The Civil War
In 1861, the same year that Young and Emily’s fourth child, Nancy, was born, the Civil War began. Henryville’s men went off to battle, leaving only the women, children and old men to run the farms and businesses. Times became very hard and only the bare necessities were available to those left at home. On April 6 and 7, 1862, one of the bitterest and bloodies battles in the Civil War, and in all military history, took place in nearby Hardin County, about 35 miles west of Lawrenceburg. In the Battle of Shiloh, nearly 24,000 men on both sides were killed, wounded or missing in the two-day battle. Two-thirds of the 3,800 soldiers buried there were never identified. Alexander Moses Pennington (who was David’s brother Abraham’s grandson) was 14 years old when he vividly remembered seeing Buell’s (Union) Army march by his home for hour after hour on their way to Shiloh. People in Henryville claimed they could hear the boom of the guns during the Battle of Shiloh. Six months later, on October 3, 1862, the 19th (Colonel Biffle’s) Tennessee Cavalry Regiment, CSA, was organized. This Regiment was known in the field, mustered as, and paroled as the 9th Tennessee Cavalry Regiment. Young Pennington served as a private in Company "H" of this Regiment which consisted of men from Lewis and Perry Counties. Although it cannot be known for certain, we can assume that if we follow the history of Biffle’s Regiment during the Civil War, we will also know the history of Young Pennington’s Civil War career. A cavalry was a unit of soldiers that fought on horseback. During battles, they would tie up their horses, or sometimes, every fourth man would hold the horses while his comrades engaged in battle. The basic weapon of the cavalryman was, more often than not, a sawed-off 12-gauge shotgun filled with buckshot. The effect of such a weapon at the close range at which these men fought was devastating. The Cavalry performed a number of other duties during the war in addition to fighting on the battlefield. Mounted units carried messages between army camps, provided an armed escort for generals, and scouted enemy positions. They also aided their army’s movements by carrying out certain screening maneuvers to confuse or hold back enemy forces. In most regiments, the men all came from the same area. Young’s own brother, William, served with him in Colonel Biffle’s Regiment and Lt. Dent Pennington of that same Regiment was his first cousin (Dent was the son of David’s brother, William). Civil War soldiers received more leaves and furloughs than did soldiers of previous wars, and they had better food and clothing, but compared with today’s standards, they had a hard life. Both sides paid their soldiers poorly. Confederate soldiers were paid $11 a month until June of 1864 when their pay was increased to $18 a month. Food supplies consisted mainly of flour, cornmeal, beef, beans, and dried fruit. Many soldiers made their own meals. Armies on the march ate salt pork and hard biscuits called hardtack. Poorly made clothing of shoddy (rewoven wool) often fell apart in the first storm. Southern soldiers at time lacked shoes and had to march and fight barefoot. There is a sad story about the death of Young’s brother, William. Sometime between 1873 and 1880, William was going from Henryville to his home near Barnesville. On the Barnesville side of the Buffalo River there was a hole of water called Pike’s Pond. The foot path was along the edge of the Pond, which was said to be deep. Somehow, William missed his footing, fell in the Pond and was drowned. After his death, his wife Eliza Jane left her children and went to West Tennessee. Isaac Newton Pennington, William and Young’s older brother, went to their home and found the mother gone and the children without food. Isaac took the children home with him, and members of the family raised them. Many civil war battles took a terrible toll in human lives. An army often had 25 percent of its men killed, wounded, captured, or otherwise lost in a major battle. The heavy death toll led Civil War soldiers to devise the first dog tags for identification in case they were killed. A soldier would print his name and address on a handkerchief or a piece of paper and pin it to his uniform before going into battle.
Young
Pennington’s regiment, Biffle’s 19th Cavalry, was closely associated
with this man, Confederate General Nathan Bedford Forrest. Forrest is considered one of
the most brilliant strategist of the Civil War even though he had no military education.
He was also known for his direct participation in battles. Rather than supervising from
the safety of the rear of his own lines, he joined his troops on the battlefield in the
heat of battle. He personally killed 31 Union soldiers and had 29 horses shot out from
under him.
