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James C Epps 1st Tenn. Infantry Regiment
2 CommentsJames C Epps is the son of Pleasant Epps who died when James was about 6. Pleasnt is the son of Lawrence and Elizabeth Epps. James married Julia Ann Taylor 24 Dec 1860. Four months later he enlisted in the Confederate Infantry in Lincoln Co. nicknamed “The Boon’s Creek Minute Men” or “Boon’s Hill Minute Men”. While away at war he died and probably never saw his daughter M Jane Epps born in Lincoln in 1862. James said he was 23 when he enlisted but he lied about his age 1850 Arkasas census records show he was only about 14 or 15 at that time.
The “Fayetteville Observer” 9 may 1861 printed a list of those members of the company at muster. It stated: Herewith may be found the article of agreement of this company, together with a complete list of the members. A friend who knows them well, says that a better company was never mustered into service from Tennessee, and we have no doubt he is correct. We know that it embraces some as choice spirits as ever shouldered a gun. We the undersigned contitute ourselves Minute Men for the service of the Confederate States of America. We pledge our honor and all that is near and dear to us, to stand by this obligation at all hazards, and sign with the full knowledge of the fact that Peter Turney has authority from the War Department of the Confederate States to raise a Regiment of Tennessee Volunteers for its service, and we are to be ready to march at the shortest notice from the said Tennessee whenever, wherever and however the occasion may require. Let him who backs down be published to the world as a coward, and the fact thrown into the teeth of his kith, kin, and children. As soon as the list shall receive all the names that can be obtained, the Captain is to report to Peter Turney at Winchester, who will report to the proper department.
Roster information of the First Tennessee Infantry Regiment Company K: Epps, James C. Enrolled 29 April 61 at Boon Hill, Lincoln County, aged 23; present to Dec 61; present Sep 62 until absent Jan & Feb 63, detailed on recruiting duty; present Mar & Apr; died of wounds received at Chancellorsville, Va., 8 May 63l. Buried at Hollywood Cemetery, Richmond, Va., 1 July 63.
Published on February 8, 2010 · Filed under: Civil War Epps;
2 Responses to “James C Epps 1st Tenn. Infantry Regiment”
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chris said on April 14th, 2012 at 10:01 am
I received this in an email. I am posting it here for reference. I came across your Epps family website, and I think it’s very impressive. It’s very to navigate through and has a great interface. It looks very professional.
I did, however, come across what I believe is a potential error on your website, and I think I can provide sufficient proof that it is, indeed, an error. However, if you believe otherwise, I would certainly like to know if perhaps my “assumptions” are incorrect.
Here in your Civil War section http://myfamilytreeisfullofnuts.com/category/civil-war-epps/ you list James C. Epps, who was a private in the 1st Tennessee and died at Chancellorsville.
Now, I also research the Epps’s from Lincoln County, TN, but I guess the “other” Epps family haha. I am descended from Francis Dewitt Epps, son of Frederick Epps, of District 11, Lincoln County, Tennessee. I have not found any connection between my Frederick Epps and your Epps’s, but perhaps there is one somewhere. Anyway, what we know is that my Francis, or “F.D.” as he was usually referenced, enlisted in the 1st Tennessee, in the “Boon’s Creek Minutemen”, as did the James C. Epps you listed. My Francis is listed as “Frederick” and his records are under “Frederick W.” on Fold3.com, but if you look at each service record, many have him listed as F.D. or Francis, so it appears the records have some errors and discrepancies. We know this Francis/’Frederick’ is “our” Epps because of handwritten accounts by his wife and daughter talking about his service in the 1st Tennessee, how he was shot in both legs, and became a bitter, angry man as a result of his hard Civil War experiences. His daughter wouldn’t even speak of him, just said that he was a “bad man”. Anyway, the service records reflect Francis/’Frederick’ was shot in both legs at Chancellorsville, so it matches up with our family accounts.
Anyway, our Francis enlisted on 29 Apr 1861 in Lincoln County by Captain Davis. That is the same date, place, and person who enlisted James C. Epps.
Now you’ve asserted on your site that this James C. is the son of Pleasant Epps, and simply lied about his age upon enlistment. However, my Francis has an older brother named James who is 2 years older than him, as shown in the 1850 Census of Lincoln County in the household of Frederick Epps. This James does not appear in the 1860 for some reason. However, the service records for Francis and James reflect the same 2-year age difference that my Francis and James had. Add to that they enlisted on the same day, in the same place, by the same Captain, and then were both shot at Chancellorsville, where James died, makes me believe that the James C. Epps in the 1st Tennessee is my James C. Epps, son of Frederick, and brother of F.D.
I could easily be wrong; there is actually even another James Epps who is in the 1860 Census who is 22 years old and is the son of an elder James C. Epps, born about 1810. He does not appear in the 1870 Census, and neither does my James, but he does marry in 1875 and appears in the 1880 Census. This believes me to believe further that the James of the 1st Tennessee is my James, not the one who is the son of James C (1810), because clearly his James did not die.
I think it is less of a stretch to think that my James is the one who enlisted in the 1st Tennessee even though he does not appear in the 1860 Census than thinking that your James, son of Pleasant, lied about his age as 23 when he was only 14 or 15. Most boys who were that young who wanted to enlist but had to lie about their age would say 17 or 18; it would be quite a stretch indeed to think he could lie about being 8 years older than he was and get away with it. Plus he would have had to come allllllll the way from southern Arkansas to mid-southern Tennessee while his family remained in Lafayette County, AR. That just seems rather unlikely, though not necessarily implausible, of course.
I’m open to being wrong, but I believe the circumstantial evidence in this case is more in favor of James being the brother of my F.D. and son of Frederick than being the son of your Pleasant. His age is appropriate to mine, as his close proximity to my F.D.
Please let me know what you think, especially if you have further evidence indicating that the James in question is your James and not mine. Thanks 🙂
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Buck Epps said on May 1st, 2012 at 11:48 am
As I mentioned to you in my email I think you are correct that James C Epps who died at Chancellorville is not in our line but belongs to F D Epps line of Lincoln County. This solves the problem I had with his age when he enlisted. At this tiem neither myself nor you have established any family connection between F. D. Epps and Lawrence Epps of Lincoln Co.
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