WATAUGA COUNTY, NC - HISTORY - A History of Watauga County, North Carolina
			       Chapter 12, Part 2
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A History of Watauga County, North Carolina

John Preston Arthur


Page 169

hearted man, who had fed confederates as well as Union men at his house. He
was a Union man, but not active in arresting Southern sympathizers, and had
tried to prevent the raids on Lott Green's and Carroll Moores' houses.

Two Michiganders Escape.-- Reuben Coffey, sick of living in a turmoil with his
neighbors, had left the Globe and moved to a house on Meat Camp, but needing
some household articles he had left at his Globe home, returned during this
winter, accompanied by his daughter, Millie, who was riding a white horse. The
robbers had taken all of McCaleb Coffey's horses, and when the white horse
appeared McCaleb threw a "grise" of corn over his back to be taken to Elisha
Coffey's mill by Miss Millie. On their way down the mountain Reuben and his
daughter met two men, who said they were from Michigan and had escaped from
prison. They were not in uniform, neither were they armed. Reuben had a gun
and arrested them, after which he took them by McCaleb Coffey's house to David
Miller's, one mile away, hoping to get Miller to go with him and them to Camp
Mast on Cove Creek, but Miller excused himself, and Reuben went on alone with
his prisoners. When they got to the intersection of the turnpike with the old
Morganton Road, about two miles above Shull's Mills, one of the prisoners
called Reuben's attention to some rude benches standing on one side of the
road, and when he looked in the direction indicated the other seized his gun,
while his companion struck Reuben a blow on the back of his head with a heavy
stick. In the ensuing scuffle the two overcame Reuben and took his gun away
from him. At that moment, after having tried to shoot him and failing only
because the cap snapped, they heard Wilson Beech, a boy, returning at a gallop
from the mill, when they ran off and escaped. This boy, now an elderly man,
remembers that he was working in the field at McCaleb Coffey's, with Polly
Hawkins as a helper, when they saw James C. Coffey coming down the road on
foot. He said, "Hurrah! the war is over." This, however, was in April, 1865.

The Sins of the Children.-- Leading up to the surrender of this camp are
several very distressing circumstances. Levi Guy, who lived on Watauga River
near its falls and its passage into

Page 170

Tennessee, was an old man during the Civil War. His three sons, Canada, Enoch
and David, were active Union men. Their enemies called them robbers. There
were near the head of North Fork of New River several men of the name of
Potter and others named Stout. Thomas Stout, another old man, had three sons,
Abram, Daniel and John, who, with the Potters and Guys, were charged with many
depredations throughout this region. One night in 1863 a band of men, among
whom were supposed to have been the three Guy "boys," as they were called,
went to the home of Paul Farthing on Beaver Dams, where Lewis Farthing now
lives, and after demanding his surrender, fired into the log walls of his
residence. It had been agreed by the people of this neighborhood that, in case
any house should be attacked, horns or trumpets should be blown, so that all
who heard the signal might hasten to the assistance of those in trouble. This
alarm was sounded from the upper story of Paul Farthing's house by his women
folk, while he fired at the at-tacking party from the rooms below.  Several
neighbors heard the alarm and started to the rescue. Among these was Thomas
Farthing, and he was shot dead as he approached the house, the robbers taking
flight immediately thereafter. Some time later Levi Guy was captured by some
of the Confederate Home Guard and hanged, although he protested that he had
done nothing more than shelter his own sons when they came to his house for
food and beds. Paul Farthing was falsely charged with having been concerned in
this deed.

While Isaac Wilson, son of Hiram, was ploughing in his field at the head of
the North Fork of Cove Creek, bushwhackers, among whom are supposed to have
been Potters and Stouts, slipped up on him and shot him dead. Soon thereafter
Canada Guy and a boy named Jacob May, a son of Jeff May, of Roan Creek, Tenn.,
were captured by Daniel Sheppard and some of Captain Price's men of Ashe
County, near Sutherland, and hanged, though it is said that May was innocent
and was ex-honorated from all complicity by Guy before he was killed.
__________ 
Note: (1)It is said that Sheppard was afterwards captured and
hanged on a dogwood in Johnson County, Tenn., but that the rope broke. Jeff
May, his captor, then took the halter from Sheppard's horse and strangled
Sheppard to death with it.

