Personal Recollections of Michael Woods Trimble, Part 2

“The revival of memory may be a benevolent compensation to an old man for the loss of hope.” – Michael Woods Trimble, 1860


Throughout the research phase of my current book project, John Sevier: Tennessee's First Hero, I encountered many interesting historical anecdotes, stories, and legends recalled by the aged pioneers of the Old Southwest and their descendants. These men knew Sevier, or could at least recall the stories told about his frontier exploits. Although writers augmented many of these narratives with hints of patriotic fervor and nostalgia, often the details surrounding Sevier's life survived literary embellishment.

In 1860, Michael Woods Trimble wrote a memoir of his life, and recalled memories of his father, John Trimble, who served as a Captain of a militia company in the Regiment under Sevier’s command at the Battle of King’s Mountain. Michael Woods Trimble took great pride in his father’s associations with Sevier, and in his memoirs he chronicled the stories of his youth.

I located Trimble's memoir in the Diaries and Memoirs Collection held at the Tennessee State Library and Archives, and quoted from it in my book. This incredibly vivid memoir speaks to how "the revival of memory" played an important role in how writers chronicled Sevier's life. So without further introduction, here are the "Personal Recollections of Michael Woods Trimble."

Part 2 -  He had but one thought -- that was for revenge


   When the Revolution was over my father moved further West and built a blockhouse in the Western part of North Carolina on the East side of what was then called the Warm Springs Mountain. The Cherokee Indians lived on the West side of the mountain. They were warlike and hostile, and frequently crossed over the mountain and made inroads on the white settlement. A few years later, he moved still further West, crossing over the mountain into what is now East Tennessee.

   He built a blockhouse on the headwaters of French Broad River. Other emigrants soon followed. Among the number was my father's old pastor, Rev. Hezekiah J. Balch, who established a church which was called New Hope of which my father was a ruling elder.

   I still have in my possession a small memorandum book of my father's which contains frequent entries in his handwriting of the receipts of provisions for Mr. Balch. In those days there was very little money in the country and the salaries of ministers were paid mostly in provisions. My father, being an officer in the church, made the collections and handed them over to Mr. Balch. The entries in his book show that the salaries were not very great. There is the entry of--received from such a person a few yards of cloth for Mr. Balch, from someone else, a few pounds of meat or flour and sometimes potatoes.

   About the same time the Rev. James Doak crossed over the mountains and established a church on the French Broad River, which was called Greenbrier. These two old ministers were intimate friends of my fathers. I have frequently heard them preach and have a very distinct recollection of them. The Rev. James Balch and the Rev. John Doak crossed the mountains about the same time and established churches near the line of Virginia.
 
   I was born in the blockhouse at the headwaters of the French Broad River, Jan. 13, 1788. the Cherokee Indians continue hostile. To suppress them, 1791, Col. Sevier crossed over the mountains with a regiment of men. My father raised a company of sixty-two men, of whom his sons, Archibald and Robert, and son-in-law, Thomas Ritchie, were of the number and joined him and went in pursuit of the Indians. They burned several towns and eight miles below where Knoxville now stands, they had a battle. They routed the Indians and built a stockade, which they called Campbell Station. On the North side of Holston River, near its junction with the Tennessee River, they built another stockade and two blockhouses, which they called Fort Loudon.

   Four miles further up the Tennessee River, there was an Indian town called Coyatee, and eighteen miles further up the river was another Indian town called Nica-old-fields. Each of these towns contained about 300 houses, and they were considered the stronghold of the Cherokee Nation. Col. Sevier had not sufficient force to attack them, and returned East of the mountains to increase his army. While he was gone, my father took his two sons, Archibald and Robert, and his son-in-law, Thomas Ritchie, and his nephew, James Cosby, and five other men--ten in all--and went with them in the night down the Holston River to its junction with the Tennessee River and in the forks of the two rivers, he made a tomahawk improvement. Cosby was the surveyor, and made the survey by moonlight. On this improvement he built a blockhouse, in which he left six men to guard it, and with the other four he returned home. Then putting the family in canoes, he moved us all down French Broad and Holston Rivers to the new blockhouse. Soon after the removal of the family, the Indians from Coyatee and Nica-old-fields, crossed the Tennessee and Holston Rivers not far from the house and attacked Campbell Station, which they burned and massacred the people, except one man, Charles McCheny, a surveyor, who escaped.

