| | | |
Home /
Wars and Clay County  Uploading ....
Young men of Clay County have served in all major wars, as either volunteers or draftees. During the Revolutionary, Civil, and Spanish-American Wars, the army consisted of all volunteers. But, in 1917, all able-bodied men 18 years of age were required to register for the Draft, created by the Selective Service Act. Beginning with World War I and World War II and during the Korean and Viet Nam Wars, armed forces were both volunteers and draftees. The Act is still in effect for the conscription of young men into the armed forces; however, during the Persian Gulf War in 1991 and now the Iraq War, the mandatory draft is not being enforced, so our military is comprised of all−volunteer armed forces. Even though the law is dormant, some Congressmen want to reactivate the Draft. Additionally, National Guard Units, originally created with all volunteers for peacekeeping and protection in each state, are being called to active duty on the national level by the U. S. Government, when needed.
American Revolutionary War (1775 to 1783) The Daughters of the American Revolution (D. A. R.), has identified three citizens who served during the revolutionary War from Clay County: Peter G. Ledford, a Mr. Brown, and Robert Henry, who as a youth claimed to have witnessed the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Records show that all three are buried in Clay County; however, Mr. Brown’s grave has not been located. Robert Henry is buried in the Tusquittee Community on Compass Creek, northeast of Hayesville’s town square. But, in building Chatuge Dam in 1941, the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) flooded the original gravesite of Peter Ledford, requiring that his grave and those of many other early settlers be reburied in the Old Philadelphia Graveyard, located on Jackrabbit Campground Road, approximately nine miles east of Hayesville, off NC Highway 175 South.
Civil War (1861 to 1865)A number of young men from Clay County served in the Civil War. The best record is found in a November 12, 1862 Payroll Report from the North Carolina Cavalry, made available to Historian Guy Padgett by County resident, Lawrence R. Moore, son of Captain William P. Moore, Company “B” of the 7th Battalion Regiment of North Carolina Cavalry. Padgett states in his 1976 book, History of Clay County, North Carolina, that this list is inconclusive because some of the handwritten names were unreadable and other regiments were formed since its issue. The list contains 81 names that served under Captain Moore; however, this is only one roster and it is not a complete list of all who served from Clay County nor if everyone on it was from the County. Using local family names, a more realistic figure would be 61 from Captain Moore’s roster and those names listed in Looking Back in Honor of All Our Veterans, 1998, bringing the total to approximately 70 men who served from Clay County.
The highest ranking officers from Clay County serving in the Civil War were Captains Stanhope Anderson, George Washington Bristol, and William Patton Moore.
In notes from a recent talk given at the Moss Memorial Library, resident Mary Nichols stated that, during the Civil War in the summer of l863, over 350 North Carolina soldiers serving in combat with the Thomas Legion went Absent Without Leave (A. W. O. L.) because, while on the battlefield they received word that a”bunch of renegades” were robbing and plundering their homes and assaulting their wives and children. Deserting their posts, they returned home to Western North Carolina to take care of the situation.
It is interesting to note that “Cherokees in North Carolina fought for the Confederacy… in the Thomas Legion” (Brett Riggs and Barbara Duncan, Cherokee Heritage Trails Guidebook).
Spanish American War (1898) The 200l publication created by the Chatuge Dam Fireworks and Activities Committee (CDFAC), Looking Back in Honor of All Our Veterans, lists only four County soldiers who served in the Spanish-American War in Cuba: Private James Eulas Cox, Sergeant Horace H. Medford, Private William H. Moore, and Private Frank Mosteller.
World War I (1914 to 1918) On April 6, 1917, the United States declared war on Germany and officially entered World War I (WWI) in Europe, to assist Great Britain, France, and other countries against the Kaiser’s invading armies. However, realizing that much manpower would be needed, on May 18 that year, Congress enacted legislation that created a Selective Service System, the Draft, which was designed to “call up” men up to age 45 to fight in the war. Starting with age 18, three different drafts were made from June 5, 1917 until September 12, 19l8.