Page 171

After this it is claimed that Paul Farthing's house was again attacked at
night, but that he returned the fire and wounded or killed one of the
assailants, as blood was seen on the road leading away from the dwelling.
Then, sometime afterwards - dates are lacking all through this period - Old
Man Thomas Stout, father of the Stout boy or boys charged with having been
concerned in the killing of Isaac Wilson, was captured by Confederate Home
Guards in the spring of 1864 and taken to Hiram Wilson's on Cove Creek, where
he was kept all night. Big Isaac Wilson, a cousin of "Little" Isaac, the slain
man; Jay or Jehu Howington and Gilbert Norris are said to have started with
Stout next day for Camp Vance, below Morganton, and after having been told to
go "the nigh-way." Thomas Stout was never seen alive again.  Two months later
James H. Presnell was cow-hunting on Rich Mountain and found a shoe. He
reported this to his brother, Col. W. W. Presnell, when he got back to their
home on Brushy Fork. The next day the two brothers went back to the place at
which the shoe had been found, and within fifty paces they found what remained
of the body of Thomas Stout, including his gray hair. It had been placed in
the cavity formed by the blowing down of an oak tree; logs had then been
placed beside the body and the whole covered with brush and leaves. Not far
off, dangling from a leaning white oak, was the hickory thong by which he had
been hanged, with the noose still in a circular form, though it had been cut
in two when the body was removed. Colonel Presnell reported these facts to
Abram Lewis, an officer at Camp Mast, and soon afterwards Thomas Stout's widow
had the remains removed and buried near her home.' Thus was the Bible promise
reversed, that the sins of the fathers should be visited upon the children;
but, alas, the sins of the children are much oftener visited upon their
fathers!

Retribution?--It became necessary sometime in the fall of 1864 to gather the
crop of Big Isaac Wilson on the head of the 
__________ 
Note: (1) E. B. Miller, of Meat Camp, says that on the 10th of April, 
1865, he was near the Little Cavit of the Rich Mountain, and hearing some one 
sobbing, went to the place from which the sound came.  There, at the root of 
the tree, stood Mrs. Tom Stout with the bones of her husband in her apron, 
crying as her heart would break.

Page 172

North Fork of Cove Creek.  Friends of Thos. Stout knew of this and were lying
in wait when the men came with fell purpose.  They shot and killed
Howington(1) and James Norris, a son of Gilbert's, while Big Isaac himself was
severely wounded, but recovered.  It is said that Gilbert Norris afterwards
went  blind.  All concerned in the death of old Levi Guy are said to have
speedily come to a bad end, also.

Some Watauga Amazons.-- In "the course of human events" it so happened in John
Walker's lifetime, as it had in the Declaration of Independence, that things
had got past all endurance.  He was a soldier in Camp Mast, but he was sick
and tired of it all.  John wanted to be well out of it, but he did not wish to
desert.  Therefore, when it came time for him to spend a week at the home of
his father, Meredith Walker, he got Levi Coffey and Erwin Calloway, a brother
of W.H. Calloway, afterwards sheriff, to "capture" him at the end of his week
at home.  But it would never do for Levi to be known in the matter, as he was
John's best friend, and for Calloway to capture him unaided might seem to
smack of complicity.  But it had so chanced that, some time before, Henderson
Calloway had brought in from Tennessee a full United States officer's uniform,
shoulder-straps, belt and sword.  Adorned in these, it was hoped that Erwin
would not be recognized, but where were the "assisting force" to come from?
Levi was not long in answering.  His own wife, Edith and Elvira Taylor,
Catharine and Jemima Yarber and Frankie Danner were "force" enough for the
occasion.  So he got them to assume male attire and armed them with "stick
guns."  At night Erwin Calloway, panoplied in full regimentals, marched his
squad into the Walker yard and halted them at the front door, himself rapping
for admittance.  John and his women folk, with white faces, appeared and
opened the door.  Erwin demanded his surrender, the female guard, with
sergeant Levi Coffey remaining in the dark, but still dimly visible.  There
was a parley, John's women pleading for him, with tear-bedimmed 
__________ 
Note: (1) Dr. J. G. Rivers lived at the Swift place on Cove Creek 
and was the first to hear of the killing of these men.  He ran his horse to 
camp Mast and reported the facts, and the entire camp hastened to the scene.  
Doctor Rivers was with Howington asked him why it was so hard for him to die.  
Rivers asked if he had anything on his mind.  He said he had helped hang old 
man Thomas Stout, and had never known any peace since.  He then died.

