Marshall in Madison County, North Carolina — The American South (South Atlantic)
Marshall
Divided Loyalties
Photographed by Don Morfe, April 27, 2014
1. Marshall Marker
Inscription.
Marshall. Divided Loyalties. On May 13, 1861, voters gathered here in Marshall, the Madison County seat, to elect a delegate for the Secession Convention to be held in Raleigh. The citizens were divided in their loyalties. Sheriff Ransom P. Merrill and others were later described as “husawing for Jeff Davis and the confederacy,” while men of different opinions were shouting for “Washington and the Union.” One witness later noted that “a good Deel of Liquor had been drank that day.” When a dispute broke out between some Unionists and the sheriff, Merrill drew his pistol and shot and wounded Elisha Tweed. Neely Tweed, Elisha’s father and former clerk of the superior court, then shot Merrill with a double-barreled shotgun and killed him. The Tweeds later joined the 4th Tennessee Infantry (U.S.), Neely died of fever in 1862. The voters elected secessionist J.A. McDowell to the state convention., The local “war within a war” had escalated in the mountains by January 1863, when Unionists from the county’s Shelton Laurel community were deprived of salt. A band of 50 or 60 Union soldiers and civilians raided Marshall, taking salt and other provisions and wounding Confederate Capt. John Peek. The raiders also ransacked the house in front of you, the home of Col. Lawrence M. Allen, 64th North Carolina Infantry. Two of Allen’s children who were lying in the house desperately ill at the time, afterward died., Confederate troops marched on Shelton Laurel to “put down the insurrection” and recover property taken from Marshall. Meeting resistance, the Confederates summarily executed at least 13 prisoners, men and boys, in what became known as the “Shelton Laurel Massacre.”, (captions) , (lower left) Marshall, 1870s, with two-story white Allen House on right and courthouse behind it. , Courtesy North Carolina Collection, UNC, Rufus Morgan Collections , (upper center) Sheriff Ransom P. Merrill Courtesy Merrill family , (lower right) Col. Lawrence M. Allen and Mary Allen - Courtesy Mars Hill College Archives, James O. Hall Collection
On May 13, 1861, voters gathered here in Marshall, the Madison County seat, to elect a delegate for the Secession Convention to be held in Raleigh. The citizens were divided in their loyalties. Sheriff Ransom P. Merrill and others were later described as “husawing for Jeff Davis & the confederacy,” while men of different opinions were shouting for “Washington and the Union.” One witness later noted that “a good Deel of Liquor had been drank that day.” When a dispute broke out between some Unionists and the sheriff, Merrill drew his pistol and shot and wounded Elisha Tweed. Neely Tweed, Elisha’s father and former clerk of the superior court, then shot Merrill with a double-barreled shotgun and killed him. The Tweeds later joined the 4th Tennessee Infantry (U.S.), Neely died of fever in 1862. The voters elected secessionist J.A. McDowell to the state convention.
The local “war within a war” had escalated in the mountains by January 1863, when Unionists from the county’s Shelton Laurel community were deprived of salt. A band of 50 or 60 Union soldiers and civilians raided Marshall, taking salt and other provisions and wounding
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Confederate Capt. John Peek. The raiders also ransacked the house in front of you, the home of Col. Lawrence M. Allen, 64th North Carolina Infantry. Two of Allen’s children who were lying in the house desperately ill at the time, afterward died.
Confederate troops marched on Shelton Laurel to “put down the insurrection” and recover property taken from Marshall. Meeting resistance, the Confederates summarily executed at least 13 prisoners, men and boys, in what became known as the “Shelton Laurel Massacre.”
(captions)
(lower left) Marshall, 1870s, with two-story white Allen House on right and courthouse behind it. — Courtesy North Carolina Collection, UNC, Rufus Morgan Collections
(upper center) Sheriff Ransom P. Merrill Courtesy Merrill family
(lower right) Col. Lawrence M. Allen and Mary Allen - Courtesy Mars Hill College Archives, James O. Hall Collection
Erected by North Carolina Civil War Trails.
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: War, US Civil. In addition, it is included in the North Carolina Civil War Trails series list. A significant historical month for this entry is January 1863.
Location. 35° 47.838′ N,
Photographed by Don Morfe, April 27, 2014
2. Marshall Marker
82° 40.992′ W. Marker is in Marshall, North Carolina, in Madison County. It is on South Main Street (Business U.S. 70) west of Hill Street, on the left when traveling east. The marker is located next to the First Baptist Church. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 53 S Main St, Marshall NC 28753, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in North Carolina’s Mountains. It is also in the American South, specifically in the Upper South, in Appalachia, and specifically in Southern Appalachia. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the original Cherokee Nation, the territory of the Mississippian Culture, one of the original Thirteen Colonies, one of the Confederate States of America, and the Antebellum South.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 8 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Col. Lawrence M. Allen House (a few steps from this marker); Colonel Edward F. Rector, USAF (about 300 feet away, measured in
Photographed by Mark Parker, August 17, 2024
3. Marshall Marker with the Col. Lawrence M. Allen House in the background.
Col. Allen's house was ransacked by Union sympathizers looking for salt and other supplies, which led to the retaliatory "Shelton Laurel Massacre"
Another marker is no longer nearby. Robert E. Lee (was within shouting distance of this marker but has been confirmed missing).
Related marker. Click here for another marker that is related to this marker. To better understand the relationship, study each marker in the order shown.
The Colonel Lawrence Allen House is located in historic downtown Marshall, North Carolina. The house was built in 1849, and is the oldest building on Main Street. The home was built by Colonel Lawrence Allen who served as the first Clerk of Court for Marshall. Allen would go on to serve as an officer in the Confederate Army. He was later involved in the Shelton Laurel Massacre on January 18, 1863 in which 13 accused Union sympathizers were executed in Shelton Laurel, NC.
Photographed by Mark Parker, August 17, 2024
4. Col. Lawrence M. Allen House National Register of Historic Places plaque
(Submitted on August 17, 2024, by Mark Parker of Hickory, North Carolina.)
Credits. This page was last revised on August 18, 2024. It was originally submitted on July 22, 2014, by Don Morfe of Baltimore, Maryland. This page has been viewed 1,599 times since then and 91 times this year. Last updated on August 17, 2024, by Mark Parker of Hickory, North Carolina. Photos:1, 2. submitted on July 22, 2014, by Don Morfe of Baltimore, Maryland. 3, 4. submitted on August 17, 2024, by Mark Parker of Hickory, North Carolina. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.
