Who Were the Victims and Where are They Buried?
The Soldiers’ Unit(s)
Each of the five graves in the Stones River National Cemetery which had a notation that the soldiers were killed or murdered by Lt. Blackwell were identified as assigned to the Tennessee 5th Cavalry. Per official records, the 5th Cavalry was assigned from April to November 1864 to protect the Nashville to Chattanooga railroad so it is possible that the unit had soldiers protecting the depot in Shelbyville.
In the official reports and correspondence, the Tennessee 5th Cavalry was not well respected. They were considered undisciplined and disorganized. Many times, the cavalry unit was asking for additional horses. Such requests were constantly declined by headquarters with the commanders telling the unit that they had to secure any needed horses from the local countryside. Headquarters was frequently frustrated by the lack of production for this unit.[1] On September 30, 1864, the 5th Tennessee Cavalry was reported to be in Pulaski, TN assigned to General Starkweather.[2] If the 5th Calvary was in Pulaski at this time, why were there five soldiers at a depot in Shelbyville on the evening of September 28th?
James Henshaw was the only identified victim of Blackwell with four unknowns. However, a search of unit records and the National Park Service Soldiers and Sailors Database did not find a James Henshaw, especially in the Tennessee 5th Cavalry.
But we know from accounts of the incidents there should be ten victims of Blackwell. Who were the other five? A search of cemetery records identified three other graves of soldiers originally buried in Fayetteville that had a date of death of September 28, 1864. Each of these three soldiers were members of the Tennessee 4th Mounted Infantry. In addition, records show another soldier from the 4th Mounted Infantry died in Fayetteville but this soldier’s date of death was not shown. Is it possible that these four soldiers were also killed by Blackwell up on Wells’ Hill on that fateful night? The facts seem to provide heavy support to this assumption.
The Tennessee 4th Mounted Infantry was officially organized on September 29, 1864 under the command of Lt. Col. Joseph H. Blackburn. The first unit, Company A, though, was actually mustered in the beginning of August, 1864, mostly from residents in Bedford County (Shelbyville), TN. Company A enlisted about 80 soldiers under the command of Captain James Wortham (Note that the previous correspondence on September 25th was sent to Major James Wortham.) Company B was also created in August with soldiers from counties near Memphis. All other companies were mustered in after September, 1864. The first official record for the Tennessee 4th Mounted Infantry shows deployment to the town of Alexandria, TN against guerrillas on March 11, 1865. [3] There are no official reports or correspondence prior to that date. Information shows that since the 4th Mounted Infantry only contained two companies in September 1864, they were assigned to the Tennessee 5th Cavalry. This would explain why the five soldiers were shown in the official burial record as members of the 5th Cavalry.
On the website TNGenWeb.org[4], information was given on the Tennessee 4th Mounted Infantry Regiment. The discussion included the following statement:
Nine soldiers from Company A were all killed on September 28, 1864 from a Company that was mustered in from the same county as the Shelbyville train depot. The national cemetery contains graves for Pleasant Melton and John Hyde that died in Fayetteville on that fateful day. There is also a SyIvanus Cleek buried in the cemetery from the 4th Mounted Infantry who died in Fayetteville but with an unknown date of death. Is this the S.J. Cheek shown in the name list? Is the James Henshaw that is missing from the 5th Cavalry roster actually James Hashaw of the 4th Mounted Infantry? Also buried at Stones River is Henry Sutton of the 4th Mounted Infantry who died in Fayetteville on September 28, 1864.
With the nine names reported on the TNGenWeb.org site and Henry Sutton, there are now ten names known to be killed in Fayetteville on September 28, 1864. This correlates with the ten victims at Well’s Hill. This provides ample support that all of the victims were members of the Tennessee 4th Mounted Infantry.
Who were the Victims?
A review of the roster of the 4th Tennessee Mounted Regiment (USA)[5] shows the following ten names associated with Company A[6]:
Who is Buried at Stones River National Cemetery?