   When this news reached Col. Sevier, he immediately returned and made a sudden descent on Coyatee and Nica-old-fields, killing about 700 Indians. This brought to them peace. On the North side of the Tennessee River, opposite Nica-old-fields, he built what was called Tellico blockhouse. The next year the Indians collected at Nica-Old-Fields to make a Treaty. Nine chiefs were appointed to treat with Col. Sevier--Corn Tassel, The Old Broom, The Bloody Fellow, Old Abram, and five others. But the Indians could never Treat in cloudy weather, and as there happened to be a spell of such weather, they waited for it to clear up. While they were waiting, the nine chiefs were put in a log house, around which a guard was stationed for their protection. At a short distance, the Indians and whites in companies had their camps. There happened to be on the ground a man by the name of Patton, whose house a short time before had been burned by the Indians. His wife and children massacred, and himself shot, tomahawked and scalped and left for dead. Astonishing to relate, he afterward revived and was at the Treaty alive and well. He had but one thought--that was for revenge.

   The guard, of which my brother-in-law was one, sympathized with him and connived at his finding his way into the house, where he silently, but summarily wrecked his utmost revenge. He entered the house with a tomahawk in his hand. His very look told his purpose. The chiefs were unarmed and knew that resistance was vain. At one glance they saw their fate and submitted to it with stoic courage holding out their heads for the blow. One tomahawk flew off the handle, but another was quickly passed in. He killed all the nine chiefs and ran to his horse tied in the woods and cleared himself. Col. Sevier made a demonstration of seeking him, but he was not to be found. The chiefs had rendered themselves so odious by their massacres that the whites all secretly rejoiced that their violence had been returned on themselves. This affair broke up the Treaty. I saw this same Patton in Jefferson County, Miss. He stayed all night at our house and we talked of the whole affair. The scars were still on his head, where he had been tomahawked and scalped. He wore a cap on his head to cover them. The skin had been nearly all scalped off his head, which had very little hair left on it.

   The year after this affair the Indians, through other chiefs, made a Treaty with Sevier, who had now risen to the rank of General; after which the Cherokee Indians never went to War with the whites. Soon after the Missionaries were sent amongst them to preach the Gospel. They have ever since been in a progressive state of improvement and at present they are considered a Christian and civilized people. They are the most intelligent and talented of all the Indian tribes.

   Soon after this Treaty of Peace was made, the counties in East Tennessee were laid off. We lived in the lower part of Blount County, which was so called in honor of the acting Governor. The County Seat was called Maryville, after his wife.


Published previously in this series, Part 1. Michael Woods Trimble's memoir concludes in Part 3 published on The Posterity Project.


 
Gordon Belt is an information professional, archives advocate, public historian, and author of The History Press book, John Sevier: Tennessee's First Hero, which examines the life of Tennessee's first governor, John Sevier, through the lens of history and memory. On The Posterity Project, Gordon offers reflections on archives, public history, and memory from his home state of Tennessee.

Personal Recollections of Michael Woods Trimble, Part 1

“The revival of memory may be a benevolent compensation to an old man for the loss of hope.” – Michael Woods Trimble, 1860


Throughout the research phase of my current book project, John Sevier: Tennessee's First Hero, I encountered many interesting historical anecdotes, stories, and legends recalled by the aged pioneers of the Old Southwest and their descendants. These men knew Sevier, or could at least recall the stories told about his frontier exploits. Although writers augmented many of these narratives with hints of patriotic fervor and nostalgia, often the details surrounding Sevier's life survived literary embellishment.

In 1860, Michael Woods Trimble wrote a memoir of his life, and recalled memories of his father, John Trimble, who served as a Captain of a militia company in the Regiment under Sevier’s command at the Battle of King’s Mountain. Michael Woods Trimble took great pride in his father’s associations with Sevier, and in his memoirs he chronicled the stories of his youth.

