Dr. James Stell Coberly

We Loughs are descended from Dr. James Stell Coberly. Dr. Coberly’s great-granddaughter Lucinda married Philip Lough. This couple is our 3^rd great-grandparents.

This information comes from Joe Coberly of Early, Texas, a descendant of Martin Coberly, Dr. Stell's 9th son with Mary Ellen Pfaffenberg, who graciously shared it with me via email:

Family researchers have different theories on the origin of the family name. Coberly, Coberley, Cubberly, Cubberley. Some believe as I do that James Cubberly came from England, others believe that he came from France, still others believe he came from Germany

James Cubberly the patriarch of the Coberley family was born about 1690, coming to America sometime before the year 1714. When he was 28, He married Mary Stell Pearson, daughter of Robert Pearson and Catherine (Katrin) Stell, in 1716 in New Jersey, USA. On April 4, 1718, James purchased 350 acres in Nottingham Township, Burlington County, New Jersey. James ultimately owned more than 800 acres along the old Nottingham Township line. His land lay along the province line in old Nottingham Township, extending a mile and then reaching westward about a mile. (The purchase of his first 350 acres, referred to James Cubberly as a 'sailor'. Since no other reference to his being a sailor has been found, it may be simply that James signed onto the ship as a sailor - in order to fulfill his dream to get to America.)

James Cubberly was buried in White Horse, Mercer, New Jersey, USA (Pearson's Burying Grounds). He was employed as a Sailor / Farmer.

James Cubberly and Mary Stell Pearson had the following children:

1.            Thomas Cubberley was born 23 Sep 1717 in Burlington, New Jersey, USA. He died 16 Apr 1753 in Middlesex, New Jersey, USA.

2.            William Paul Cubberly was born 06 Feb 1720 in Burlington, New Jersey, USA. He died 09 May 1774 in Robbinsville, Mercer, New Jersey, USA.

3.            James Stell Coberly was born 12 Feb 1723 in Burlington, Burlington, New Jersey, USA. He died 24 Mar 1806 in Hardy, West Virginia, USA. He married Anne Mingling 31 Oct 1745 in Burlington, Burlington, New Jersey, USA. He married Mary Ellen Pfaffenberg Abt. 1772 in New Jersey, USA.

4.            John R. Cubberly was born 20 Jan 1724 in Hamilton, Mercer, New Jersey, USA. He died 1795 in Middlesex, New Jersey, USA. He married Lydia Rulon 1755.

5.            Isaac E. Cubberly was born 05 Aug 1725 in Burlington, New Jersey, USA. He died 05 Jun 1786 in Staten Island, Richmond, New York, USA. He married Ann Hooper 01 Dec 1749 in Middlesex, New Jersey, USA.

6.            Mary Cubberley was born 22 Aug 1728 in Burlington, New Jersey, USA. She died 1799 in Half-moon, Saratoga, New York, USA. She married Peter Groom 1750 in New Jersey, USA.

7.            Sarah Cubberley was born 07 Jul 1729 in Burlington, New Jersey, USA. She died 1747 in New Jersey, USA.

  

James Stell Coberly was born 12 Feb 1723 in Burlington, Burlington, New Jersey, USA as the third child of James Cubberly and Mary Stell Pearson. He had six siblings, namely: Thomas, William Paul, John R., Isaac E., Mary, and Sarah. He died 24 Mar 1806 in Hardy, West Virginia, USA. When he was 22, He married Anne Mingling 31 Oct 1745 in Burlington, Burlington, New Jersey, USA. When he was 48, He married Mary Ellen Pfaffenberg, daughter of Johann Georg Pfaffenberg and Anna Martha, Abt. 1772 in New Jersey, USA.

Military: (Revolutionary War, Physician / Surgeon) He was employed as a Physician / Surgeon.

James Stell Coberly and Anne Mingling had the following children:

1.            John Coberly was born 28 Aug 1755 in Elizabeth, Union, New Jersey, USA. He died 30 Nov 1823 in Madison, Ohio, USA.

2.            Job Coberley was born 1760 in Essex, New Jersey, USA. He died 1819 in Burlington, New Jersey, USA.

3.            Mary Coberly was born 30 Sep 1761 in Essex, New Jersey, USA. She died 29 Dec 1834 in Morgan, Scioto, Ohio, USA.

4.            Hannah Jane Coberly was born 25 Jun 1763 in New Jersey, USA. She died 29 Dec 1834 in Morgan, Scioto, Ohio, USA. She married John Dever 1785 in Wheeling, Ohio, West Virginia, USA.

