The Battle of Morristown, 1864

(Union Artillery readies for action at Morristown.)

It was on the morning of 28 October 1864 that Morristown, Tennessee was the site of a battle between Union and Confederate forces during the War Between The States. Interestingly, both sides in this battle were made up of a large number of men from East Tennessee. Some old people in this area referred to the Civil War as the War Between the Republicans and the Democrats, because the Union forces were overwhelmingly Republican and the Confederates were mostly Democrats!

Union General Alvan Gillem, commanding three Tennessee cavalry regiments and an artillery battery, moved up from Knoxville and made straight for Morristown, where Confederates there were under the command of General John Vaughn. Gillem's men, perhaps over 3,000 strong were well equipped, and had repeating rifles. Vaughn's forces, perhaps 2,000 in number were generally poorly equipped and had single shot muskets. Most of Vaughn's men were Mounted Infantry. For some men, on both sides, they were about to enter battle near their own homes, and against opponents they personally knew.

Vaughn deployed his men in two long lines. One line was in the town and was flanked on either side by an artillery battery. One battery was on the hill where Morristown College used to be, and a line of men extended from there towards the Radio Center area, where another artillery battery anchored his left flank. In front of this line, some distance to the west was Vaughn's first line, mostly of mounted infantry, dismounted and in line. Possibly Vaughn's best regimental commander, Col. James Rose, along with his mounted regiment, had maintained contact with the Union troops as they advanced towards town. Rose kept the Federals in front of him, monitoring their movements and all the while keeping Vaughn informed of the situation. As Union troops neared Morristown, Rose suddenly deployed his men in line in front of them. The Union forces deployed to face him, showing their numbers to the Confederates. Rose, his job done, fell back with his men into the center of the first Confederate line. The Confederates now awaited the inevitable Union attack. One Union veteran later recalled approaching Morristown on that fateful day and seeing the entire valley full of Confederates.

Morristown at that time was a small collection of buildings, mostly along Main Street, between Jackson and Cumberland Streets. Surrounding it was open farm land. I think its probable that there are more trees today in Morristown than in 1864. Both sides could see each other much better then than would be possible today.

Gillem's Union brigade arrived on the battlefield around 9 o'clock in the morning. His artillery battery deployed itself on the hill where Lincon Heights School now stands, and began firing on the Confederates. One of his cavalry regiments quickly formed up and charged towards the first Confederate line. This movement was seen by the Confederates. Confederate artillery opened fire on the advancing Federals at long range, and to little effect. At 400 yards the advancing Union cavalry picked up speed to a trot. Shortly thereafter the entire Confederate front line opened fire on the horsemen, but again to little noticeable effect. As the cavalry, now at full speed and with sabres drawn, reached near the Confederate position, the Confederate line gave way badly in the center. Fleeing Confederates rode through the second Confederate line and urged them to run as well, which they began to do.

The Confederates on the left were still fighting and began to manover to attack the charging Union regiment on its now exposed flank. However the Union troops blocked this attempt by moving a fresh regiment towards the Confederates' own exposed flank. The Confederates weren't done yet, and began moving towards the Union battery on Lincoln Heights hill. But now the full weight of the Union brigade fell on the embattled Confederates, as a massive cavalry charge was launched all along the Confederate line. Under enormous pressure the remaining elements of the Confederate second line gave way.

Disaster for the Confederates! Artillerymen struggled to save their guns. The artillery battery on the Confederate left was captured when some of the horses pulling the guns were shot down. Individuals became separated from their fleeing units and hid in panic in buildings throughout the town. One old man and woman watched as a young Confederate burst into their home and hid under their bed. "Don't stay there!" said the old man. "That is the first place they will look." The boy crawled from under the bed. "You are right." he said, and then he ran out their back door, and disappeared into the melee and confusion outside, never to be seen by the old couple again.

Col. Rose's horse was shot down, and Rose was then captured. General Vaughn himself narrowly escaped, and was said to have killed a young Union horsemen who attempted to capture him. Union cavalrymen, repeating rifles blazing away, raced into Morristown, and proceeded to chase Vaughn's men in a dogged pursuit towards Russellville. Near Russellville Confederate reinforcements made a stand and stopped Gillem's pursuit of Vaughn's men.

The Confederates lost 85 killed with 225 wounded and captured. Union losses were 8 killed and 18 wounded. The Confederates also lost 5 artillery pieces and limbers, and 6 wagons captured.

