CHAPTER
4
SHELBYVILLE, TENNESSEE
1855-1863
In 1855, Robert Paine Shapard moved his family and 4 slaves
by wagon from Fayetteville in Lincoln County to Shelbyville in Bedford County,
Tennessee. The 25 miles journey would have taken about a day, as the caravan of
horse-drawn fully-loaded wagons slowly made its way along the pike, stopping
periodically to pay the tolls. Prior to their arrival, Robert had traveled
often to Shelbyville to finalize his business arrangements, as well as, to acquire
a home for his family. Initially the Shapard family rented a house; however, on
September 24, 1856, Robert purchased a home on Lot number 97 for the sum of
$1,800 from Samuel G. Hayes, which was in close proximity to the Methodist
Church. Prior to his move to Shelbyville in 1855, Robert Paine Shapard had
formed a partnership with his brother-in-law, Calvin Green Mitchell, creating
the firm of ‘Shapard & Mitchell’. Calvin Green Mitchell was born in 1817, in North Carolina, and married Sarah E.W. Gannaway on January 20, 1847, in Rutherford County, Tennessee. After her early death, Mr. Mitchell married her sister, Mary O. Gannaway on October 2, 1855 in Rutherford County, Tennessee. They had two daughters, Sallie (b. 1857 – d. 1910) and Anna (b. 1862 – d. 1928), and one son, William (b.1865). After the Civil War, he lived for a time in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. Mr. C.G. Mitchell died in Nashville, Tennessee in June of 1887.
'Shapard & Mitchell’ advertised their services as Wholesale Grocers and Produce Dealers. They also solicited their services as Commission Merchants, whereby they would send goods to other merchants across the country and receive a commission upon the sale. Shelbyville was an ideal location for their enterprise, as it had became a focal point destination for many of the roads, as well as, being the final terminus for an 8 mile branch of the Nashville and Chattanooga Railroad that ran east of the town, which allowed for easy import and export of goods. In 1851, town leaders, including Dr. Thomas Lipscomb and Mr. Thomas C. Whiteside, Sr. went to Nashville and solicited the men in command of the Nashville-Chattanooga & St. Louis Railroad for a ‘branch-line’ ending at Shelbyville. The town leaders realized the huge benefit of the line being a final stop and not just a pass-through depot. The branch was eventually constructed off the main line at Wartrace, reaching Shelbyville in 1853. Shelbyville boomed in 1854. In the year 1855, ‘Shapard & Mitchell’ located their storefront on Depot Street in close proximity to the terminus of this railroad. Shelbyville’s population had nearly doubled since the arrival of the railroad, growing from 1,800 inhabitants in 1853 to over 3000 in 1855. That same year, the town boasted of having approximately 45 stores of various kinds, including the manufacturing of furniture, carriages, buckets, cotton, grist and flour. There were three scholarly institutions; the Shelbyville University, and a male and female academy. Shelbyville was also home to a variety of fraternal organizations, including the Masons, Independent Order of Odd Fellows and Sons of Temperance, as well as, having five churches. As the firm of ‘Shapard & Mitchell’ flourished, in late 1856, they began renting additional warehouse space, at $450 per year, to store their extra merchandise. To fulfill their growing labor demands, Roberts Paine Shapard’s sons, Edwin Ruthven Shapard, Robert Addison Shapard and Evander Shapard, at one time or another, all worked at their father’s store in Shelbyville.
'Shapard & Mitchell’ used the services of the Shelbyville Bank of Tennessee, which was located on the north side of Depot Street, fronting the street in a brick house, near their store. Prior to the establishments of banks in Tennessee, barter was the major form of
exchange. The first state bank in Tennessee was established in 1807. These
early banks were established by the prominent citizens and businessmen of their
communities, and had the authority of the State to make, issue and circulate their
own currency. This practice prevailed until the United States Congress passed
the National Banking Act of June 3, 1864, which began to centralize the banking
system. Robert Paine Shapard, as a prominent businessman of Shelbyville was elected
in 1857 and 1858 as one of the Directors to manage the affairs of the bank.
