SATURDAY STORY - ZACH HIGGENBOTTOM IN THE CIVIL WAR - EPISODE 9

ZACH9 HIGGENBOTTOM - SATURDAY STORY - AUGUST 5, 2023

Patrick Murphy and his raiders called the Boston Boys, had early success. Disguised as Confederate Soldiers, they showed up at the Harrisonburg, Virginia, rail yard on Sunday, April 5th, 1863. It was Easter Sunday, but the boys identified an engine that would be easy to get to and steal. 

The engine was idling, and Patrick climbed up into the cabin.

Patrick addressed the engineer, “It’s Easter, and the commander told my crew to give you and your crew the rest of the day off.”

The engineer smiled and said, “Gladly. She’s all yours.”

Patrick’s crew of four men took over the train and uncoupled the end of the train after the tender. They slowly moved across the railyard and northeast up the Shenandoah Valley. Two men jumped off and switched the track at Strasburg, so they proceeded towards West Virginia. West Virginia had been a part of Virginia until the Civil War broke out and then was neutral. The Boston Boys drove the engine and the tender to Cumberland and turned it over to Union authorities.

*****

The Boston Boys were told that if caught, they would say to their capturers they were not part of the regular Union Army but mercenaries.  

Patrick, Ryan Moore, Shamus O’Reilly, and Terrance Sterling made the Boston Boys. They became experts on the little handcar railroaders sometimes used to inspect tracks. They could cover a distance and pull the handcar off the way if needed.

*****

After this first success, their commander gave them a handcar and enough dynamite to blow up a trestle over a broad valley. That would make force between Richmond, Virginia, and Raleigh, North Carolina, make a significant detour. This time, the project was done at night. The Boys holed up in Petersburg, Virginia, until early dusk. They put their handcar on the rails and found the trestle, and ignited the dynamite so it would blow up a section of the railroad near the northern edge.  

It was a partial success. It didn’t knock the trestle down. The frame could be repaired in a few months, but the Confederate trains took longer to get ammunition and food supplies to the Virginia Confederate Army.

*****

But, their success was noted. At all the Confederate rail stations, banners warned about a group of mercenaries with a heavy Irish accent. If caught, detain or shoot them.

*****

The Southern Union Army was searching for WOW - White on White members. Slavery of any nature was to be abolished. Harassment of Black People was to stop. The Black people were American Citizens and had all the rights and privileges of citizenship. 

Lieutenant Wheeler, Zach Higgenbottom, and Rufus Smith went from community to community with a squad that conducted searches of houses for WOW materials - especially the white hoods and gowns WOW members wore when harassing Blacks.

They found judges, pastors, store owners, farmers, and women who favored the WOW vigilantes. Flagrant violators were tried, and some were sentenced to hanging. Most were fined, and their homes were to be inspected monthly to verify that the organization was dead.

Any white Southern citizen that harmed a black person - such as flogging, burning his house, or other capital offenses was hung. The desired message was clear - NO HARASSMENT OF BLACK CITIZENS.

*****

The Boston Boys laid low for four months. They worked on sounding less like Irish immigrants and more like Southerners. 

Their commander asked them to go farther south to Chattanooga, Tennessee, steal a locomotive, and blow up a central bridge over the Tennessee River. 

The Boston Boys had a map of the Chattanooga railyard. The rail lines went mostly northeast to southwest to avoid the Great Smokey Mountain range. They used their handcar and worked their way south to Chattanooga.

*****

Chattanooga was a railway hub. The security was tight, and the Boston Boys tried to get closer to the roundhouse but couldn’t trick the security guards. Patrick Murphy had the Boys on a bridge over the railroad tracks about 10 miles northeast of Chattanooga. As a train came through in the late afternoon, the boys lowered themself and lay flat on the top of the rail cars. They snuck into the center of the railyard out of the sight of the security guards.

They lay on top of the rail cars until twilight. Patrick whistled twice - attempting to sound like a bird. Patrick identified the engine that would be the easiest to steal. Like before, they uncoupled all cars except the engine and the tender.  

Shamus O’Reilly and Terrance Sterling were the firemen, keeping the boiler hot to get steam to turn the wheels, Ryan Moore was their security person, and Patrick was the engineer.

