State of Tennessee Department of State Tennessee State Library and Archives United States Provost Marshal General s Bureau Records, 1863-1865 Camp Carthage (Tenn.) COLLECTION SUMMARY Creator: United States. Provost Marshal General s Bureau (Carthage, Tenn.) Inclusive Dates: 1863 1865 Scope & Content: These two volumes contain records of the U. S. Provost Marshal General s Bureau at Camp Carthage in Carthage, Tennessee, during the Federal occupation from 1863 to 1865. The Cumberland River town was seized and held by troops under the command of Brig. Gen. George Crook in May 1862. The bulk of the Provost Marshal s bond book contains lists of hundreds of men and women who took the oath of allegiance to the United States between October and December 1863. The record identifies most people as soldiers or citizens. The majority was from Smith, Jackson, and Putnam counties, though residents of Macon, White, Overton, Cumberland, and Wilson counties are among them. The first two lists of names in the bond book are organized by date and include the county of residence and other information. Infrequently, an entry shows that the person posted a bond. Many of the listings include the phrase always loyal (or) so regarded. Combined, the remaining two lists contain more than 500 names of those who posted bonds of $500 $6000 in addition to taking the oath. This book includes a few records of other Provost Marshal actions. The first Civil War-era entry is a copy of a pass allowing Miss Ginnie Allen to travel north through Federal lines in May 1863. Also included are two short lists of prisoners confined at the camp. 1
The second item is a leather ledger book containing lists of Prisoners confined in Prison at Carthage, Tennessee. It contains two lists, one dated December 23, 1863, and the other dated February 25, 1865. These lists, though incomplete, provide information about each soldier: name, military unit, and charge and consequence of the offense. Common charges include guerilla, violating oath, rebel soldier, and violating orders. Many of the deserters listed were sent to Nashville or Gallatin for transport to the North. On the first prisoner lists, Maj. J. H. Hart of the 71 st Ohio Volunteer Infantry is the officer ordering confinement. Later lists record orders given by Col. William B. Stokes of the 5 th Tennessee Cavalry Regiment and Capt. Francis M. McKee and Col. A. E. Garrett of the 1 st Tennessee Mounted Infantry. Both volumes contain unrelated and unidentified financial accounts from Jackson and/or Smith County from the 1830s and 1840s. Note: Researchers interested in the Camp Carthage Provost Marshall records may also find the following collections useful: Stokes and Tubb Papers, 1811-1881. Tennessee State Library and Archives. http://www.tn.gov/tsla/history/manuscripts/findingaids/19+.pdf Adjutant General s Office Records, 1796 [1861-1869] 1900. Record Group 21. http://www.tn.gov/tsla/history/state/recordgroups/findingaids/rg21.pdf Union Provost Marshal s File of Papers Relating to Two or More Civilians, 1861-67. NA. Mf. 1607. 94 reels. 35mm. Microfilm Only Collection Physical Description/Extent: 1 microfilm reel; 16mm Accession/Record Group Number: Mf. 2018 Language: English Permanent Location: Mf. 2018 (available on microfilm only) Repository: Tennessee State Library and Archives, 403 Seventh Avenue North, Nashville, Tennessee, 37243-0312 2
Administrative/Biographical History Camp Carthage (Smith County), Tennessee, was a U. S. Army post under the command of the Provost Marshal General. By 1862, much of Tennessee had fallen into Federal hands and was governed under martial law. Gen. George Crook first occupied Carthage that year and used the courthouse as his headquarters. Troops under his command remained until May 1863. Records show that the 71 st Ohio Volunteer Infantry Regiment and the1 st Tennessee Mounted Infantry succeeded Crook s troops at Camp Carthage. Col. William B. Stokes of DeKalb County, Tennessee, who had organized the 5 th Tennessee Cavalry to keep order in occupied Middle Tennessee, also served as commander of Camp Carthage. Troops under the Provost Marshal General sought out deserters, spies, and others suspected of disloyalty; kept records of people who took the oath of allegiance or gave paroles; controlled travel within the military zone; and often functioned as the de facto court of law. Organization/Arrangement of Materials Arranged alphabetically by type of record. Conditions of Access and Use Restrictions on Access: None Restrictions on Use and Reproduction: While the Tennessee State Library and Archives houses an item, it does not necessarily hold the copyright on the item, nor may it be able to determine if the item is still protected under current copyright law. Users are solely responsible for determining the existence of such instances and for obtaining any other permissions and paying associated fees that may be necessary for the intended use. Index Terms Personal Names: Crook, George, 1829-1890 Garrett, Abraham E., 1830-1907 Stokes, William B., 1814-1897 3
Corporate Names/Organizations/Government Bodies: United States. Army. Army of the Cumberland United States. Army. Ohio Volunteer Infantry Regiment, 71 st (1861-1865) United States. Army. Tennessee Cavalry Regiment, 5 th (1862-1865) United States. Army. Tennessee Mounted Infantry, 1 st (1863-1865) United States. Provost Marshal General s Bureau (Tennessee) Subjects: United States -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865 Prisoners and prisons Military occupation -- Tennessee Geographic Names: Carthage (Tenn.) -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865 -- Sources Smith County (Tenn.) -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865 -- Sources Document Types: Ledgers Loyalty oaths Registers Acquisition and Appraisal Provenance and Acquisition: The papers were loaned for microfilming on May 11, 2012, as part of the Looking Back: The Civil War in Tennessee digitization project in Carthage, Tennessee. Processing and Administrative Information Preferred Citation: United States Provost Marshal General s Bureau Records, 1863-1865, Camp Carthage (Tenn.), Tennessee State Library and Archives. Processing Information: Processing completed by Genny Carter in August 2012 Existence and Location of Originals: Privately owned Electronic Location and Access: http://www.tn.gov/tsla/history/manuscripts/findingaids/mf2018.pdf 4
DETAILED COLLECTION DESCRIPTION CONTAINER LIST Contents/Item Title Date Volume Bond Book -- Camp Carthage Provost Marshal May-December 1863 1 General s Bureau Ledger -- Camp Carthage Prisoners of War 1863-1865 2 5