According to my research, the 8 Union soldiers killed that day were: 13th Cavalry: Quarter Master Sergeant William Greene, Cpl. Marion Garrison; 8th Cavalry: Cpl. James Lemarr, Cpl. William H. Boothe, Pvt. William Pressley, Pvt. William Bailey, Pvt. McDaniel Bussell, Pvt. Reese Cunningham. Garrison (probably Garretson) was from this area and was buried locally. I believe his grave is at Morelock Cemetery today in Hamblen County. The other seven men were originally buried in Morristown, but have since been removed to the Knoxville National Cemetery in Knoxville, Tennessee. The 85 Confederates have proven harder to find. One of them was Capt. Ed Gammon. 46 graves of unknown Confederates were removed from the old Bethel Burying grounds (not to be confused with modern day Bethel Cemetery) and reburied at Jarnigan Cemetery in Morristown. It would appear these men (or at least some of them) were among the killed in action at the Battle of Morristown. I do know that some Confederate dead, if not all, from the battle were buried at Bethel burying grounds. I think its likely that the Union dead were originally buried there as well. A monument to the 46 unknown Confederates marks their grave at Jarnigan Cemetery, for many of them their last minutes spent desperately trying to hold the line at Morristown.

After their defeat at Morristown, the resilient Confederates would be reinforced, and, under the leadership of no less than former American vice president, John C. Breckinridge, they were on the attack again two weeks later. Gillem's brigade proved unable to stop the Confederates this time, who routed his brigade back towards Knoxville in what became famously known as "Gillem's Stampede." At or just east of Morristown the Confederates found and captured the entire pack train of Gillem's brigade.

Morristown lay along the important East Tennessee and Virginia Railroad line during the war. (It was in the same place the railroad tracks go through town today.) This line connected Robert E. Lee's army in Virginia to Braxton Bragg's army in Tennessee, until Bragg lost Knoxville and then Chatanooga to Union forces in 1863.

After the battle of Perryville, Kentucky in 1862, Bragg's Confederate army retreated in part through Morristown by train.

Longstreet's Corps from Lee's army in Virginia was rushed to support Bragg in September 1863. Since Burnsides held Knoxville for the Union, Longstreet's shortest route (through Morristown) was blocked, forcing him on a long circuitous trek through the Carolinas to meet up with Bragg near Chattanooga. Bragg then administered a stunning and bloody defeat to Union forces at Chickamauga, but failed to advance quickly on Chattanooga which at that moment was his for the taking. He then split his army, sending Longstreet to take Knoxville. Bragg was defeated at Chattanooga, and Longstreet was unable to take Knoxville after an ineffective seige. Sherman's Union army marched from Chattanooga to relieve the seige at Knoxville. Longstreet's Corps was then forced to retreat up the railroad line, through Morristown. Longstreet had his headquarters for a time during the winter of 1863 at Russellville. Eventually Longstreet's Corps rejoined Lee's army in Virginia. This period of the war, with large numbers of troops fighting in the area, brought the people of East Tennessee to near starvation.

Morristown changed hands many times during the conflict. During one such occasion, when the Union held the town, a Confederate cavalry patrol encountered a few Union cavalry roughly where Main and Hill Streets intersect today. The Federals retreated through town, chased by the Confederates. West of town encamped Union infantry were rousted up and entered the fighting, forcing the Confederates to retreat. The only casualty that day was a Union horse. Also many residents found their windows had been shot out during the fighting.

Though the South was militarily losing the war by the fall of 1864, the North was paying a heavy price. As their own losses mounted, the war was becoming unpopular in the North. One of the reasons for Gillem's push into East Tennessee was to gather votes for Abraham Lincoln in the upcoming November 1864 election. Lincoln was running for reelection and was opposed by popular Union General George B. McClellan. It was believed the many Union supporters in East Tennessee would vote for Lincoln.

The King house, a brick house now torn down, sitting on 3rd South Street across from present day Dockery Funeral Home, was used as a hospital during the battle. At the time it was owned by Connecticut miller Curtis Eames, who also owned the flour mill in town, from whence Mill Street got its name. The scene of suffering, death and amputations in the aftermath of the battle, the house was rumoured for years to be haunted. It was said an indistinct glowing figure could be seen at times on the second floor balcony.

There was another engagement at Morristown before the one mentioned above, but I haven't been able to find out much about it. Also, a Union soldier of the 4th TN Infantry was captured at Morristown by Confederates as late as February 4, 1865.

I originally wrote this from memory based on my own research, some years ago of the battle, and, as such, it contains my own conclusions. After adding the photos of the miniature figures, I decided to reread an account of the battle which appeared in the Citizen Tribune several years ago and made some changes to the page where I thought it was appropriate. Since then I have read the history of the 13th Regiment, a book about the 13th TN US Cavalry which fought in the battle of Morristown, and I have made other changes as well.

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