The sun was just on the horizon as Patrick moved the locomotive out of the railyard. Two security guards were yelling at him, but he picked up speed and soon was out of their sight.  

But, the guards were on the telegraph operators and notified all stations up and down the main line. Operators switched the tracks so the train would be moved to a siding. Ryan Moore and Shamus O’Reilly quickly hit the trails for the first siding.

Another mile up the railroad was another switch, another stop, and another adjusting of their track.

By the third time they had stopped and adjusted the switch, it was dark, and Patrick couldn’t risk going faster as he didn’t want to be stuck on a siding. This time Ryan Moore got to sit on the cowcatcher and signaled Ryan with a white flag as they got to another switch.

And as the Boston Boys rounded a considerable curve, he could see another locomotive coming after them. “Darn it,” Patrick said.

At the next switch, Patrick told Shamus and Ryan to hightail it into the woods, and Patrick and Terrance Sterling stayed with the engine. At the next switch, they would follow it, even if it went on a siding, and they would jump out and get away.

But at the next switch, two railroad guards with guns were ready. As the train passed, Patrick and Terrance jumped only to be caught.

*****

General Peck’s army had been called to meet General Sherman in Atlanta. Peck left a squadron in Tuscaloosa, including Lieutenant Wheeler and Zach Higgenbottom, to protect the Black Citizens.

The Southern Union army had harvested the food from the small farms, and the troops had good water and nutritious food. Compared to the Confederates, the Union Army was rested and strong.

General Peck commandeered a train in Birmingham, loaded his troops, food, ammunition, and related materials, and headed toward Atlanta.

*****

As soon as the guard heard the first words out of Patrick’s mouth, they knew they were heroes!! They caught the leader of the Boston group. A trial at that point on the rails was probably unlawful but decisive. Patrick and Terrance were going to the Andersonville prison.

*****

The Andersonville prison was definitely “hell on earth.” The grounds were miserable and overcrowded, without enough food for the prisoners of war. Human feces, rats, and bodies covered the bases. Fights broke out almost daily as the men fought for the few pieces of dried bread. Dystenary ruled as the only available water was germy.

Patrick had gloves made out of old tattered t-shirts. Likewise, he had a line made out of sheets and t-shirts and anything he could use. 

The men were so crowded in prison and misfed that they dropped over and trampled on. (They provided some of the t-shirts Patrick used.) 

The timing was critical. Patrick picked sunset - where the bright sun would be in the guards’ eyes. He tied a rock at the end of the knotted rope so it would drop over the side. 

Patrick knew he had to get out as soon as possible. He was still hardy from weeks of good nutrition and rest. Patrick created a plan in his mind to scale the ten-point walls. He gathered torn shirts, pants, and anything he could tie to make a rope. He made gloves to cushion his hands from the sharp spikes on the top of the walls.

The sun was just right; Patrick rushed the wall, threw his t-shirt rope over, climbed to the top, used his padded gloves to get over the spikes, and dropped over to the other side. It took 15 seconds. Even if the guards were watching closely, the bright sun and the quickness of the move would keep them from shooting. 

Patrick Murphy dropped over the wall into some bushes. He had been planning this for some time. The prison walls were ten-foot pine poles sharpened to points at the top end. He saw Terrance Sterling try - only to get stuck on the tips of the stakes - and shot. Terrance had a friend underneath him that helped lift him to the top. That man died as well. 

He moved away from the prison wall. If he had been seen, the bloodhounds would come sniffing. He headed southwest into the setting sun and towards sweetwater creek. He would wade the stream to keep the dogs off his trail.  

*****

Zach Higgenbottom had become the military commander of the town of Knoxville. In some respects, at 20 years old, he felt too young to be a community leader, but his military experiences had aged him. His work fighting against the white supremacists and helping Rufus on the Underground Railway had prepared him. 

On Tuesday, November 1st, Zach with Benjamin Smith moved into an apartment in Knoxville, Alabama. Benjamin would be the assistant commander of the town.  

*****

On Tuesday, November 1st, 1864, Patrick Murphy was sleeping in a tree someplace west of Andersonville. He was surprised that he hadn’t seen a bloodhound or prison guards looking for him.  

