History of Fort Hamby

History of Fort Hamby

These pages are dedicated to the memory of all the men from North Carolina that fought in the Civil War.

THE HISTORY OF FORT HAMBY
THE LANDMARK, STATESVILLE
NOVEMBER 15, 1895
By Robert L. Flowers

In March, 1865, General Stoneman left eastern Tennessee, moving by the
turnpike leading from Taylorsville, Tennessee into Watauga County to Deep
Gap in the Blue Ridge. On the 26th March, he entered Boone, N.C. and on
the 27th the column was divided; one division under General Stoneman
marched towards Wilkesboro while the other, under General Gillam, crossed
the Blue Ridge at Blowing Rock and went to Patterson in Caldwell County
and then joined Stoneman in Wilkesboro, not leaving Wilkesboro until the
31st March, when General Stoneman loved over into Surry County going
towards Mount Airy.

Stoneman’s men committed many depredations, destroying a great deal
of property. A certain element of his command found this a good country
to plunder and on leaving Wilkesboro a number of them deserted. Shortly
after this, a number of lawless men, most of them deserters from Stoneman’s
army, together with other worthless characters, Wade and Simmons,
terrorized a large portion of Wilkes County by their frequent raids.

In order to fully understand the situation, the condition of the country must
be taken into consideration. Almost every man who was fit for military
service was in the army and the country was almost completely at the mercy
of this band of robbers. It was thought that when Lee surrendered and the
soldiers were returning home, that these depredations would cease but they
did not.

These marauders were divided into two bands: one led by Simmons had
its headquarters in the Bushy Mountains and the other, led by Wade, had
its headquarters near the Yadkin River in Wilkes County. The bands at
times operated together but it is principally with Wade’s band that this article
is to deal.

The house which wade had chosen and fortified was situated near the road
which led from Wilkesboro to Lenoir and about a mile from Holman’s Ford
where the valley road crosses the Yadkin River. The house was situated on
a high hill, commanding a fine view of the Yadkin Valley and of the valley
road for a distance of a mile above and a mile below the ford. The house
fronted the river on the south while the rear was protected by the “Flat Woods”
belt in which there were sympathizers if not aiders and abetters of the band.
From this position, the Yadkin Valley as far as Holman’s Ford and the
surrounding country for at least half a mile in every direction could be swept
and controlled by Wade’s guns.

There is a legend that this hill was selected by Daniel Boone as a splendid
military post to protect himself against the Indians. At any rate, it would
have been almost impossible to have chosen a stronger location both
offensive and defensive, than this one.

The house was built of oak logs and was two stories high. In the upper story,
Wade had cut port holes for his guns which were army guns of the most
improved type and could command the approaches to the house from all
directions, making it indeed hazardous to attempt to reach it. This house
belonged to a widow named Hamby and after Wade had taken possession
and fortified it, it was known as “Fort Hamby”.

The exact number of men engaged in these depredations is unknown though
“it has been stated on good authority to have at one time exceeded thirty”.
(Hon. R.Z. Linney) Making this their headquarters, they began to plunder the
surrounding country and from their cruelty it appears that their objective was
to gratify the spirit of revenge as well as to enrich themselves. Their cruelty
is shown by this act: a woman was working in a field near Holman’s Ford
having a little child with her. The child climbed on the fence and the men in
the fort began to fire at it and finally killed it.

They marched as a well drilled military force, armed with the best rifles. It
was only a short time before they brought the citizens for many miles around
in every direction completely under their dominion. They plundered the best
farms, subjected men and women to gross insults. Emboldened by their
success in Wilkes County, they made a raid into Caldwell County.

On the 7th May, 1865, Major Harvey Bingham (late of Statesville), with about
a half dozen men from Caldwell and Watauga Counties, attempted to route
the marauders from their stronghold in Fort Hamby.

On Sunday night, after their raid into Caldwell, Major Bingham made a well
planned move on the fort at a late hour of the night. For some reason, Wade
and his men were not aware of their approach until they had entered the house
which they found unfastened. The men announced to Bingham their defenseless
condition and begged for their lives. No guns were seen and they were, as
Bingham thought, his prisoners. They gave Wade and his men time to dress
after which, at a moment when their captors were off their guard, Wade and
his men rushed to their guns which were concealed about their beds and fired
upon them. The result was that young Clark, a son of General Clark of Caldwell
County and Henly of the same county, were killed. The others escaped leaving
the bodies of Clark and Henly.

Being encouraged by the failure of Bingham to dislodge them, they began to
enlarge their territory that they wanted to plunder. About a week previous to
this attempt to capture them, Simmons with his band had crossed into
Alexander County and made a raid on General McCurdy, a well-to-do planter.

