of the facility at 5:00
p.m. when they locked up. Clark just got done in time.
Drove south on Hwy. 27 to the town of Chickamauga and got
directions to Crawfish
Springs. Very nice springs
that flow strong enough to form a wide creek.
Photographed springs and signs saying it was the
headquarters of the Army
of the Cumberland and the
14th Corps. Returned north to Ft. Oglethope and stopped
to get film for Clark. Went west on Hwy. 2, north on Hwy.
193 through the town of St. Elmo and back up Lookout Mtn.
on the Scenic Hwy. to West Brow Rd. to get picture of
Sunset Rock. Didn't see parking area for trail to the
rock and had to double back from Point Park. Don't know
how we missed it. Hiked down steep trail and got to rock
at about 7:00 p.m. There were a number rope climbers on
the rocks. Studied area and determined Sunset Rock could
not be the rock that was pictured in the photo found in Lott's chest because it wasn't shaped quite right and more
importantly the angle and extent of the Tennessee River
in the background was wrong. After further study of
Lookout Mtn. and the river, determined picture was more
likely of Lookout Point from near Roper's Rock. If so,
the picture couldn't be taken today because tall trees
and other vegetation obscure Lookout Point and the
distant river. Climbed trail back to parking lot. It
about did both of us in. Quite steep with some large
steps to go up. We were soaking wet. Retraced route to
Fort Oglethorpe and had late supper at Golden Corral.
Returned to motel via. I-75 arriving at 9:20 p.m. Clark
took a nap while Curtis showered and typed notes for the
day. Another long day, but learned a lot. Disappointed
over condition we are likely to find other National
Cemetery records in. Got to bed after midnight.
5-23 THURSDAY, Days Inn, Douglasville, Ga. Got up without a
wake-up call at 7:30 a.m. This is to be our
"relaxed" day after the long days we have put
in this week. With Clark driving, went south on I-75
toward Atlanta, GA. Gassed truck at Cartersville, GA.
Went west to Kennesaw, GA. at Exit-118. Lost road signs in Kennesaw
and stopped at fire station for directions. We were on
the right track. Drove to Visitor Center of Kennesaw Mountain
National Battlefield Park
off of "Old U.S. 41." Talked with man at desk
and he referred us to Mrs. Kim Young. At first we were
told the 5th
Iowa Cav. had been at the Kennesaw Mountain battle and were involved in the charge on "Cheatham Hill," then they realized the list of military
units they had was for troops involved in the Battle of Atlanta rather than just Kennesaw Mtn. They then looked in "A Compendium of the
War of the Rebellion," Vol. III for the Regimental
Histories of the 5th
Iowa and 4th Mich.
Cavalry. Provided us with copies of pages 1161-62 and
1271 for the 5th
Iowa and 4th Mich. and
confirmed the 5th
Iowa was not at Kennesaw Mtn. They also had the "Roster and Record of
Iowa Soldiers in the War of the Rebellion," Vol. IV
and gave us a copy of page 887 with Lot H. Carley on it. They didn't have any info. on the
National Cemetery system but gave us direction to the Marietta National
Cemetery. They didn't know
if the Confederate Prison Camps had been preserved at
Savannah or Millin, GA. However, they gave us a brochure
for Fort
Pulaski Nat'l. Monument
(Superintendent, Fort Pulaski Nat'l. Monument, P.O. Box
30757, Savannah, Georgia 31410-0757: (912) 786-5787)
where we might get some info. They didn't think we would
find much in relation to the McCook Raid at Lovejoy Station, Ga. Also gave us the Park Service brochure for Andersonville Nat'l.
Historic Site and one for
the walking tour of Marietta, Ga. that confirmed the
Kennesaw House was Gen.
Sherman's Headquarters during the Battle of Atlanta. Discussed books on Andersonville, told one of
the best was "Death Before Dishonor" by Eugene
Forbes of the 4th New Jersey Infantry. Informed them of
W. Marvel book which they knew of but had not seen.
Confirmed that book "CO.AYTCH" by Sam R.
Watkins was a good account of the life of a Confederate
soldier. We had been told of it by Mr. J. Smith at
Wartrace, TN. Bought copies of both books, $24.95 and
$7.95 respectively. Again we received all assistance
requested and then some. Went right on Old U.S. 41 and
southeast on Kennesaw Ave. to Marietta, Ga. Went to
Kennesaw House and had lunch at restaurant. Museum on
upper floor closed. Photographed Kennesaw House. Drove to
Marietta National Cemetery at corner of Cole St. and
Washington Ave. in southeast Marietta. Grave registration
books and cemetery maps were located in a little shelter
outside the cemetery office. While we were confirming
locations of the four 5th Iowa Cav. graves a Mr. Bobby Paul (Cemetery Representative, Marietta National
Cemetery, 500 Washington Ave., Marietta, GA 30060:
404-428-5631) walked by on
his way to the office and asked if he could assist us.
Told him we knew where to find who we were looking for;
however, we would like to know if there is a record of
where in Georgia the bodies were recovered for burial at
Marietta. At first he referred us to the Cobb County
Library a block away and then he said after thinking
about it he might be able to help. Went to office and he
checked a file that had 5X7 cards with info. on each
grave. It had exactly what we were looking for, whole
process took less than 5 minutes. Big thing was that Andrew Guler was recovered from
Carrolton, Georgia. This is probably correct, since they
had the correct info. that David Conzett was recovered at
Newnan, GA. where he died 7/31/64. William A. Cousins
died at Marietta, GA. while L. P. Corlin died at Newnan,
GA.: however, no date of death was available. It most likely was the same as D. Conzett.
Easily located and photographed the 4 grave stones. Also
photographed the entrance to the cemetery. Discovered
some stones had the grave number on the front with the
name, while some had the number on the back. While
locating grave of A. Guler we talked with 4 men on the
ground crew. Learned stones are made of marble or
granite, are 42 inches long with 18 inches in the ground.
They are cleaned by a high pressure water system from
time to time. It is a constant struggle resetting the
stones to keep them straight and all at the same height.
Left cemetery at 4:00 p.m. Went east on Hwy. 120 to I-75,
south to I-285 and west on I-20 to Exit 10 at
Douglasville, Ga. where we checked into the Days Inn. In
motel by 5:00 p.m. Our shortest day yet. After supper
called Dr. Kerry Elliott (P.O. Box 224, Newnan, GA.
30264: (770) 251-3743) to confirm he had received the
material I mailed and if we could visit with him on
Monday. He had the material and found it quite
interesting. He felt Lott probably was captured at "Rock
Mills, Ga." rather
than "Rockville" as stated in his diary and
military records. He also felt Lott's reference to "Liberty Mill" was probably "Liberty Hill." He knew where the latter was and felt it
fit the march Lott
made to LaGrange. Told him
we had learned A. Guler body recovered at Carrolton, GA.
Discussed our planned travel tomorrow through area of Palmetto and Lovejoy to Andersonville.
He didn't think we would
find many historical markers in the area. He didn't say
it, but it appears they may not be interested in putting
up markers for Union activities. He said he had a friend
preparing a book on Sherman's
Cavalry that should be out
later this year and that will provide more detail about
the McCook-Stoneman Raid. He couldn't advise us on motels
near Andersonville. Arranged to call him Sunday to schedule a
meeting for Monday. Caught up notes.
CIVIL WAR TRIP Part
2
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