Donald Horton
October 2002
Henry Claiborne Horton (1835 -1914)
Shelby Grays which became Company A
Fourth Regiment, Tennessee Infantry
The military history of Henry Claiborne Horton (1835 -1914) son of Henry Hollis Horton (1811-1881) and half-brother to Laurence Horton (1868- 1951) - who was the grandfather of Donald Horton.
In Memphis, Tennessee in 1861 Henry Claiborne Horton enlisted in the Shelby Grays which became Company A, Fourth Regiment, Tennessee Infantry. The company was organized in February 1861.
The 4th Regiment was mustered in to State service (Provisional Army of Tennessee) in Germantown, Tenn. 15 May 1861, transferred to Confederate service August, 1861; reorganized April 25,1862; consolidated with the 5th Tennessee Infantry Regiment in December, 1862; formed part of Company D,3rd Consolidated Tennessee Infantry Regiment April 9, 1865; paroled in Greensboro, North Carolina May 1, 1865.
Field Officers
Colonels
Rufus Neely, Otho French Strahl, Andrew J.Kellar
Lieutenant Colonels
Otho French Strahl, Andrew J.Kellar, Luke Finlay
Majors
John Henry, Luke Finlay, Henry Hampton
Captains
Company A "The Shelby Grays."
Men from Shelby County. James Somerville, Thomas Francis
To see more on the 4th Tennessee on the web go to:
http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Hills/4427/gig.htm#4th%20Tennessee
From the Memphis Commercial Appeal of May 15, 1909 - "Forty-eight Years Ago Today" - The Shelby Grays were Memphians. Their members were from the most distinguished families of this city. They gave a good account of themselves during the war. There were many transfers from their company and most were in the nature of promotions to other organizations. The organization was in eighteen pitched battles and was under fire almost every day during the advance of Sherman from Chattanooga to Atlanta. When Hood cut loose from Atlanta and came north, the company was part of his army and was in the fights at Franklin and Nashville.
Henry Horton's messmates were James E. Beasley, who after two years was promoted to Gen. Strahl's staff; Bevely Thurman was his bed-follow; W. H. Weaton and two Torian brothers. Thurman's negro servant cooked for their mess. Two other of these men carried body servants.
Henry Horton fought in the battles of : Belmont Mo.; Shiloh, Tenn. Perryville, Ky.; Murfressboro , Tenn.; Chickamauga, Tenn.; Missionary Ridge, Tenn.; Resacca, Ga.; Rocky Face Ridge, Ga.; New Hope Church, Ga.; Elsbury Mountain Ga.; Atlanta (July 22), Ga.; Atlanta (July 28), Ga.; Jonesboro, Ga.; Franklin, Tenn.; and Nashville, Tenn.
The first man killed in the company was an orderly sergeant who was standing beside Henry Horton. A cannon ball ricochetted and struck the man, killing him instantly.
After the battle of Murfressboro when no danger was suspected, Capt. Francis and several of his men, among them Henry Horton, were lying down under a tree when a cannon ball "hurled among them and wounded Capt. Francis in the foot". The wound was so serious his foot was amputated. The following day Henry Horton and an Irishman were standing under a tree and a cannon ball burst over their heads and part of it struck the Irishman, scattering his brains on Horton. In telling of the incident Mr. Horton laconically remarked, "I got away from that tree."
The closest call Henry Horton had was at Missionary Ridge. He was among 300 men detailed to go into the valley and support a picket line. When a Yankee's regiment (three lines deep) attacked, the pickets fell back to the bottom of the ridge to some deep rifle pits. According to his story about half of these were shot down in 20 minutes with hardly a man killed in the rifle pits. When the Yankee's out flanked the pit they had to run for it up the ridge. Half of the three hundred lost their lives in this retreat. He was struck in the back by bullet that had rebounded off of a tree.
He was on picket duty at Spring Hill the night before Franklin and captured a "Federal and his horse." He rode the horse beside his Colonel who was killed on Franklin's field that day. He asked his Col. for permission to visit his grandmother, this was granted, but before he could do so the battle was about to start so he hitched his horse behind a rock fence and entered the battle with his regiment. "He fought at the locust thicket, where battle was most fierce and was among the Confederates who climbed the breastworks of the enemy. Next morning he found the horse where he had left him." He visited his grandmother who had a new suit of clothes of Federal Clothes from which she had "cut the U.S. buttons and had put on others, and which she had dyed beautifully."
At Nashville he was on a skirmish line and during the fight, unknown to the skirmish line, the main body fell back. He endeavored to escape but was shot in the back with his knapsack saving his life and was captured.
"In the lining of his clothes he had slipped gold coins which served him a good turn while he was prisoner at Camp Douglas, near Chicago."
In April 1865 he started on exchange and they learned of Lee's surrender and were stopped at Point Lookout, Maryland and held until the middle of July. His father Henry Hollis Horton (my great grandfather) had moved to South Alabama so he went there.
Henry Horton said his rations were meager at times "but he would eke out his little store." "He said too, that he never saw the time when he could not have on clean shirt."
Words in quotes came from entries from the Commercial Appeal from published statements by his wife and daughter in a Henderson County History.