Page 173

eyes.  Erwin went inside, leaving Levi to keep the sentinels outside alert and
watchful, which he did by gruff commands.  But Erwin was obdurate, and tore
John away from the arms of his family and marched him to the squad outside.
For Effect Jonathan McHaarg was also captured at the same time and place, the
women of the family alone being ignorant of the deception practiced.
Meantime, however, it had become bruited about that Yankees were in the gap of
the mountain, and France and Wilts Beech, two boys, were started on horses for
Camp Bingham to bring assistance.  These were met by Erwin's squad and turned
back, while John Walker was taken on to a ridge and rock cliff just above
Elisha Coffey's Mill, afterwards known as Lenoir's Stonewall Mill, where he
was fed by Elisha whenever he went out to feed his hogs.  It was about one
week later that John walked into his home, apparently much crippled up and
sorely distraught, but bearing an iron clad paper-writing with his signature
attached, a duplicate of one he declared the Yankees in Tennessee had
compelled him to sign while in captivity in order to secure his parole.  Of
course this was merely a fake, but it worked, for when Bingham sent for John
the messenger advised John to respect his parole, and he was left at home till
the surrender at Appomattox and ever thereafter.

Camp Mast at Sugar Grove.-- Captain Price had a company of the Home Guards at
Jefferson, while Major Harvey Bingham had two companies at a camp on Cove
Creek, four miles above Valle Crucis, which had been named in honor of the
Mast family.  It was just below the old Mast Mill, now called Pete Mast's
Mill.  Geo. McGuire was captain of one company and Jordan Cook of the other.
The land on which it stood is now occupied by the residence and grounds of
Boone Deal.  Only one-half of the force was in camp at any one time, the other
half being at their homes every alternate week.  The camp consisted of wooden
shacks and tents.  There were also some fortifications around it.  Many
wounded Confederate soldiers formed part of the garrison of Home Guards
stationed there.  The men were rather poorly armed, and Major Avery's
battalion was on its way to supply them with better weapons in February, 1865,
when it was surrendered, as will more fully appear later on.

Page 174

The Battle on the Beech.-- In the fall of 1864 nine men went to James
Farthing's home, a mile and a half below what is now Ward's Store on lower
Watauga River, robbed him, shot him and left him for dead.  They then went a
mile further up, to Reuben P. Farthing 's, claiming to be Confederates.
Thomas Farthing was up stairs in Reuben's house, wounded.  But he had a
pistol, and hearing what was passing below, put his head out of the widow and
ordered the nine men to leave.  They did so, but took several horses from one
of Thomas Farthing's brothers as he was going with them to the pasture.  Word
was sent to Major Bingham, who immediately came with eighteen men.  Rations
for three days were then cooked by the Farthings for these men, and they
followed the horses to Cranberry and recaptured them, returning to the old
Joel Eggers place near Balm, where they stayed that night.  Captain James
Hartley was notified of their presence there, and supposing that they would
return to Valle Crucis by the Bower's Gap, secreted himself and thirteen of
his men there and awaited Bingham's approach.  But Bingham had decided to
return to Reuben Farthing's below Ward's Store for the purpose of returning
the recaptured horses.  There is a wagon road there now, but then there was
only a trail.  One of Hartley's runners informed him of Bingham's purpose, and
Hartley, taking a near way up the ridge, arrived in time to confront them at
the place now owned by Lee Gwaltney, seven miles from Ward's Store and one
mile from what is now Balm.  This spot is about half way between the Hanging
Rock and the South Pinnacle of the Beech, but then known as the Abe Baird
land.  In the fight which ensued Richard Kilby was killed and Elliott Bingham,
a brother of the Major's, so badly wounded that he died afterwards.  These men
belonged to major Bingham's battalion.  None of Hartley's men was hurt.  The
Confederates retreated, although they greatly out numbered the attacking force.
A. J. McBride, of Bingham's command, although a preacher, cursed and swore
when ordered to retreat.