He was tired from his overnight walk to get as far away from Andersonville as soon as possible. He heard that the Southern Union Army was someplace west of him. It was going to be a hit or miss.  

*****

General Peck had taken the train from Birmingham to Atlanta. But, twenty miles out of Atlanta, the tracks were barricaded. The General was glad to see it was a Union Army barricade. 

A guard saluted him. “Excuse me, sir, Atlanta is closed down due to fighting. General Sherman is in the process of taking the city. We have a temporary base here, and you and your men are welcome to move in with us!!

*****

Under General Peck’s command, the men removed all the equipment from the train and set up on the temporary base. While in good spirits, General Peck hoped the delay would not be extended. 

*****

Zach Higgenbottom crossed the street in Knoxville. There was something shiny in the road’s dirt, and Zach bent over to pick it up. At that exact second, a bullet whizzed over his head. “Wow, God was watching over me.” He looked up and saw a rifle out of a second-floor window. He ran fast and up the stairs, just as the man bolted towards the stairs.  

The man with the rifle pointed it at Zach’s head. Zach didn’t have a gun (and wouldn’t have used it anyway).

The man said, “You’re a dead man, Mister.”

Zach replied, “To live is Christ and to die is gain” - Philippians 1:21.

The man pulled the trigger but hadn’t reloaded after his last shot.  

Zach was about four inches taller and 35 pounds heavier than the man with the gun. The man with the rifle swore, and Zach laid an uppercut on the man’s chin that knocked him out. Zach picked him up, threw him over his shoulder, and descended the stairs. There was a lady at the bottom of the stairs.  

Zach asked the lady, “Do you know who this is?”.  

The lady blushed, “It is John Morris.”

Zach said, “Any relation to Wayne or Bubba Morris?”.

The lady answered, “Their younger brother.”

Zach thanks her for her information and carried John Morris down the stairs. He was heavy, and Zach laid the man down in a chair as they got to the porch. He grabbed a bucket of water on the patio to watch the plants and tossed it in John’s face.  

John came too, choking and sputtering. 

Zach said, “John Morris, you are under arrest for attempted murder. I’m taking you to the jail. Can you walk?”

John Morris said, “I don’t know.”.

Zach helped John to his feet, and standing behind John, Zach helped him down the street to his office.  

Benjamin Smith was there and was surprised to see Zach escorting a man in the door.

 

Zach said to Benjamin, “I don’t trust the jail here. Do we have some rope and some handcuffs?”

Benjamin said, “We sure do. I get them.”

Zach put John in a chair, handcuffed his arms behind him, tied him to the chair, and tied the chair to the center load-bearing support beam. 

Zach told John Morris, “I can’t shoot or kill another human being. You shot at me and intended to kill me, but I bent over simultaneously. You intended to kill me in the building, and you didn’t have a bullet loaded. I believe in the Bible message, ‘Thou shalt not kill.’ I don’t know what religious values are taught in Alabama, but that is a core belief of mine.”

“I’m not sure I can trust your local jail. You’d probably have somebody get you out of there. That might even happen here. I saw what your brothers did - shooting two innocent men after raping one man’s wife in front of her husband. I’m not impressed with your values.”

John Morris didn’t say anything. But, he was thinking, “Here is a religious zealot.”

*****

Patrick Murphy had made some progress in his escape from Andersonville. He had “borrowed” (that is: stolen) some clothes off a clothesline. (The clothes he wore when escaping were rags.)  He “borrowed” a horse. He “borrowed” a watermelon. He “borrowed” some sweet corn - but he did need to cook it.  

When it rained, he “borrowed” a chicken coop for a few hours to stay dry. But, when the farmer’s wife came out to collect eggs, he ran away - out into the rain. When the rain stopped that evening, he used tree branches and hung his wet clothes.  

When he came to Columbus, Georgia, Patrick did something he knew - he “borrowed” a train engine!!

Trains were not running to Atlanta. Seemingly Atlanta was under siege by the Union Army under General Sherman. To Patrick, that seemed like an open railroad to Atlanta.  

There was a whole box of wood for the fire. The fire had been banked, but the coals were hot, and in five minutes, Patrick got the fire roaring again. Without a fireman to keep the boilers fired up, Patrick would have to do dual duty - engineer and fireman. But, even then, it was more speed than a fast horse.  