James Stell Coberly and Mary Ellen Pfaffenberg had the following children:

1.            Thomas Coberly was born 28 Oct 1772 in Cacapon, Morgan, West Virginia, USA. He died 30 Nov 1823 in Madison, Ohio, USA. [Thomas was the father of Job, the father of Lucinda, the mother of James Randolph Lough, the father of Malinda Lough Garrett, the mother of James Carey Lough, the father of Daniel Henry Lough—and here we are!]

2.            Isaac Coberly was born 04 Sep 1773 in Cacapon, Morgan, West Virginia, USA. He died 1818 in Hardy, West Virginia, USA. He married Rebecca Bennett 1800.

3.            Levi Coberly was born 04 Sep 1773 in Cacapon, Morgan, West Virginia, USA. He died 12 Oct 1851 in Barbour, Orange, Virginia, USA. He married Margaret Cunningham 1795 in Virginia, USA.

4.            William Coberly was born 1775 in Hardy, West Virginia, USA. He died 1883 in Scioto, Ohio, USA.

5.            Phebe Coberly was born 1776 in Hardy, West Virginia, USA. She died 25 Aug 1839 in Raymond, Union, Ohio, USA. She married Caleb Orahood 1790 in Hardy, Bedford, Virginia, USA.

6.            Ozilla Coberly was born 1783 in Hardy, West Virginia, USA. She died 25 Jul 1827 in Marion, Ohio, USA.

7.            Sarah Coberly was born 1784 in Hardy, West Virginia, USA.

8.            George William Coberly was born 20 Feb 1788 in Hardy, West Virginia, USA. He died 11 Jul 1855 in Hancock, Illinois, USA. He married Sarah Bean 26 Mar 1811 in Hardy, Bedford, Virginia, USA. He married Matilda Lewis 13 Oct 1816 in Hardy, Bedford, Virginia, USA. He married Mary Ann Mathews 1829 in Hancock, Illinois, USA.

9.            Martin H Coberly was born 1790 in Hardy, West Virginia, USA. He died aft. 1860 in Rome, Jefferson, Illinois, USA. He married Sarah Skidmore 1810 in Randolph, West Virginia, USA. He married Mary Jane Tate 1834 in Nicholas, West Virginia, USA. He married Sarah Tate 18 Dec 1853 in Monroe, Illinois, USA.

10.         Joseph Coberly was born 1793 in Hardy, West Virginia, USA. He died 1870 in Kansas City, Jackson, Missouri, USA. He married Eleanor Jones 06 Feb 1818 in Hardy, Bedford, Virginia, USA.

11.         James Coberly was born 05 Mar 1803 in Hardy, West Virginia, USA. He died 22 Sep 1867 in Gilmer, West Virginia, USA. He married Lisha Jett 21 Aug 1803 in Hardy, Bedford, Virginia, USA

Waightstill Avery Montgomery and James Randolph Lough—Neighbors?

The census of 1900 shows Waightstill Montgomery (my Mom’s great-grandfather) living in Collin County, Texas, Precinct 2. His is the 244^th dwelling visited and the 251^st family in the order of the visits of the enumerator, James T. Lacy.

The same census shows James Lough (my Dad’s great-grandfather) living in the same county, same precinct, same enumerator. His is the 297^th dwelling visited and the 305^th family.

They may not have known each other—I can’t figure out how far apart they lived or how large the area was that James Lacy was visiting; but isn’t it fun to think that my Dad’s great-grandfather might have known my Mom’s great-grandfather? My Dad’s great-grandfather might have bought groceries or done blacksmithing or wagon business with my Mom’s great-grandfather!

Waightstill is buried in the Montgomery family cemetery southeast of Blue Ridge, TX. James is buried in the Old Liberty cemetery northeast of Farmersville, TX. They are buried about 6-8 miles apart.

One question is: where is Fayburg, where Waightstill and his son operated a mercantile? Fayburg is 2.5 miles south of Blue Ridge on Hwy. 78. The town was originally spelled “Fayburgh”, but the “h” was dropped 6 Nov 1893. There once was a post office there, but service was discontinued 15 May 1926 and delivery was only to Farmersville. The satellite photo of Fayburg on MapQuest shows that there is nothing left there.

Waightstill Avery Montgomery—Civil War Veteran

Waightstill is my 2^nd great-grandfather, the grandfather of my granddad, Carl Buford Gaines. This is his obituary:

The reaper - Death - took from our midst on March 30 at 3 o'clock p.m., our friend and neighbor, father and grandfather, Waightstill A. Montgomery. He was born in North Carolina in 1834, came to Texas in the early fifties, was married to Miss Mary E. Largent, 1858. To them were born eleven children, seven girls and four boys, who reside at the following places:

Mrs. B.D. Rodgers, W.A. Montgomery, Jr., Joe Montgomery, Mrs. Willie Drain, live near the old home place near Fayburg in East Collin. Mrs. Julie Bilderback, Hugh Montgomery, Mr. J.E. Gaines, live in and near Durant, Oklahoma. Mrs. Pennington resides in western Texas. Dudly Montgomery died at the age of 17 and two children died in infancy.

