The people in East Tennessee (where my dad and his family were from) were firmly against Tennessee's move to leave the Union; as were many in other parts of the Union. This was primarily due to the distribution of slavery throughout the state; Of the state's entire slave population, nearly 40% of West Tennessee and about 20% of Middle Tennessee were slaves, but in East Tennessee, slaves made up only 8% of the population.
It was here, at Scott County’s first courthouse, built in 1851, that future U.S. President Andrew Johnson delivered a speech against secession on June 4, 1861. It was also here that Scott County Court voted later that summer to secede from Tennessee and form the Free & Independent State of Scott.
During the Civil War, Scott County was a Southern Unionist bastion, voting against secession from the Union. In 1861, the county assembly officially enacted a resolution seceding from the state of Tennessee, and thus the Confederacy - forming the "Free and Independent State of Scott," also known simply as the "State of Scott."
Nashville never formally recognized Scott County’s decision to remove itself from Tennessee, but the act of defiance certainly got the attention of the governor. In response to the county court’s vote, Gov. Harris sent a contingent of 1,700 soldiers to Scott County to arrest and hang all members of the county court. They retreated, however, after meeting resistance in the Brimstone area, and none of the members of the court were ever captured.
NOTE: My dad grew up in this area called Brimstone
Scott County paid a price for its independence. It remained a sort of “no man’s land” throughout the war, subject to guerrilla warfare and lawlessness. Farms were raided by Confederate forces and Union forces alike. There were no major battles fought here, but there were several minor skirmishes. One of them was the Battle of Huntsville, on Aug. 13, 1862. Confederate soldiers seized control of the county seat, forcing Union forces to retreat, and spent two hours looting the town and searching for the members of the county court who had led the efforts to secede.
The county remained a pro-Union enclave throughout the war. Many East Tennesseans engaged in guerrilla warfare against state authorities by burning bridges, cutting telegraph wires, and spying.
Tennessee provided more Union troops than any other Confederate state; with more than 51,000 soldiers in total, more than 20,000 of whom were Black. Tennessee also provided 135,000 Confederate troops, the second-highest number after Virginia.
“After 125 years of independence, in this, the year of Tennessee homecoming, the Scott Commissioners and people of Scott County have declared the Free and Independent State of Scott to be dissolved.”
Gov. Lamar Alexander signed the resolution, officially readmitting Scott County to Tennessee. The happening caught the attention of the New York Times.
Today, a plaque near the entrance to the Huntsville Mall reads,
“United States Senator Andrew Johnson delivered a speech at the Courthouse at Huntsville on June 4, 1861, against separation. At the election four days later Scott County voted against separation by the largest percentage margin of any county in Tennessee. Later that year in defiance of the state’s act of secession, the county court by resolution seceded from the state and formed the Free and Independent State of Scott.”
My 2nd Great Grandfather Mathew - Served in the Civil War as a Private in Company H, 7th Tennessee Infantry Regiment, Under Captain William Robbins. He served with his brothers, Soloman and William.
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William Young served in the Civil War and was the brother of my second great-grandfather. Unfortunately, his military records were destroyed in a fire in St. Louis in 1973, where 80% of all records were lost. As a result, he is unable to receive a veteran headstone. I attempted to address this issue last year, and the Oregon Pioneer Cemetery reached out to me as I am the only living family member who cares. Currently, we are still working to resolve this issue. If we are unable to obtain a Veteran's headstone, we are considering having a headstone created that acknowledges his service.
So far I have not found one Confederate. We were Union Proud through and through. I have always been proud of my ancestors who fought on the Union side, especially in Tennessee. To me, being from California does not diminish my pride in my family's history and that Free and Independent State of Scott that is within me.
It’s in my roots!
I was writing a reply andl realized I had a blog post. I have ancestors on both sides of the civil war. My grandfather is a Spanish American War and a World War I veteran and is buried in the original Marrieta GA Veteran Cemetery. The land was donated by a Henry Cole in 1866 to bury the 10,000 Union Soldiers who died during Sherman's march to the sea. There are 17,000 people buried there today. Henry Cole was an Atlanta merchant who remained loyal to the Union during the Civil War.
ReplyDeleteI had several ancestors that were compensated by the Union after the civil war because they had been loyal to the union. They were mostly from Tennessee. I have a great grandfather from Pennsylvania so you can easily guess which side his family was on.
Interesting. All my mom's family were from up north, so they, too, were union.
DeleteMississippi had a free state, too, called The Free State of Jones. There actually was a movie made about it. Parts of it were filmed near where we used to live.
ReplyDeleteI never seen the movie. I will have to look it up.
DeleteI found it funny that Scott County didn't return to Tennessee until 1986. Someone definitely dropped the ball!
Fascinating history. I love learning about our "beginnings" and those who were instrumental in creating our country.
ReplyDeleteGood for you on getting the bridge repaired and I guess "progress" is going to come whether we are ready or not!
Sue
Oh, I do too, Sue. It's a passion of mine.
DeleteFascinating history.
ReplyDeleteVery interesting. I have a good friend who is a certified descendant of the State of Franklin, but I had not before this heard of the State of Scott. I also have East Tennessee roots, and am researching my Tennessee ancestors to see if I also qualify as a descendant of the State of Franklin. My ancestors (surname Nave) lived in the right place, but it is the time that I have to verify. So interesting that the State of Scott wasn't readmitted until so recently! I'm also from California, but my mother transplanted us to Florida after my father died, so I tell people I've been "Floridated."
ReplyDeleteWow, good for them! I was unaware of the State of Scott — or that it existed for so long. You are right to be proud of valiant ancestors who took so strong a stand. I hope you are able to get a military stone for William Young. Good luck with those efforts.
ReplyDeleteI've been working with people in California to get a military stone for a veteran of the USCT who was from the same plantation as my Cleage ancestors but not a relative. We've been working on it for so long, years and years and finally got approved, but the stone still hasn't arrived. I hope you get your grave marker.
ReplyDeleteI had no idea about this history and they only re-entered in 1986. I would be proud, as well, to be part of the union.
ReplyDelete