Who and where are the Blackwell victims in the Stones River National Cemetery? Here are the known graves of victims that were originally buried in Fayetteville and moved to the new cemetery in 1865:
A search of cemetery records finds that Grave Number 2963 belongs to B Burton of the 4th Tennessee Mounted Infantry. His place of original burial is shown as Murfreesboro and no date of death is shown. Could B Burton be the same as Berry Brutin in Company A’s roster or Berry Bruton as shown in the TN GenWeb site? The unit roster for the 4th Mounted Infantry does not show a B Burton. Based on all of the available facts, B Burton should be the tenth Blackwell victim. It is uncertain the correct spelling of his name as there is no record of a Berry (or Barry) Brutin, Burton or Burtin in Tennessee census records. The closest possibility is a Milton B Burton. Per the 1850 census record for Smith County (Carthage), Milton was eight years old living on a farm with his widowed mother. This would make him 22 years old in 1864 at the time of his enlistment which coincides with the unit records for Company A.
With this addition, all ten victims are buried in Section H.
This leaves us with four unknown graves in the list of graves. Each are shown as being members of the Tennessee 5th Calvary and all killed by Lt. Blackwell, guerrilla. Using the roster of the 4th Tennessee Mounted Infantry and the list of victims from TN GenWeb, it would mean the unknown graves belong to Moses C. Davis, Hilliard J. Johnson, George Ross and William J. Shaw. Although we now know their names, there is no evidence to associate a specific name with a specific grave.
The Mystery is Solved
Robert B. Blackwell’s true identity is far from an army officer. He was a young farm laborer who worked his way through various ranks in the military, a home guard militia and mostly in his own ruthless gang of marauders. He was already recognized by the Union army in May, 1864 as one of the leaders of guerrillas causing havoc in the area around his home county. He was only interested in causing mayhem and stealing, whether it was against the Union army, his own Confederate forces or the locals providing him a safe harbor in the swamps of northern Alabama.
His major crime against the soldiers stationed at the Shelbyville railroad depot certainly shows his abusiveness and bravado. The use of General Forrest’s deception tactics was brilliant but what happened subsequent to that just shows his despicable behavior and ruthlessness. He wanted to kill all of his prisoners but “settled” on murdering eleven of them. They were tied up and executed on a tall hill outside of Fayetteville, TN. By a miracle, one of the victims survived and was nursed back to health. The survivors lived to tell his frightful exploits and his legend as Robert Blackwell, guerrilla fighter.
Through the investigation, the names of each of his Wells’ Hill victims are documented and their final resting place in Section H of the Stones River National Cemetery is determined. These members of the newly formed Tennessee 4th Mounted Infantry, Company A are forever a part of the history of the national cemetery. Not just one soldier “murdered” or four additional unknown soldiers “killed”. All ten soldiers are now documented as “Murdered by Lt. Blackwell, Guerrilla.”
[1] Tennesseans in the Civil War, Part 1, page 331, Published by the Civil War Centennial Commission, 1964
[2] Tennesseans in the Civil War, Part 1, page 332, Published by the Civil War Centennial Commission, 1964
[3] Tennesseans in the Civil War, Part 1, page 357, Published by the Civil War Centennial Commission, 1964
[4] https://www.tngenweb.org/dekalbtn/cw/blackburn.htm
[5] https://www.tngenes.net/index.php/military/rosters/233-4th-tennessee-mounted-infantry-regiment-usa
[6] Transcribed from Report of the Adjutant General of the State of Tennessee, of the military forces of the state, from 1861 to 1866 (Published 1866)
Each of the five graves in the Stones River National Cemetery which had a notation that the soldiers were killed or murdered by Lt. Blackwell were identified as assigned to the Tennessee 5th Cavalry. Per official records, the 5th Cavalry was assigned from April to November 1864 to protect the Nashville to Chattanooga railroad so it is possible that the unit had soldiers protecting the depot in Shelbyville.
In the official reports and correspondence, the Tennessee 5th Cavalry was not well respected. They were considered undisciplined and disorganized. Many times, the cavalry unit was asking for additional horses. Such requests were constantly declined by headquarters with the commanders telling the unit that they had to secure any needed horses from the local countryside. Headquarters was frequently frustrated by the lack of production for this unit.[1] On September 30, 1864, the 5th Tennessee Cavalry was reported to be in Pulaski, TN assigned to General Starkweather.[2] If the 5th Calvary was in Pulaski at this time, why were there five soldiers at a depot in Shelbyville on the evening of September 28th?