Surrender of Camp Mast.-- It is difficult to get the exact date of the fall of
this mountain stronghold, for weak as it was, it was all there was at that
time, but T. P. Adams, of Dog Skin

Page 175

Creek, says it was the 5th of February, 1865.  As he was one of the captured
garrison, he probably knows.  Assuming that this is the correct date, on the
4th of February of that year Captain James Champion, of Indiana, a recruiting
officers for the Federals, gathered at Banner Elk about one hundred Union men,
most of whom were armed after one fashion or another,  But many of them had no
weapons at all.  He marched them that day to Valle Crucis, where they halted,
killed one of Henry Taylor's beevs, cooked it and had supper.  This
dispatched, Captain Champion made them a speech, in which he told them of his
plans.  But, he added, that if there was any man in the party who expected to
loot or rob or burn or destroy any property not strictly contraband, he must
fall out, as all he expected to do or allow to be done was to burn the camp,
capture the garrison and disable the arms found there.  Out of 123 men in his
command, twenty fell out, indicating that they had joined in the hope of
plunder only.  With James Isaacs for guide, the residue started, following the
public road to the old Ben Councill place at what has been called Vilas since
Cleveland's first post-master general was in office.  They crossed Brushy Fork
Creek at this point and took the ridge between that stream and Cove Creek, and
came down upon Camp Mast just before a chill dawn.  It seemed, however, as
they passed over the frozen ground, that the clang of their horses' shoes had
aroused every dog in Christendom, and just before reaching the camp a flock of
sheep became frightened and fled helter-skelter down the ridge toward the
camp, with bells jingling and sheep bleating, thus making a veritable
pandemonium.  But the camp was still asleep, and Champion's men were placed at
regular intervals around it, each second man being required to build a fire.
When the plaid dawn gave way to the roseate sunrise and reveille sounded, the
sleepy garrison looked out upon the frozen hills but to discover that they
were indeed encompassed round about, if not by an army with banners, at least
by an apparent wall of smoke and fire.  Champion had divided his force into
three companies, one under I. V. Reese, the second under Aaron Voncannon,
while he remained in charge of the third.  General Franklin, General being his
baptismal

Page 176

name and not a mere empty title of military rank, was sent forward with a flag
of truce, returning soon afterwards with Captain George McGuire, who was
native and to the manner born, but afterwards suspected by some to have
conspired with Champion for the surrender of the Camp, as the latter had
selected a time when Major Harvey Bingham had gone to Ashe to confer with
Captain Price as to some desired co-operation between the two forces.  McGuire
reported hat he had taken a vote and found that about sixty of his men favored
surrender, while eleven voted to fight.  He was sent back for the names of
those on each side of the question, and soon returned with them.  The minority
was overruled and garrison surrendered, all being over by nine o'clock that
winter morning.  They were taken down Cove Creek, crossing Watauga River at
the old Ben Baird place, and followed the old Bedent Baird Road over Beech
Mountain to George Dugger's, and thence to where Sam Banner lived, where Keith
Blalock's son joined them, taking charge of the prisoners.  When these reached
Ham Ray's at Shell Creek in Tennessee most of those who had voted to surrender
were paroled and discharged, while all of those who had voted to fight, except
T. P. Adams, were sent on to Camp Chace.  McGuire went on, but not to Camp
Chace.  He rode with the officers and never returned to this State.

Paul and Reuben Farthing.-- When the question of surrendering was put to the
garrison at Camp Mast, Paul Farthing declared that the surrender of the Camp
meant the surrender of his life.  Miss Sophronia Mast, a daughter of the
venerable Joseph Mast, of Sugar Grove, and Miss Melinda Williams, now the wife
of Mr. Wesley Holtsclaw, were returning at dawn from having sat up all night
with a sick neighbor, when they discovered that they were within the lines of
Champion's men encircling the camp.  They were detained there, and while
waiting to be allowed to proceed to their homes advised Paul Farthing and his
nephew to escape by following the stream under the bushes growing on the bank
of the creek flowing hard by, but they said it had grown too light and that
they would be discovered and killed.  Paul Farthing, however, gave Sophronia
his pistol,, knife and pocket-book,

Page 177

and Dr. J. G. Rivers, who was also of the surrendered garrison, entrusted some
things to Miss Williams, and these articles were afterwards faithfully
delivered by these two young girls, Miss Mast afterwards becoming the wife of
Captain Newton Banner.  The two Farthings, Paul and his nephew, Reuben, did
die at Camp Chase, just as they had predicted would be the case if
surrendered.