On November
27, 1862, Colonel Biffle’s Regiment reported to General Joseph Wheeler for duty in
LaVergne, Tennessee. By December 11, though, they were at Indian Creek, 20 miles east of
Savannah, Tennessee. From there, they moved with General Forrest on his raid into West
Tennessee. General Forrest reported that Biffle, with about 400 men, was with him on the
attack on Jackson, Tennessee, on December 19, 1862, and Colonel Dibrell reported
Biffle’s Regiment engaged at Parker’s Crossroads on December 31, 1862.
In
mid-December, 1862, General Nathan Bedford Forrest began a raid into West Tennessee
(sometimes referred to as "Forrest’s Christmas Raid") designed to destroy
Major General U. S. Grant’s railroad supply lines. Starting out from Columbia on
December 11, Forrest’s brigade of 2,100 cavalrymen crossed the Tennessee River near
Clifton and headed toward Jackson on the Mobile & Ohio Railroad. Along the way, on
December 18, at battle was fought, beginning east of Lexington. Fighting continued all
along the way to Jackson, where a Confederate victory was reached. Forrest continued
north, fighting skirmishes and tearing up track. He reached Union City on Christmas Day
where he continued to destroy the tracks and trestles of the railroad there.
As
Forrest’s brigade was riding back toward Middle Tennessee, the first serious
challenge to his raid came to him from two Federal brigades of infantry. The Battle of
Parker’s Crossroads was fought near Red Mound, northeast of Jackson, on December
31. Skirmishing began about 9:00 a.m. The Union was being attacked from both sides and
from the rear by Forrest’s mounted and dismounted troops. Forrest’s men were
winning the battle . . . during a lull, Forrest sent the Union commander a demand for
surrender, which was refused. Suddenly, the firing began again, but this time from the
Confederates’ rear. Unexpectedly, a Union brigade had arrived from the north and
surprised the Confederates with an attack on their rear. A thoroughly astonished Forrest
said later "I could not believe that they were Federals until I rode myself into
their lines". He got so close that some of the Union soldiers he encountered ordered
him to surrender. He replied that he had already done so, adding shrewdly, "I’ll
go back and get what few men I have left". With that, he wheeled his horse around and
rode off to salvage the increasingly desperate situation. He returned to his men and,
despite his surprise, a calm General Forrest is supposed to have responded to an excited
staff officer’s request for instructions: "Charge ‘em both ways!" The
Confederates split up, charging the Federals in front of them as well as the Federals
behind them and was able to escape!
After the
Battle of Parker’s Crossroads, Forrest’s men rested briefly at Lexington then
moved on to Clifton where they recrossed the Tennessee River on January 1, 1863. This
crossing took about eight to ten hours, in which time they rafted the men, artillery and
supplies over to the other side and then swam their horses across. The Union pursued
Forrest cautiously through New Year’s Day but never seriously engaged his forces. On
January 3, 1863, Forrest reported to Bragg, "I have not been able as yet to ascertain
our exact loss, but am of the opinion that 60 killed and wounded and 100 captured or
missing will cover it." Actually, his casualties were certainly far heavier: 500
Confederate soldiers were killed in this battle.
In the wake
of Parker’s Crossroads, Forrest moved his weary command to Columbia, Tennessee, where
it rested and refitted for the balance of the month of January. There was much to do.
Horses needed shoes, wounded men needed attention and tired troopers needed rest. But the
recovery period, as badly desired as it might be, was short.
Soon,
Biffle’s Regiment was in Bedford County, Tennessee, "rounding up stragglers and
conscripts". But by March 5, 1863, they were back with General Forrest again, taking
part in the Middle Tennessee Operations.
At the Battle
of Thompson’s Station, Forrest’s cavalry captured 1,221 men. Forrest listed
his casualties as 9 killed, 58 wounded, and 2 missing. One of the soldiers killed at
Thompson’s Station was Walter Kirk of Biffle’s Regiment. Since "Kirk"
was Young Pennington’s mother’s maiden name, this was probably a relative.