Uncle Waits, as he was commingly [sic] known, gave his service to the Texas Rangers during the civil war. After the war closed he settled 17 miles east of McKinney. In May 1897 he lost his wife, then he broke up housekeeping, bought property in Durant, Oklahoma where he was living at the time of his death, with his son Hugh Montgomery. His wife was a sister of Joseph E. Largent of McKinney and W.B. Largent, who dies [sic] some ten years ago, also of McKinney. He joined the Christian church in 1887, and lived a devoted Christian life to the end. His remains were layed [sic] to rest in the old family graveyard one and one-half miles east of Fayburg on April the first 1908. Since all must die, since the blood of Christ has cleansed our beloved father and grandfather, from all unrighteousness, and since there was awaiting him a home with the redeemed, we reverently submit to the will of the "I am that I am." (From Weekly Democrat-Gazette, Thursday, April 23, 1908)

Waightstill A. Montgomery, merchant and farmer, was born in Burke county, North Carolina, January 6, 1834, was reared on a farm and has been identified with agricultural pursuits all his life. His father was Allen Montgomery, a native of North Carolina, and was by trade a saddler; he married Miss Susan Largent, daughter of Elijah Largent, of North Carolina, and by her became the father of fourteen children, of whom Waightstill is the fifth.

Waightstill A. Montgomery, in addition to his knowledge of farming, learned the trades of blacksmith, wagon-maker, and saddle-tree maker, and worked at these until and after the outbreak of the late war, in conjunction with farming, his original vocation. In 1857 he came to Texas, and in 1858 married Miss Mary E. Largent, daughter of Marcus L. Largent, of North Carolina. In 1862 Mr. Montgomery enlisted in the Confederate army, under Captain John K. Bumpass, Company F, of Martin's regiment, and served in the Indian Territory and Texas until the end of the desperate struggle, when he returned to his home and resumed farming, which occupation he followed until 1886, when he went into mercantile business with his eldest son, William A. Montgomery. The warehouse of the firm is located near the home farm, adjacent to Fayburgh and is stored with a full stock of general merchandise, meeting the wants and tastes of the whole neighborhood. The children born to Waightstill A. Montgomery and wife were eleven in number of whom nine survive and are named - Susan, William A., Julia, Alice, Delia, Joseph, Lena, Dudley and Hugh. Mr. Montgomery is a member of the Grange and the Farmers' Alliance, and also a firm adherent of the Christian church.

(From Biographical Souvenir of the State of Texas - Containing Biographical Sketches of the Representative Public, and Many Early Settled Families - Chicago: F.A. Battey & Company – 1889)

The Confederate unit Waightstill enlisted in was a part of the 5^th Partisan Texas Rangers. This is a summary of their service, compiled by John Luther:

Tthe 5th Texas Partisan Rangers Cavalry Regiment, also called Martin's Regiment, so named for it's commander Col. Leonidas Martin. The 5th Texas Partisan Rangers were formed with a consolidation of the 9th and 10th Texas Cavalry Battalion at Fort Washita, Indian Territory.

On April 24, 1863 the 5th Texas Partisan Rangers were engaged near Webber Falls in the Indian Territory to repel an expected raid by Union Col. William Phillips.

In May 1863 the 5th Texas Partisan Rangers engaged in a skirmish near Fort Gibson, Indian Territory. They unsuccessfully attacked a Union supply train five miles from Fort Gibson. Many Confederate Indians were killed in the raid.

On July 17, 1863 the 5th Texas Partisan Rangers fought in the Battle of Honey Springs, in the Creek Nation, near the present day town of Muskogee, Oklahoma. The 5th Texas Partisan Rangers formed the Confederate center on the battlefield. During the battle their line was broken by a Union charge that occurred during a breakdown in communications in the Confederate command. Much of the gunpowder used by the Confederate force at Honey Springs was made in Mexico and of inferior quality. The damp, wet weather at Honey Springs caused the gunpowder to turn to paste which contributed to a Confederate defeat at the Battle of Honey Springs.

The Confederate Army was forced to retreat and scatter to find suitable grazing land for the cavalry mounts. Col. Martin and his troops were noted for their coolness during the retreat and Col. Martin's good management of the men.

