William A. (W.A.) Duncan

This information was taken from Tennessee Civil War Questionnaires as transcribed in Vol. 2, p. 738-39 and from a copy of the original document received by the Tennessee Historical Commission, Dept of Libraries and History, AC # 20. 

W. A. Duncan of Wilson Co. TN volunteered for the Confederacy at age 16 in 1863, at Sumner Co. TN. He entered service in Company G at Knoxville under Captain John Williamson.  He was later in Company D, 9th Regiment, Tennessee Calvary serving under Generals Morgan at Chickamauga and Wheeler in Ohio.  He was wounded in the right side at the Battle of Mt. Sterling, KY and later captured.  He was paroled May 8, 1865, at Athens (Woodstock) Georgia.  After the war, he returned to Wilson Co., married and later moved to Gibson Co TN prior to moving to Weakley County in 1904 where he died 30 Aug, 1927.

1.  State your full name and present post office address:  W.A. Duncan, Rt. 7, Martin Tennessee

2.  State your age now:  75 years

3.  In what State and county were you born?  Tennessee, Wilson Co.

4.  Were you a Confederate or Federal soldier?  Confederate Soldier

5.  Name of your Company:  Company G   Number of Regiment   I don�t know, it was called by three or four different numbers but never did know which was right. Col. Williams(on) was our commander.

6.  What was the occupation of your father?  Farmer

7.  Give full name of your father:  William Spencer Duncan  Born at  Carthage  in the County of   Smith  State of  Tennessee.  He lived at:  in Wilson Co. when he died.  Give also any particulars concerning him, as official position, war services, etc. books written by, etc.  He did not live but a few years after he married,  his occupation was farming.

8.  Maiden name in full (of) your mother.  Eliza Chambers, she did not live long.  She was the daughter of  Lewis Chambers  and his wife  Ann Chambers  who lived at in Wilson County.

9.  Remarks on Ancestry.  Give here any and all facts possible in reference to your parents, grandparents, great-grandparents, etc., not included in the foregoing, as where they lived, offices held, Revolutionary or other war service; what country the family came from to America, first settled, county and state; always give full names (if possible), and never referring to an ancestor simply as such without giving the name.  It is desirable to include ever fact possible, and to that end the full and exact record from old Bibles should be appended on separate sheets of this size, thus preserving the facts from loss:  My Father and Mother died when I was a small child.  don�t remember nothing about them more than I have given.  My Grandfather Chambers father came (from) Ireland to North Carolina and moved (blurred) to Wilson County and settled and lived at the same place as long as he lived.  this is all I know on that line.  he was a little boy during the Revolutionary war.  what little I know I hears him tell.  (The following added at end of question # 45): My grandfather Duncan�s father came from Scotland so was Scotty Irish descent.  They settled in Virginia and my grandfather came to Tennessee.  He was in the War of 1812.  He was a farmer.  His full name was William Spencer Duncan.  His wife was Nancy Skott which was her maiden name and married my grandfather.

10.  If you owned land or other property at the opening of the war, state what kind of property you owned, and state the value of your property as near as you can:  I did not own any property of any kind.  I was but about 14 years old when the war began.

11.  Did you or your parents own slaves?  If  so, how many?  did not own any

12.  If your parents owned land, state how many acres:  50 acres, I think

13.  State as near as you can the value of all the property owned by your parents, including land, when the war opened: My parents both died many years before the war and my grandfather Chambers taken me and took care of me till I went to the war.

14.  What kind of house did your parents occupy?  State whether it was a log house or frame house or built of other material, and state the number of rooms it had:  I think it was a log house.  as to the number of rooms I can�t say for I never saw it.  The place was sold after my father�s death.  I lived with my grandfather Chambers.    

15.  As a boy and young man, state what kind of work you did.  If you worked on a farm, state to what extent you plowed, worked with a hoe and did other kinds of similar work.  (Certain historians claim that white men would not so work of this sort before the war.)  Yes, I worked on my grandfather�s farm till I went in the army.  did all kinds of work.

16.  State clearly what kind of work your father did and what the duties of your mother were.  State all kinds of work done in the house as well as you can remember;  that is, cooking, spinning, weaving, etc. I just do remember my father and mother so I can�t answer that question but suppose she did as long as she was able to.  nearly all the women folks did their house duties.

17.  Did your parents keep any servants?  If so, how many?  Do (not) know 

18.  How was honest toil as plowing, hauling, and other sorts of honest work of this class regarded in your
community? Yes sir,  it was considered honorable in every sense of the word

19.  Did the white men in your community generally engage in such work? Yes sir, those that had slaves worked as a general thing

20.  To what extent were there white men in your community leading lives of idleness and having others do their work for them?  In my community nearly all men worked unless it was some old men that had slaves.

21.  Did the white men who owned slaves mingle freely with those who did not own slaves, or did slaveholders in any way show by their actions that they felt themselves better than respectable, honorable men who did not own slaves?  An honorable man, let him have slaves or not have slaves, was looked upon with as much respect as the one that had slaves  

22.  At the churches, at the schools, at public gatherings in general, did slave-holders and non-slave-holders
mingle on a footing of equality?  Yes sir, all went to the same and to the same school house

23.  Was there a friendly feeling between  slave-holders and non-slave-holders in your community, or were they antagonistic to each other?  Yes sir, all friendly with 

24.  In a political contest in which one candidate owned slaves and the other did not, did the fact that one candidate owned slaves help any in winning the contest?  No sir, each man as a general thing voted for his party.