James Henshaw was the only identified victim of Blackwell with four unknowns. However, a search of unit records and the National Park Service Soldiers and Sailors Database did not find a James Henshaw, especially in the Tennessee 5th Cavalry.
But we know from accounts of the incidents there should be ten victims of Blackwell. Who were the other five? A search of cemetery records identified three other graves of soldiers originally buried in Fayetteville that had a date of death of September 28, 1864. Each of these three soldiers were members of the Tennessee 4th Mounted Infantry. In addition, records show another soldier from the 4th Mounted Infantry died in Fayetteville but this soldier’s date of death was not shown. Is it possible that these four soldiers were also killed by Blackwell up on Wells’ Hill on that fateful night? The facts seem to provide heavy support to this assumption.
The Tennessee 4th Mounted Infantry was officially organized on September 29, 1864 under the command of Lt. Col. Joseph H. Blackburn. The first unit, Company A, though, was actually mustered in the beginning of August, 1864, mostly from residents in Bedford County (Shelbyville), TN. Company A enlisted about 80 soldiers under the command of Captain James Wortham (Note that the previous correspondence on September 25th was sent to Major James Wortham.) Company B was also created in August with soldiers from counties near Memphis. All other companies were mustered in after September, 1864. The first official record for the Tennessee 4th Mounted Infantry shows deployment to the town of Alexandria, TN against guerrillas on March 11, 1865. [3] There are no official reports or correspondence prior to that date. Information shows that since the 4th Mounted Infantry only contained two companies in September 1864, they were assigned to the Tennessee 5th Cavalry. This would explain why the five soldiers were shown in the official burial record as members of the 5th Cavalry.
On the website TNGenWeb.org[4], information was given on the Tennessee 4th Mounted Infantry Regiment. The discussion included the following statement:
- Company “A”
- Killed
- P. M. Melton, Berry Bruton, S. J. Cheek, M. C. Davis, James Hashaw, John Hyde, H. J. Johnson, George Ross, W. J. Shaw, All at Wells Hill September 28, 1864.
Nine soldiers from Company A were all killed on September 28, 1864 from a Company that was mustered in from the same county as the Shelbyville train depot. The national cemetery contains graves for Pleasant Melton and John Hyde that died in Fayetteville on that fateful day. There is also a SyIvanus Cleek buried in the cemetery from the 4th Mounted Infantry who died in Fayetteville but with an unknown date of death. Is this the S.J. Cheek shown in the name list? Is the James Henshaw that is missing from the 5th Cavalry roster actually James Hashaw of the 4th Mounted Infantry? Also buried at Stones River is Henry Sutton of the 4th Mounted Infantry who died in Fayetteville on September 28, 1864.
With the nine names reported on the TNGenWeb.org site and Henry Sutton, there are now ten names known to be killed in Fayetteville on September 28, 1864. This correlates with the ten victims at Well’s Hill. This provides ample support that all of the victims were members of the Tennessee 4th Mounted Infantry.
Who were the Victims?
A review of the roster of the 4th Tennessee Mounted Regiment (USA)[5] shows the following ten names associated with Company A[6]:
- Berry Brutin enlisted on Aug 6 64 and mustered on Aug 19 64 in Company A as a Privt. Age 22
- Sylvanus J. Cleek enlisted on Aug 8 64 and mustered on Aug 19 64 in Company A as a Privt. Age 20
- Moses C Davis enlisted on Aug 13 64 and mustered on Aug 19 64 in Company A as a Privt. Age 24
- James Hashaw enlisted on Aug 11 64 and mustered on Aug 19 64 in Company A as a Privt. Age 19
- John Hyde enlisted on Aug 16 64 and mustered on Aug 19 64 in Company A as a Privt. Age 26
- Hilliard J Johnson enlisted on July 25 64 and mustered on Aug 19 64 in Company A as a Privt. Age 17
- Pleasant M Melton enlisted on July 28 64 and mustered on Aug 19 64 in Company A as a Privt. Age 27
- Remarks: Kd at Wells Hill Sep 28 64
- George Ross enlisted on Aug 18 64 and mustered on Aug 19 64 in Company A as a Privt. Age 25
- William J Shaw enlisted on Aug 2 64 and mustered on Aug 19 64 in Company A as a Privt. Age 23
- Henry F Sutton enlisted on Aug 13 64 and mustered on Aug 19 64 in Company A as a Privt. Age 22
Who is Buried at Stones River National Cemetery?