On October 9, 1863 the 5th Texas Partisan Rangers were ordered to Bonham, Texas for service under General Henry McCulloch. They were ordered to round up deserters and bring order to the Northeast Texas area. Confederate General Sam Bell Maxey latter wrote that the 5th Texas Partisan Rangers were one of his best regiments and that Col. Martin was a good officer, too good in fact to be chasing deserters through the brush of Northeast Texas. Confederate General Henry McCulloch agreed and wrote that Col. Martin's men had done remarkable service considering the service they were ordered to do.

On November 10, 1863 the 5th Texas Partisan Rangers were placed in General Douglas H. Cooper's Brigade with Col. John Jumper's Seminole Battalion and Col. DeMorse's 29th Texas Cavalry.

On December 22, 1863 the 5th Texas Partisan Rangers were on furlough for Christmas. They were recalled and ordered to concentrate at McKinney and Pilot Grove to march to Gainesville, Texas to meet a threat of invasion by Kansas Jayhawkers and a small group of Union Cavalry troops. Although the Jayhawkers had entered Gainesville, they departed before the arrival of Col. Martin's men.

On March 21,1864 General Richard Gano took command of the brigade consisting of the 5th Texas Partisan Rangers. General Gano requested Col. Martin to report to him as to the state of arms possessed by the men of the regiment. On March 30, 1864 Col. Martin replied that 1/3 of his men were armed with shotguns, another 1/3 was armed with everything from squirrel rifles to mammoth Belgium rifles and the other 1/3 was completely unarmed.

In Richmond, Confederate President Jefferson Davis realized that the original enlistment for the Confederate States Army was nearing an end. He made a plea for all troops to re-enlist for the term of the war. Col. Leonidas Martin, commander of the 5th Texas Partisan Rangers made the following proclamation on behalf of his men in June 1864.

Whereas the 5th Cavalry, Texas Partisan Rangers, having re-enlisted for the war, in obedience to a call from our congress, the following resolutions expressive of their sentiments and feelings are adopted:

First. That we, the officers and men of Martin's Regiment, do most heartily and willingly tender our unanimous services and cordial support to our country in vigorously prosecuting the present war so long as the footprints of the vandal pollutes the soil of our beloved South, pledging ourselves never to sheathe the sword nor lay down the musket until sucess shall crown our efforts and an honorable peace be proclaimed throughout our land.

Second. That we esteem it a privilege and an honor to have the opportunity afforded us to thus make known to our friends at home that we still are determined to protect the sanctity of their homes, honor, lives, and property from the ruthless hirelings of the north, or sacrifice our lives upon the altar of our country; to our comrades in arms that we are resolved to stand by them as friend to friend in battling for the great and glorious cause for which they are so nobly contending.

Third. That we tender to our commanding officers our heary and cordial support in their efforts to drive the dastardly foe from our soil and in promoting the good and prosperity of our country. L. M. Martin Chairman/Geo. White Secretary.

General Sam Bell Maxey, commander of the Indian Territory added the following comments:

They breathe the right spirit. They show that desertion is not part of thr creed of these men. They pledge themselves, should occasion offer, to emulate the glorious heroes who from Virginia to New Mexico who have immortalized the Texas soldier. While Texans are upholding the honor and renown of their glorious state in this mighty struggle now going on - never before equaled in the world's history - what can be thought of the cowardly skulks who are now deserting their comrades and country, and of the equally low-down scuffs who uphold them in it? Let every soldier in the Indian Territory determine to be a man, and fight the thing out. Let desertion be a "stink ball" in the nostrils of every soldier.

S. B. Maxey Major General, Commanding.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

On the morning of July 27, 1864 the 5th Texas Partisan Rangers fought in the Battle of Massard's Prairie, 10 miles from Fort Smith, Arkansas. There they attacked Union General Thayer's outpost near the fort. The 5th Texas Partisan Rangers engaged the 6th Kansas Cavalry. The Kansas Cavalry troops were surprised by the attack. As a result it's horses were stampeded causing the Union Cavalry to fight dis-mounted. After a fighting retreat of a mile, the 6th Kansas Cavalry commander, Major David Mefford was unable to break the Confederate line and the 6th Kansas Cavalry surrendered.

