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H. S. Burem

Sweetwater College Tenn

Feb 19,1896

(Information taken from the obituary of Henry Simon Burem published in the ROGERSVILLE REVIEW, October 1903)

Henry Simon Burem was from Rogersville, Tennessee. He was a member of the 19th Tennessee Infantry, K Company, CSA.The 19th Infantry being the first company organized in this county for the Confederate services. He served as Quartermaster from April 1861 - Aug 1861. He was captured at Franklin, TN, December 24, 1864, released, discharged July 29, 1865 with fracture of the right thigh. He died at Rogersville at the place of his birth on his 68th birthday, Friday, October 2nd 1903, from a wound he received at the battle of Franklin, Tennessee in December 1864. He was a charter member of Kyle Blevins Camp UCV and his devotion to the memory of the southern cause never wavered, altho' he had accepted the artibrament of the sword.The members of Kyle Blevins Camp United Confederate Veterans attended the funeral and acted as pall bearers and conducted the last sad rites at his grave.

(This information taken from a copy of his journal found in the files at H. B. Stamps Library, Rogersville, TN. The first of book was used for other information and last part for diary of H. S. Burem war period. This was written at top of page - Continued from page 144 & 145 square book and memoranda book)

(For this record)

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From Durant Miss or while there I got orders relieving me from duty with Capt Thorton ordering me to report to Maj. Turner at Grenada Miss for duty and was sent alone to Oakland Miss on Miss Central road to buy forage for the army at Vicksburg. This was about 1st April 1865. I had a good force lender my command. Some 50 or more teams & men to man them at Oakland. I got quarters in the counting room of Greene Moore in the town I wandered thru on Saturday, putting up at the Hotel on Sunday. I rode out to Green Moore took dinner with him, rented the room got the key and on Monday

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morning opened out for business. My men & wagons coming in that day I took them out towards Charleston Miss when I found an abundance of corn. Every team was loaded & corn was hauled for several weeks & put on the cars for Vicksburg. I had pleasant time here. I left the Hotel it was a nasty place and went to board with a good old Irishman & his wife who had no children they were kind to me - as if they had been my parents - and I hated to part with them. Their names I have forgotten they were some 70 years of age and by now Sept 1896 on in Heaven I hope for they were good people. About midnight I think one ..in May I got orders to proceed at once to Granada with all cander my command. daylight found us far on the road getting

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to Granada the next day at place I was put in charge of some 150 mules & horses to be taken to Canton Miss. on the road many of them died from eating Sneeze Weed a very poisonous weed found in State of Miss- especially poisonous to horses & mules at Canton I had charge of some 100 Negroes - whom we worked in the Qm Dept driving teams &co My brother James P. Burem who was Capt of Co G 31st Tenn Regt Vaughns Bridg was there at Vicksburg he had writen me several times urging me to come there he had fallen deeply in love with a beautiful Miss girl Miss Nettie Greene the youngest daughter of Cal Greene of Vicksburg who lived South of the City some 5 miles on the Warrington Road. I got a furlough of 5 days took horse

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to Jackson Miss going by way of Edmond Hamblins who was an old citizen of Hawkins Co Tenn - he I stayed one nyht & day very pleasantly and was entertained royally by the entire household aspecially Miss Sue - who had for a long time been a friend of mine - from then I rode horseback to Jackson - turning my horse over to the QM Dept - talking the train to Vicksburg getting there just at dark the Federals were shelling the city - you could see the light of the gunboats down the river for miles and about every minute a shell would drop ---- the city some times a half dozen at one time and explode - the soldiers did not seem to notice it much the brick hotel on the bank of the river had

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been --ted the beds and furniture left with a few __chip - for my supper I went there and took a bed for the night there were several holes clear through the walls made by cannon balls - all except canonading was kept up all night. I slept soundly - not a ball stuck the house that night at day light next morning I got a horse and was on my way to the camp at Bro Jim some 5 miles sought getting there by 7 or 8 and Jim ws glad to see me and hurried me off to see Miss Nettie some smile distant. We spent the day with hre getting a good dinner. I found her a beautiful & accomplished woman Some 17 years of age a perfect lady