About this time, Mr. W.C. Green, who had returned from the army after the
surrender, received word from a friend in Wilkes County that Wade had planned
to move into Alexander County and make a raid on his father, Rev. J.B. Green
and kill him (W.C. Green) if found.

The house was fortified, the doors and windows being barred. They also took
five Negroes into their confidence and received from them the promise to assist
in defending the house against attack from Wade. They found they had firearms
enough to shoot eighteen times without reloading and they also provided weapons
for the Negroes. They were determined to resist an attack to the best of their ability.

Wade started across the Bushy Mountains on Saturday, May 13 and reached
Mr. Green’s that evening about dark. W.C. Green saw a number of mounted men
halt on the road above the house and he immediately concluded that they were
Wade’s men. He notified his father and mustered the Negroes in the dining hall.
All the lights were extinguished though the moon was shining brightly.

J.B. Green then stationed himself at the front door with a revolver in one hand and
a dirk in the other. W.C. Green took his position at a window commanding a view
of the front gate and porch. The Negroes were stationed to protect the house from
attacks in the rear.

Three men with guns approached the house in front, one of them being Wade,
who had on a bright Confederate uniform, which he always wore on his raids,
posing as a Confederate soldier when necessary to gain admission into houses
he wished to plunder. The other members of the band had taken another route
and surrounded the house in the rear, though this was unknown to the occupants
at first.

Wade pretended that they were Confederate soldiers, that they belonged to the
cavalry and now were on their way home having been detained on account of
sickness. J.B. Green told him that he lied, that he knew who he was and that
he could not enter his house except over his dead body. Some of the men had
by this time come up in the rear and were trying to force entrance. When this
fact was reported to W.C. Green, he rushed to the rear, knocked out a pane of
glass and opened fire upon them, wounding one.

This seemingly unexpected turn of affairs appeared to frighten them and they
began to retreat. J.B. Green and W.C. Green rushed out and opened fire on the
band as they retreated, Wade and his men all the time returning the fire. Their
retreat was so rapid that they left two of their horses where they had tied them.

It was found out afterwards that five of the men had remained in W.C. Linney’s
store, just below Mr. Green’s house, and had not taken part in the attack. It
was Sunday morning before news of the raid was circulated. W.C. Green
reported the fact at York Collegiate Institute and several soldiers from there
volunteered. By 10:00 22 men, most of them Confederate soldiers, were ready
for the pursuit. There were in the company several Confederate officers and they
were still wearing their uniforms. Colonel Wash. Sharpo was placed in command
of the company and they started in pursuit.

The first news of Wade was when they left “Law’s Gap”. Here it was found out
that Wade had camped in the Bushy Mountains part of the night after leaving
Mr. Green’s and that about sunrise he had made a raid on Mr. Laws and had
compelled him to give up his money. He informed the men that two of Wade’s
men were wounded.

They followed the trail and found that five miles from Wilkesboro, Wade’s men
had left the public road and had taken a shorter route by way of Hix’s Mill and
Holme’s Ford to Fort Hamby. The ford was reached on the evening and after
crossing the river and traveling along the public road about half a mile the
pursuing party left the public road and followed a private road which led to a
creek at the base of the hill on which the Hamby house stood. “In the plan
of attack part of the company under Captain G.W. Flowers was to approach
from the north while the other, under the command of Captain Ellis, were to
approach from the south and then the two parties were to surround the fort.

In the enthusiasm of the moment all seemed to forget the danger to which they
were exposed in marching up to the house. “Colonel Flowers’ men had gotten
within 75 yards and part of Captain Ellis’ men within twenty yards of the fort
when Wade’s men poured a volley of Minnie balls through the port holes.”
(Hon. R.Z. Linney) James K. Linney and James Brown were killed. Linney
had charged bravely and was shot in the head when on the east side of the
house. Brown had charged up the hill on the west side when he was wounded
in the thigh, dying soon afterwards.

A few of the men were compelled to jump from their horses and throw themselves
on the ground in order to keep from being shot. Their horses became frightened
and breaking loose from their riders, rand to where the robbers had tied their
horses. Those of the horses that escaped were the ones Wade’s men had left
behind at Mr. Green’s. The soldiers were compelled to leave their horses.

Under the deadly fire from the fort, the soldiers were compelled to retire. The
force was now divided, part having fallen back across the creek and part having
reached the pines east of the building. There was little chance to reunite and
after waiting until dark, the men withdrew, some reaching Moravian Falls that
night. These met the others at “Squire” Hubbard’s the next morning. In retreating,
the soldiers were compelled to leave behind the bodies of Linney and Brown.
Wade’s men buried them near the fort.

