Six months out of the year I
live in the historical town of Waynesville, North Carolina.
I never knew how historical until last year when I attended events to
mark the 150th Year of the American Civil War.
Come to find out, Waynesville lays claim to holding the notable
distinction of where the last shot of the Civil War was fired east of the
Mississippi.
With the
news of General Lee's surrender traveling slowly, the Civil War continued in
Western North Carolina. A Confederate
unit known as Thomas' Legion of Cherokee Indians and Highlanders led by
Lieutenant Robert T. Conley were passing through the woods in Sulphur Springs
(present day, Waynesville) when they stumbled into the camp of the 2nd North
Carolina Mounted Infantry Regiment led by Lieutenant Colonel William C.
Bartlett. Conley rapidly formed a
skirmish line and began firing causing the Union soldiers to run in
confusion. One of Bartlett's men, James
Arwood was killed during the skirmish.
The Union
soldiers retreated into Waynesville and Thomas' Legion surrounded the town. The following day, May 7, Confederate
commanders General James Green Martin and Colonel William Holland Thomas (for
whom the Legion was named) met with Bartlett at the Battle House in Waynesville
in order to negotiate the surrender of the Union forces. Martin and Thomas were
made aware that General Joseph E. Johnston had capitulated in Durham, North
Carolina on April 26th, so Martin and Thomas surrendered their Confederate
troops instead.
Last Shot Confederate Memorial
erected by the United Daughters of the Confederacy.
I attended the reenactment of the battle.
An interesting
side note about Colonel William Holland Thomas is that he served concurrently
as Chief of the Eastern Band of Cherokee and as a member of the North Carolina
State Senate (1848-1861), the only white man to have ever served as Principal
Chief of the Cherokee Indians. Adopted
by Chief Yonaguska, Thomas learned to read, write and speak Cherokee at a young
age.
Colonel Thomas' grave at Waynesville Cemetery.
The yellow flag is the official flag of the
Eastern Band of the Cherokee Nation
who continue to honor their great white chief.
As another
side note, it
is a matter of odd historical fact that the last shot of the Civil War west of the Mississippi was fired from the Confederate Navy ship, the CSS Shenandoah across
the bow of a New Bedford whaling ship in the Bering Sea off Siberia on June 22,
1865, more than a month after the war had actually ended.
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Wishing everyone Happy Trails!