On September 19, 1864 the 5th Texas Partisan Rangers participated in one of the most daring raids of the war, the Battle of Cabin Creek in the Indian Territory. In the early morning hours the 5th Texas Partisan Rangers, under General Richard Gano, waited in the timber on the Fort Scott road headed for Fort Gibson. At 2 a.m. the 5th Texas Partisan Rangers with the Confederate Indians under General Stand Watie attacked the Union wagon train. The wagon train was quickly surrounded by the Confederate force. General Gano used his artillery against the Union detachment guarding the supply train. Fearing reenforcements that might arrive the next day, General Gano's Texas Cavalry, with General Stand Watie's Confederate Indians drove in the Union right. The Union troops fled and left the million dollar supply train to the hungry, poorly clothed Confederate troops. General Gano said of his troops that they had marched 400 miles in 14 days and destroyed 1.5 million dollars in Union property that consisted of 225 wagons and $500,000.00 in U.S. currency. The Confederate Government in Richmond praised General Stand Watie and General Gano along with their troops for their noble raid.

On December 29, 1864 the 5th Texas Partisan Rangers were ordered to Bonham, Texas for temporary duty for General Henry McCulloch.

On February 26,1865 the 5th Texas Partisan Rangers were ordered to march for Marshall, Texas. When they arrived they were dis-mounted and told to prepare for a Union invasion force of 5,000 men that would strike the Texas coast from New Orleans. It was an invasion that would never come, as the war was almost at it's end. The following day the 5th Texas Partisan Rangers were consolidated into Gould's Brigade, also known as the 23rd Texas Cavalry due to the reduced numbers caused by death, disease, and desertion.

Sources

Prairie Grove Battlefield State Park Museum and Interpretation Center.

Official Records of the War Of The Rebellion of the Union and Confederate Armies.

General Stand Watie's Confederate Indians by Frank Cunningham

Civil War in the Western Choctaw Nation 1861-1865, the Atoka Historical Society.

Spoonemore Family History by Rick Gibson.

=========================================

Martin's Cavalry Regiment Col. Leonidas M. Martin's 5th TX Cav., Partisan Rangers

The Texas 5th Cavalry Regiment, Partisan Rangers was organized by the consolidation of the 9th Partisan Rangers Battalion and the 10th Cavalry Battalion in early 1863. The regiment came into Confederate service at Fort Washita, Indian Territory (present day Oklahoma) on February 6, 1863 by Brigadier General Albert Pike. The regiment existed for two years and three months and participated in several skirmishes and battles primarily in Indian Territory. Dismounted in March 1865. Surrendered by General E.K. Smith, commanding Trans-Mississippi Department, on May 26, 1865.

Engagements

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Fort Gibson, Indian Territory (skirmish) May 1863
Honey Springs, Indian Territory July 17, 1863
Perryville, Indian Territory, (skirmish) August 26, 1863
Massard Prairie, near Fort Smith, Arkansas [detachment] July 27, 1864
Cabin Creek, Indian Territory September 19, 1864

Regimental Field and Staff

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
First Commander:
Leonidas M. Martin (Colonel)
Field Officers:

William M. Weaver (Lieutenant Colonel)
William N. Mayrant (Major)

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Regimental Journal

February 6, 1863
The 5th Texas Calvary Partisan Rangers organized at Fort Washita, Indian Territory. The regiment was a consolidation of the 10th Texas Calvary Battalian and the 9th Texas Cavalry Battalian.

April-October 1863
Assigned to Cooper's Brigade, Steele's Division, District of Arkansas, Trans-Mississippi Department

May 1863
Fought skirmish at Fort Gibson, Indian Territory

July 17, 1863
Battle of Honey Springs, Indian Territory

August 26, 1863
Fought skirmish at Perryville, Indian Territory

October 1863-July 1864
Assigned to Indian Territory, Trans-Mississippi Department

July 1864
Assigned to the District of Indian Territory, Trans-Mississippi Department

July 27, 1864
Fought the Battle of Massard's Prairie, near Fort Smith, Arkansas

September 1864
Assigned to Gano's Brigade, Cooper's (Indian) Division, District of the Indian Territory, Trans-Mississippi Department

September 19, 1864
Battle of Cabin Creek, Indian Territory

September 1864-February
Assigned to the 5th (Gano's) Texas Cavalry Brigade, 2nd (Maxey's) Texas Cavalry Division, 1st Corps, Trans-Mississippi

February
Assigned to Northern Sub-district, District of Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona, Trans-Mississippi Department

February-April 1865
Assigned to 3rd Texas Infantry Brigade, 1st (Forney's) Texas Infantry Division, 1st Corps, Trans- Mississippi Department

April-May 1865
Assigned to Robertson's Brigade, Maxey's Division, District of Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona, Trans- Mississippi Department

May 26, 1865
Surrendered by General E.K. Smith, commanding Trans-Mississippi Department

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Bibliography
John C. Grady, Suffering to Silence
Harry M. Henderson, Texas in the Confederacy
Stewart Sifakis, Compendium of the Confederate Armies

