This information is a transcript of Erasmus G. Osgatharp's answers to questions contained in the Tennessee Civil War Veterans Questionnaire. This material is from the book "The Tennessee Civil War Veterans Questionnaires", compiled by Gustavus W Dyer and John Trotwood Moore, published by Southern Historical Press, Inc., 1985.

1. State you full name and present post office address:
Erasmus Gaw Osgatharp; Moss, Tennessee, R.F.D. 1
2. State your age now;
79 years
3.In what State and County were you born?
in Jackson County, Tennessee
4.Were you a Confederate or Federal soldier?
Confederate
5.Name of your Company?
Co G 8th Tenn Cavalry
6.What was the occupation of your father?
A farmer
7. Give full name of your father:
John Osgatharp
Born at: Burke, North Carolina
8. Maiden name in full of your mother:
Susanna Carlysle
She was the daughter of:
------ Carlysle & ------ Carlysle
who lived at;
Jackson 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 they came from to America; first settled - county and State: always giving full names (if possible), and never referring to an ancestor simply as such without giving the name. It is desirable to include every 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, John Osgatharp, was born Jan 30 1800 taught common schools; was justice of the peace, and was always a law abiding man. My Grandparent Richard Osgatharp, at the age of 11 or 12 yrs. was kid napped in London and brought to North Carolina, and sold to a planter to serve til he was 21 years old. When the Revolutionary war broke out he enlisted with his Master and served 5 yrs went back and served 1 yr. He served in all 6 yrs of the Rev. He was wounded at the battle of Brandywine, was in the hospital 12 months. After he had served 6 yrs in the war against England, he decided he would never go back and just make his home in America. My father's sons are all the Osgatharp's that we know of in America. My Great Grandparent was a hat maker by trade.

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 just owned 1 horse saddle and bridle. I rode him in the war he was valued at $175.

11.Did you or your parents own slaves? If so, how many?
No

12.If your parents owned land or other property at the opening of the war, state what kind of property, and state the value of the property as near as you can:
225 acres

13.State as near as you can the value of all the property owned by your parents, including land, when the war opened:
$125 in personal property $500 in land.

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:
log house with 3 rooms

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 do work of this sort before the war).
I worked on the farm. I plowed, hoed and done every kind of work that was needed.

16.State clearly what kind of work your father did, and what the duties of your mother were. State all the kinds of work done in the house as well as you can remember- that is, cooking, spinning, weaving, etc:
My father was a farmer vid all kinds of work that was necessary on the farm. My mother did all kinds of housework cooking, weaving, spinning, quilting and sewing.

17.Did your parent's keep any servants? If so, how many?
just a hired hand for only a short time

18.How was honest toil-as plowing, hauling and other sorts of honest work of this class-regarded in your community? Was such work considered respectable and honorable?
Such work was considered honerable and respectable.

19.Did the white men in your community generally engage in such work?
Yes. It was the general custom.

20. To what extent were there white men in your community leading lives of idleness and having others do their work for them?
Most men did their own work, there were very few leading lives of idleness.

21.Did the 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?
They mingled freely with all who did not own slaves, and did not seem to think themselves any better

22.At the churches, at the schools, at public gatherings in general, did slaveholders and non-slaveholders mingle on a footing of equality?
Yes

23. Was there a friendly feeling between slaveholders and non-slaveholders in your community, or were they antagonistic to each other?
They were friendly as far as I ever knew.

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 him in winning the contest?
If it did I never knew it.

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?
At that time, chances were very good for an honest, industrious man, as land was cheap.

26.Were poor, honest, industrious young men, who were ambitious to make something of themselves, encouraged or discouraged by slaveholders?
They were as much encouraged then as they have been since there is no slaves.

27.What kind of school or schools did you attend?
I just attended the free schools when a boy.

28.About how long did you go to school altogether?
About 3 month each year after I was 6 yrs old til the war, and about 18 mos after the war.

29.How far was it to the nearest school?
it was mile and a quarter.

30. What school or schools were in operation in your neighborhood?
just the free schools that opened after crops were done and lasted about 3 mo.

31. Was the school in your community private or public?
public

32.About how many months in the year did it run?
About 3.

33.Did the boys and girls in your community attend school p____ regularly?
Yes

34.Was the teacher of the school you attended a man or a woman?
A man.

35.In what year and month and at what place did you enlist in the service of the Confederacy or of the Federal Government?
1862, August, at Gainesboro Tenn. in the service of the Confederacy.

36.After enlistment, where was your Company sent first?
sent to Murfreesboro Tenn.

37.How long after enlistment before your Company engaged in battle?
3 months or more.

38.What was the first battle you engaged in?
We at that time called it "Neeleys Bend" it has been later called Donaldson's Ford on Cumberland river.

