Museum Corner August 2020
Civil War soldier Samuel T. Smith and his wife, Elizabeth Buher Smith from Springville. He is one of the entire voting population of Perry Township, Lawrence County who answered Abraham Lincoln’s call for volunteers in 1861. Elizabeth became a widow when Samuel died in 1864 at Missionary Ridge near Chattanooga, Tenn.
UNSUNG HEROES
By Becky Buher, guest columnist, printed in the Times-Mail newspaper Aug. 5, 2020
“Entire voting population of Perry Township, Lawrence County, answered Abraham Lincoln’s call for volunteers in 1861.” This quote was printed in a 1928 “Indianapolis News” full-page story about Springville, Ind. Widows of some of those volunteer soldiers were still living at that time.
Samuel T. Smith and his brother, Peter, were two of the Springville men who answered Lincoln’s call and served to help maintain the union of the United States.
Samuel and Peter’s mother had died when they were just children. The young brothers then lived in Pulaski County Kentucky under the care of their mother’s parents, Robert and Winnie Atkinson Tate. Their grandfather was a slave owner. Although a religious man, their grandfather did not free his slaves in his lifetime. Samuel and Peter were Southern boys who had learned to hate human slavery. In today’s vernacular, we could say Samuel and Peter understood that black lives mattered.
As young men, they visited Springville, Ind., where their mother’s sister, Mrs. Milton (Mary) Short lived. Samuel and Peter fell in love with two Springville girls. Samuel married Elizabeth Bugher in 1853, and Peter married Phoebe Ferguson in 1855.
When the brothers went off to fight in the Civil War, the townspeople promised to help their families. The soldiers were community heroes at first, but soon help faded and their families were nearly destitute at times.
Samuel wrote letters to his wife Elizabeth (Lizzie) and children Joe, Sarah Ellen and Pauline in Springville. Through these letters, we can still “hear” him today and experience his disgust with secessionists and the Copperhead movement back at home in the North.
Samuel was a common man with a simple education. We learn in his letters that Lizzie could not read and had to have help from others to know what her husband’s letters said.
On Jan. 17, 1862, Samuel wrote that he was glad Lizzie had started schooling so that she could write her own letters. In the next letter, he said he was sorry she had to quit her schooling. Often, he wrote of his concern for Lizzie, their children and Peter’s wife, Phoebe and his family. Samuel wanted Lizzie to be sure their son, Joe, went to school.
In his last letter on Nov. 22, 1863, he said he had sent $40 to her through the regiment’s chaplain. It would be available at Isaac Rector’s bank at Bedford. He was willing to get by on half rations rather than to give up or fall back from Chattanooga. He hoped to have plenty of rations soon, wanted her to hear a preacher he recommended, said his brother, Peter, was well and asked Capt. Dean to write. Mostly, he needed to hear from her—“write immediately.”
The next day Samuel was killed as his regiment stormed Missionary Ridge near Chattanooga, Tenn.
Peter survived the war and came back to Springville to his two children, but while he had been away at war, his wife, Phoebe, had died.
The following letter was written Aug. 7, 1864, to Joseph Smith, Samuel and Peter’s father in Pulaski Co., Ky.:
“I have the honor to report the following fact concerning the conduct and the soldiery apparence of Samuel T. Smith, a Private of Co. F 15th Indiana Volunteer Infantry. Said Smith enlisted as a Soldier in defence of this Country, April 22nd, 1861 and Remained in the Service until November 25th, 1863. He was killed at said time in storming Missionary Ridge and is buried in the U.S. Cemetery at Chattanooga, Tennessee. He was one of the Cleanest and Best disciplined Soldiers in said Company and was frequently Best in the Regiment as is shown by my inspection book. He was as brave a man as ever marched up on a Battlefield. I have seen him tried in several engagements and he never flinched from his duty, however, perilous it may have been, he performed his duty as a soldier with respect to himself and to his Commanding Officer. Acquitted himself with honor to himself and all of his relatives. He was an honor to his parents and they should be ever Proud of the name of Samuel T. Smith, their son. He died a faithful soldier and a dear lover of his country.” Signed: J.E. Dean, Capt., Co. F, 15th Indiana Volunteers, Springville, Indiana.
Source: “Life and Letters of Pvt. Samuel T. Smith, Fifteenth Indiana Reg. Volunteers, Civil War,” published by Monroe County Historical Society, Bloomington, Indiana. This book will soon be available in the Lawrence County Museum giftshop.