Article of the Month
John Forkner of Sweetwater, Tennessee has spent MANY hours and resources abstracting the death notices and other historical and genealogical information from the early editions of The Athens Post newspapers. The ALHN for Monroe County, TN has so graciously compiled and posted an index of names contained in these articles on their website.
An example of what you will find in these abstracted newspapers is below:
June 21, 1861
EXPLOSION OF THE STEAM ENGINE SAM TATE
East Tennessee and Georgia Railroad, 9 miles south of Cleveland
June 13th, 1861
Mr. Editor: With a heart leaping with joy and a mind elated by the prospect of soon meeting, on my route through East Tennessee for the seat of war, many of my old friends and class mates of Hiwassee College, I was suddenly astonished by the thunder of the explosion of the boiler Sam Tate. The engine was drawing a train of twenty cars, containing five hundred and fifty men of Col. Featherston's (the 17th) Regiment of Mississippi Volunteers, under the command of Lieut. Col. John McGuisk and Maj. Lyle. All was surprise and confusion for a few seconds. Order was restored - the effects of the shock recovered from - when it was ascertained that the boiler and engine were blown literally into fragments, many heavy pieces being blown several hundred yards; instantly killing the Engineer, Alexander Moore, Fireman Cady, John W. Kendrick, Ensign, of the Buena Vista Rifles, from Chickasaw County, Miss., and badly scalding and maiming W. M. Pearson, of the same Company - all of whom were blown to a great distance. Several others were slightly injured. And while we deeply deplore the loss we have sustained, we are truly thankful that an All Wise Providence so directed the hundreds of flying missles that they did no more injury. The engineer's head and one leg was blown some distance from his body. The fireman's body was blown backward and fell in the rear of the train. The Ensign of Captain Tim Roger's Company was dreadfully maimed. He was on the engine at the time of the explosion. Our detachment is composed of the Confederate Guards, Buena Vista Rifles, Burnsville Blues, Magnolia Guards, Mississippi Rangers, Captain Sears, Captain Rogers, Captain Moreland, Captain Duff, Captain Scruggs. It is heartrending to see the gallant commanders and soldiers as they, with tearful eyes and sorrowful hearts, are bending over or ministering to those killed and wounded, not by an enemies shot or shell but by an explosion equally as disastrous. The road is so badly torn up that a new track is being constructed for our passage.
In haste, Respectfully, H. L. Duncan, 1st Lieut. M. Guards, Acting Quarter Master 17th Reg't Miss. Vols.
To see an index of the names listed in these Athens Post Newspaper abstracts, please follow the link below:
Athens Post Newspaper Index
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