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and they were devoted to each other. They were in few days married while there Jim told me that he had met her shopping at her fathers ...one morning whilst returning to camp from picket duty for breakfast being attracked to the house by the sound of "Auntie Lauria" on the ___. Bro Jim was killed at Battle of Staunton Va 5 June 1864 he left no children his widow after the close of the war married Levi Fletcher of Vicksburg by whom she left one son. Nettie died in 1867 of yellow fever. her mother was living at last accounts of her her Bro Jack is dead his sister Mrs Waytt(?) is living. Jim was captured at Vicksburg

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and parolled 4 July 1864 was exchanged soon after this and was with his co at Stanton Va & killed 5 June 64 as stated his body falling in the hands of the enemy - my father putting a monument in his memory in the old family burrying ground at Mill Bend - from Vicksburg I returned to duty, at Carlton(?) after the fall of Vicksburg we was ordered to Dermopolis Alabama at this place Maj Turner was killed by a Doctor who caught him in with with his wife. Maj Turner was from Independence Mo. at this place we got an order issued by President Jeff Davis requesting all the boys under 45 to re-enter the army from the Qm Dept several let married soldiers

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take their places. I should state while at Jackson that I heard Jefferson Davis make a speech in the capital and shook his hand. I loved him he was a good man. On the night of said order I at once got furlough for home where I stayed 2 nights only going once __ of Mobile. __ I took steamer for Pensacola Fla was on the gulf out of __ __ for one day from home I joined my __ company K 19 Tenn Regt at Chattanooga Tenn and then real war and hard service __ with me. I was in the battle of Chickamauga a hard fought battle more than half of our Regt was killed

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or wounded. I was not hurt. Captured a horse on the field of battle and rode it back on our retreat being repulsed in a charge on their works Here I saw the head of Capt Lackey of Knoxville Tenn shot off by a cannon ball - Orville Looney of Hawkins Co killed and a host of others I clum a tall tree and saw the cavalry of Genl Forest on the even of these last days fight Str__ their rear. Captur their hospitals as the Scen turned blood red - the victory was ours the Federals were in full retreat. I pulled off my hat waved it and with all my voice cried out boys they are gone. We were content, tired & hurngy. We slept on the field of battle the nyte of 20 Sept 1863 - a heavy frost

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the dead and wounded was thick on the next morn 21 Sept. We were moved forward our Regt 19 Tenn in front - many straying yanks were caught on the road at Annfish Spring near Chattagooga x roasted greene corn peas in the hot ashes and with salt eat them for my dinner it was all we had the federals were demmoralized ___and had we been able to have attacked them vigorously at once they would have all surrendered to us but we was worn out from the 2 days fighting and the day Monday after that had we fortified in sight of them - and remained idle until driven back by Sherman by the battle of above the clouds and the battle of Missionary Ridge in Nov 63 - I saw Col Moore of 19 Tenn Regth

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shot from his horse He sat cooly on his horse looking at the Yankees climb up Missionary Ridge. The Rebels with a single file of me some 8 to 10 feet apart were on the top of the hill disputing every inch of ground the last word Col Moore spoke was Burem make the men shoot by the right flank, I replied Col we have more than we can do in our front - he never spoke again the yank could see him(?) were close and shot him(?) though he never spoke fell with a thud from his horse..the writer of this shot for 2 & 3 men to load guns for him(?)from behind works & head legs his shoulder was black and

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sore the next day Wm Hamblin and Bill Sitzer of Hawkins Co. loded guns for me and refused to leave the works - John Mason of Hawkins Co was color bearer and at the last moment took the flag back full of holes - after firing the last shot I threw down my gun leaped from the ditches and went for the rear - Freeman A Shoemaker that used to work on the Rogan farm in Hawkins Co was by my side as we ran off he was shot through both thighs- I picked up a stray gun and fired back at them we fell back back that night some 3 or 4 miles and by daylight the next day found us hungry on the road towards Dalton the Yanks keeping well after

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us at Ringold Gap - Gent Rdt Cleborne entraped some fifteen thousand of them and put a cluch to them. We went on to Dalton with out further trouble and remained during the winter of 1863-64. The Federal falling back to Chattanooga Ten. Early in spring of 1864 we broke camp our Regt 19 Ten and since others probably (Strokes ?) Brigade and the whole of Cheattams Division was sent by rail to Demopolis Ala. where we remained only one day and right back again to Dalton. While at Demopolis, Ala one dark night I met Jack Greene bro. of Jims wife Nettie I could not see him but knew him by his voice. I talked to him for awhile and have never met him since.