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Original journal by:
Ronnie D. Rubit

Jacob Tanner

Jacob Tanner, my 5^th great-grandfather, and father of Frederick, was a Revolutionary War veteran. His family asserts that he died in 1781 (or early in 1782) of wounds received at the Battle of Yorktown. He was, certainly, a member of the Virginia militia. His wife, Dorothy (Zimmerman), received a pension of $26.66 per year for his service. (From a family tree page of an unidentified someone: “Dorothy Zimmerman had a hard life in that she lost her husband, Jacob, when she was about forty years old with six youngsters in the home. I believe she was also physically handicapped. Jacob had been drafted in 1781 and died while he was in the army, just after the victory at Yorktown. In 1794, Dorothy filed a petition with the House of Delegates of Virginia asking for a pension which was granted.” It isn’t only the soldiers who are the heroes.)

Jacob’s brother, Christopher, was also killed at the Battle of Yorktown. His name is on the monument at the National Park there: Sergeant Christopher Tanner. Only a few Americans  were killed at Yorktown (88, I think—though Jacob wouldn’t have been listed as a fatality of the battle). I think it is ironic that two of the fatalities were brothers.

Jacob and Christopher had 3 brothers: Frederick, John, and Abraham. All three are listed as members of various Virginia militia groups during the Revolution in Historical Register of Virginians in the Revolution. (Abraham had his request for a pension rejected—though he claimed he had fought at Petersburg during the war. I couldn’t figure out why he was rejected.)

GCBroyles52 includes this statement with his family tree of the Tanner family:

“In 1780 the Virginia Legislature passed an act requiring its counties to supply men for the Continental Army. These men would be divided into classes or divisions within the militia, each under an officer. Culpeper County had 106 classes with a total of 3,000 men.

“Many of those who signed up traced their origins to the Germanna Colonies. In fact, Jacob Tanner and his family were members of the Hebron Lutheran Church founded by members of those colonies.

“Tanner and his fellow militia members were part of the Siege of Yorktown, a combined assault involving American and French forces on land and sea. With the surrender of British forces under Lt. Gen. Lord Cornwallis, the British sued for peace. It proved to be the last major battle of the Revolutionary War.

“Of the American force of 8,000 regulars and 3,100 militia, only 88 men were killed and 301 wounded. 

“Jacob Tanner sustained wounds at the battle, and died shortly thereafter in Culpeper County.  He was 39.

 “His widow, Dorothy, was approved for an ongoing pension in 1802. The order was signed by James Monroe, governor of Virginia, Founding Father and future president. Dorothy lived out her life in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, dying in 1808.”

(By the way, for you Loughs, the Tanners are the ancestral line of my grandma, Susan Westcott Lough. Lydia Ann Tanner Wescott was Susan’s mother.)

Frederick Tanner, veteran of the Battle of New Orleans?

Frederick Tanner is my 4th great-grandfather. He is the son of Jacob Tanner (who I think died of wounds suffered at the Battle of Yorktown in 1781) and Dorothy Zimmerman.

There are two “Frederick” or “Frederich” Tanners in Kentucky in 1815. One lived in Boone County; the other, my ancestor, lived in Barren County. I suspect these two are related, because they are both intertwined with the Zimmermans.

I must do more research to see which of these served in the Kentucky Militia. However, in a blog called “Family Ramblings” (the Lockhart Family News), the writer claims that the Frederick Tanner from Barren served in the War of 1812 and at New Orleans. I’ll take her word for it, because she may have the evidence to prove it.

Frederick Tanner served in Captain William Ganaway's Company of Davis's Regiment, Kentucky Detached Militia, commanded by Lieutenant-Colonel Presley Gray (originally the 13^th Regiment of the Kentucky Militia).

"These troops [the Kentucky militia] were commanded by Major General John Thomas, with Brigadier General John Adair as his Adjutant General. The total strength of the Kentucky militia raised for the New Orleans campaign was two thousand two hundred and fifty-six. To these must be added the officers and men of the Seventh Regiment of United States Infantry (who were recruited in Kentucky), at that time four hundred and sixty-five strong, bringing the grand total of Kentucky troops up to two thousand seven hundred and twenty-one. Of these troops sixteen hundred and forty were on the firing line, and engaged in the Battle of New Orleans. One thousand and eighty-one of the Kentucky militia did not take part in the battle because they could not be furnished with arms.