Other prominent men, who served with Robert Shapard, as Directors during this
time were E. Cooper, J. Cummings, W. Gill, R Dwiggins, T. Coldwell, J. McGrew,
C. Warren, Wm Little, T. H. Coldwell and J. Cowan.
Despite
his move, Robert Paine Shapard did not faltered on his dedication to the
Methodist Church, South, and quickly integrated himself into the church at
Shelbyville. Robert was received into the Shelbyville church ‘by letter’,
signifying that he was a member in good standing at his former church in
Fayetteville. The first Methodist Church of Shelbyville was organized in 1820
at the Salem Camp Ground which was where religious meetings were conducted as
early as 1808. The first church building was a wood frame structure located on
Depot Street and was destroyed by a tornado in 1830. The next church was a red brick
building erected at a cost of $3,000 and was located two blocks away from the
town square on North Main Street. This church building lasted until 1880 when
the church moved to a new location. The wife of Rev. Welborn Mooney, pastor of
the Shelbyville church in 1858, recalled that, in Shelbyville “there were some
good true Methodists but the Methodist church was not in the ascendancy,
neither numerically nor financially. Not many rich, not many great were called,
but there were some of the salt of the earth, some of the light of the world…
Sunday school was superintended by Brother Jones and singing was led by Sam Morton,
while Robert Shapard seemed to be the mainspring of the whole movement.”
The
Shapard family had its moments of joy and sorrow during the mid to late 1850s.
On March 5, 1855, Robert Shapard’s sister, Sophia, died in Murfreesboro,
Tennessee, where she was buried next to her husband, Joshua Norman Harrison in
the Old City Cemetery. Robert’s son, Rev. William Shapard, married Susan Emily
Hall in Madison, Davidson County, Tennessee, on November 11, 1856. John
Mitchell Shapard, Robert’s 6 year old son, died in Shelbyville, Tennessee on
January 9, 1858, and was buried in the Willow Mount Cemetery. On June 13, 1859,
Robert’s youngest brother, Thomas Paine Shapard, died in Hempstead, Texas.
In August of
1856, Robert sent his son Edwin 100 miles south to Florence, Alabama to
attended Florence Wesleyan University (current-day University of North
Alabama). In 1826, the Tennessee Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church
met and decided to establish a college that would not be strictly religious or
theological. In 1830, the school opened, under the name of LaGrange College. In
1854, the campus was relocated 15 miles away and a new school building was
constructed at Florence, Alabama. Bishop Robert Paine, a former president of
LaGrange College and cousin of Robert Paine Shapard, used all his influence to
raise financial support for the new school, which ensured its early success. In
February of 1856, the school was renamed Florence Wesleyan University and was
advertised in newspapers throughout the South as a new and highly desirable
Methodist college to attend. It opened to 160 students from five states.
Students attended the college for 10 months of the year and commenced classes
in the second week of September. Edwin Shapard decided to become a minister
during his senior year of college in 1859, and was licensed, that year, to
preach by the Methodist Episcopal Church, South.
During the month of April in
1860, Robert Paine Shapard and his business partner C.G. Mitchell were in court
in Bedford County. Apparently, in 1857, they rented warehouse space in
Shelbyville from Mr. James F. Cummings on a year-to-year contract. After
renting for the year 1857, Shapard & Mitchell did not enter into an
agreement to rent the space for the following year of 1858, however they did
not vacate the premises until 23 days into the new year, in addition, they also
kept the key for the duration of the year. Mr. Cummings sought payment in rent
for the full year of 1858, of which Shapard & Mitchell objected. The jury
found in favor of Mr. Cummings in the amount of $450 for one year of back rent.
This case was appealed to the Supreme Court of Tennessee, with the same
verdict, which set Tennessee legal precedent for ‘hold over’ rent cases that is
referred to even to this day.
In 1860, on the eve of the Civil War, Robert Paine Shapard was flourishing.
He was a merchant with $1,500 in real estate and $15,000 in personal estate.
Evander, David Green, and Sarah were still living at their parent’s house in
Shelbyville, as well as four slaves; Esther - a 29 year old female mulatto and
her children: Fanny - a 16 year old female mulatto, Hellen - a 14 year old
female mulatto, and John - a 6 year old black male. In regards to his other
children at this time; William was a minister in Alabama, Edwin was a minister
in Middleton, Tennessee, and Robert Addison was living in Nashville and working
as a clerk.
The events that led to the Civil War had been brewing
for well over a decade, yet cumulated significantly from 1860 through 1861.
These included the election of Abraham Lincoln on November 6, 1860, the
secession of South Carolina on December 20, 1860, the establishment of the
Confederate States of America on February 9, 1861, the bombardment of Fort
Sumter as the start of the war on April 12, 1861 and the secession of
Tennessee, as the last state to secede, on June 8, 1861. There would have been
a tremendous uncertainty and excitement during this time, as politics and war
would have been the conversation of the day. No one was immune and all were
affected by these events.