Forrest later stated in his report regarding the Battle at Thompson’s Station:
"I cannot speak in too high terms of the conduct of my whole command. The colonels
commanding led their regiments in person, and it affords me much pleasure to say that
officers and men performed their duty well. I discerned no straggling or shirking from
duty on the field. Every order was promptly obeyed, and the bravery of the troops alike
creditable to them and gratifying to their commanders."
Following
the Battle at Thompson’s Station, Forrest’s cavalrymen returned to their normal
routine of picket duty and camp life. A few weeks later though, on March 22, 1863, they
marched out to surprise and capture the Union troops garrisoned at Brentwood, Tennessee.
Though the night of March 24, Forrest and his men maneuvered into position. They struck at
dawn the next day. The Southerners moved swiftly around the flank, again to cut off the
enemy’s line of retreat. Once they had done so, General Forrest sent in a demand for
surrender. The Union commander initially rejected it, instructing Forrest to "come
and get him". But his nerve proved somewhat weaker than his words, and he surrendered
without a shot being fired. Ironically, these Federals, numbering 529 officers and men,
had fought earlier at Thompson’s Station and escaped to Nashville, only to be
captured a few weeks later. Forrest’s men suffered only one man killed and two
wounded in the operation. Biffle’s Regiment was reported to be part of this brigade
at Brentwood, although it did not take part in the actual assault and capture.
On April 10,
though, Biffle’s Regiment did take part in a skirmish at Chapel Hill, and another at
Savannah on May 29.
For the
remainder of the summer of 1863, Biffle’s Regiment was in West Tennessee
"enforcing the conscript act" and engaging in frequent skirmishes with the Union
forces.
On September
18-19, 1863, Biffle’s Regiment was in Chickamauga, Georgia, fighting in the now
well-known Battle of Chickamauga. At this time, the Regiment was under Colonel
George C. Dibrell and, again, Nathan Bedford Forrest as part of Brigadier General F. C.
Armstrong’s Division.
The Battle
of Chickamauga which was the Confederacy’s last important victory in the Civil War.
This battle took place on September 19 and 20, 1863, in the dense forests and small open
fields in northwestern Georgia. From the Creek Indian word for "river of blood",
Chickamauga truly was one of the bloodiest battles of the Civil War. Confederate losses
totaled more than 18,000 and Union losses were 16,000. This battle was particularly
significant in history as paving the way for "Sherman’s March" through
Georgia which allowed the destruction of one of the major strongholds of the South -
Atlanta.
Fighting
began shortly after dawn on September 19 when Union infantry encountered Forrest’s
Confederate cavalry at Jay's Mill. This brought on a general battle that spread south for
nearly four miles The armies fought all day on the 19th and gradually the Confederates
pushed the Federals back to LaFayette Road.
Dibrell’s
brigade, which included Biffle’s Regiment, was sent into battle on the morning of
September 19, to assist Forrest near Jay’s Mill. Forrest had met Union forces there
that morning and, as usual, Forrest dismounted his men and fought a delaying action while
couriers raced back for infantry support. At first, the only support that came was Colonel
Dibrell’s brigade. They were the only men who could be spared at that particular
moment, but they arrived in time to hold the line of Union forces until the Confederate
infantry could come up. For Forrest, the situation was desperate. He knew that he did not
have the numbers to hold the line forever. Finally, leaving the command to a subordinate,
he rode off to find help himself. Reinforcements began to show up and the fighting
continued with the Confederates gradually pushing the Union back.
As the
fighting intensified, Forrest, as usual, dismounted his men and sent them forward with the
infantry. This was something Forrest was known for: dismounting his men and having them
fight on foot like infantrymen The Confederate cavalrymen held off the Union reserve for
two hours. One of the Generals, General Hill, watched Forrest’s dismounted troopers
in action and asked a staff officer, "What infantry is that?" Learning that it
was Forrest’s cavalry, he subsequently met Forrest riding along the line and told
him, "General Forrest, I wish to congratulate you and those brave men moving across
that field like veteran infantry upon their magnificent behavior." Then remarking
that he had made himself unpopular with the cavalry in Virginia by saying that he
"had no seen a dead man with spurs on", Hill concluded, "No one can speak
disparagingly of such troops as yours". Forrest thanked him and rode on.
