COL. C. D. VENABLE, C. S. A.
Information taken from Richard Ransom record and from Cemetery records

Thanks to Richard Ransom, son of Richard Ransom and Elizabeth Snell, information about Col Venable was preserved by letter to Archives dated 14 August 1890.

While General Braggs Army was camped at Murfreesboro, TN, Dec 1862, Col Venable, together with about six officers including one surgeon, left the army under orders to go to West Tennessee and seek recruits for their command. Col Venable's home was in Henry County and he was a member of the 24th Tennessee Infantry Regiment in Strahl's Brigade. Saturday in the Christmas week, the detail proceeded to Versailles, 12 miles southwest of Murfreesboro, where they stopped overnight with Richard Ransom's mother, then Elizabeth Snell Ransom Covington. Col Venable complained of not feeling well, suddenly became worse, and died about 10:00 p m that night, presumably of pneumonia or heart attack.

He was buried by his comrades the next day, Sunday, assisted by members of Mrs Covington's family, in what is now known as the Ransom Cemetery in Versailles. Col Venable is believed to be the first to be buried in the cemetery. In 1890, Mrs Covington was in her 81st year and personally seeing that the graveyard received appropriate care as a number of her family members were buried there by that time. A few Negroes were buried near the cemetery but remain unnamed due to the attitudes of the times. B B Taylor of the Versailles neighborhood placed a stone slab marking Col Venable's grave.

Richard Ransom stated that he knew Col Venable personally, as he was also a member of the 24th Tennessee Infantry, brigaded with his Regiment, and knew that he was a popular officer of Strahl's Brigade.

NOTE: [A union soldier, John Bell Taylor (7 Jan 1845-11 May 1864), son of J C and Sarah M Taylor, whose death occurred in service, is also buried in the Versailles area near Concord in the Covington Cemetery.]