Robert Paine Shapard was affiliated with the Whig
Party from the 1830s until the 1850s when the party fell apart over the issue
of slavery. Northern abolitionist Whigs mostly affiliated with the newly formed
Republican Party, whereas, the Southern Whigs favored the Democratic Party.
Robert, as a member of the Southern slave-holding class, would have leaned
toward the Democratic Party in this regard; however, he was skeptical of the
prospects of secession and instead preferred to remain in the Union while
seeking an alternative means to war. When Tennessee was put to the vote, Robert
cast his ballet against secession. Mr. Shapard was not alone in his sentiment
towards preservation of the Union, as the community of Shelbyville, throughout the
war, was regarded as one of the most “loyal” towns in all of Middle Tennessee. Among
friends, he was, at times, very vocal about his political philosophy; however,
as a southerner, businessman, family-man and citizen attempting to survive the
war, he filtered himself as necessary to prevent harassment, imprisonment or
execution. These were dangerous, volatile and unpredictable times.
Prior to the war and shortly after Tennessee joined
the Confederate States, Robert found ways of showing support for the Confederate
cause. In February of 1861, just before the war, a letter from an anonymous
Shelbyville abolitionist was printed in the New York Daily Tribune, reporting
that, “ I have heard many substantial men [of Shelbyville] say, during the last
month, that they would ‘willingly, cheerfully, give up every negro (they had
them), if it would save the Union.’ There are many men in this State who are
patiently waiting for the right opportunity to declare their abhorrence and
detestation of the horrible ‘moral and social evil’ which now exists in the
South.” In response to this letter, Shapard & Mitchell were the very first,
among many other town leaders, to sign their names to a rebuttal, informing the
newspaper that, “…we find an article, purporting to be a letter from this
place, in regard to public opinion in Bedford county, in Tennessee, on the
subject of slavery. This letter does not speak the sentiments of this community
upon the question to which it refers. It has produced some excitement here, and
a number of persons have been suspected of its authorship, and injustice may,
therefore, be done to individuals who are or may be erroneously suspected.” While
Robert may have desired preservation of the Union over war, he vehemently
believed in his rights, as a legal slave-owner, to protect his property.
Once war was declared, men of fighting age were
recruited as volunteers and home guards. In September of 1861, the
"Shelbyville Rebels," the first Confederate Company of the area, was
organized by the election of Robert’s son-in-law, Abner S. Boone, a former
Whig, as Captain. Interestingly, almost every member of the ‘Shelbyville
Rebels’ voted against secession and were devoted to the Union until Lincoln’s
Federal army invaded their Southern homeland. A public meeting of the citizens
of Shelbyville was held for the purpose of raising donations to outfit Captain
Boone’s Company, preparing them for active service. The firm of Shapard &
Mitchell publically donated 75 dollars, and, during the meeting Robert’s
business partner, Mr. C.G. Mitchell, was appointed to a committee for the
purpose of raising additional funds. Shapard
& Mitchell did a tremendous amount of business with the Confederate Army,
furnishing them with supplies and food, from February of 1862 until May of
1863, after which, Shelbyville was overrun by Federal Troops. Travel was essential
for Shapard & Mitchell to conduct business and gather new merchandise.
Early in the war, through their good relationship with the Confederate
officials, Robert Shapard and C.G. Mitchell were able to gain passes to travel
in and out of the Confederate lines to perform their trade.
Among his own household, Robert was in terrible angst
with a family divided, having two sons in the Confederate Army and one son in
the Union Army. His eldest son, Rev. William Shapard, enlisted as a soldier in the
20th Alabama Infantry Regiment of the Confederate Army on September
10, 1861, and remained through 1862, being discharged due to illness. While
Rev. William Shapard was in the service of the Confederate Army, he sent his
wife, Emily, who was pregnant, and his daughter, Ava, to live with his parents
in Shelbyville. Robert and Parthenia did their best to care for their
daughter-in-law who delivered a health boy in May of 1862, however, their three
year-old granddaughter, Ava, died of illness a month earlier, in April of 1862.
