My great Grandfather John RP Gray was only a small boy of ten when the war broke out, so he could not fight in the Civil War.. His brother Enos was older and fought for the South. John J. Gray was a first cousin to Enos and John RP Gray and he also fought for the confederacy to protect his family and home from invasion.
My great, great uncles gave their lives to protect their homeland in hopes that freedom from oppression could be won for the South.
ENOS GRAY, JOHN J. GRAY
An Account Of Their Heroic Achievements During The Civil War.
Enos and John Gray experienced a traumatic end of their lives while prisoners during the Civil War. This essay is to record the events into our family history. First, let's establish the family relationships. Both Enos and John lived near Franklin, North Carolina in a part of Haywood County, which later became Macon County. At the time, most of the Gray's in that area lived in very close proximity of each other with land totaling hundreds of acres. Both Enos and John J. were grandsons of Stephen George Gray, which made them first cousins to each other, and John J. a cousin to John R. P. Gray. John J. was the son of James G. Gray, while Enos and John R. P. Gray were the sons of William C. Gray. This writer is a direct great grandson of John R. P. Gray, so Enos Gray is my great, great uncle and John J. Gray is my 1st cousin 3 times removed.
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In 1862, the CSA 62nd Regiment of the North Carolina Infantry was raised in Hayward (Macon) County, N.C. Colonel R. G. A. Love of Waynesville, N.C., Lt-Colonel G. W. Clayton (a West Point graduate) Of Asheville, N.C. and Major B. G. McDowell of Franklin, N.C. were the commanders. All three of these were descendents of revolutionary soldiers as were most of the rank and file. The history of this unit is shrouded in conflicting stories, and records with both valor and disgrace. I will attempt to briefly state each side of the issue and tell the fate of my ancestors.
Enos enrolled in the regiment in Franklin, N.C. on July 11, 1862 and was assigned to Company D as a private. Records show his enlistment became effective on August 31, 1862. There were a great many relatives to Major McDowell in Macon County and recruitment must have been strong as the regiment became 950 men. Enos' actions may have influenced his cousin John J. Gray, for John enlisted for 3 years in the same company D as a private on September 5, 1862.
The regiment was sent to train at Haynesville, later to become Johnson City, Tennessee. While this unit was still in "a state of instruction", portions were called out to suppress an uprising in Newport, Tennessee and to capture a large band of outlaws composed of conscripts and deserters who were attacking jails and freeing the inmates as well as conducting other crimes.
(An interesting account of these events are realated in the number one best seller, and soon to be movie, "Cold Mountain", by Charles Frazier.")
It is not known if the Grays were in the unit of soldiers pursuing the outlaws. The outlaws were caught at Pigeon River and nearly half of the outlaws were killed in the battle. Soon after this event, a Federal cavalry force of over 2,500 men, which was raiding east Tennessee, burning bridges and destroying railroads, captured the CSA unit. The captors almost immediately exchanged the CSA prisoners for Federal prisoners. (Cavalry units had to maintain their mobility, so such exchanges were common.)
The 62nd was then ordered to serve at Cumberland Gap, Kentucky under Brigadier General J. W. Frazer. Frazer commanded a force of 2,100 men. In September, 1863, a much larger and better-equipped Federal force under General Burnsides approached both sides of the Gap. U.S. General DeCourey was on the Kentucky side of the Gap and U.S. General Sackelford was on the Tennessee side, both near the southern opening of the Gap. At the time, the 62nd Commanders Colonel Love, and Lieutenant-Colonel Clayton, were sick and at distant hospitals. Command of the 62nd rested with Major McDowell, The regiment was holding Harland Road which overlooked the valley named Yellow Creek". Their attached artillery unit began firing on the Federals on the 8th of September. On the 9th of September, just when the real battle was expected to begin, General Frazer ordered a "Stack Arms" in what was to be called a "sell-out surrender". Brig. General Frazer blamed his troops saying his disaster "was forced, amongst other reasons, by the quality of troops (he) commanded." He singled out Major McDowell and said "The 62nd North Carolina was indifferent, being badly disciplined and badly drilled."