The Registration Card from 1917 was issued to Bascombe Neal Haigler by the Clay County Selective Service Office. It contains somewhat the same information that is required today for all young men 18 years of age. Military registration is now done through the local U.S. Post Offices.
The 2002 Looking Back in Honor book lists 41 World War I veterans from Clay County, less than those serving in the Civil War. The dress uniform of soldier in that War included leggings, but today’s uniform has changed.
World War II (1939 to 1945) World War II (WWII) had the most dramatic effect on Clay County than any other war, because all men were “called” between age18 and 45. Resident Mrs. Myrtle Plemmons was secretary of the local Draft Board and issued hundreds of Draft Notices. A list of 5l8 men and women from Clay County serving in various armed services is found in two sources: a roster of deceased veterans, maintained by the Allison–Bristol VFW office in Hayesville, and the CDFAC’s publication, Looking Back in Honor of All Our Veterans: 200l. Of this number serving, five were females: In the U. S. Navy were Lieutenant (JG) Ruth E. Cherry (WAVES), Martha Neal Haigler (Warth), and Jessie Dair Swanson (Wagner). In the Army were Sergeant Myrtle M. Padgett and Sergeant Florine Rogers (Hembree). The highest ranking officers serving included U .S. Navy Commander George A.Wimpey; Army Lieutenant Colonel Kenneth West (U.S. Calvary) and Army Colonel Wayne G. West; U.S. Marine Corp Captain William T. Groves.
Even though the Draft was in affect, deferment was possible using the number of dependents as a criterion, and also building “deferment units” based on producing food crops. For example, a certain number of acres was required for cultivation, such as Irish potatoes. George Martin, who lost a leg in combat, related a funny story about deferment: The mother of one of his cousins told her son that he should get married and have a baby to keep him from going to war (known as “hiding behind a diaper”). He supposedly responded to that suggestion, “No thank you, Mom. Marriage is for life and this war will be over soon!”
During WWII every man, woman, and child living in the County was affected. Food items such as sugar, butter, coffee, shoes, gas, and automobile tires were all in short supply, so the Government instituted a rationing program. Rationing stamps were issued monthly and were mailed to each householdonly to qualifying individuals, based upon the number of dependents per family. If a family used up all their stamps before the next monthly issue, they had to do without things they needed. Large items, such as shoes and tires, required more stamps than did smaller items, such as sugar. For example, a pair of shoes might require the equivalent of ten dollars in stamps, whereas a five pound bag of sugar might require forty cents. Gas was also rationed to a specified number of gallons per month per household.
Also many Clay County families were uprooted and moved to Atlanta, Georgia area to help build fighter bombers for the Bell Bomber Plant in Marietta.
Korean War (1950 to 1953) About 135 Clay County young men were either drafted or volunteered for active duty in Korea (CDFAC, Looking Back in Honor of All Who Served, 50th Anniversary, 2000). Many served active duty in all four services: Army, Marine Corps, Navy, and Air Force. Yes, even some copped-out by “hiding behind a diaper.”
Viet Nam War (1964 to 1975) The various publications of the CDFAC’s Looking Back in Honor, list 152 from Clay County who served in the Viet Nam War. Sam Davis, Jr., who flew combat missions in a helicopter, says, “Viet Nam has a beautiful terrain.” But Ronald Ford, during his ground tour, had a different perspective than Davis, and remembers his encounter with large cobra snakes lurking in the rice paddies.
Persian Gulf War (1991)During this conflict 10 citizens served from Clay County, and all of these were in the National Guard Detachment 2/l0 MP Company headquartered in Murphy, North Carolina, and saw active duty when their unit was deployed.
Iraq War (2003 to Present)Sixteen young people from Clay County have served or are still serving in this War. Several of these had also been in the Persian Gulf War when their National Guard unit for this area was called to active duty again.
|
|
|
| | | |
|
