Jonas Denton Elliott was born on July 2, 1840 in Wayne County, Ohio. The 1860 U.S. Census shows Jonas living on a farm in Milton, OH in Wayne County with his mother and siblings. No father is shown on the census records. By July 23, 1862, he was already at the rank of Captain and placed in charge of the newly organized Company H of the 102nd Ohio Volunteer Infantry. On August 13, 1862, he married Emily Crane prior to leading his troops to the south. He was promoted to Major on March 6, 1863 and to Lt. Colonel on April 23, 1864. The unit mainly spent its time garrisoned behind the front lines protecting railroad lines and other assets. In September, 1864, the unit was positioned in Athens, AL.
On September 24, 1864, General Forrest led his forces against a fortification near the Tennessee River called Fort Henderson. Forrest under a flag of truce brought the commanding officer Colonel Wallace Campbell out of the fort and convinced Campbell that Forrest had between 8,000 to 10,000 troops and five cannons to lay siege on the fort. Forrest did have a history of pulling tricks on opposing commanders to make them think he had much larger forces than what he actually had. Colonel Wallace agreed to surrender his forces and the fort.
When word of Forrest’s attack reached Athens, Lt. Col. Elliott was sent on a train with 350 soldiers from the 18th Michigan and the 102nd Ohio Regiments. About thirty minutes after Campbell surrendered Fort Henderson, the reinforcements reached near Tanner, AL where they were met by General Forrest’s troops. The troops fought their way down the road to just north of Fort Henderson but became surrounded by the Confederates. Per all of the Union correspondence listed in the Official Records of the Civil War, Elliott was mortally wounded during the confrontation. After having lost about 100 casualties, the Union forces surrendered.
A post on findagrave.com (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/6777232/jonas-denton-elliott) provides a more elaborate description of the death of Lt. Col. Elliott. The anonymous memorial posting states:
"Elliott's force had maneuvered to within a quarter of a mile of it when its guns were turned upon them and he was met by a fresh brigade of rebels under General Warren. Soon his ammunition was gone and he was completely surrounded. At this juncture General Warren commanded his orderly to "shoot that officer" (pointing to LTC Elliott) and a moment later he fell mortally wounded in the head. He lingered for nineteen days under the care of a family in a nearby home, but the ball could not be extracted. Most of the time he was wildly delirious, talking almost constantly of wife and home, but during his lucid intervals he gave good evidence that he was conscious of his approaching death and that he was sustained and soothed by an unfaltering trust. He was a member of the Presbyterian Church, having made a profession of his faith in February 1862. He died of his wounds on October 13, 1864, and was buried near Athens."
The writer did not specify the source of the information but it could be from accounts written by fellow soldiers in the unit. No record could be found of a General Warren in the Confederate Army.
The headstone was created in Wooster, Wayne County, Ohio and sent to Athens, AL to place on his grave. The posting above stated that Elliott’s widow went to Athens after the war to personally thank those that took care of her husband.
When Rose Hill was designated as the site for the Union remains from the towns along the railroad in 1865, it is very likely that Elliott’s grave and headstone were moved from Athens to Columbia, TN. By 1867, Elliott’s body and headstone were once again disturbed as they were moved to the final resting space in Stones River National Cemetery. Scrapes on the back of the headstone may have occurred during the relocations.
Lt. Colonel Jonas Elliott’s journey from Ohio to Athens, AL to Columbia, TN to Murfreesboro, TN was long and tragic. At least he now rests “at this place.”
On September 24, 1864, General Forrest led his forces against a fortification near the Tennessee River called Fort Henderson. Forrest under a flag of truce brought the commanding officer Colonel Wallace Campbell out of the fort and convinced Campbell that Forrest had between 8,000 to 10,000 troops and five cannons to lay siege on the fort. Forrest did have a history of pulling tricks on opposing commanders to make them think he had much larger forces than what he actually had. Colonel Wallace agreed to surrender his forces and the fort.
When word of Forrest’s attack reached Athens, Lt. Col. Elliott was sent on a train with 350 soldiers from the 18th Michigan and the 102nd Ohio Regiments. About thirty minutes after Campbell surrendered Fort Henderson, the reinforcements reached near Tanner, AL where they were met by General Forrest’s troops. The troops fought their way down the road to just north of Fort Henderson but became surrounded by the Confederates. Per all of the Union correspondence listed in the Official Records of the Civil War, Elliott was mortally wounded during the confrontation. After having lost about 100 casualties, the Union forces surrendered.
A post on findagrave.com (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/6777232/jonas-denton-elliott) provides a more elaborate description of the death of Lt. Col. Elliott. The anonymous memorial posting states:
"Elliott's force had maneuvered to within a quarter of a mile of it when its guns were turned upon them and he was met by a fresh brigade of rebels under General Warren. Soon his ammunition was gone and he was completely surrounded. At this juncture General Warren commanded his orderly to "shoot that officer" (pointing to LTC Elliott) and a moment later he fell mortally wounded in the head. He lingered for nineteen days under the care of a family in a nearby home, but the ball could not be extracted. Most of the time he was wildly delirious, talking almost constantly of wife and home, but during his lucid intervals he gave good evidence that he was conscious of his approaching death and that he was sustained and soothed by an unfaltering trust. He was a member of the Presbyterian Church, having made a profession of his faith in February 1862. He died of his wounds on October 13, 1864, and was buried near Athens."
The writer did not specify the source of the information but it could be from accounts written by fellow soldiers in the unit. No record could be found of a General Warren in the Confederate Army.
The headstone was created in Wooster, Wayne County, Ohio and sent to Athens, AL to place on his grave. The posting above stated that Elliott’s widow went to Athens after the war to personally thank those that took care of her husband.
When Rose Hill was designated as the site for the Union remains from the towns along the railroad in 1865, it is very likely that Elliott’s grave and headstone were moved from Athens to Columbia, TN. By 1867, Elliott’s body and headstone were once again disturbed as they were moved to the final resting space in Stones River National Cemetery. Scrapes on the back of the headstone may have occurred during the relocations.
Lt. Colonel Jonas Elliott’s journey from Ohio to Athens, AL to Columbia, TN to Murfreesboro, TN was long and tragic. At least he now rests “at this place.”