I located Trimble's memoir in the Diaries and Memoirs Collection held at the Tennessee State Library and Archives, and quoted from it in my book. This incredibly vivid memoir speaks to how "the revival of memory" played an important role in how writers chronicled Sevier's life. So without further introduction, here are the "Personal Recollections of Michael Woods Trimble."

Part 1 -  The Revival of Memory


   If I live to see the 23rd of next January 1861, I will be seventy-three years of age. I am an old man. I have survived all of the friends and companions of my early days. They have all passed away from the stage of action. As I grow old, my memory grows stronger. Especially in this case with regards to the events of my early life. Things which had faded away from my mind many years ago, and had passed into forgetfulness, are revived with all the freshness of recent occurrences. Images of the dead come back to me with faces and voices as familiar as when they lived, and all the scenes through which I passed with them appear to me with more vividness than the events of yesterday. This revival of memory in old age is a mysterious and wonderful provision of Divine Providence.

   At my period of life, the hopes of this world are nearly all past. But it is said, when one bodily sense is lost, some other becomes strong. The revival of memory may be a benevolent compensation to an old man for the loss of hope.

   My friend, Rev. Henry McDonald, having kindly proffered to perform the labor of writing for me, I will comply with the requests of many friends. I will begin with the account of my father, who was an elder of the church, a member of the Mecklenburg Convention, a Captain of the Revolutionary War and one of the first settlers of East Tennessee, North Alabama, and Territory of Mississippi. Many of the events of his life which I will relate occurred before I was born, but they were narrated to me frequently by himself, as well as by other members of the family, that they indelibly impressed on my memory, and became as familiar as any events I ever witnessed with my two eyes.

   My paternal grandfather was John Trimble. He was born in Scotland. In his youth, his parents emigrated to the Northern part of Ireland, where he was reared in the orthodox Presbyterian faith. In those early days the Presbyterians in the Northern part of Ireland were cruelly treated by the British Government. To escape the oppression, they emigrated in large companies to America and established churches, colleges, and seminaries of learning. They were called Scotch-Irish, because they emigrated originally from Scotland to Ireland and to distinguish them from Highland Scotch, who emigrated to this country direct from Scotland and from Roman Catholic Irish, who lived mostly in the more Southern part of Ireland and are the original Celtic race of that country.

   My grandfather emigrated to North Carolina, 1730, with a large company of Presbyterians; The Balch, Doaks, Caldwells, Williams, Lackeys, McCorkles, McPhersons, Woods, Smiths, and Witherspoons. For a long time they worshiped in tents. Poplar Creek, Cross Creek and Hopewell which subsequently were large and flourishing Presbyterian churches in North Carolina, were originally these tent churches.

   My grandfather had seven children--William, James, Joseph, Margaret, Hannah, John, and Robert--all of whom except the last two were born in Ireland. My father was John and he married Susannah Woods, and they had two sons and three daughters. My mother was born 1746. Her sister, Hannah, married a Caldwell and her sister, Margaret married a Lackey, whose sons, Archibald and William, married my two sisters, Isabella and Mary. My mothers brothers, John and Michael Woods were soldiers in the Revolution. John Woods never married. I received my Christian name from my uncle, Michael Woods, who raised a family of four sons and three daughters. He became quite wealthy and died in Tennessee in 1800. I do no know when my father professed religion; it was probably in his youth. He became a member of Hopewell church and was made an elder, which office he filled at that church until 1783. I still have in my possession a certificate, dated 1783, written by the Rev. Hezekiah James Balch, certifying that the bearer, John Trimble, was a member in regular standing and a ruling elder of Hopewell Church; also that his wife Susannah and two sons, Archibald and Robert and his daughter, Rosannah, were members of the Hopewell Church in good and regular standing.