Following
the Battle of Chickamauga, Biffle’s Regiment was placed in General Joseph
Wheeler’s Cavalry Corps. This was on the order of General Bragg . . . Forrest was not
on good terms with General Bragg and he was furious to have these men being taken away
from him. He went ahead and issued the orders to have them placed in General
Wheeler’s Corps, but with the men short of rations, the horses in need of shoeing and
all in need of rest, Forrest advised Wheeler that they were "in no condition to cross
the mountains". When the men joined Wheeler’s command, Wheeler saw that
Forrest’s judgment was correct. "The three brigades from General Forrest were
mere skeletons", he observed, and furthermore, they "were badly armed, had but a
small supply of ammunition and their horses were in terrible condition, having been
marched continuously for three days and nights without removing saddles. The men were worn
out and without rations."
Wheeler had
no choice but to continue and so, on September 30, 1863, with General Wheeler,
Biffle’s Regiment started a raid around the Union Army, moving up the Sequatchie
Valley to McMinnville, across to Murfreesboro and Pulaski, and recrossing the Tennessee
River at Decatur, Alabama to rejoin the Army on October 17, 1863. On October 14, 1863,
they passed through Lawrenceburg, Tennessee, where a Federal spy reported, "There is
one, Captain L. M. Kirk, that has a company there belonging to Colonel Biffle’s rebel
regiment. Kirk has killed several Union men in cold blood, and is a terror to all
sentiment". This Kirk that the Federal spy was referring to was the Captain of
Biffle’s Company D, which consisted of men from Lawrence County. Young’s
mother’s maiden name was Elizabeth Kirk. So . . . it is possible that Captain Kirk
was an in-law of Young Pennington. At any rate, Lewis Kirk was known in Lawrence County
as, depending on who you were talking to, a saint or an outlaw, admired or feared, loved
or hated. At the time the Civil War began, Kirk was on trial for murder. The trial was
postponed indefinitely and Kirk was set free to join Biffle’s Cavalry.
Just a month
after returning to Decatur, Alabama, Biffle’s Regiment was sent into East Tennessee
and Southwest Virginia with Lieutenant General James Longstreet’s Corps. Battles
fought in what is now known as the Knoxville campaign were the Battle at
Campbell’s Station on November 16, 1863, the Battle at Fort Sanders on
November 29, 1863, and the Battle at Bean’s Station on December 14, 1863. They
remained near Knoxville until the end of March, 1864. The few three weeks of April were
spent traveling through North and South Carolina into Georgia. They reached Resaca on
April 23, 1864, where they rejoined the Army of Tennessee.
Upon arrival
in Resaca, they were placed in General Wheeler’s Corps where it remained throughout
the campaign from Dalton to Atlanta. On May 27, 1864, the Battle of Pickett’s Mill
was fought.
Biffle’s
Regiment went with General Wheeler on his sweeping raid against General Sherman’s
railroad communications in Dalton, Georgia, where, on August 14, Wheeler’s cavalry
launched a three-day cavalry raid into northwest Georgia and eastern Tennessee to break up
Sherman’s supply line. Biff’le’s Regiment went on with Wheeler to the
battle near Franklin on September 2, 1864.
Biffle’s
Regiment waited in Maury County where it again would join up with General Forrest’s
Cavalry. Biffle’s Regiment accompanied Forrest on his raid into Middle Tennessee
which began on September 26, 1864 and ended with the recrossing of the Tennessee River
south of Lawrenceburg on October 8, 1864. From there, they continued into northern
Alabama.
On October
20, they arrived in North Alabama where they waited for Hood’s Army to join them. On
November 17, 1864, Biffle’s Regiment was placed under General Forrest’s and
General Hood’s command. In November and December, 1864, the Regiment took part in
Forrest’s Franklin/Nashville Campaign.
