Parrottsville in Cocke County, Tennessee — The American South (East South Central)
The Hanging of Peter Reece
Swift Retribution
Early in the war, about 400 Unionists occupied nearby St. Tide Hollow, built earthworks, and fashioned a crude cannon from a hollow log reinforced with metal bands. Local Confederate Col. Danville Leadbetter's forces attacked the camp, captured a hundred men, among them Peter Reece, and confined them in a large schoolhouse that stood on the hill above the modern town hall. According to local tradition, the prisoners were badly mistreated.
Hamilton Yett, one of Parottsville's most ardent Confederate supporters, came from his mansion north of town to the schoolhouse and announced loudly that he wanted to "look at the animals." Angered, Reece threw a brick that struck Yett's head and fractured his skull, injuring but not killing him. Leadbetter's soldiers immediately hanged Reece from a nearby tree and forbade "any man" from cutting down his body. After three days, Reece's wife, Emily, and two of their daughters removed the body. They buried Reece in the Harned Chapel cemetery. A grandchild later said, "Grandmother Reece hated all Democrats (former Confederates) to the day she died because of what they did to her husband."
Captions:
Peter Reece • Courtesy Peter Reece Family
Union Prisoners in a Confederate town, Harper´s Weekly, June 13, 1863
The hanging of Peter Reece - Courtesy Joan Beaver, artist
Erected 2014 by Tennessee 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 Tennessee Civil War Trails series list. A significant historical month for this entry is June 2001.
Location. 36° 0.573′ N, 83° 5.634′ W. Marker is in Parrottsville, Tennessee, in Cocke County. Marker is at the intersection of Old Parottsville Highway (Tennessee Route 340) and Parrotts Circle, on the right when traveling east on Old Parottsville Highway. Marker is located in the Parrott-LaRue-Myers Greenway and Recreational Memorial Park. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Parrottsville TN 37843, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 6 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Johnson's Parrottsville Slaves (approx. 0.2 miles away); Swaggerty Fort (approx. 1.4 miles away); The Cross (approx. 5.7 miles away); The Warford (approx. 5.7 miles away); Swinging Bridge (approx. 5.7 miles away); City Hall (approx. 5.8 miles away); Cocke County War Memorial (approx. 5.8 miles away); Cocke County Veterans Monument (approx. 5.9 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Parrottsville.
Credits. This page was last revised on September 2, 2020. It was originally submitted on August 14, 2015, by Tom Bosse of Jefferson City, Tennessee. This page has been viewed 1,988 times since then and 107 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on August 14, 2015, by Tom Bosse of Jefferson City, Tennessee. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.