The soldiers returned to Alexander County and raised a large company, a strong
force having been brought from Iredell County under the command of Wallace
Sharpe. On Wednesday the force set out towards Fort Hamby. After crossing
Cove’s Gap, a courier was sent back to Iredell County to request Captain Cowan
to raise a company and come to assist them; also another courier was sent to
Statesville to an encampment of Federal soldiers to inform them of the condition
of things and to ask their assistance. Before reaching Moravian Falls, they
received a message from Wade, saying “Come on. I am looking for you. I
can whip a thousand of you.”

It was dark when Holman’s Ford was reached and some one in the woods in
front gave an order to halt. The soldiers thought it was Wade’s band and they
were about to fire on them when it was found out that it was a company from
Caldwell under the command of Captain Isaac Oxford on the same mission.

They were encamped and had out their sentinels. The two companies then
camped together that night and before day formed a line of march. Moving up
the river, they crossed at a small ford and reached the main road where Mr.
Talbert lived. There they found a woman who was dying. She had been shot
the day before by the men from the fort when she and her husband were coming
to the ford in a wagon on the opposite side of the river nearly a mile distant.

Mr. Talbert begged the men to go back. He told them Wade was expecting them
and had sent for re-enforcements. He told them it was impossible to dislodge
the band and to attempt it and fail would only make the conditions worse.

Captain R.M. Sharpe of Alexander County assumed command of both companies.
W.R. Gwaltney was sent with a small body of men to reach a high hill overlooking
a creek (Lenoir’s Ford) and to remain there while the main body marched around
to the north and east of the fort. The fire of a gun was to notify Mr. Gwaltney that
the company had reached its position.

Before the house could be surrounded, one or two men were seen to escape from
the house. They were fired upon but got away. The supposition is that they had
gone to notify members of the other band and that they would come to assist Wade.

By daylight, the fort was surrounded. The men were placed about twenty steps apart.
The soldiers kept up a fire on the fort and at intervals during the day and night while
Wade’s men returned it, shooting with great accuracy. The soldiers were compelled
to lie between logs and trees or out of fire of the guns. It almost seemed an
impossibility to take the fort. “Some of the bravest men were in favor of giving up while
others said death was preferable to being run over by such devils.” (Rev. W.R.
Gwaltney)

This state of affairs continued until the night of the 19th when the lines were moved
up nearer. About 4:00 in the morning Wallace and Sharpe and W.A. Daniel crept
up behind the kitchen and set it on fire. The flames from this soon reached the fort
and the sight of the fire seemed to completely unnerve Wade and his men. “What
terms will you give us?” cried out Wade. “We will shoot you”, answered Sharpe
from behind the burning kitchen.

It was now almost daybreak and several men began to rush up. Wade made a rush
towards the river through a body of Caldwell County men who were advancing. He
was fired on but on account of the darkness got away. This was a great
disappointment. Four men were captured—Beck, Church, Lockwood and another
whose name could not be ascertained.

The flames which had caught the fort were extinguished. In the house was found
property of almost all kinds. Fine ladies dresses and bonnets had been taken for
the dissolute women who had taken up their abode with them. About twenty horses
were found staked near the building. Some of the property was returned to the
owners.

The men who were captured plead for a trial according to the course and practice
of the courts. They were informed that they would be disposed of summarily as
they had disposed of Clark, Henly, Brown and Linney. Stakes were put up and
on their way to their execution they were given time to pray, and they knelt down
but the prayer was “Oh, men, spare us.” Wallace Sharpe replied “Men, pray to
God, do not pray to us. He alone can save you.”

Captain Sharpe requested W.R. Gwaltney to pray, but he replied that he never felt
so little like praying in his life. Captain Isaac Oxford said “If you will hold my gun,
I will pray”, but instead of praying for the men, the thanked God that they were
about to be brought to justice and that none of their party had been killed. At that
time, Rev. W.R. Gwaltney offered an earnest prayer and they were tied to the
stakes and shot “as nearly in strict conformity to military usage as these old
Confederate soldiers under the excitement of the occasion could conform to.”

After the prisoners were shot, the fort was again set on fire. When the flames
reached the cellar, the firing of guns was like a hot skirmish. Wade’s men had
stored away a great many loaded guns and a large amount of ammunition.

Wade was seen in the vicinity of the fort a few days later. He claimed to have
been a major in Stoneman’s command and a native of Michigan. He said that
he had escaped to the Yadkin River and had remained under the banks the entire
night. He also said that in searching for him, several times men had come within
six feet of him.

On the return to Alexander, Capt. Cowan, from Iredell, was met with a small body
of men on their way to Fort Hamby and also a company of Federal troops stationed
at Statesville were encountered on their way to the fort. They were told of what had
been done. “the captain ordered three cheers which was given with great good will.”
(Dr. W.C. Green)

The bodies of Linney and Brown were brought back home for final burial.

Although all the men were not brought to justice, the depredations ceased to be
committed.

Robert L. Flowers

Transcribed by Christine Spencer June 2008