   My father was a citizen of Mecklenburg District, and bore and active part in politics and stirring events of the day. In 1775 he was a member of the Mecklenburg Convention, which adopted the celebrated Declaration of Independence. He frequently described the whole scene to me and I often heard him talk it over with Rev. H. J. Balch and Rev. James Doak, and also my grandfather Woods, uncle Michael Woods and Mr. Elisha Baker, all of whom were present and members of the Convention, the two first of whom were prominent and leading spirits in it. I have heard all of these men describe it so frequently that I became almost as familiar with it as if I had been present.

   My father was a Captain of a militia company under Col. Sevier at the Battle of Kings Mountain, and in the Battle of Cowpens. At Yorktown, where the War was closed by the surrender of Cornwallis, his regiment served under the command of LaFayette. During the whole War when he was not in the field against the British, he was in service against the Shawnee Indians. I still have in my possession a passport, written by Col. John Sevier, 1785. It is as follows:

"Capt. John Trimble, having made it known to me that he desired to go to the State of Georgia; I have known Capt. Trimble for many years, and he lately distinguished himself as a true patriot and friend to his country."

   This paper was characteristic of the time. In those days, public odium ran high against men who were Tories during the War, that persons traveling in strange parts of the country carried credentials to show that they were not of that number.


Michael Woods Trimble's memoir continues in Part 2 published on The Posterity Project.


 
Gordon Belt is an information professional, archives advocate, public historian, and author of The History Press book, John Sevier: Tennessee's First Hero, which examines the life of Tennessee's first governor, John Sevier, through the lens of history and memory. On The Posterity Project, Gordon offers reflections on archives, public history, and memory from his home state of Tennessee.

A "picturesque" escape...

In 1788, as the State of Franklin crumbled around him, John Sevier found himself on the run -- a fugitive governor of a "stillborn state." After the United States Congress rejected Franklin's claim of independence, Sevier faced a charge of treason for refusing to yield to North Carolina's authority over its western counties. With an arrest warrant in hand, John Tipton relentlessly pursued Sevier until he surrendered, agreeing to "submit to the Laws of the State." North Carolina authorities then delivered a despondent Sevier in iron handcuffs to Morganton, North Carolina to await trial.

Various writers and storytellers have embellished the pages of history with sensational details about Sevier's capture, arrest and eventual release. The oft-repeated account of Sevier's dramatic "rescue" from a Morganton courthouse following his arrest was first conceived by John Haywood and later repeated by J.G.M. Ramsey in their nineteenth-century narratives.

In his Annals of Tennessee, Ramsey credits an unnamed "observant of all the actors" with supplying him with the details of Sevier's escape. In this version of events, two of Sevier's rescuers, James Cozby and Nathaniel Evans, mingled among the courthouse spectators, and as Cozby distracted the judge and his court, Evans secured Sevier's horse at a location near the courthouse window where he could make his escape. According to Ramsey's observant:

"Cozby entered the house, and there, arraigned at the bar, sat the object of their solicitude... Slowly he turned his head, and their eyes met; Sevier knew the rescue was at hand, but he was restrained from any outward demonstration, by a significant shake of Cozby's head; but it could not prevent the tear of gratitude, for he knew there were daring spirits near, that would peril their life's blood in his defense. During a pause in the trial, Cozby stepped forward in front of the Judge, and in that quick and energetic tone, so peculiar to him, asked the Judge if he was done with that man. The question, manner and tone, caused every person to start, to cast their eyes on the speaker, then on the Judge, all in amazement. In the meantime, Sevier had caught a glimpse of his favorite mare standing at the door; taking advantage of the confusion, he made one spring to the door; the next, he was safely in the saddle, and with the speed of thought, was borne from the wondering crowd. 'Yes,' cries a waggish voice, 'I'll be damned if you ain't done with him.' His comrades were not slow to follow in his wake, and, although immediate pursuit was made, a few minutes brought him to the main body, who, with one wild shout of victory, closed in the rear, and bore him on in triumph. That night they rested at the house of a friend, about twenty miles distant; from whence they made an easy journey to their homes, content that they had gained a bloodless victory." [Ramsey 428-429]


While this tale makes for compelling storytelling, the account is not entirely accurate. By most reliable historical accounts, a small party of Sevier's closest family, friends and supporters, including his brother Joseph and son John, set out to rescue Sevier from his captors following his arrest by John Tipton and his followers. They crossed the mountains into Morganton and, upon arrival, entered a tavern -- not a courthouse -- where much to their surprise, "they found Sevier in company with Major Joseph McDowell." McDowell and his brother Charles fought alongside Sevier in many campaigns during the Revolutionary War. Without hesitation, the two brothers posted bail for their good friend so Sevier could await trial as a free man. Sevier loitered in the tavern for about an hour or two before riding out of town toward the mountains.