When
Generals Forrest and Hood departed Florence, Alabama with their men (including
Biffle’s Regiment) on November 21, 1864, the underfed, ill-supplied force of 38,000
was full of hope. For the men, many Tennesseans among them, it was a chance to go home and
avenge the series of bitter defeats they had suffered. Forrest’s division, containing
6,000 cavalry, was heading for Nashville and they took the route which lead them through
Henryville, reaching there on November 23.
In
Henryville, Forrest and his men met a column of Union cavalry. Forrest drove the Union
soldiers through and several miles beyond the town. There was a skirmish near the Turnpike
northeast of Henryville. The story goes that Lt. Dent Pennington (Young’s cousin) and
a companion, two members of Forrest’s cavalry, were being chased by the Federal
Cavalry. As they rode hard across the fields to the north of Henryville, they came to what
is known as the "High Bank" at the head of a deep hole of water in the Buffalo
River. The "High Bank" was high above the level of the water, but the two men
spurred their horses, making them jump from the bank and swim across to the other side,
thus escaping the Union soldiers. Forrest reported that his Confederate horsemen "had
several engagements with the enemy, and were almost constantly skirmishing with him, but
drove him in every encounter."
They
continued north to Columbia where the Federals skirmished with Forrest’s horse
soldiers on November 24 and 25.
Five days
later, they reached Franklin and the Confederates launched an ill-advised frontal attack
against the Union - The Battle of Franklin had begun. It was there on the brisk
morning of November 30, 1864, that the most fierce hand to hand battle in the history of
mankind was fought. There have been battles that lasted longer. There have been battles
where more men were committed, but no battle has ever been fought that was as bloody and
desperate as the Battle of Franklin. It was reported that during the eight-hour battle,
most of it fought in darkness, bodies of the dead were piled seven deep in places.
Hood’s advisors had tried to talk him out of attacking and no wonder: They were
totally unprepared for such a battle. Hood’s army was exhausted, having marched from
Atlanta since September, fighting along the way. Food and firewood were scarce, and the
men were poorly clothed - some had no shoes. The Union army was totally entrenched and the
advance toward them by the Confederates was across two miles of open field, in full view
of the enemy’s works and exposed to their fire. Soldiers died by the thousands -
Confederate losses totaled 6,202 killed and wounded, while Union losses were 2,326. Combat
was fierce and personal - often hand-to-hand - and medical care was crude at best.
Physical pain and the presence of disease and death was the norms of living.
My
daughter Sara and I visited Franklin, Tennessee, and toured the historic Civil War sites
there. We visited the Carter House, which was the center of the heaviest fighting, and saw
the hundreds of bullet holes maiming the home. We went into the basement of that home and
imagined the terror of the family hiding there, not knowing that their son, Tod, was lying
on the battlefield near his home, dying. We visited other homes there, including the
Carnton Plantation, which was used as a hospital after the battle, and we saw the
bloodstains still there on the floor were the dying and wounded soldiers lay. We went to
the museum where we saw artifacts and pictures of the Civil War, including ones showing
piles of amputated arms and legs. We learned that three out of every four surgeries in the
Civil War were amputations because the bullets did so much damage that arms and legs
couldn’t be saved. These sights, and many others on our visit to Franklin, were
certainly an eye-opening experience for us and we now truly understand the horrors of the
Civil War.
Despite
staggering losses at Franklin, they continued on to Nashville where, on December 15 and
16, 1864, the Battle of Nashville was fought. Again, the decision to attack seemed
suicidal. At Franklin, the two armies had been about equal in size. Hood had 20,000 men in
battle (and lost over 6,000 of those) and the Union army had approximately 22,000.
