CARTER COUNTY, TN - MILITARY - Daniel Ellis Civil War Claim ----¤¤¤---- Daniel Ellis Claim Synopsis Digest of Disallowed Claims M2257 National Archives & Records Administration No. 171900 Claim of Daniel Ellis, of Elizabethton, Carter County, State of Tennessee 18 horses and 4 mules $3,070.00 Remarks. Although Daniel Ellis has borne a good character, it would be more than charity, it would be mercy, to suppose this claim was filed in good faith and with an impression on the part of Ellis that he had a claim upon the Government for horses and mules furnished to the Army. Ellis was a Union man, an officer in the Federal service. In his testimony before the special commissioner he professes to have collected the animals "purchased them" while on a recruiting service; started for Knoxville with his recruits and horses, and met General Stoneman's command going toward North Carolina. This was in March, 1865. "His horses were at once taken by General Stoneman to mount men of his command." In answer to a question calling for information tending to show their value, he says: "The prices paid were various." We caused the claim to be investigated. Ellis was called upon and made another statement under oath entirely inconsistent with and different from his sworn testimony before the commissioner. In this last statement he says, while acting as a scout in the Federal Army, "I was allowed the privilege of taking into the Federal lines all horses that I could capture in any way from the rebels and selling them either to the Government or to citizens, and appropriating the money to the support of my family and paying the expenses of conveying recruits, &c. * * * The animals charged for in my claim were captured from a squad of General John Morgan's men. * * * These animals were taken from me, or rather I furnished them for the use of the Army as set forth in my claim." At this time Ellis held a commission as an officer in the Federal Army. His second statement, utterly at variance with his first, is absurd on the face of it. No Federal officer was ever permitted to sell for his own benefit property, army supplies, captured from the enemy. Other facts are brought to light in the investigation to show that the claim is fraudulent. It is wholly disallowed. ___________________________________________________________________ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm This file was contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives by: Billy Markland BJMarkland@aol.com ___________________________________________________________________