I prefer the more commonly accepted version put forth by Major McDowell who later became a Colonel and wrote of the events as follows. "The rank and file of this regiment were of the very best citizens of western North Carolina. A finer or braver set of men, taken all together, I have never seen." ... "The approaches to 'the Gap were of such character that it would have been impossible for any number of men to have captured the post by force. The opportunity of General Frazer to have evacuated the Gap and saved his command from a long imprisonment and death (as was the case with many of them) was open, and nothing but treachery, or cowardice, or it may be both, could have led to the unconditional surrender of this, the strongest natural position in the Confederate States, and with it, 2,026 prisoners, 12 pieces of artillery, and the stores of ammunition and provision .... It would, even at this late day, be exceedingly difficult for General Frazer to convince the survivors of the Cumberland Gap disaster, that he did not surrender for a money consideration. The soldiers all were confident and cool, for they knew if the up-coming battle did not go well, they could easily and safely withdraw out of the gap at any time, against any odds because of the protection afforded by the terrain."
The afternoon of September 9, Major McDowell was told to report to headquarters with his regiment. Then, Frazer told he and other commanders that they were surrendered. Every officer bitterly opposed it, some denouncing it in most vigorous terms as cowardly and un-warranted. Major McDowell's indignation knew no bounds. He informed General Frazer that he would not be made a prisoner of war; that it took two to make such a bargain as that under the circumstances; and that he would not be forced to do so. Sharp words were exchanged and McDowell called up all of the 62nd saying, "Those of you who are willing to take your life in your own hands, if you will go with me, we will go out from here, and let consequences take care of themselves." About 600 of them moved out through the north side where they encountered a pursuing force of Federal cavalry. They repulsed the Federals and made their way to Bristol, Tennessee where the found Confederate troops. General Frazer went to Boston, and I have not found where a researcher has written more about him.
Enos and John Gray were not in the group of escaped soldiers. The remainder of the 62nd, 443 of them, who did not escape with McDowell, were taken to prison at Camp Douglas, Illinois, and then to Fort Morton Prison near Indianapolis, Indiana. Some of these Haywood men, although surrendering, refused to stack arms, throwing their guns away. They spent twenty-one months in prison, a period of great suffering, humiliation, and amongst death, yet none of them would take the oath of allegiance to the North in order to get out. McDowell said "Many of them became sick, starved, or frozed to death. Some were shot down for any or no pretense." It was perhaps because these strong-willed men felt betrayed into surrender that they so stubbornly refused to accept it, and perhaps because of that strong resistance, they were so mistreated, even though both sides of the war often had shameful atrocities in their prisons. Fort Morton was reputed to have "Morton's Horse", or "Morton's Rail". It was a 2 x 10 inch wooden board turned up edge-wise and mounted high in the air. For discipline, prisoners would have to set straddle on the rail for hours to tens of hours.
Indignities were made to these men all along the way to prison. At Aurora, Indiana, they passed a large crowd belaboring them as "miserable cowardly rebels". An officer among the prisoners approached the guard command and said J "Stop these cowardly curs, or we will!" The fierceness and commitment in the voice, and the look on the faces of the near-by prisoners was such that in spite of the fact it was from prisoners, it was frightening. The jeering stopped!
John J. Gray is listed on military records as being in the hospital at Camp Douglas and dead of diarrhea on October 24, 1863. Enos was listed as in the hospital at Camp Douglas on September 11, 1863, but was delivered to Fort Morton on September 24, 1863. He died at Fort Morton "of wounds" on October 9, 1863. He is buried in Greenlawn Cemetery, Indianapolis, Indiana in the Confederate section. His name is on the first marker seen upon entering that section.
The men who escaped from Cumberland Gap reformed the 62nd as a small unit. They are recorded as the last men to surrender when the war closed in 1865. However, many never did take the required oath of allegiance and resisted a Federal force on the French Broad River near Asheville after the war. They held the Federals at bay for hours, but when it was clear that they would soon be Overwhelmed, they withdrew and went to their homes. After all, the war was over.
I wish to express my appreciation to my brother, Bob Gray, and his wife Norma, who conducted an extensive amount of research of our family history to document these Civil War accounts of our great, great uncles and our great, great grandfather.
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