Dog Creek Resident Samuel Adkisson's 1865 Letter To Andrew Johnson

Samuel Adkisson's 1865 Civil War Letter 

to Military Governor of Tennessee Andrew Johnson

 by DJ Hutcherson

The Papers of Andrew  Johnson, Volume 7

1861 - 1865

Samuel W Adkisson, born in Virginia in 1803, was a prominent, wealthy and influential citizen who lived in the heart of the Dog Creek community during the 1860's and 1870's. He and his family lived on a large tract of land on which he built a large home, and nearby a large farmstead. Of course, the majority of the hard work and everyday chores on the farm was performed by the 15 or so slaves that Adkisson owned before the war. In 1860 he claimed $5,000 in real estate and $35,000 in personal property. When the War broke out, his household included his wife Nancy, and their three sons, James, Joseph, and Samuel Jr.

In his youth, Adkisson studied to become an engineer, or "mechanic" as he described his job title. He was a very skilled stone cutter. His talents at stone cutting are evident just by looking at the many gravestones in Dog Creek Cemetery that were carved by Adkisson. (See photos below)

Some of Adkisson's unfinished, or practice stones still sit in the woods near the cemetery

He is perhaps most famous for using his skills as an engineer when he was put in charge of overseeing the excavation of Montgomery Bell's tunnel at the Narrows of the Harpeth at a very young age.  The construction of the tunnel began around the year 1818 and is said to have taken about a year to complete, which would have been sometime around 1819 or 1820. Because Adkisson was born in 1803, he would have only been around 15 or 16 years old during the building of the first tunnel in 1818. 

I have always found it a little difficult to believe that Adkisson, at such a young age, could have been employed by Bell as the engineer in charge of the excavation of the first tunnel.  Therefore, I am beginning to believe Adkisson's only involvement in any kind of engineering work at the Narrows was with the partial excavation of the second tunnel, approximately 20 yards below the completed first tunnel, in the early 1820's.  This tunnel was intentionally left uncomplete, for reasons unknown.  Bell would later try to auction of this property.

Prior the War, Adkisson's opinion regarding seceding from the Union seems to have been unclear, as if he wasn't sure whether he supported The Confederacy or remain loyal to the Union. As a slave owner, one would think Adkisson would have been against the abolition of slavery, however he did write an op-ed in a Nashville newspaper just before the presidential election of 1860 in which he endorses Abraham Lincoln, saying he believed Lincoln would make a good president. It seems though, that once the war broke out in 1861 and Tennessee seceded from the Union, he had changed his position concerning both issues and declared that he was and always had been loyal to the Union.

I believe I have been able to determine, with a fair degree of certainty, that Adkisson's land and residence was located on a large tract of land on the south side of Dog Creek and the Charlotte Pike. This land would have been located directly across from where Dog Creek Cemetary is located today.  This tract of land was originally owned by one of Dog Creek's earliest settlers, Mastin Ussery, who, on February 13,1858, donated a portion of his land for the purpose of establishing a cemetery and schoolhouse.

On the deed which describes the details of the donation, Ussery, who had settled on Dog Creek as early as 1817, specifically states that he was donating this piece of land "for the use and benefit of my family and neighbors...for a schoolhouse, for preaching, and the like...(and) a graveyard for my family and relations...and neighbors". This of course was the land that eventually became the location of Dog Creek Cemetery, just where it is still located today, and where, for a time, the Shacklett Church of Christ once stood. 

Adkisson's name, though misspelled, can clearly been seen on the south 

side of Dog Creek in this Civil War Era map clearly 

For a time, Adkisson was involved with the operation and even construction/improvement of the Charlotte Turnpike, even being put in charge of the construction of a bridge of the Harpeth River at the mouth of Dog Creek. As it passed through his property, he operated a toll-gate on the Charlotte Pike located in the area of the cemetery.  In another post on this blog, I have written in more detail Adkisson's involvement concerning Charlotte Pike. That blog post can be found here : https://southcheathamhistory.blogspot.com/2024/12/1864-civil-war-map-western-middle.html

1850 Document detailing Adkisson's involvement in the construction of a bridge on the 

Charlotte Turnpike of the Harpeth River at the mouth of Dog Creek

I was able to figure out the location of Adkisson's property after reading on one of the deeds describing the boundaries of the land that Adkisson had purchased, where it mentions that it was located directly across the creek from the tract of land that had been donated by Mastin Ussery in 1858. I have posted an original copy of this deed at the bottom of this post, as well as the transcription.

Samuel Adkisson's Grave Stone in Dog Creek Cemetery 

It reads "SW Adkisson, Born in Halifax Co. Va, April 8, 1803, Died July 23, 1873"

Adkisson's Letter to the Governor

In a letter dated January 16th, 1865, addressed to Andrew Johnson, Military Governor of Tennessee, Adkisson recounts, in great detail, his personal grievances against Union army soldiers during the previous 3 years, and the hardships he and his family had endured as a result of the soldiers' conduct.

The letter: (I have used the same spelling Adkisson used)

Cheatham, Co, Tenn. January, 16th, 1865,
20 miles west of Nashville
on the Charlotte Pike,

To Govr Johnson,
Dear Sir, I hate to aske favours or to intrude on the time or attention of others, & have not been to see you but once in 3 years & then to let you know about some bridge irons & timbers that was in Harpeth River near my place.

Thought as some of the U.S. Solgers have commenst taking my crop & stock again, I have concluded to let you know alittle as to how I have acted & been treated for the last 3 years, When Govr Harris left Nashville, I put my self to some trouble & expence in trying to get my ffriendes to submit to the laws of the U.S. or go South, & have continured so to do, & there was little or no damage don near me until last December.

