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Murdered by the Rebels!


439th Signal Battalion
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439th Signal Battalion

Friends,

 

A couple of weeks ago, I traveled to the wonderful town of Jellico, Tennessee to speak at and attend a memorial dedication/ceremony for a soldier from B/5-12 of the 199th Infantry Brigade who was killed in action during the Cambodian Incursion on 15 May 1970.

 

http://signal439.tri...te-spencer.html

 

I had the opportunity to walk through the Jellico Church of Christ cemetery before the dedication and I noticed these two headstones which were located towards the back of the grounds.

 

If only the story could be told about these two men!

 

Jellico, which is located along I-75 in northern Tennessee not too far from the Kentucky border was the scene of Kirby Smith's raid early in the war and was also astride the main route for Union and Confederate forces moving into and out of the infamous Cumberland Gap region.

 

Although thousands of Confederate soldiers passed near the town, Jellico, like most places in eastern Tennessee and western North Carolina was filled with predominately Union sentiment.

 

Who knows how these two men met their tragic fate? One can only wonder...

 

DSC00394_zpsa03c7744.jpgDSC00393_zps1d268e8a.jpg

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gooseandspoons

what an interesting story. I'm also working on some research of some unionist groups in my hometown in NC. They were called the redstrings and were like a covert group of men hiding in dugouts deep in the wooded areas of forsyth county keeping away from the confederates. there are so many tragic stories coming from both sides.

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439th Signal Battalion

Funny you should mention that. I did indeed speak with the librarian in Jellico (he was also at the dedication ceremony), along with a couple of other area historians about this and they don't have any idea as to what may have happened.

 

From the way it was written on the stone, there is evidentaly quite a bit of emotion and anguish that went into it...

 

In my thinking, it may have had little to do with the war itself and more to do with a personal vendetta of some sort and wearing a uniform (for either side) may have given some justification to settling an old score. After all, the war in the mountains of east Tennessee and western North Carolina was truly a "Civil War" with neighbors fighting neighbors and families fighting families.

 

On another note, a horrendous train wreck occurred just outside of Jellico on July 6, 1944 (killing, I believe over 40 and injuring may more) which is supposed to be the worst stateside military incident during World War II. The site is accessible along side the road outside of town.

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gooseandspoons

i'm part of the historical society in my town and the "friends of the library". I am currently researching the redstrings in my area. I attended a civil war confernce a couple of months ago and that is where i heard the story of the redstrings. it was presented at the conference by the great grand daughter of a unionist. I had a chance to talk to the lady after the show and she told me about a "cave" near my house that they used to stow away unionist opposed to the confederacy that were in fear of the draft. after that i got the bug and started researching more into this. there are two methodist churches in my town. one was built in 1862 because the congregation at the other refused to open the doors for the new pastor that happened to be a unionist, so they went down the road and built a lean-to and started to hold service there.

maybe there could be a link to the unionist "redstrings" here in NC and the unionist in Jellico.

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