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Back at Dalton GA but few days and Sherman of Fed Army commenced his celebrated "March to the Sea" the Rebel Genl Johnston with some 60 to 70 thousand troops disputed every foot of ground Gen Sherman must have had nearly three times our number the first battle was when we broke camp at Dalton was at Resacca Ga this was a hard fight. The Rebels held them well until they flanked us & we had to fall back it was one continual fight in day time and thor-- ref work and fall back at night all the way to Atlanta it took Sherman frome arly spring unitl the last of June to drive us to Atlanta at New Hope Church we fought them a hard fight and on every field we --hundreds looseing no --of any consequence at the

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battle of Kenesaw Mountain. We were entrenched with S -- thru heavy lines of battle on the crest of the Mountain. They charged us time and again with I am safe in saying from 10 to 15 lines of battle once we repulsed them every time with heavy loss to them and none to the Rebel side. It was here that while the federals with heavy forces were charging our lines as fast as we would shoot down their flag it would hardly get down until they would grab it again and run forward with it. I saw it do go down the bars shot more than a dozen time each to time a new man would bring it forward until they threw it into our works. hundreds came in with it only

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to surrender. while the ground lay thick with the dead & dying, the 19 Tenn only lost one man here if I remember right. His name was Gallaway from Washington Co. He got excited & mounted on top of our works & shot at the Federals & he was soon shot to death. We fought behind heavy works with head logs My Rygt 19 Tenn was at the hyhest point of the ridge or Mountain called a 'Solient' - after repeated charges by infantry and came 3 days heavy shelling they - then dug up to us and was nearly ready to blow us up when we were ordered to retreat. We kept a centered fisciney(?) all the nyht to keep them out of our work and when our --(?group) left

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Some 2 or 3 from each company was detailed to stay in the works & keep up a firing line. The main Army got ___ I was left from our Co K 19 Ten & when the Rebel Signal was given for us to quit firing and retreat I could hear the Yanks righ under us digging and talking and taking the dirt back. We saved them the fun & troulbe and about 12 at night allowed them to __ our work while we all quietly left. They followed us very cautiously for they found Gen Johnston would entrap them he weas a great General he managed kill & capture the __ the thousands and lost hardly any men, at a river after we passed Big Shanty we had oan armistice for

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a few days the Rebs on Southside Federals on the other - sometimes the river would be full of soldiers from both armies and just as friendly as could be . After we left Resacca Ga I was a detailed scout. My business was to get all the information from the federal army possible get their news papers & c. I have often went thru their lines by showing a white handerchief at them and putting my pistol out of sight. They all ---treated me kindly would swap me coffee for tobacco. I never was out of coffee all the war one little circumstance accured I must relate on one occasion I met a yank & he proposed to swap me a watch a--- silver

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watch for 20 plugs of tobacco. the trade was made and I went back to camp to get up the tobacco and could only find 10 plugs. I cut them into very nicely and made out of them 20 short plugs and at the time set made my appearance by the usual ____ and I soon found my yank with his watch. I handed him teh 20 hald plugs he took them handed me his watch and says they are d_m short but I must have them and we bade each other good by and went back to our lines. they always acted honorable with me. I did one thing on this campaign I think was right - John Baily the brother of Orvill Baily on Beach Creek Hawkins Co Tenn

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and a boy by the name of Smith whom I knew was brought to our Regiment as conscripts - I was the only one in the Rgt that Baily & Smith knew. they seemed to want to stay with me and when I would go out as scout would want to go with me. I took them by permission several times & they told me that they were both Cenior men and could not fight nor would not fight in the Rebel Army and said they wanted to get away. I was sorryfor them and told them to go after they promised me that they would return home & not take up arms against us and would see that my mother and father in Hawkins Co Tenn

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was protected - this they did so far as was in their power. and when I got home 29 July '64 they were the among the first to come to see me by this I made lots of good friends among diserted men to go back to our fight with Sherman(?) after leaving Kennasaw Mountain the next fight was at the brick hous or Adairsville house. George Etter was shot through the shoulder right by my side Bil Mee a conscript and Union man was shot through both thighs this made a Rebel out of him. Mitch Barnard was wounded. We fought thru for about 2 house in open field and drove them back their lines were not to heavy and

(Page 22)To Be Continued

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