Hurst's Raid at Barretville

Hurst's Raid at Barretville. April 8, 1863. During the winter of 1862-63, Confederate troops, including the First Tennessee Partisan Rangers, successfully attacked Federal troops in a series of skirmishes in southwest Tennessee. To deter further strikes, Union cavalry from Memphis, Jackson, and Fort Pillow prepared to converge on the Rangers. Recognizing the difficulty of withstanding such a massive force, the Rangers temporarily disbanded, spreading out over the countryside. A Ranger detachment comprised of Captain John Uriah Green, Captain James M. Barret, Corporal William Sanford, Dr. Christopher William Dickson, and John Thompson eluded Union patrols in the area of northern Shelby County known as Big Creek Bottom., On the night of April 8, Green and his comrades went to Anthony R. Barret's farm, including this site in the Barretville community, to obtain provisions. A Union regiment led by the notorious Fielding Hurst (see sidebar at lower right) arrived and captured all of the Confederates except Thompson, who was standing guard with the horses. Before surrendering, Green hid a pistol in the mattress of a bed at the Barret home. Although Hurst was noted for rancor and violence, he treated Green with "the kindness and consideration due a brother Mason," as both were members of the Masonic Order. Anthony Barret's status as a fellow Mason is believed to have kept Hurst from burning the Barret home and outbuildings., The captured Confederates wer taken to Bolivar and then to Irving Block Prison at Memphis. Dr. Dickson was released, but the others were moved to various detention facilities. En route from Norfolk, Virginia to Fort Delaware, Green escaped and made it through the Dismal Swamp and back to Southern lines. Upon returning home, he was presented with the pistol he had hidden in the mattress at Barretville. Rebecca Hill Barret, Anthony's wife, had delivered it to Green's family following the withdrawal of Hurst and his troops., (sidebar) , Anthony and Rebecca Hill Barret's locally -made plantation desk, pictured below, was likely in their home during Hurst's raid and has been passed down in the family for over 150 years. Often seen in farmhouses during the 19th century, particularly in the South, plantation desks feature compartments for record books and mail, as well as a drawer or drawers in the base. When up, the full front conceals clutter and can be locked for security; when down, it offers a sloped writing surface., (sidebar) , Fielding Hurst: Variously Reviled and Respected, Colonel Fielding Hurst (1810-1882) was one of the Civil War's most polarizing figures. Although a McNairy County slaveholder, he was an ardent Unionist. Perhaps seeking vengeance for his imprisonment by Confederate authorities at the outset of the war and for harsh treatment of his family by their Confederate neighbors, Hurst organized the Sixth Tennessee Cavalry (USA), which destroyed Jackson, portions of Brownsville, and even the courthouse and a church in his hometown of Purdy. Major General Ulysses S. Grant (USA) and others reprimanded him for brutality and depredations, but at times Hurst was a scapegoat.