However, as they headed toward Nashville, Hood did not have any more men. But waiting
patiently at Nashville was the Union army with 60,000 well-rested men who were ready and
willing for a fight. How could Hood have thought we had any chance at all? A spell of
bitter, cold, icy weather postponed the Battle of Nashville for several days, but the
weather broke clear and warm on December 15, 1864, and the one-sided battle began. It was
a complete disaster for the Confederates. They fought like wild men but the odds were such
that they didn’t have a chance. Many Confederates surrendered, others dropped their
arms and fled. The Battle of Nashville raged for two days before Hood would admit defeat
and began to retreat toward the Tennessee River with the Union Army in hot pursuit. The
battle had reduced their number to one-third of that which started north from Florence,
Alabama. As the once proud Army of Tennessee began the retreat, Hood put Forrest in charge
of a rear guard action that would help the rest of the army reach the river safely.
Forrest had 3,000 cavalry and 4,000 infantry under his command in an effort to save the
army further disaster. As it happened, most of the units containing men from Lawrence
County were a part of this rear guard action. The weather at this point was icy cold with
snow and sleet. Many of the men were barefoot and their feet so sore that they were unable
to march. They wrapped pieces of blanket around their swollen feet, tied them with thongs
and trudged on. Finally, Forrest order some of the wagons emptied and let the men ride.
And the Yankees were still pursuing them. The main road at that time took them through the
community of Appleton, in the southeastern corner of Lawrence County. The condition of the
turnpike was as ad as any army ever tried to travel. The horses had to be pushed through
knee-deep mud and slush. The poor, bare-footed men marched in the waist deep ice cold
water, while sleet beat upon their heads. Finally, Forrest’s rear guard reached Sugar
Creek in Appleton, at 1:00 a.m. on December 26, 1864. At dawn, the Union soldiers arrived
- the Battle of Sugar Creek, the only Civil War battle to be fought in Lawrence
County, was about to begin. A dense fog concealed the Confederates and enabled them to
launch a surprise attack on the Union and fully defeat them. The Union army was now
unwilling to pursue the Confederates any farther and Forrest and his men were then able to
re-enter Alabama, cross the Tennessee River at Bainbridge, Alabama on December 26 - 28 and
end their flight in Tupelo, Mississippi, in early January 1865. The Northern victory at
Nashville had practically ended Southern resistance.
On
our trip to Tennessee, Sara and I were able to find the quiet and peaceful Sugar Creek.
And imagine our surprise when we unexpectedly found a cemetery on the remote dirt road to
Sugar Creek. Called the Dobbins Cemetery, there are graves of soldiers killed in the
Battle of Sugar Creek
After their
retreat, Biffle’s Regiment returned to Rienzi. On February 13, 1865, all Tennessee
troops in Forrest’s command, including Biffle’s Regiment, were instructed to
report to Brigadier General W. H. Jackson at Verona, Mississippi for consolidation. As a
result of this order, Biffle’s Regiment was placed in Brigadier General Tyree H.
Bell’s Brigade.
On May 3,
1965, just prior to surrender and parole, Biffle’s Regiment reported 22 officers, 281
men present; 257 effectives; aggregate present and absent 508.
In 1865, the
Civil War ended. In all, about 620,000 soldiers had died during the Civil War, almost as
many as the combined American dead of all other wars from the Revolutionary War (1775 -
1783) through the Vietnam War (1957 - 1975). The Union lost about 360,000 troops and the
Confederacy lost 260,000. More than half the deaths were caused by disease. About a third
of all Southern soldiers died in the war, compared with about a sixth of all Northern
soldiers.
Biffle’s Regiment was
paroled in Gainesville, Alabama, as part of General Tyree H. Bell's Brigade on May 9,
1865.
