Johnson Co., Tennessee in the Civil War

Johnson County in the Civil War

"After Lincoln's inauguration, and the fall of Ft. Sumter, Governor Isham Harris called for a general referendum to decide if Tennessee would secede from the Union. The vote was 104,913 for secession to 47, 238 against secession -- with most of the votes against separation coming from East Tennessee counties. Johnson County voted 787 to 111 against secession as did most East Tennessee counties. After the referendum, delegates from upper East Tennessee met to try to form a new state, loyal to the Union, as West Virginia had done. However, because of the iron industry and railroads crossing through eastern Tennessee into Virginia, the state legislature would not give heed to the delegates, but instead sent troops to Knoxville to hold the Unionists in line.

"Through four years of conflict, Johnson County became an area of true civil war. Unionist sentiment ran high, especially in the settlements near Butler. Though Johnson County had some wealthy planters and slaves, the rugged mountains of the area made the "plantation atmosphere" almost nonexistent. Instead, Johnson County became a center for skirmishes, guerilla warfare, families fighting one another, bridge burning and the like.

"Many Johnson Countians remained Unionist and supported Lincoln's Republican Party, which probably explains why, even today, Johnson County is one of the most Republican Counties in the United States. Some Southern sentiment was also strong, however, and many men left to enlist in the Confederate armies in Virginia or Middle Tennessee.&

-- source:History of Johnson County (1986)

Many Union Men joined:

13th Regiment of the Tennessee Volunteer Cavalry, USA

4th Tennessee Volunteer Infantry, USA

Johnson County 1890 Civil War Veterans

Jeffrey C. Weaver's Civil War Pages

The Tennessee Civil War Home Page

Civil War Soldiers from Alleghany and Ashe County, North Carolina

The Virginia Civil War Home Page

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