The noted Tennessee jurist Samuel Cole Williams once attempted to correct this embellishment in a footnote to his History of the Lost State of Franklin. "While picturesque," Williams noted, Ramsey's tale "is not authentic," yet, the courthouse rescue story endures to this day in various newspaper articles and local color writers' accounts. Even Sevier's biographer, Carl Driver, mentioned the courthouse story, albeit with more brevity, simply stating, "While one of [the rescuers] questioned the judge, Sevier dashed from the building, mounted his horse, and rode away with his associates." There is little proof, however, that Sevier's "rescue" ever happened in such theatrical fashion.

This is just one example of how Sevier's legend grew through the retelling of these stories, and how he became in the hearts and minds of many "Tennessee's First Hero." 


 
Gordon Belt is an information professional, archives advocate, public historian, and author of The History Press book, John Sevier: Tennessee's First Hero, which examines the life of Tennessee's first governor, John Sevier, through the lens of history and memory. On The Posterity Project, Gordon offers reflections on archives, public history, and memory from his home state of Tennessee.



SELECTED SOURCES


Kevin T. Barksdale. The Lost State of Franklin: America's First Secession.

Draper Manuscript Collection. State Historical Society of Wisconsin.

John Haywood. Civil and Political History of the State of Tennessee.

J.G.M. Ramsey. The Annals of Tennessee to the End of the Eighteenth Century.

Samuel Cole Williams. History of the Lost State of Franklin.

Samuel Cole Williams Papers. Tennessee State Library and Archives.

Chapter 16 reviews John Sevier: Tennessee's First Hero

I wanted to publish a brief note of thanks to Humanities Tennessee and the Chapter 16 publication for their thoughtful and thought-provoking review of our book, John Sevier: Tennessee's First Hero. The review was posted ahead of our scheduled book signings in Johnson City and Knoxville. Look for details about these two events here on The Posterity Project.

One quote from the review stood out in my mind and perfectly captured what we tried to convey in John Sevier: Tennessee's First Hero as a work of historiographical scholarship:

"...history is anything but a recitation of the documented facts. Nor is it immutable. It always reflects the motives of the people generating it..."

Read Chapter 16's entire review of John Sevier: Tennessee's First Hero at the following link:

http://www.chapter16.org/content/gordon-belt-and-traci-nichols-belt-examine-how-history-has-treated-tennessee-founding-father

Chapter 16 pays for their content in part with federal grants to Humanities Tennessee, and provides it without charge to newspapers as a service to the writers and readers of the state. If you enjoyed the review and our book, I hope you'll show your support for Chapter 16 by sharing their post and citing Chapter16.org as the source.




Gordon Belt is an information professional, archives advocate, public historian, and author of The History Press book, John Sevier: Tennessee's First Hero, which examines the life of Tennessee's first governor, John Sevier, through the lens of history and memory. On The Posterity Project, Gordon offers reflections on archives, public history, and memory from his home state of Tennessee.

The last casualty of the Battle of Horseshoe Bend...

Last week, historians and scholars observed the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Horseshoe Bend, the bloody culmination of a violent phase of the War of 1812 known as the Creek War. My colleague Myers Brown wrote an excellent piece on the battle for the Tennessee State Library and Archives blog featuring some unique archival items related to the battle. I highly encourage you to read Myers' article on the TSLA Blog to learn more about this important moment in Tennessee history and the history of our nation. To supplement this story, I thought I would share an edited excerpt from my book, John Sevier: Tennessee's First Hero, which addresses a little-known outcome of the battle.