AFTER THE CIVIL WAR Young Pennington had survived the War and returned home to his family. But even after the War ended, the people of Henryville, like people all over the south, continued to be tormented by those robbers and thieves that took advantage of the unsettled conditions and the lack of governmental control. They roamed the countryside, stealing horses, killing cattle and hogs for food, robbing people of what few dollars they had, abusing the old, the maimed and the crippled. It would be some time before life would be the same. In 1868, Young’s father, David, died at the age of 72. In the late 1860’s to mid-1870’s, several children were born who would ultimately be very important to our family history! In 1869, a son was born into the Hayes family, Allen James Hayes. The Hayes family was from Lewis County, Tennessee, which lies immediately north of Lawrence County. The Young Pennington family lived in Lewis County for a time also. Young and Emily were married in Lewis County in 1850. According to the 1870 Census, both the Hayes family and the Young Pennington family were residents of Lewis County. It can be assumed that the two families became acquainted there. Here is a list of persons living in the Hayes household in 1870 in Lewis County, according to the Census Report of that year: William R. Hayes, age 45 Sarah Hayes, age 40 Margaret Hayes, age 20 John Hayes, age 17 Hyram Hayes, age 15 Wallis Hayes, age 13 William Hayes, age 11 Sarah J. Hayes, age 9 Wade H. Hayes, age 7 Mary Hayes, age 4 Allen J. Hayes, age six months The next year, on June 16, 1870, Mariar Anna Pennington was the eighth child born to Young and Emily Pennington. Five years later, Mariar welcomed a new baby sister to her family: Louida Pennington, the eleventh and youngest child of Young and Emily Pennington was born in 1875. As these three children were growing up in Lewis and Lawrence Counties, Tennessee, the world was changing and progressing around them. In 1876, Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone and in 1879, Thomas Edison invented the electric light. Closer to home, another invention was patented! According to the records of the United States Patent Office, Patent No. 194841, dated September 4, 1877, was issued to James J. Pennington of Henryville, Tennessee, for a flying machine. In an article published in the Tennessee Historical Quarterly in 1962, it was stated that "James Jackson Pennington of Henryville, Lawrence County, Tennessee, was one of three Tennesseans to conduct experiments for aerial flight 25 years before the Wright Brothers’ first flight" and that "the first of the three to obtain a patent was J. J. Pennington". The airfield at Lawrenceburg was named after him and a marker on U.S. Highway 64, is dedicated to him. James Jackson Pennington was the son of Isaac and Elizabeth Pennington, Isaac being David Pennington’s brother. This would make James Jackson the nephew of David and the first cousin of Young M. Pennington. In 1891, Louida Pennington became Louida Hayes when she married Allen J. Hayes on September 29. By this time, Allen had moved over the county line from Lewis County into Lawrence County. He and his new wife set up housekeeping in the small community of Barnesville, located just northeast of Henryville. On January 1, 1895, the only child of Allen and Louida Hayes was born. They named him Oscar Clinton, but everyone called him Clint. Clint didn’t get to know his Grandfather Young Pennington very well. Young died of a heart attack just before Christmas on December 21, 1896. Clint was almost two years old. Sadly, Clint hardly even got to know his own mother. Louida died sometime between his birth and his third birthday. Soon, though, his father remarried. On September 16, 1898, Allen married Louida’s older sister, Mariar. She took her nephew, Clint, and raised him as her own son. It would be years, though, before Allen and Mariar would have any children to their own. Finally, in 1915, a son was born to them, Edward Paul Hayes, half-brother to Clint. Soon, it was the turn of the century! The year 1900! In 1900, a loaf of bread cost three cents and a gallon of milk cost 27 cents! A railroad connected Summertown and Napier and ran right through Barnesville. A church was soon needed to serve the needs of the people. Services for the Barnesville Methodist Church started in the school building, but this year, 1900, a new church building was erected. This was the church which Allen, Mariar and little Clint attended, and Allen Hayes donated part of his land for the church to be built on. Typically, in those days and in that area, the women and girls organized societies to raise money for building of the church. Ice cream suppers, pie suppers, friendship quilts - all went toward the collection of funds for the new building. Land owners donated trees to be sawed into lumber for construction. A committee was appointed to decide on building plans. That same year, a little girl was born about 75 miles north of Lawrence County, in Davison County near Nashville. She was born on April 10, 1900, and her parents, Charles and Katie (Cochran) Mosley, named her Mary Okalona Mosley. Lona was what everyone called her though. Lona lived in Davison County for a while, but when she was five years old she moved with her family to a new place farther south in Tennessee - it was called Lawrence County. The Mosley’s settled in Barnesville and soon they began attending church at the newly erected Barnesville Methodist Church.
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