39.State in your own way your experience in the War from this point on to its close. State where you went after the first battle-what you did and 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 often you were exposed to cold, hunger and disease.If you were in a hospital or prison, state your experience there:
After the first battle we went into camps near Columbia Tenn. just cavalry fights short and dashing were the other battles engaged in. On the pike between Nashville and Franklin Tenn. a small battle occurred, no loss on our side with a few wounded. While we were in camp in Columbia they furnished us tents we stayed there about 3 weeks. that was all the tents we had during the war. we were clothed in camp as we went from home when these clothes were gone we drew clothes from the
(page 2)Government. we were not clothed the best kind. We slept just on the ground. we carried some blankets from home and captured some from the enemy is all we had. we generally had beef to eat. usually had cornbread we were exposed to such weather as came as we were not protected any. There were times we would do without eating for 2 day we were used sometime as scouts. but when we were in camp we were given enough to do very well was not exposed to any disease.
(page 3) I had typhoid fever in the summer of 1863, stayed in the hospital from 1st of Aug til about the 25th of Sept. Got back to my command just after the battle of Chickamauga I was a prisoner twice during the war. I was taken on the 30 Dec 1862 in West Tenn. (Parker's Cross Roads) was carried to Camp Douglas, Chicago, Ill.(another Camp Douglas site) was kept there til April 1863. Was then sent to City Point, Va. on the James river. After we put in quarantine camp for 1 mo. as we had been exposed to smallpox while in prison.
Arriving at the Point on James river about the 2nd or 3rd of Mar. After we were put under the Confederate authorities we were placed in Camp Winder as Invalids.They paid us 12 months wages and gave 30 days furlough from the camp, but to remain inside the Confederate lines with free transportation back and forth. before my 30 days furlough was out Richmond fell into the hands of the enemy All furloughs were ordered to be extended 30 days longer.
(page 5) before this 30 days were out the Army surrendered. All the volunteers were offered $100. bounty for 1 yr or $300. for 3 yrs. Their idia in cutting our rations as unpleasant as they could was to cause us to volunteer in the frontier service.
(page 6) After 10 days they carried us to Rock Island Ill. There we were placed in prison til near the last of Feb. 1865, during our stay there, we suffered much with hunger. We were fed very well for 2 mo. but after that our rations were cut down many died for want of something to eat. we was not allowed to a friend for anything to eat in the way of meat or bred sugar or coffee. The two Gov. agreed to parol the prisoners, I was about the 2nd bunch to leave the prison in Feb. 1865.
(page 7) We had many engagements with the enemy. After Longstreet fell back we continued to have brushes with the enemy. On Dec 26, 1863 in an engagement at Mossy Creek Tenn. About 40 of my command including myself were taken as prisoners. we were carried back to Knoxville Jan 1, 1864, placed in the old jail house of that city, with all its windows knocked out and no fire and the weather was as cold as ever was known. there was just one stick of wood to a fireplace.
(page 8) from there we met our command at Columbia Tenn. under command of General Forrest we scouted the country from the to Franklin having many little brushes with the enemy. When Braggs army fell back from Shelbyville, our command was moved around and we scouted the country around McMinville and the infantry passed to the mountain and we continued our retreat to Chattanooga. After I returned to my command from the hospital we were placed under Gen. Wheeler's command.

40. When and where were you discharged?
Washington Georgia, early in May 1865.

41.Tell something of your trip home.
I came from Washington Ga. to Atlanta on a train, walked from there to Chattanooga. Got transportation from there to Gallatin Tenn. and walked from there home in 13th May 1865.

42.Give a sketch of your life since the close of the Civil War, s______ what kind of business you have engaged in, where you have lived, your church relations, etc. If you have held any office or o________ state what it was. You may state here any other facts con_______ with your life and experience which has not been brought out in the questions:
Farming

43.What kind of work did you take up when you came back home?
I was a farmer and a teacher. I have lived in what is now Clay County Teenn. (was once Jackson) I'm a member of Christian Church became a member 1874. have had no office except tax assessor.

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 personal reminiscences. (Use all the space you want.)
-----

45. Give the names of all the members of your Company you can remember. (If you know where the Roster is to be had, please make special note of this.)
Capt. Mounce L. Gore
1st Lieut W.A. Beck
2nd Lieut Wm G Rose
3rd Lieut Newton C Bybee
Miles Anderson
John Brown
L.B. Brown
W.C. Brown
Sam Burris
Thomas Burris
M.P. Beck
Newton Carlysle
Ellis Carlysle
W.H. Dodson
Joe Davenport
Thomas Ellis
L.B. Ellis
John Fry
Wm Farris
David C. Gordon
Oliver Hix
John Hayne
Henry Hayne
Sam Johnson
Mack Johnson
David Johnson
Wm Johnson
Ray Kirkpatrick
Martin Loftis
Hick Loftis
Wm Loftis
Roland Loftis
John Loftis
Jack Laxton
Jessie Laxton
Greene McGlass
Oliver McGlass
Bennett Minor
Argle Minor
Abrams Myers
Same Myers
T.J. Osgatharp
E.G. Osgatharp
G.B. Osgatharp
John Rose
David Rose
Pope Rose
Bender Richardson
Bayless Stafford
Baylee Stafford
Jonothan Smith
Greene Smith
Joe Smith Sr
Joe Smith Jr
Isaac Smith
Wm Smith
John Toney
Bailey Vanhooser
David Venoy
Cornelius Venoy

Give the NAME and POST OFFICE ADDRESS of any living Veterans of the Civil War, whether members of your Company or not; whether Tennesseans or from other States. John Brown (Confed) Moss, RFD. 1 Tennessee
Nemrod Reid (Confed) Gainesboro Tennessee
Sam Johnson (Confed) Celina Tennessee
Lafayette Hix (Confed) Whitleyville Tennessee
Andrew Moss (Federal) Moss Tennessee
Calvin Moss (Fed) Moss RFD. 2 Tennessee
William Rich (Fed) Moss RFD. 1 Tennessee
Alex McAlpin (Federal) Moss Tennessee

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