Andrew Jackson's defeat of the Red Sticks at the Battle of Horseshoe Bend proved devastating for the Creek Indians, and led to the eventual demise of one of Jackson's most bitter rivals, John Sevier. Sevier and Jackson were bitter enemies, yet they stood united in their mutual disdain for the British and their Native American allies. On June 4, 1812, Sevier joined seventy-eight of his congressional colleagues and voted for a formal declaration of war against Great Britain. In a letter written to Tennessee governor Willie Blount following the vote, Sevier conveyed his feelings on the matter. He declared, "We have at length passed the Ribicon. War is finally declared against Britain and her dependencies." Sevier's letter burned with hatred toward the enemy, especially the Creek Indians, whom he believed the British supported. "Fire and sword must be carried into that country before those wretches will be reduced to reason or become peaceable neighbors," Sevier raged. He continued, "There can be no reliance or trust placed in them. No doubt British emissaries are among them." Anti-British sentiment ran high in Tennessee, and rumors of a growing Creek presence along Tennessee's borders armed with British weaponry only served to fan the flames of war even higher.
 
Creek chief William "Red Eagle" Weatherford surrenders to Andrew Jackson on August 9, 1814, ending the Creek War. Tennessee Historical Society Collection, Tennessee State Library and Archives


Jackson's militia laid waste to the Red Sticks at the Battle of Horseshoe Bend, and following the victory and Creek surrender, President James Madison appointed Sevier as a commissioner to run the boundary line of the new Creek Nation. In agreeing to the terms of the treaty, the Creeks ceded more than 20 million acres of territory in southern Georgia and central Alabama to their nation's conquerors. Despite his lingering bitterness toward Jackson over their previous encounters, Sevier accepted the appointment and departed his plantation home near Knoxville on June 10, 1815, to begin what would be his final expedition.

Sevier made several entries in his diary following his departure. Although these consisted mostly of mundane observations about the weather and provisions, by August, the summer heat and the arduous journey began to take its toll on his aged body. On August 26, 1815, Sevier noted, "Some unwell with pain in my back." By September 9th, he observed that one of his traveling companions became "very sick." In the days that followed, Sevier himself contracted a fever. A few days later, he breathed his last breath. On September 24, 1815, Sevier died in his tent on the Creek boundary, ironically as duty called him to survey territory conquered by his most bitter rival, Andrew Jackson.

On March 29, 1889, years after his death, the Daily Picayune newspaper of New Orleans printed the legend that emerged from that dark day:

There is a pretty story still told around the firesides in this country of how Governor Sevier came to his death. He was attending a feast of the Indians known as the "Green Corn Dance," and although nearly 72 years of age, was there participating in the festivities of the evening. The next day, while on his return to Fort Decatur, he was taken suddenly sick, and while being carried across the Tallapoosa river, and feeling that he was dying, he said to his attendants that if they would carry him to a big spring about a mile away and let him get a drink of the water he thought he would get well. But he died while crossing the river, and his body was buried on top of the hill overlooking the big spring to which he had referred, and whose waters still sing a constant requiem near his grave.

Sevier's companions buried him with military honors on a spot of land not far from where he fell ill, on the east bank of the Tallapoosa River near Fort Decatur, Alabama. A simple two-foot-long oak stump charred at its end marked his grave. Unaware of Sevier's illness, Tennesseans had reelected him to Congress without opposition a few weeks prior. News of his death, however, quickly spread to the state capitol where members of the Tennessee General Assembly mourned their fallen hero. On October 26, 1815, state senator Adam R. Huntsman offered a resolution that each member of the legislature wear a crepe on the left arm for thirty days "in honor to the memory of that distinguished fellow citizen, statesman, and patriot."


 
Gordon Belt is an information professional, archives advocate, public historian, and author of The History Press book, John Sevier: Tennessee's First Hero, which examines the life of Tennessee's first governor, John Sevier, through the lens of history and memory. On The Posterity Project, Gordon offers reflections on archives, public history, and memory from his home state of Tennessee.