Stoneman's Raid.--General Stoneman reached Boone in the forenoon of March 28,
1865.  The day was fair.  Some men in the house which stood where J. D.
Councill's residence now stands, among whom was W. Waightstill Gragg, fired on
the head of the column as it came down the road from Hodges Gap.  This was
enough:  Warren Green was killed; so were Jacob M. Councill and Ephraim
Norris.  The following were wounded:  Calvin Green, son of Alexander Green;
Sheriff A. J. McBride, Thomas Holder, son of Elisha; John Brown, son of Joseph
Brown, of Gap Creek, and W. Waightstill Gragg, of the First North Carolina
Cavalry, who was then at home on a furlough.  The house from which the
shooting had been done, now J. D. Councill's, was converted into a hospital and
the Federal surgeon did his best for the wounded.  Calvin Green was taken to
the old Jordan Councill house.  He had been badly wounded, but recovered.
McBride had been shot in the breast, but the ball followed a rib and lodged
near his spine, from which the federal surgeon removed it, while McBride lay
on his stomach on the floor, without anesthetics of any kind.  Holder's wound
was in the hip and groin.  He lived on Howard's Creek, but is now dead.  Brown
had his ankle broken.  Gragg's wound was not very severe.  He lived a short
distance above the house now occupied by Benjamin Brannock.  After the firing
from the Councill house, Stoneman's men charged, and all who were in that
house or near it ran through the fields toward the foot of Howard's Knob.
Hence, all were wounded in the rear, except McBride, who was hit in the
breast.  The house in which Jacob M. Councill was killed is called the Mark
Hodge house.  It still stands, in the rear of Benjamin Councill's home, though
untenented now.  Jacob had been ploughing and was putting his harness up when
one of Stoneman's men

Page 178

came to the door and shot him dead, notwithstanding his protestations.  A
colored woman, Phoebe by name, who had been at work with him, saw the deed.

Official Account.-- Major-General George Stoneman's command, consisting of a
cavalry division and a battery of artillery, left Knoxville March 21, 1865,
and camped at Strawberry Plains, and by the 27th forded Doe River and crossed
the Smokey Mountains into North, moving out at 5:00 a. m. March 28th and
reaching Boone about eleven o'clock that morning.  Here the division divided,
the first brigade taking the route to Yadkin River, while part of the
remainder when through Deep Gap to Wilkesboro.  Col. George W. Kirk, in
command of the second and third North Carolina Mounted Infantry, United States
Army, left Taylorsville, Tenn., on the 5th of April and came to Boone, where
he was joined next day by Brigadier-General Davis Tillson.  On the morning of
the 7th Major Bahney left with the second North Carolina Mounted Infantry for
Deep Gap, and Major W. W. Rollins, with 200 men of the third North Carolina
Infantry, went to Blowing Rock Gap, called by army officers Watauga Gap, while
Colonel Kirk, with 406 men, remained in Boone.  General Tillson gave
instructions for building rough but formidable field works and collections of
as large a supply of forage and subsistence as possible, while Kirk was
instructed to barricade the Meat Camp road leading through State Gap and also
a road not then on General Tillson's military map, leading through Sampson
Gap, between Deep and Watauga Gaps, a few miles from the latter.  On the 27th
of April the second and third North Carolina Mounted Infantry were moved
toward Asheville, reaching there on the 30th.  (Rebellion Records, Series I,
Vol. XLIX, Part I, pp. 323 to 337.)  Signal stations on mountain tops were
established from Butler, Tenn., to Lenoir, N. C.

Obeyed Orders.-- Boone court house was pierced with holes to fire through,
while a barricade was made around it of timbers taken from an unfinished
building which then stood where the Blair hotel now stands, and from another
half finished house then standing near Blackburn's present hotel.  Deep Gap
and

(Chapter 12 continued)