 
|
|
|
Courtesy of the Kentucky Historical Society, Special Collections and Archives Written
at Williamsburg In
Scott County, Tennessee (Huntsville, the County Seat), I was
born in the year of 1844, the 7th day of November.
My father and mother, Hiram C. Marcum and Permelia Huff
Marcum, lived and owned a farm on the Waters Buffalo Creek four
miles east of Huntsville, the county seat of Scott County. Hiram
C. Marcum was a son of Arthur Marcum and Ann Marcum. She was Ann Bransgrove.
Father had four brothers: Joseph, John, William, and
George and three sisters: Polly, Tabitha, and Invina.
My mother (Permelia Huff Marcum) was a daughter of John
and Prudence Christian Huff.
The Huffs were descendents of England and Ireland, the
Marcums of England. Hiram
and Permelia Marcum had five children, one son Clayburn; four
daughters: Didama Minerva, Julia Ann, and Martha. He
was a farmer, lived on his farm made a living and was a happy,
law abiding Christian man and also his family.
He stood for the flag the freedom of America and its
perfect laws. In
the year 1861, the south seceded against the North for slaves
and bondage of slaves. Hiram
Marcum was for freedom of our nation and its liberties for the
people. In the year
of 1861, the secedents declared war against the North.
Father stood for the Union and its Principles.
Then, the President declared was on the Southern States.
The Confederates elected for themselves a president, then
divided the nation and called out their army to fight the
Northern people. Marcum
stood for the Union. When
they mustered their armies and their people became enraged
toward each other, tried to kill and destroy each other and the
Rebels invaded our County as there were but few Rebels in the
County. They sent
their armies there to kill and destroy our men, women and
property. The came
to our house and hunted for Marcum, watched night and day to
kill him because he was a union man for the Federal side and
threatened his family with death if we did not tell where he
was. Then, on the 7th night of September, at 2 o'clock
in the morning, 1861, the came to our house, broke the door open
with bayonets on their guns and said there was 36 men around who
had come to kill Marcum and would kill all the women and burn us
all in the house. We
began to holler and scream for help. Just
one soldier stayed in the house.
We burned tallow candles at that day and time.
There was but a small piece of candle and sister Didama
got hold of a match and lighted it.
He picked out at us with the bayonet on his gun and
choked Mother. Didama ran upstairs to get another candle, he ran upstairs,
grabbed hold of her and said he would cut her throat and burn us
all in the house. She
screamed for help. Father
was hid out on the farm. He
heard us calling for help.
All the weapons that we had in the house were two
chopping axes. Minerva
got one and I the other one.
Two men ran from the door just as I started upstairs.
Minerva threw her ax down.
I went on up. He
struck at me with the bayonet on his gun, I ran under the gun
and chopped him in the fact and breast with the ax, cut him to
the hollow and split his chin open with the ax, getting the best
of him. I knocked
his gun from his hands. He
staggered around the around and said, "don't chop me any
more." But I did not stop. He
got hold of the gun and struck the bayonet in my forehead, burst
my skull, knocked my brains out, put out my left eye and shot my
third finger off of my right hand.
Father came up the stairs just as the gun fell out of his
hands. Father shot
him in the shoulder, he fell dead. The
light was knocked out. All
was in darkness. I
was knocked unconscious and didn't come to for some time.
They got a light and brought me back to life.
Father brought me downstairs, laid me on the bed took his
gun and went out of the house, but all the rest of the Rebels
had run off. Then I
asked Father to leave for they would come back and kill him and
he went away from home. The, Brother Clayburn went out to get somebody to come to our
assistance. As he
went, he found the horse the Rebel had ridden there in the lane.
He got on it and rode to several houses and begged for
help. He got one
woman, Mrs. Taylor to come with him. He
turned the horse loose. It
went back to camp a mile and daylight came.
Mother sent Mrs. Taylor to tell the colonel of it and to
come and take the old dead Rebel away from her house.
Captain Gordon came with a company of soldiers, when he
saw me, he sent back to the regiment for their doctors.
They dressed my wounds and took the dead man away.
We were left in a terrible fix to the mercy of the Rebels
but they went away. Mother
sent and got Dr. Hart to care for me.
He came and doctored me with all human care that was in
him. It was three
months before I was to get out of the house, but the war still
continued. Brother
was not strong. He
could not take up arms. He
was just fourteen years old.
Then, Father came back home.
Thought he could stay with us, but the Rebels still cam
and camped there and destroyed all we had.
They came back and shot at me.
Came near killing me.
Then they shot and killed George Marcum, a cousin of
mine, right by me. He
was a Union soldier. The
drove us away from our house January 1862.
We traveled through the snow and mountains to Kentucky,
went to Green River in Casey County. Father
went and joined the Federal Army.
He was attached to the Thirteenth and East Tennessee
Cavalry under Colonel James Doughly and then he started on the
march to the sea. He got as far as Nashville, Tennessee, while there he took
the small pox and died. He
is buried in the National Cemetery.
His body lies with thousands of his comrades of the dead. We
stayed on Green River for some time and then we went to Flat
Lick in Pulaski County, Ky.
Mother died just at the close of the war.
She is buried at the Flat Lick Church. Then
Sister Didama married Dr. Lafayette Sproule, Minerva married
Albert Wolford; a brother of General Wolford; Brother Clayburn
H. Marcum married Emma Brown of Casey County, Ky.; Martha E.
Marcum married John Ford. All
my sisters, sister-in-law, brother and brother-in-law are all
dead. I am still
here yet to enjoy the great blessings of life and God's love. When
the war closed, I went back to Tennessee and stayed. Went to school and taught school for twelve years.
Then my health broke down from the wounds that I received
from the Rebel soldier so that I could not teach anymore and in
the year of "84 I sent my petition up to Congress and asked
Congress to grant me a pension for I could not work for a
living; so I put it before the house in October 15, 1885.
The passed a special act granting me a pension during my
life of $30.00 per month. In
September 1922, the increased it to $40.00, so I am the only
woman in the United States that draws a pension without the aid
of a soldier. No
other one like unto it. It
is glad tidings to me to be remembered. I
am the only woman that is a full member of the Grand Army of the
Republic of America. I
am a full member of the G.A.R. Thomas Buchanon, Post No. 123
Williamsburg, Ky. I
have met with G.A.R. for many years, but most all have passed
beyond the river of life. Have
been a member of the church seventy years.
Prepare every day. Nothing between me and God when night comes. A
true story of my war experiences, Miss
Julia A. Marcum Williamsburg,
KY.
|
