-Chapter III- SLAVERY, WAR, AND RECONSTRUCTION (1850-1900)
Confederate Veterans
Space does not permit mention of all the veterans who achieved great recognition for their work, but a few cannot be overlooked. William Luffman, a member of the Eleventh Regiment of Georgia Volunteers, rose to the rank of lieutenant colonel by 1862. Col. Luffman was commander of the regiment until he was wounded at the second Battle of Manassas, and his regimental historian described him as "a cozy old bach, reaching . . . forty, and possesses withal a very presentable contour. He is indifferent to danger. . . speaks quickly, thinks independently, . . . acts decisively . . . quite communicative . . . indulgent and reasonable, and to the orders of his ranking officers all obedience-provided those orders correspond with his ... opinions ... a lawyer by profession . . ," Col. Luffman generally accompanied his men into battle rather than merely sending them. The historian wrote later, "Col. Luffman . . . has been severely wounded in both legs . . . able to walk only with great difficulty, still stays with and encourages his men until the relief arrives." After the war Col. Luffman continued his law practice in Spring Place, one of the few lawyers who bore the title "Colonel" from actual combat and not just from respectful courtesy. He died in 1893 and is buried in the Spring Place Cemetery.
Two veterans who settled in Murray after and during the war were Col. John H. Kuhn and Col. William H. Tibbs. Col. Kuhn, a resident of Tennessee when the War began, fought with the Confederate cavalry in that state as well as in Georgia and the Carolinas. His descendants lived in Murray for several decades following the conflict.
Near the end of the War another reknowned Southern gentleman from Tennessee moved to Georgia and purchased large tracts of land in Murray, including the Vann House property at Spring Place. Col. William H. Tibbs had served in the Confederate Congress and in the Army. Though he spent most of his time in Dalton, Col. Tibbs' name is preserved on the Tibbs Bridge across the Conasauga which joins his adopted counties west of Spring Place.
Inclusion of the summaries of all careers would be impossible, but several bear mention. Several physicians from Murray served in the War including Doctors E.G. Stafford, T.H. Hall, and E.H.L. Keister. Mr. Emory A. Earnest served as secretary in the service of Robert E. Lee and others won the respect of the entire community such as Maj. R.E. Wilson, Lt. Col. James A.McCamy, Lt. William Jasper Peeples, Lt. A.K. Ramsey, D.E. Humphries, Maj. M.D.L. McCroskey, Pleasant McGhee, S.L. Trimmier, L.F. Peeples, B.W. Gladden, W.C. Tilton, M.M. Bates, W.H. Ramsey, S.G. Carter, J.D.W. McDonald, S.G. Tread-ell, W.G. Harris, J.A. Baynes, and many others.
Several years after the war, the veterans in Murray formed the "John B. Gordon Camp of Confederate Veterans." Named in honor of the famed general and governor of Georgia, the organization enjoyed a lengthy period of success. According to the constitution of the organization, the objects were "the preservation of Confederate history and memories, the promotion of good fellowship, the renewal of old ties between the surviving soldiers and other organizations in the service of the Confederacy, to keep alive the memories of our dead comrades, and to care for the needy orphans." Members also served as pall bearers when a veteran died, certified war records so that veterans could receive pensions, and assisted widows of veterans who were in need. The group also lobbied to get pensions increased.
Membership was open to any honorably discharged veteran and eighteen-year-old sons of veterans were permitted as auxiliary members if they paid the 25 i annual dues. Veterans had to apply for membership in writing and the camp had to vote on each application. Meetings were sometimes held monthly, but the group specified four meeting days each year: Robert E. Lee's birthday (January 19), Confederate Memorial Day (April 27), the anniversary of the first Battle of Manassas (July 21), and the fourth Saturday of October. Officers were elected at the January meeting and nine members constituted a quorum. Among the first officers were Major R.E. Wilson, Commander; Col. William Luffman and John McNeal, Vice-Commander; J.A. McCamy, Adjutant (Secretary); T.A. Ramsey, Quartermaster (treasurer); E.W. Rembert, Aide-de-Camp; M.M. Bates, Chaplain; and T.H. Hall, Surgeon. Early members of the Camp included:
G.G. Adams
J.S. Addington
Etisha Allen
W.W. Anderson
J .A. Baynes
R.T.Beck
Amos Bishop
W.R. Black
W.H.Bramblett
John B. Brindle
W.C. Campbell
S.G. Carter
Joshua Chapman
M.R. Chastain
Henry Coker
W.E. Covington
E.E. Daniel
WJ.Duncan
C.D. Durham
Weldon Durham
S.W. Eldridge
W.A. Ellis
O.C. Goins
C.D. Gilbert
B.W. Gladden
E.H. Gladden
W.C .D.Gordon
C.C.Halman
J.W. Hammock
W.G.Harris
W.D. Heartsill
B.B. Hemphill
W.G. Hill
G.R. Howard
C.C. Howell
D.E.Humphries
Jesse Jackson
A.O.Johnson
W.J. Johnson
F.M.Kendrick
Frank Kilgore
J.H.Kuhn
J.T.Kuhn
W.J.E. Long
J.D.C. Loughridge
J.D.W. McDonald
Pleasant McGhee
J.W. McCamy
D.F.McMahan
J.W. Mackey
A.K. Martin
W.C. Martin
W.M. Moreland
J.F.Nolen
L.F. Peeples
W.J. Peeples
F.M. Pierce
J.M.Plemons
T.C.Pope
J.D. Priest
A.K. Ramsey
W.H. Ramsey
G.M. Roberts
M.L. Smith
W.W. Smith
S.E.Stanford
W.H. Staples
C.N.Stroud
W.C. Tilton
S.G.Treadwell
S.L. Trimmier
J.W. Tucker
W.R. Tyson
John W. Webb
M.M. Welch
G.W. Wilbanks
Henry Williams
W.J. White
Several of these men had enlisted in places other than Georgia and thus the list includes the names of many folks who moved to Murray after the War. Some of the men were "sons" and classified auxiliary members. In 1903 Mr. T.J. Ramsey became Adjutant of the Camp. His descendant, our current representative in the Georgia House, Tom Ramsey, has preserved the minutes Mr. Ramsey recorded during his fourteen years as secretary. The minutes reveal that the Camp encouraged its members to write histories of their war records for the United Daughters of the Confederacy. The U.D.C. Chapter also awarded medals called the "Southern Cross of Honor" to surviving veterans or their widows near the turn of the century. On October 4, 1904 Mr. Ramsey wrote that the group "marched to King Spring . . . some 25 in number to have a picture taken." This must be the picture below as it is the only known picture of such a group. Notice that several of the men are wearing their medals. Unfortunately not all the men can be identified but among those who have been are John M. Plemons standing 4th from left, WJ.E. Long seated first from left, W.W. Johnson 5th from left, D.E. Humphreys 6th from left, Perry Bramblett 7th from left and Henry Snow Hoi-comb is seated on far right. S.G. Carter is also in the picture.
