Greeneville in Greene County, Tennessee — The American South (East South Central)
The Dickson - Williams Mansion
A House Divided
Dr. Williams died in 1852, but his wife kept the home prominent until her death in 1870. During Greeneville's Civil War years, it was truly a house divided. Her daughter, Elizabeth, married William Sneed, a former U.S. congressman. Her son, William Dickson Williams, was a captain on Confederate Gen. John Hunt Morgan's staff. Another son, Joseph Alexander, was a Union soldier, and a third son, Thomas Lanier, was a Confederate soldier. Catharine Williams would not say which side she favored, and she entertained both Union and Confederate officers when they were in town. Union Gens. Ambrose Burnside and Alvan C. Gillem and Confederate Gens. James Longstreet and John Hunt Morgan each visited the mansion when they were in Greeneville.
The Federal raid on Greeneville on September 4, 1864, targeted the Dickson-Williams Mansion, to capture Morgan, who was killed a few hundred yards away. Union Gen. Alvan C. Gillem returned Morgan's body to the Dickson-Williams Mansion, where Catharine and Lucy Williams and their slaves, including Minerva Clem, dressed the body in a clean shirt and uniform and then laid it in a walnut coffin in the mansion's parlor. "God only knows how I felt when I entered my room and saw what remained earthly of Gen. Morgan," recalled Lucy Williams. Soon local women, both Unionists and Confederates, filled the house and were "all deeply affected, and seeming, without distinction, to deplore his fall," said Confederate Capt. John H. McAfee.
Erected by Tennessee Civil Wars Trails.
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Architecture • War, US Civil. In addition, it is included in the Former U.S. Presidents: #17 Andrew Johnson, and the Tennessee Civil War Trails series lists. A significant historical month for this entry is September 1861.
Location. 36° 9.861′ N, 82° 49.915′ W. Marker is in Greeneville, Tennessee, in Greene County. Marker is on West Church Street. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 169 West Church Street, Greeneville TN 37743, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Death of Gen. John Hunt Morgan (here, next to this marker); General Morgan Inn (within shouting distance of this marker); Death of John Morgan (within shouting distance of this marker); a different marker also named Dickson - Williams Mansion (within shouting distance of this marker); Opera House (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); James H. Quillen United States Courthouse (about 400 feet away); Greenville Cumberland Presbyterian Church (about 400 feet away); First Presbyterian Church (about 400 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Greeneville.
Credits. This page was last revised on February 3, 2020. It was originally submitted on October 26, 2009, by Stanley and Terrie Howard of Greer, South Carolina. This page has been viewed 1,872 times since then and 42 times this year. Last updated on March 17, 2015, by J. Makali Bruton of Accra, Ghana. Photos: 1. submitted on October 26, 2009, by Stanley and Terrie Howard of Greer, South Carolina. 2, 3. submitted on August 8, 2012, by Bill Coughlin of Woodland Park, New Jersey. 4, 5, 6. submitted on October 26, 2009, by Stanley and Terrie Howard of Greer, South Carolina. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.