Who and where are the Blackwell victims in the Stones River National Cemetery? Here are the known graves of victims that were originally buried in Fayetteville and moved to the new cemetery in 1865:
- Pleasant Melton – Section H, Grave 2907
- Henry Sutton – Section H, Grave 2921
- John Hyde – Section H, Grave 2935
- James Hashaw (Henshaw) – Section H, Grave 2949
- Unknown – Section H, Grave 2977
- Unknown – Section H, Grave 2991
- Unknown – Section H, Grave 3006
- Sylvanus Cleek (Cheek) – Section H, Grave 3020
- Unknown – Section H. Grave 3034
A search of cemetery records finds that Grave Number 2963 belongs to B Burton of the 4th Tennessee Mounted Infantry. His place of original burial is shown as Murfreesboro and no date of death is shown. Could B Burton be the same as Berry Brutin in Company A’s roster or Berry Bruton as shown in the TN GenWeb site? The unit roster for the 4th Mounted Infantry does not show a B Burton. Based on all of the available facts, B Burton should be the tenth Blackwell victim. It is uncertain the correct spelling of his name as there is no record of a Berry (or Barry) Brutin, Burton or Burtin in Tennessee census records. The closest possibility is a Milton B Burton. Per the 1850 census record for Smith County (Carthage), Milton was eight years old living on a farm with his widowed mother. This would make him 22 years old in 1864 at the time of his enlistment which coincides with the unit records for Company A.
With this addition, all ten victims are buried in Section H.
This leaves us with four unknown graves in the list of graves. Each are shown as being members of the Tennessee 5th Calvary and all killed by Lt. Blackwell, guerrilla. Using the roster of the 4th Tennessee Mounted Infantry and the list of victims from TN GenWeb, it would mean the unknown graves belong to Moses C. Davis, Hilliard J. Johnson, George Ross and William J. Shaw. Although we now know their names, there is no evidence to associate a specific name with a specific grave.
The Mystery is Solved
Robert B. Blackwell’s true identity is far from an army officer. He was a young farm laborer who worked his way through various ranks in the military, a home guard militia and mostly in his own ruthless gang of marauders. He was already recognized by the Union army in May, 1864 as one of the leaders of guerrillas causing havoc in the area around his home county. He was only interested in causing mayhem and stealing, whether it was against the Union army, his own Confederate forces or the locals providing him a safe harbor in the swamps of northern Alabama.
His major crime against the soldiers stationed at the Shelbyville railroad depot certainly shows his abusiveness and bravado. The use of General Forrest’s deception tactics was brilliant but what happened subsequent to that just shows his despicable behavior and ruthlessness. He wanted to kill all of his prisoners but “settled” on murdering eleven of them. They were tied up and executed on a tall hill outside of Fayetteville, TN. By a miracle, one of the victims survived and was nursed back to health. The survivors lived to tell his frightful exploits and his legend as Robert Blackwell, guerrilla fighter.
Through the investigation, the names of each of his Wells’ Hill victims are documented and their final resting place in Section H of the Stones River National Cemetery is determined. These members of the newly formed Tennessee 4th Mounted Infantry, Company A are forever a part of the history of the national cemetery. Not just one soldier “murdered” or four additional unknown soldiers “killed”. All ten soldiers are now documented as “Murdered by Lt. Blackwell, Guerrilla.”
[1] Tennesseans in the Civil War, Part 1, page 331, Published by the Civil War Centennial Commission, 1964
[2] Tennesseans in the Civil War, Part 1, page 332, Published by the Civil War Centennial Commission, 1964
[3] Tennesseans in the Civil War, Part 1, page 357, Published by the Civil War Centennial Commission, 1964
[4] https://www.tngenweb.org/dekalbtn/cw/blackburn.htm
[5] https://www.tngenes.net/index.php/military/rosters/233-4th-tennessee-mounted-infantry-regiment-usa
[6] Transcribed from Report of the Adjutant General of the State of Tennessee, of the military forces of the state, from 1861 to 1866 (Published 1866)