If possible, would you please point me in the right direction for some assistance?
I am researching one of my ancestors who is, only by chance, buried in Camden Cemetery. I think the answer to this riddle will be fascinating.
My grandfather, several times removed, is buried a long way from home. In 1862, Joshua Holt, 32 years old, left a wife and two children in Shelbyville, Tennessee in order to serve as a trooper in Gen. Nathan Bedford Forrest’s Escort. He served in Forrest’s Escort throughout the war until he died in/or near Camden, Alabama at the end of hostilities in April 1865.
I understand that his marker in Camden Cemetery merely states, “Lt. Joshua Holt, Forrest’s Cavalry.”
Here is what I know.
Lt. Holt was killed or died in April, 1865. I have found reference to his death being on April 23, 1865. One roster compiled after the War of those who served in Forrest’s Escort states that Lt. Holt was “killed after surrendering.”
Following are my guesses…
Lt. Holt was wounded during or after the Battle of Selma (in the first week or April), carried to Camden for care, and died of his wounds several weeks later.
or…
Lt. Holt surrendered sometime after the Battle of Selma and was executed by Union forces. Lt. Holt’s death could have been in retaliation for previous actions.
You see, there was a long-running feud between Forrest’s Escort and one of the Union cavalry regiments in action around Selma in April 1865. A couple of years earlier, the popular commander of Forrest’s artillery, a major, was captured during a skirmish in Tennessee. Sadly, his captor murdered him as he was being escorted from the field of battle. Forrest’s men never forgot.
Soon after the Battle of Selma, Forrest’s Escort came upon a twenty-five man detail from this same regiment. These Union soldiers were in the act of raping and pillaging at an isolated home near Selma. On this occasion, the Escort took no prisoners.
How sad it was that Lt. Holt died after three years of hard campaigning, after Lee’s surrender at Appomattox on April 9, after all large-scale fighting in Alabama had ceased, and only a few days before Forrest’s surrender in Greenville, Alabama. And, of course, Holt left a family in Tennessee who had to live with the fact that their husband/father died only days from when the War was over.
Would you know of anyone in Camden who could help me find the answer to this mystery? My hope is that there may be some notice of Lt. Holt’s death in an area newspaper from that time, a local history, or a personal reminisce.
Thank you for your assistance.
Scott Gilpin
205 503-5669 direct office number
205 529-1983 cell