Millard Haire (at Shelton Graves)

[steve hiker]

Anyone know who Millard F. Haire was? His tomb is placed with the graves of the more famous William and David Shelton, who sided with the Union and were killed by Confederate troops as they made their way home in North Carolina. He was born in 1850 and died 1863. (I've posted pics of the gravestone and plaque in my gallery.)

Opposite his headstone is a plaque placed by his descendents. I'm thinking the Sheltons were probably his older brother and uncle.

[Jack Tarlin]

Millard Haire was a "he." I believe he was a cousin of the Shelton brothers, who were killed in July 1863 by neighbors who resented their serving in the Union Army. Haire was evidently an innocent bystander who was in attendance at the family gathering where the Sheltons were ambushed and killed.

[jeepcj258]

Interesting stuff! Keep it coming!

God Bless
Seth

[The Old Fhart]

I believe Jack is essentially right. If I recall the Sheltons gravestones were placed around 1915? by the War Dept. but the 13 year old relative's grave didn't get a stone because he wasn't in the service. Apparently the boy's grave was marked much later by relatives.

[Jack Tarlin]

Seth---

It's a little-known fact but there were quite a few people in Western North Carolina who were Union sympathizers, primarily because of the slave issue.
(For reasons of economics and geography, a much smaller percentage of western North Carolinians owned slaves as compared to the folks in the Eastern parts of the state).

In any case, the Sheltons fought for the north. I know one of them was in a mounted infantry unit; I'm not sure about his brother. They returned to Madison County for a family re-union and were shot from ambush, probably be people who knew them well.

One interesting thing: If you look at the date on Haire's grave marker, you'll see that the ambush took place at the exact same time that North Carolinians were fighting and dying in great numbers at Gettysburg: One in four Confederate casualties at Gettysburg was from North Carolina; North Carolinians got further on the field during Pickett's charge than men from any other southern state; if the Sheltons had opted to fight for the South, then there's an excellent chance they might have died on 1 July 1863 anyway, but in Pennsylvania, instead of a few miles from their home.

When God wants you he takes you.

[orangebug]

There were many reasons to be Unionists, and not just because of slavery.

Many objected to fighting and dying for the right of another man to own another of his species. Many objected to breaking up the nation that had prevented British and Tory atrocities. Many felt that the Union dollar was worth the risk.

But the existence of Unionists is no little known fact.

[Jack Tarlin]

OB--

I should corect that: It's a little-known fact among NORTHERNERS, who tend to assume that everyone from the South supported both slavery and the Confederacy, which was certainly not the case.

(For that matter, there were Confederate sympathizers up North as well, but you better believe they didn't talk about that much when they taught grade school in Masachusetts!)

In short, like a lot of folks, I became much better educated after I dispensed with my schooling.

[Mountain Dew]

Reminds me of the little known fact that slavery was a minor issue in the war 'till the war had been going for 18 months. Wait...what was the threads topic again ? :cool: Jack, I believe the companion says something about the boy being a scout or something along those lines.

[steve hiker]

What caught my eye about the plaque is the inscription saying it was placed by the "descendents" of Millard Haire -- who died at age 13. If they are descended from him, then he was a young father. It's possible that they used the word descendents improperly, but then again, people married pretty young in those days.

"Erected by D. Haire Jr., E.W. Fletcher Jr., J.H. Haire Newcome, G.B. Riddle, and the rest of the descendents of Millard Haire."

[Brushy Sage]

What caught my eye about the plaque is the inscription saying it was placed by the "descendents" of Millard Haire -- who died at age 13. If they are descended from him, then he was a young father. It's possible that they used the word descendents improperly, but then again, people married pretty young in those days.

"Erected by D. Haire Jr., E.W. Fletcher Jr., J.H. Haire Newcome, G.B. Riddle, and the rest of the descendents of Millard Haire."


The concept of family is take so broadly here in the mountains that "descendents" can mean brothers, sisters, aunts and uncles, and cousins to the fourth degree.

[Jack Tarlin]

Dew, you're a great guy and I'd hike with you again in a heartbeat, but with all due respect, to say that slavery was a minor issue in the war is like saying the Titanic stopped to dis-embark passengers and to take on ice.

Did every southerner own slaves?

Hell, no.

Were many opposed to slavery?

Absolutely.

Would slavery have withered away within a few years of a southern vicotry?

Probably.

Were most southerners fighting NOT to defend slavery but instead, in protest over Federal interference with their lives and to respond to an invasion of their homeland?

Yes.

But to say that slavery was a "minor" factor, almost an incidental one, is not exactly accurate.

In short, no slavery issue in 1861, no war.

[Doctari]

Millard Haire was a "he." I believe he was a cousin of the Shelton brothers, who were killed in July 1863 by neighbors who resented their serving in the Union Army. Haire was evidently an innocent bystander who was in attendance at the family gathering where the Sheltons were ambushed and killed.

Millard wasn't exactly an "Innocent bystander" while not a member of the military, he was the brother's look out or watchman. Seems to me he didn't exactly do a stellar job.

[Jack Tarlin]

Doctari:

Interesting comment. You were present?

Please tell us where you get this interesting information.

By the way, all reports of the Shelton shooting reports that they were shot from ambush, i.e., by hidden gunmen.

Well, hidden gunmen, shooting from cover, frequently aren't seen by their targets.

And in any case, we're talking about a thirteen year old attending a family gathering. During wartime, true, but a civilian nonetheless. Whether young Haire was supposed to be keeping watch or not, he sure sounds like an innocent bystander to me Doctari, unless you think shooting children at family picnics is laudable behavior.

[steve hiker]

I bet young Millard was keeping more of a lookout for that 13 y.o. girl from across the holler :banana than for enemy soldiers.

[NotYet]

My understanding was that the young boy was a Shelton cousin. I heard that the ambush that killed all three of them occurred while he was scouting the way across the mountains so that the two Sheltons could get to a family gathering in the Shelton Laurel area of Madison County. I thought that they did not actually make it to the family gathering. The "kinfolk" erected the monument recently.

East Tennessee and Western North Carolina were filled with large numbers of both Unionist and Confederates.

[orangebug]

Jack, those were the days before powderless gun powder. A sharpshooter shooting and killing three would have been unbelievably good shooting and lucky. I'd anticipate they were shot in ambush by a posse, and probably neighbors just as familiar with those hills.

[The Weasel]

Other reports indicate that they were killed by Confederate militia, whose job was to patrol wilderness areas in search of deserters and union sympathizers, many of whom were killed on sight. "Cold Mountain," while fiction, is firmly based in fact. Western NC had a number of Unionist regiments; some may be surprised to know that every Confederate State except, I think, Louisiana, had Union regiments in the Civil War.

As for the cause of the Civil War, Jack's summary is about 99% on target, and the other 1% don't matter. "Slavery Denial" is up there with "Holocaust Denial" as wrongheaded and dangerous fiction. Thanks, Jack.
The Weasel

[rickb]

Great info.

Its a good day when you learn so much.

I thought the ground fog in Steve's photo helped make that a real nice shot. All this info makes it even better.

Rick B