The train yard was deserted. No trains going north, and it is uncertain about trains going south and east.  

As Patrick released the brake and headed north, a man came running out of a coffee shop on the edge of the rails, yelling at him. That just made Patrick grin.  

*****

The Georgia landscape glided past Patrick - even though, as a fireman AND engineer, he had to work hard to keep the first burning to heat the water to boiling and make the steam.

But it didn’t work out as Patrick wanted. Even with a full tender of wood, the boiler was going dry. And a dry boiler meant no steam or moisture, translating into no motion.  

If Patrick had his crew, they would have checked the boiler for water and filled it up in Columbus. The tracks were alongside a stream, but getting water out of the creek and into the boiler was impossible.  

The locomotive slowed and stopped near Franklin, Georgia. Patrick prepared to leave the cabin, and a bullet passed over his head. Looking around, Patrick saw a blue uniformed squad facing him from about 50 yards away. Grinning and raising his hands over his head in surrender, Patrick sauntered toward the team.  

Stretching his natural Irish accent, he yelled, I’m a Union Soldier.  

The team leader told his men to stand down but be on alert. Patrick paced slowly, still with his hands up. 

He stopped and yelled, “I’m Patrick Murphy from Boston, Massachusetts, and a member of the Massachusetts 47th Regiment. I was captured and sent to Andersonville Prison. I escaped. My assignment was stealing locomotives and taking them north - or wrecking them. For the past four days, I’m been trying to avoid Confederates. I found an idle engine in Columbus, Georgia. But I couldn’t go any farther without water to change to steam and a fireman to keep the fire burning.”

The commander of the Union forces was Ethan Brandson.  

He replied to Patrick, “I’ve heard of the locomotive group. How did you get out of Andersonville? Nobody gets out of that hellhole.” 

Suddenly a voice yelled out, “He’s my friend.”

Ethan Brandson looked around. “Who yelled that?.”

A man pushed his way through the crowd.

“I’m Shamus O’Reilly - and Patrick, and I worked together stealing locomotives.”

Patrick yelled, “Shamus is that you?”

Commander Brandson smiled at Patrick. “It looks like you got a vote of approval. Welcome, Patrick.”.

****

On Sunday, November 13, 1864, Zach Higgenbottom was at the Knoxville Methodist Church. As he walked in, somebody yelled, “Nigger lover.” There was laughter. Zach kept walking. After Pastor Nolan Cranbrook’s sermon, Zach requested to speak. As he was the town’s top official, Pastor Cranbrook had said “yes.”

Zach stepped to the pulpit.  

“My friends, I’m Zach Higgenbottom, 12th Connecticut  Regiment. I’m your acting town official. I’m also a dedicated Christian.”

“I assume you are all Godly people here. I have my short sermon this morning. First, a verse from Matthew 22: 37-40, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind. This is the great first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”

“Or John 13:34, “Love one another as I have loved you.”

“How about 1 Corinthians 13:13, “Now abide, Faith, Hope, and Love, but the greatest of these is LOVE.”

“This is God’s pure love - agape love.

“While I’m the administrator for this community, I will probably be attending church here. And starting next week, I expect to see some of this community Black residents here too.”

“Maybe you remember Thomas Jefferson. He was the primary author of the Declaration of Independence and wrote, “All men are created equal.”  

“Soon, this terrible war will be over. I’m sorry it has been so rough on you, good people of Knoxville. Our President had announced that all former slaves were now free.  

“If you have read the Old Testament, every 50th year was a year of Jubilee, and all slaves and indentured servants were free. 

“You may remember a few weeks ago; the Union forces shot some of our residents for being members of a white supremacy group that harassed and killed black people. I’d hate to see more of our good citizens shot or imprisoned for hate.

“Let us pray,”

Zach prayed for peace, reconciliation, and love.

He then sat down while the piano player played the last song. “There’s a wideness in God’s Mercy.”

*****

End of week 9

Next week, the Union army joins up from Atlanta to Savannah under General William Tecumseh Sherman. 

It might be the last week of Zach Higgenbottom’s Civil War story.