Carroll

Eldest Son of Governor William Carroll of Tennessee

No photograph of Carroll has appeared, much less anything in uniform from his brief service as a general.  This drawing is all that seems to survive of him. (Virginia Historical Society)

The eldest son of a six-time Tennessee governor, William Carroll, was born in Nashville, probably in 1810.  The elder Carroll was a close friend of Andrew Jackson, who once served as his second in a duel with Jesse Benton, uncle to confederate general Samuel Benton.  William Henry Carroll's early career was varried.  He first ran a plantation in Panola County, Mississippi, but moved to Memphis in 1848 where he served as postmaster for a number of years.  During the secession crisis in 1861, Carroll had enough political influence to be appointed brigadier general in the Tennessee provisional army.  Later, when Tennessee actually joined the Confederacy, he again probably used his political connections to get appointed colonel of the 37th Tennessee Infantry.

 In September 1861 Major General Leonidas Polk, commander of the Tennessee region, sent Carroll from Memphis into the mountains of east Tennessee to raise troops for the Confederacy.  Colonel Carroll did well and was able to organize the 7th, 8th, and 9th East Tennessee Provisional Regiments.  Perhaps in recognition of this feat, or through political influence, Carroll was promoted to brigadier general on October 26, 1861, to rank from that date.

 Although only one of Carroll's Regiments was armed, in November he was sent with two of his regiments to Knoxville via Chattanooga.  Entering Chattanooga in mid-November, Carroll had 1,600 men, but only 800 muskets.  This difficulty in securing weapons vexed Carroll unendingly and he constantly complained of his inability to arm his men.  In Chattanooga, where he stopped to disperse some local Unionists, Carroll was observed by Colonel S.A. M. Wood of the 7th Alabama.  Wood was not impressed.  To Major General Brazton Bragg, Wood wrote, "[Carroll] has been drunk not less than five years.  He is stupid, but easily controlled.  He knows nothing, and I believe I can do with him pretty much as I please."

 Leaving Chattanooga after a brief stay, Carroll continued to Knoxville and took command of that post by late November.  There he assembled a force of approximately 5,000 men to control eastern Tennessee and sent out numerous patrols to chase Unionist bridge burners.  But Carroll was still plagued by a lack of weapons, most of his armed men having only squirrel rifles, flintlocks, and shotguns.  To maintain control over Knoxville's large hostile population, Carroll declared martial law, arrested approximately 200 Unionists, and hanged at least one bridge burner.  But his excuses for failing to arm his men finally fell on tired ears.  On December 17th an exasperated Secretary of War, Judah P. Benjamin, reminded Carroll that he had had plenty of time to secure weapons and that his soldiers' twelve months enlistments were about to expire.  Carroll was given until January 10, 1862 to complete arming the uanits or all unarmed companies and regiments were to be disbanded.  Benjamin later backed down from his ultimatum, but evidence indicates that Carroll still failed to arm all his men.  In justice to him, however, it should be pointed out that a chronic shortage of weapons plagued all Confederate commanders in Tennessee at that time.

In January 1862 Carroll was ordered to Kentucky by Albert S. Johnston to support Brigadier General Felix Zollicoffer.  Under a comman of Major General George B. Crittenden, Carroll and Zollicoffer attacked a Union force at Mill Springs on January 19.  In the fight, Zollicoffer was killed and Carroll withdrew after losing 103 men.  Crittenden noted that Carroll "in his dispositions and conduct during the engagement, manifested both military skill and personal valor."  But not all were impressed with Carroll or Crittenden.   On January 27, Colonel Landon C. Haynes wrote President Jefferson Davis that the Confederate Army in Kentucky was totally demoralized and that both the soldiers and civilians had lost confidence.  Haynes asserted, "It must be restored.  I am confident it cannot be done under Generals Crittenden and Carroll."

 Carroll remained in command of a brigade of Tennessee infantry, however.  Then at Iuka, Mississippi, Major General William J. Hardee investigated reports of Crittenden's and Carroll's incompetence.  On April 1, 1862, Hardee reported, "I found sufficient evidence against them to require their arrest."  The night before Carroll had been arrested on charges of drunkenness, incompetence, and neglect of his command.  Crittenden was arrested on April 1 for drunkenness.  A court martial was scheduled but Carroll continued to serve in the meantime.  On August 9, 1862, Braxton Bragg listed Carroll among a number of officers he felt were unfit for duty.  Then on November 22, Bragg wired Adjutant General Samuel Cooper that Carroll and another brigadier "are not safe men to entrust with any command."  Under this relentless pressure, Carroll resigned his commission on February 1, 1863.

 Carroll then traveled to Canada to join his family, which had sought refuge there after the fall of Memphis.  He died in Montreal on May 3, 1868.  Carroll was buried there, but in 1869 his body was exhumed and reburied in Memphis' Elmwood Cemetery.  Oddly, his tombstone cites both an incorrect date of birth and death.

                                                                      
Author: Terry Jones

Note: this article was mailed to me without mention of its original source, not sure where it was printed....only author's name is listed.  (I am not related to this Carroll; this article posted as information only.)

 William Henry Carroll

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