We often talk about
the Civil War being a conflict of brother versus brother or family versus
family. Some stories are more famous, like that of the Gibbon brothers (read
here) or the Flusser family (here). But how about the conflict being symbolized
by a house versus a house?
Many areas during
the war were split, and Tennessee was no different. Historians estimate that 25,000
men from east Tennessee served in the Confederate army, while 30,000 joined the
Union army. However, no one has really done the deep-dive to prove or disprove
these numbers.
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| The Carter home on the left and the Folsom home on the right. |
Elizabethton, in
Carter County, was just as divided as any other place in East Tennessee. The Asheville
News reported in early January 1862 one story of a divided population.
According to the correspondent, a “unionist said that no Southern flag should
be raised in town, or taken through it. Not long afterwards, however, Mrs. Mary
C. Carpenter procured a flag bearing the emblems of our native South-got into
her buggy and drove through town, and I have been told that she drove all round
town, with the Southern flag ‘waving gloriously.’ The unionists failed to
execute their threats in regard to shooting the flag to pieces.”
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| Brig. Gen. Samuiel P. Carter (wiki) |
Samuel P. Carter
was born in Elizabethton in 1819, the eldest son of Alfred M. Carter. Samuel
attended Duffield Academy in Elizabethton, Washington College in Limestone, and
Princeton University before enlisting in the United States Navy in 1840. He transferred
to the United States Naval Academy, graduating in 1846, then saw service on
board the USS
Ohio at the battle of Veracruz during the Mexican-American
War.
Various assignments follow, including stints at the United States
Naval Observatory; assistant professor of mathematics at the Naval Academy;
tours in the Pacific and along the coast of Brazil; and in China. At the
request of Senator Andrew Johnson, Carter was detached from the Navy and worked
on recruiting East Tennessee Unionists. He was commissioned a brigadier general
at the request of Abraham Lincoln, becoming the only man to hold both naval and
army commissions. Carter went on to lead his brigade at the battle of Mill
Springs, Kentucky, helped capture Cumberland Gap in October 1862, led a raid
against the East Tennessee railroad in December 1862, fought at Blue Springs
while commanding cavalry, and fought at Wyse Fork in 1865. Carter ended the war
as a brevet major general of volunteers and as a commander in the United States
navy. After the war, Carter returned to the navy, finally retiring in August
1881. Rear Admiral Samuel P. Carter passed in 1891 and is buried Oak Hil
Cemetery, Washington, D.C. The home where he grew up still stands in
Elizabethton.
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| Maj. Henderson M. Folsom (ancestry) |
On October 4, 1831,
Henderson M. Folsom was born in Elizabethton, Tennessee. In the 1860 census,
Folsom is listed as a clerk. When the war came, Folsom joined the 2
nd
Tennessee Cavalry (Ashby’s) where he was mustered in as a private. In October
1862, he appears in the records as a clerk to Brig. Gen. Alfred E. Jackson. A
few months later, Folsom is reported as being appointed major and Assistant
Quartermaster in February 1863 for Jackson’s brigade and in December 1863, chief
quartermaster of Jackson’s brigade. During Early’s Valley Campaign, Folson is
listed serving on the staff of Maj. Gen. John B. Gordon’s division, and then as
Commissary of Subsistence in Brig. Gen. Gabriel S. Wharton’s brigade. On an
unknown date, but at least by January 1865, Major Folsom was appointed Commissary
of Subsistence to Thomas’s Legion.
In his application for presidential pardon, written on July 14, 1865, from
Elizabethton, Folsom informed the President that “he was an original Unionist
and as such, cast the whole weight of whatever influence he possessed, and [voted]
against every against every proposition, looking for a chance [to continue the]
relations which existed between Tennessee and the Federal government.” However,
when the vote was cast, Folsom believed it was his duty to side with the “overwhelming
voice of the people and thereby became identified with the Rebellion.” He
served three years as a quartermaster. Folsom had to apply directly to the
president due to the charge of treason against him in Federal court in
Knoxville. For character witnesses, Folsom recommended Colonel Thomas Miller,
13
th Tennessee Cavalry (US). Five officers, including Colonel
Miller, from the 13
th Tennessee Cavalry, signed a supporting letter,
along with seven citizens.
Folsom was pardoned
in November 1865 and commenced the study of law.
He was listed as being an attorney in Elizabethton as early as August 1868.
At the time of his death in 1908, Folsom was considered one of the leading
lawyers in the state.
He is buried in the Highland Cemetery, Carter County, Tennessee.
Folsom built his
home across the street from the house that Samuel P. Carter was born in. As of
2026, both houses survive. The Carter home has been used as a restaurant for a
number of years. The Folsom home was used as county offices but was damaged during
the hurricane in 2024. There are a few local government officials who want to demolish
the home. The Folsom house would make a great county museum and archives.
Hopefully, the Folsom house can be stabilized and restored before it is truly
too far gone. It is not in bad shape, even with storm damage. Hopefully, the
powers that be will not drag their feet in preservation, waiting until the
Folsom house is in a bad state of repair.
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