"The Honorable Z. T. Smith, in his 'Battle of New Orleans,' says: 'When the militia of Kentucky was called for, Governor Shelby was assured that a United States quartermaster would furnish transportation for the troops to New Orleans; but no such officer presented himself and no relief came from Washington. The men had rendezvoused on the banks of the Ohio in waiting, and here the expedition must have ended had not Colonel Richard Taylor, of Frankfort, the quartermaster of the State militia borrowed a sum sufficient to meet the immediate emergency. With this he purchased such boats as he could, some of which were unfit for the passage. Camp equipage could not be had in time, and about thirty pots and kettles were bought at Louisville - one to each company of eighty men. At the mouth of the Cumberland River they were detained eight days, with their axes and frows riving boards with which to patch up their old boats. From this point they started with a half supply of rations, to which they added as they could on their way down the Mississippi River. The men knew there was due them an advance of two months' pay when ordered out of the State. The United States quartermaster distributed this pay to the Tennessee troops who had preceded them, but withheld it from the Kentuckians. Believing that they would be furnished suitable clothing or pay, blankets, tents, arms and munitions, with reasonable promptness, they left home with little else than the one suit of clothing they wore, usually of homespun jeans. As a writer has said, "Rarely, if ever, has it been known of such a body of men leaving their homes, unprovided as they were, and risking a difficult passage of fifteen hundred miles in the crudest of barges to meet an enemy. They could have been prompted alone by a love of country and defiance to its enemies..."'

"[When] the long-delayed Kentucky militia reached New Orleans, they were commanded by Brigadier General John Adair, on account of the illness of Major General John Thomas. It was in the midst of an unusually severe winter, in a a season of almost daily rainfalls, when the troops reached New Orleans. They went into camp, says a writer on the subject, without tents or blankets, or bedding of straw, on the open and miry alluvial soil, with the temperature at times at the freezing point. The legislature of Louisiana, then in session, promptly voted six thousand dollars for relief, to which the generous citizens of Louisiana added by subscription ten thousand dollars more. With these funds materials were purchased. The noble women of New Orleans, almost without exception, devoted themselves day and night to making up these materials into suitable garments and bedding and distributing them as they were most needed. In one week's time the destitute soldiers were supplied and made comfortable.

"In speaking, in an official report, of the condition of the Kentucky militia upon their arrival at New Orleans, General Jackson said: ' Not one man in ten was well armed, and only one man in three had any arms at all.' It is the business of a government to arm its soldiers, but such arms as the Kentuckians took to New Orleans were their own private property. The Secretary of War had promised to send arms and munitions down the Mississippi River for the supply of the Kentucky militia, but through the incompetency of the quartermaster at Pittsburg, whence the arms were to be shipped, these supplies were much delayed in starting, and had gotten only as far on the way as the mouth of the Ohio River on the day when the Kentuckians reached New Orleans, and did not get to that city until many days after all need for them was past. However, the citizens of New Orleans contributed enough of their own private and personal guns and rifles to arm Slaughter's regiment, about seven hundred men fit for duty, and the three hundred and five men of Major Reuben Harrison's battalion of Mitchusson's regiment. These one thousand and five armed Kentuckians were marched at once to the firing line.

"After the arrival of the Kentucky militia, Jackson's forces for the defense of New Orleans were as follows:

Seventh Regiment, United States Infantry......................465

Forty-fourth Regiment, United States Infantry..................331

Detachment of artillery, regulars........................................22

Marines, United States Navy............................................66

Plauche's Battalion, New Orleans Militia.........................287

Beal's Orleans Rifle Company.......................................... 62

Lafitte's Baratarians (Artillerists) Captains You

and Beluche................................................................300

D'Aquin's Battalion San Domingo Free Men of Color.......210

Choctaw Indians, Captain Jugeant...................................18

Tennessee Volunteers and Militia................................1,063

Kentucky Detached Militia...........................................2,256

Hind's Mississippi Dragoons............................................107

Louisiana Militia (in addition to those noted above)......1,317

Total 6, 504

"Of this little force all but the eight hundred and eighty-four regulars were raw militia. Opposed to them, altogether, stood about eighteen thousand men, nearly all of whom were regulars of the British army, or marines of the British navy -- the best trained troops then on the globe.

"...The Kentuckians who bore so distinguished a part in this brilliant victory [the great Battle of New Orleans, on the left bank of the Mississippi] were Colonel Gabriel Slaughter's regiment of seven hundred men, and Major Reuben Harrison's battalion of three hundred and five men from Mitchusson's regiment, all under the command of Brigadier-General John Adair. These were all of the Kentuckians for whom arms could be found, except the small detachment that went across the river. In the rear entrenchments stood at least a thousand other Kentuckians who could not go into the battle because arms were not furnished for them... 'They also serve who only stand and wait.'