I have taken 2 othes & given one bond for $5,000, with security, for good behaviour, for which they gave me an obligation for full protection or pay for the damage don me. signed by you & Genr Rosencrance I think, if you put your name to such apaper, I think you should know how some others have been acting, & will state some of the facts for you to think about, (I had heard that many others both black & white was intruding on you & I thought I would no.)

The U.S. solgers have taken or distroyed the most of 3 of my crops of corne, fodder, hay, oates, potatoes & turnipts, about 120 hogs, 4 mules & horses, some sheep & cattle, fowls, 3 bird guns, & other things. My fences have been burnt to the ground 5 times, parte of my slaves was made to leave me & to work for the government, of the 8 slaves that went to Nashville 7 is dead, & the other one wants to returne. 3 times my Self & familey was made to leave the house about mid night in december 1863, & to stand about 2 houres on the coal wet ground, & 2 of us sick with phisick in us, my house has been robed 5 times & I got back but little of what was taken, & I had to send my wife & children, mares & coalts over Cumberland River, & my wife health & mind has remaind in abad condition & she with doctors in & out of Nashville..."

The document above comes from the 1860 United States Census. It lists the names of the men living in the 10th civil district of Cheatham County who owned slaves.  The number of slaves, their age and sex are the only information given about them.  Adkisson is shown here to have had 21 slaves, ranging in age from 1 to 75.

 "...most of this time, at one time they put fire to my house, & swore they would burn us ro get $5,000, which put my wife & children of in the darke & shot at me, & treated me badley other ways, on the 30, of Novr/63 they bought 20 of my cattle, & fodder & left the cattle with me to Starve, last fall the drovers put the beef cattle in my farme 5 times

& distroyed part of my crops.

I have fed many of the U.S. solgers & there horses at diffrent times, at one time they remained 5 days (by high water). For all of which I have Rec but $125, & one little brokendown mule, though I am glad to say that the most of the U.S. solgers & officers that I have seen have treated me as kind & as well as I could expect & I hope you will do the same, for I suppose you have the power & my obligation & I think I have complyed with my parte of the contract, & I think you should in.part.

Though it is not my wish to produce any more ill will or contention, for I can work & live on but a little & will try awhile longer to comply with my oath & obligation & to get others to do so, & I think it would be well for maney others north & south to remember they are but vain men like my self, & subject to the power & will of God, from a Slip hear with you may learn alittle about me, & that I have been wanting to go to Virginia, pleas to forgive errours & what you may think is ammis,
yours very Respectfully, S.W. Adkisson.
A mechnic

The following information appears after Adkisson's letter to Johnson in the book -

"Samuel W. Adkisson (1803 - 1875), Virginia-born mechanic, farmer, stonecutter, and turnpike builder, at an early age helped build the tunnel through the Narrows of the Harpeth River.

Although Adkisson and his wife, Virginia-born Nancy Forian (1815 - 1866), had six children, probably only two, James (b. c1845) and Samuel (b. c1852) were at home in 1863. Thomas J. (1837 - 1886) was a Confederate soldier in Co. E., 11th Tenn. Inf. (1861 - 1865)

From the attached newspaper clipping of a somewhat incoherent letter dated October 17, 1861, and addressed to "the Friends of Wm. Warhoop and Thomas Torian [Forian?] of Halifax County, Va." it would appear that Adkisson had been embroiled with members of his wife's family in a dispute over the sale of property to pay debts. Protesting his honesty, he calls upon "Mr. Torian: - his father-in-law?-"to tell the whole truth about your money and property, or take back what you gave me and let us settle and part [in] peace," closing with "Yours with much regret, discontent and bad health."

The Adkisson Family plot at Dog Creek Cemetery

The newspaper op-ed in the photos below was written by Adkisson, and appeared in the September 19, 1861, edition of the Nashville Daily Patriot

Below is a copy of the original deed in which Ussery donated this tract of land in 1858.

In the diagram that has been drawn showing it's boundaries, the 

boundary line at the bottom would have been the Charlotte Pike.

In order to make it easier to read, I have provided a transcription of the deed below.

 

"Cheatham County Tennessee, 13th February 1858 For the purpose of educating the young promoting the peace and happiness... and putting away the dead, I Mastin Ussery, have this day given, granted and conveyed the title of the above plan and piece of ground containing 121 poles for the use and benefit of my family and neighbors (on condition) ...poles for a school house, preaching, and the like, free for different denominations so as not to conflict with each other, to be negotiated by a majority of the subscribers to build the house or their assigns, albeit in no event as is to be used for private use dissipation or vice if so as retains to me, my heir or assigns, and if any one big or little should damage the timber house or stones there on they forfeit their interest and leave the school or church subject to damage and punishment as the law of the state directs. B No2, 8 poles a grave yard for my family and relations. CNo3 70 poles a graveyard for the neighbors and no other use and it is to be kept open and free for them to make grave so as not to interfere with other graves on the timber. the boundary of the land is thus: Beginning on Adkisson line on the north side of the road and hence north with his line to his corner 8 poles then north 32 degrees west 2 1/3 poles to a beech then north 6 poles to a black locus, then east 4 poles to a branch then south 45 degrees east 13 poles to Dog Creek then down the creek and the road to the beginning, 14 poles containing 121 poles be the same more or less and I bind myself, heir or assigns to comply with the above agreement and condition as witness my hand and seal

Mastin Ussery"

Photo of Dog Creek Cemetery 

Samuel Adkisson's letter to Andrew Johnson comes from "The Papers of Andrew Johnson: 1864-1865", Leroy P. Graf, editor, The University of Tennessee Press, Knoxville, 1986, pages 412 & 413