25.  Were the opportunities good in your community for a poor young man, honest and industrious, to save up enough to buy a small farm or go in business for himself?  Yes sir, a poor man a good worker and a good manager could work out as many has done such a thing and start with nothing 

26.  Were poor, honest, industrious young men, who were ambitious to make something of themselves, encouraged or discouraged by slaveholders?  encouraged

27.  What kind of school or schools did you attend?  country schools

28.  How long did you go to school altoghether?  I don�t know.  I commenced going when I was 7 or 8 years old � went some every year  

29.  How far was it to the nearest school?  I had to go from one to three miles but that was fun for children those days.

30.  What school or schools were in operation in your neighborhood?  One near Athens Church, one at a little village called Taylorsville and one near Bethel Church.  Schools were convenient for all children to go

31.  Was the school in your community private or public?  publick some and private when publick was out

32.  About how many months in the year did it run?   Somewhere from 3 to 5 months

33.  Did the boys and girls in your school attend pretty regularly?  Yes sirs, did very well

34.  Was the teacher of the school you attended a man or a woman?  Man � never went to a woman in my life.

35.  In what year and month and at what place did you enlist in the service of the Confederacy or the Federal Governmnet?  I was living with my grandfather in Wilson county and enlisted in the Confederate army in the month of August I think at Knoxville Tennessee  in the year 1863 � joined
the regiment of Morgan men that made the escape from the Ohio raid.

36.  After enlistment, where was your company sent first?  went from Knoxville to Chickamauga

37.  How long after enlistment before your company engaged in battle?  was in the battle of eva ford?? in the beginning � begun to fight on Friday

38.  What was the first battle you engaged in?  Chickamauga

39.  State in your own words your experience in the War from this time on to its close.  State where you went after the first battle, what you did, what other battles you engaged in, how long they lasted, what the results were; state how you lived in camp, how you were clothed, how you slept, what you had to eat, how you were exposed to the cold, hunger and disease.  If you were in the hospital or in prison, state your experience here.  You know General Morgan was in prison.  Those that made their escape from Ohio was put under General Wheeler�s command and went with him back in Tennessee and when they came back, our squad of about 400 men was sent on up on the Tennessee River near Harrison (from 
question #46) to do picket duty but was not up there long before the yankey crossed the Tennessee River and then we moved down to Missionary Ridge and picketed and done guard duty.  We was in that battle and all battles back and helped.  We helped cover Braggs in back.  Stayed with army �til
Gen Morgan made his escape from prison then he came and gathered up the remnent of his command.  Morgan was sent with his to Virginia.  Then we soldiered the balance of the war, had many battles with the yankees in Virginia.  I was with Morgan and his last raid in Kentucky and was wounded at Mount Sterling then we went from there to Lexington and had a battle there.  From there to Cythania, had a battle there.  From there to Fleminsburg and then I was left on parole.  My fever got so high I could not go any more.  I stay there till I could get back to the army, back to my command which was with the General.  When he was killed then General Duke took his place so I staid till the war was over. . 

40.  When and where were you discharged?  At Athens Georgia the 8th of May 

41.  Tell something of your trip home?  All of us that had horses rode them back home and it came in very handy to make a crop with.  I made it back home all right but with a sad heart.

42.  What type of work did you take up when you got back home?  Farming

43.  Give a sketch of your life since the close of Civil War stating what kind of business you have engaged in, where you have lived, your church relations, etc.  If you have held any office or offices, state what it was.  You may state here any other facts connected with your life and experience which has not been brought out by the questions.  I came home and went farming my old trade as that was all the trade I ever have tried to learn.  In 1868 I went to Texas and stayed there 2 years, made 2 crops, then went back to Wilson County Tennessee.  Married in 1873 and in 5 or 6 years went to Arkansas, stayed one year, went to Wilson County, lived there a good many years, then I came to West Tennessee, Weakley County where I am now camping.

44.  On a separate sheet give the names of some of the great men you have known or met in your time and tell some of the circumstances of the meeting or incidents in their lives.  Also add any further reminisences. 
(Use all the space you want). ---------------   
 
45.  Give the names of all the members of your company you can remember (If you know the where the Roster of them is, please make special note of it).   Now you have asked me a hard question as it has been a long time since the war and I never was good on rembering names.  No, I can�t tell where the roster is to be had or where the records are kept of the Confederate Soldiers � I guess that would be Washington City.  Now I will give you all the names � don�t know how many are living if any beside myself you see?  There�s more company that lives in Ohio country that I know of and I have been living down here over 20 years.  David Barry, Josh Kerney, James Littleton, James Johnson, James Smith, Lige Puryear, Dave Puryear, Capt. Wiseman, Noel Harper, Nathan Lyons, William Wright, William McDonald, John Dockins, James Clary, James Phifer, James Ereedel.  This is all I can remember and they may be all dead.  I did not have room enough to finish telling you in No.9.(see #9) 

46.  Give the NAME and POST OFFICE ADDRESS of living veterans of the Civil War, whether members of your company or not; whether Tennesseans or from other States:  Now you have asked me another hard question.  I don�t know of but one, name P.C. Wagster, Martin, Weakley County,  Tennessee Route 7.  (I would like to) say more about General Wheeler in Question 39.  (see #39)  Well, I�m sorry.   I can do better but I can�t get up to your history.  Tennessee needs a hnistory.  It hs been so long since the war, a person can�t remember every thing.

Wishing success,

W. A. Duncan, Martin, Tennessee, Route 7.

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Submitted by David Duncan, great-grandson