Since I am leading a discussion about the War and Macon
County this afternoon (at the Hudson Library in Highlands), I thought maybe we
would turn our attention to a survey about Macon County and the War.
Macon County was created in 1828, taken from Haywood County.
It was named for Nathaniel Macon, a early North Carolina political leader in
Washington. Franklin is the county seat.
In 1860, the population of Macon County was 6,004, including
519 slaves and 115 free persons of color. In the 1860 presidential election,
local white men cast 221 votes for Breckinridge, 469 for Bell, and 13 for
Douglas.
When the secession crisis came in February 1861, locals were
divided. Local men cast 250 votes for the convention, and 259 votes against
calling the convention. Their one delegate was Conaro D.
Smith. Born in 1813 in North Carolina, Smith grew up in Tennessee, and then
returned to North Carolina, clerking for the firm of Smith and McElroy in
Yancey County. Soon thereafter, Smith was licensed to preach, traveling the
circuit in Georgia and Tennessee, before retiring to Macon County. He would go
on to serve in the General Assembly in 1862. He died in January 1894.
When the war came, Macon County sent 1,267 men to Confederate
service. They served in Company K, 1st North Carolina Cavalry; Companies E and
G, 6th North Carolina Cavalry; Company A, 7th North Carolina Cavalry; Company
H, 16th North Carolina State Troops; Company G, 25th North Carolina Troops;
Companies B and I, 39th North Carolina Troops; Company D, 62nd North Carolina
Troops; and Company K, 69th North Carolina Troops. Macon County also had 22 men
who served in the Union army, mostly in one of the United States Volunteer
regiments. By the end of the War, 201 men had died in Confederate service.
Like many other mountain counties, Macon County's war was
very personal. There were a couple of key events that did take place within the
county. Thomas's Legion of Cherokee and white soldiers was created in Franklin in
September 1862, and one of the last surrenders of Confederate forces in the
east also took place in the town at Dixie Hall on May 12, 1865.
After the war, there was a United Confederate Veterans camp
in Franklin (camp 955) and in 1909, a Confederate Monument was dedicated in the
town of Franklin.
2 comments:
Thanks for this great information. My great grandfather, Emerson G. Crawford, was from Macon County. He served in the "Fighting 18th," the regiment that wounded (and ultimately killed) their own General, Thomas Jackson. My great grandfather was wounded in the Battle of Chancellorsville. Upon his recovery, he went AWOL, returned to his home in Franklin, and registered Republican.
It would be nice to have a memorial in town for the people that served in the union army.
Post a Comment