Evidently the Camp was organized prior to 1893 and Major Wilson remained Commander until his death in 1902. W.J. White succeeded him and served until his death in 1908. In 1910 Mr. Ramsey noted in the minutes that the group was trying to get those who were not in the camp to join since "we are dropping out and going to that last role call very fast." B.W. Gladden was elected Commander in 1908 and probably served in the capacity until his death in 1919, though the Camp seems to have been inactive by that time. The last minutes are from 1917 and record that there had not been enough members present to elect officers for the year.
Members who joined after the formation of the Camp include:
Henry Bagley
J.J. Bates
J.Y. Baynes
H.R. Beamer
J.E. Beck
John S. Bettis
W.G. Blassingame
Dock Bond
S.C. Calhoun
W.A. Campbell
E.H. Dickson
E.A. Earnest
J.W. Ellard
L.W. Ellis
G.W. Etheridge
Albert Green
J.W. Gunter
Robert E. Hannar
N.H. Henry
Sam Higdon
W.J. Holloway
J.P. Kelly
W.R. Lackey
J.A. Langston
James Lawson
Daniel Leonard
J.A. Mathews
G.W. Mooney
E.M. Morris
W.L.? Morris
TJ.Oveby
R.H. Patterson
J.A. Richardson
J.L. Robinson
John A. Robinson
W.G. Sanders
J.C. Spears
J.B. Springfield
T.J. Springfield
N.W. Stroud
John Thomas
John Vaughn
S.W.Waggoner
Elijah Williams
H.M. Yother
Many of the men served as officers at various times. Mr. Ramsey also made special notes of veterans and widows of veterans who died whether they were members of the Camp or not.
Most of the Camp meetings were held at the courthouse in Spring Place, even after the county seat moved to Chatsworth. The most important meeting of the Camp, however, was the annual picnic which drew members and non-members as well as the entire community. The site seems to have changed at various times, though the first ones were held at the King Spring in Spring Place or at the spring on the Old Federal Road near the former Harrison (more recently Ensley) Home. One was held at Chatsworth. but after Mr, Gladden became the Camp commander the picnics were generally held at Gladden Springs (on the present Highway 76). Mr. Homer Luffman, a long-time resident of Gladden Springs, remembers the gray-bearded men making proud speeches on a platform near an equally proud oak tree. He thinks the last reunion took place in the early 1930's since most of the aged soldiers had passed away. Henry Beamer, the last surviving member of the Tom Polk Edmondson company, died in 1932 at age 92 and Murray County's last Civil War veteran, Mr. W.C. Graves, passed away January 18, 1942. Mrs. Nola Beaver Rodgers, widow of Newt Rogers, was the last Civil War widow in the county.
Though the Civil War and Reconstruction had ended many, many years before, the memory of the war and its aftermath lingered in Murray much longer. As early as 1905 the John B. Gordon Camp discussed the formation of a Sons of the Confederacy chapter in Murray County. Several "sons" joined the camp and in 1912 the camp minutes record that a Sons chapter had been formed though The Chatsworth Times of October 9, 1919 reports that the new Sons group, which had 54 charter members, elected J.C. Ellis, Commander; T.P. Ramsey. First Lieutenant; and W.B. Robinson, Secretary-Treasurer. The Group was named in honor of Major R.E. Wilson who attained one of the highest ranks of any Murray Countian in the War and served as Doorkeeper in the Georgia Legislature. He was also asked to introduce President William McKinley at a gathering in Atlanta on one occasion. The Sons camp has been inactive for many years.
From the minutes of the John B, Gordon Camp it seems that an informal or unofficial group of United Daughters of the Confederacy met in Spring Place as early as 1904, possibly as a unit of the Dalton chapter. In 1922 a U.D.C. Chapter was organized in Chatsworth, sponsored by the Dalton group. Appropriately, Miss Lula Gladden was elected president. Other officers included Cora Peeples Gregory, recording secretary; Lela Wilson, vice-president; Nettie Gladden, treasurer; Vera Edwards McGinty, registrar; Maud Edmondson Gudger, corresponding secretary, and Mrs. W.J. Johnson, historian. Other members were Etta Bradley Barnett, Nannie Bradley, Mrs. Jim Springfield, Nett Winston Campbell,. Alta May Fincher, Frances Annie Heartsell, Ella Bell Fincher, Marguerite Heartsell Barnett, and Pauline Booth Green. This group, too, has been inactive for many years.
The memory of the War Between the States and Reconstruction lingered and then faded, but it is a rich part of Murray County's heritage.
Murray County Heritage