Robert’s son, Evander Shapard, entered the 41st Infantry of
Tennessee of the Confederate Army on November 2, 1861, enlisting under his
brother-in-law, Captain A.S. Boone. Evander enlisted on his 18th
birthday, over the objection of his father. Tragically, during his first
engagement with the enemy in February of 1862, at the Battle of Fort Donelson,
he was captured, along with Capt. Boone, and was held as a prisoner of war at
Camp Morton, Indianapolis. After seven months, he was released, during a
prisoner exchange, and went on to participate in every major battle of the Army
of Tennessee until the end of the war. Robert’s son, Robert Addison Shapard,
enlisted, at Nashville, in the 1st Regiment of Middle Tennessee
Volunteer Calvary of the Federal Army on July 25, 1862, which was later
mustered into Company C of the 5th Tennessee Cavalry. Prior to
enlisting he rendered service to the Federal Commander as a guide and scout
around the Shelbyville area. He was commissioned as a Lieutenant on September
2, 1862. On January 28, 1863, he was arrested after shooting a private under
his command over a dispute while intoxicated. He was court marshaled and cashiered,
by being publically stripped of his rank of 1st lieutenant and dismissed
with dishonor from the service. After his dismissal, Robert Addison Shapard
lived with his parents until the end of the War. Regardless of their
affiliation or circumstance, when his sons came home during the war, Robert Paine
Shapard embraced them, fed and clothed them and gave them safe harbor until
they were called off again. First and foremost he was a father who loved his
children.
Tennessee fell under the control of the Confederate
States when the state seceded in June of 1861. By October of 1861, travel was
becoming difficult as the trains, boats, horses and wagons were amassed by the
armies and outfitted for military use. In February of 1862, the Federal Army
invaded Tennessee and forced the majority of the Confederate Army to flee south
into Alabama. This invasion of Robert’s homeland would have been a terrifying
event. Martial Law was declared in February of 1862, and Andrew Johnson was
appointed by President Lincoln to act as Military Governor of Tennessee. Travel
was no longer safe as southern social order collapsed and the armies battled
and ravaged the land and towns for food and supplies. Inevitably, Middle
Tennessee would be one of the most fought over lands during the course of the
Civil War. The great armies would battle and their lines would ebb and flow
around the town of Shelbyville, with devastating effects. In the latter part of
the summer of 1862, Confederate General Braxton Bragg led a raid into Kentucky,
which drew the Federal army out of northern Alabama and lower Middle Tennessee.
Travel was again possible for southerners south of the Federal lines at Nashville;
however, the union line was pushed as far south as Murfreesboro in December of
1862, where the Battle of Murfreesboro took place. The Confederate Army went
into winter quarters at Shelbyville and the Union Army camped at Murfreesboro
until June of 1863.
Robert and his business partner, C.G. Mitchell, attempted to
carry on business as they were able. From February of 1862 until May of 1863, they
received many large orders from the Confederate Commissary and Quartermasters
for supplies such as clothing, buckets, shot, steel, etc. They also supplied
the Confederate Army with provisions in the form of flour, beans, peas, etc. Shelbyville
became a military town in 1863, as the army encamped there and placed artillery
among the streets. For the month of March in 1863, Shapard & Mitchell
rented one of their warehouses to the Confederate Army through Maj. J.J. Murphy
which was used as the Post Commissary store. In late June of 1863, the heavily
reinforced Federal Army at Murfreesboro began to push south and the Confederate
Army decided to retreat from Shelbyville. The officers and soldiers, who were encamped
with their battalion north of the town, entered Shelbyville to inform the
citizens and say goodbye to their friends. Some families left ahead of the
retreat of the Confederate Army and some fled with the army as they marched
through the streets of Shelbyville.
As the Federal Army approached, a battle
was expected to ensue among the streets of Shelbyville and the cannons were readied
near the Public Square. The remaining citizens either rode out the event at
home, or, for fear of their lives and property, they gathered what they could
and fled by foot, by wagon, or on the last train out of Shelbyville at 1
o’clock on June 27th. At 6
o’clock that evening, the battle began as the Federals rushed upon the town.
Confederate and Federal cannons fired at each other down Martin Street near the
Public Square causing damage to businesses and residences. Cavalry soldiers
dueled with sabers on Depot Street in front of Shapard & Mitchell’s store,
and the bridge over the Duck River was partially destroyed during the
Confederate retreat. Many men lost their lives on that frightful day during the
Battle of Shelbyville. Interestingly, the Union dead were housed in warehouses
on Depot Street until they could be buried, perhaps utilizing those buildings owned
or rented by Shapard & Mitchell. Among the havoc and chaos of those days in
June, the Shapard family gathered what they were able and became refugees,
fleeing Shelbyville for a safer location.
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