"On the right bank of the river matters did not turn out so favorably. Morgan's forces there consisted of about seventeen hundred men, composed of fourteen hundred and fifty Louisiana militia, and sixty-six marines under Commodore Patterson; the remainder being one hundred and seventy poorly-armed raw Kentucky militiamen from Colonel John Davis' regiment, who had been hastily equipped the night before with such odds and ends of old guns as could still be collected from the citizens of New Orleans. These Kentuckians, after a sleepless night spent in marching fruitlessly here and there about the city, were sent across the river near the dawn of January 8th, and were placed in position about a mile in front of Morgan's fortified line, and were directed to hold a frontage of a mile in extent, for the defense of which a thousand well-armed men would have scarcely sufficed. Some distance in front of them were posted two hundred Louisiana militia, of Arnaud's battalion, under command of Major Tessier.

"On the same morning Colonel Thornton, somewhat delayed, crossed the river with more than a thousand British regulars. After landing and forming, these advanced under cover of some field pieces and attacked Tessier's two hundred men, who fled without firing a gun. These were the first troops who set the 'example' of 'ingloriously' flying in that fight.

"Thornton next charged the one hundred and seventy Kentuckians, who stood their ground long enough to load and fire four volleys, and to lose thirty men in killed and wounded; and this, by the way, was about all the fighting that was done on that side of the river that day by Americans. Being outnumbered nearly six to one, flanked on the right, and unsupported by reinforcements - which might readily have been sent by General Morgan - they, too, were compelled to retreat, which they did in disorder. Tessier's two hundred having already 'ingloriously fled,' the other Louisiana militia and the marines, numbering altogether nearly fourteen hundred men, then retreated precipitately from their strong position behind the entrenchments, and that, too, before the enemy could come up to attack them. Commodore Patterson, in command of the artillery, spiked his guns, and, together with his marines, joined in the disorderly rout before ever they had even seen the enemy.

"General Jackson, in his official report to the Secretary of War on the Battle of New Orleans, in referring to this part of it said: 'The Kentucky reinforcements, of whom so much was expected, ingloriously fled, drawing after them, by their example, the remainder of the forces.' Commodore Patterson, in his report to the Secretary of the Navy, stigmatized that handful of Kentuckians in still more offensive terms...

"Colonel John Davis, the commander of the handful of Kentuckians who had been so unjustly stigmatized, demanded a court of inquiry, which was granted, and before which the facts were proven as set forth above. The court, however, merely pronounced the Kentuckians 'excusable,' and that did not satisfy General Adair, who again pressed the matter on General Jackson, and at length received a dry and reluctant admission from him that the retreat of the Kentuckians was 'justifiable.'

"The matter did not end there. Adair was not satisfied with even that admission of Jackson's, and for two years after the close of the war there was a spirited correspondence between them on the subject, which finally grew so intensely bitter as to make the issue personal...

"In an open letter published in the newspapers in 1828, General Jackson made a full retraction of his stigmatization of those one hundred and seventy Kentuckians on the west bank of the river, and gave all due credit to the one thousand Kentuckians on the east bank for their distinguished service in the battle of New Orleans.

"...A curious thing about that great battle is the fact that it was fought after the treaty of peace between the two countries had been signed by their commissioners at Ghent, and ratified by the Prince Regent of Great Britain. It was not ratified by the Senate of the United States, however, until February 17, 1815, nearly six weeks after the battle was fought.

"General Jackson retained all his troops around New Orleans not only until the ratification of the treaty of peace by the Senate, but until the British had departed from our shores...

"The Tennessee and Kentucky troops, says McAfee, commenced their return to their respective States on March 18, 1815. They had a long, painful and fatiguing journey to perform, and were almost destitute of transportation for their baggage and provisions; but of provisions, they had only a scant supply on many parts of their journey. The Kentucky troops reached home about the first of May, after having suffered incredible hardships from disease and fatigue. Their sufferings and losses from disease after the termination of the war were much greater than those they experienced from the toils and dangers of the tented field..."

From: Kentucky in the War of 1812, Ch. 10, pp. 134-149, "The Battle of New Orleans,"

Author: Quisenberry, Anderson Chenault

Publication: Baltimore [Maryland]: Genealogical Pub. Co., 1969

What it amounts to is that Frederick Tanner might have been one of these 170 men who defended at the river under the leadership of Colonel Davis and were accused of cowardice by Jackson. Probably, though, he was one of the 1000 militiamen who did not receive arms and remained behind the lines during the battle. This does not make his tour of duty any less heroic, though, considering the way the Kentuckians were treated on their long trek to New Orleans and back.