Gloomy Final Days of Island No. 10

     Captain John Randolph Farabee of the 4th Confederate Infantry [also known as the 1st Alabama, Mississippi, and Tennessee] wrote to his wife Carrie in Germantown, Tennessee that in the final days on Island No. 10 in April 1862, it seemed that God himself was against the Confederacy. “There is no chance of getting anything to eat and with duty enough for ten times our force and being shelled by the enemy’s gun and mortar boats night and day. If anyone of us ever escapes, it will be by the assistance of Divine Providence as they will not reinforce us and if not reinforced immediately, we will spend our summer at some Northern city. The enemy have been favored for the last two or three days by God’s own assistance: the darkness of night and the frequent storms,” he complained.”

Captain Farabee’s letter never reached his intended recipient: Lieutenant Sanford F. Timmons of Co. C of the 43rd Ohio picked up the letter on the island after it surrendered on April 8, 1862. The letter was written to Captain Farabee’s wife Carrie, whose full name was Elizabeth Carolyn Marshall Farabee. The Farabee’s had two young boys at the time of his capture, 2-year-old James Marshall Farabee and 1-year-old Walter Menifree Farabee. Lieutenant Timmons sent the letter home to Cadiz, Ohio and it was published in the April 23, 1862, edition of the Cadiz Democratic Sentinel.

Captain Farabee also traveled to Ohio, but it was as a prisoner of war as he was captured along with most of the Island No. 10 garrison. He arrived at Camp Chase in Columbus, Ohio in mid-April, then was sent to Johnson’s Island, Ohio on April 26, 1862. Captain Farabee was discharged from Johnson’s Island on September 1, 1862, and was officially paroled for exchange at Vicksburg, Mississippi on September 20, 1862. The actual exchange didn’t take place until November 10, 1862, by which point Farabee was absent on recruiting duty.

In the meantime, the old 4th Confederate was broken up and Farabee’s company was assigned as Co. C of the reorganized 42nd Tennessee Infantry. Captain Farabee apparently returned home to Germantown, Tennessee where he was captured again on January 7, 1863, and shipped back North to Camp Chase. This not being known back at the regiment; he was dropped from the rolls of the 42nd Tennessee as absent without leave. Farabee moved to the Alton, Illinois prisoner of war camp then was transported to City Point, Virginia for exchange on April 1, 1863. On July 2, 1863, he was mustered as Captain of Co. D of the 16th Tennessee Cavalry, a new regiment being raised at Pikeville, Mississippi with recruits from Shelby County, Tennessee, his home county. Farabee apparently was reduced to the rank of private that fall and the 16th Tennessee became consolidated to form the 15th Tennessee Cavalry, which itself was reorganized the following summer. Farabee survived the war but died in 1867.

 

The garrison at Island No. 10 under Brigadier General William W. Mackall surrendered to Federal forces under General John Pope on April 8, 1862; the total number varies with estimates running from a low of 4,500 to as many as 7,000.Captain Farabee's regiment was part of General Lucius M. Walker's brigade consisting of the 40th Tennessee, 46th Tennessee, Steedman's 1st Alabama, and his own regiment. 

Island No. 10

April 7, 1862

 

My dear wife,

          I am still at Island Ten amid the booming of cannon which has not ceased for three weeks today. Our duties are very arduous as we have a very small force and have to be very vigilant on account of the proximity of our lines. The Mississippi River is the Rubicon and they have the means of crossing in the shape of gunboats, etc.

          We have seen harder service than anyone can imagine. There is no chance of getting anything to eat and with duty enough for ten times our force and being shelled by the enemy’s gun and mortar boats night and day. If anyone of us ever escapes, it will be by the assistance of Divine Providence as they will not reinforce us and if not reinforced immediately, we will spend our summer at some Northern city. The enemy have been favored for the last two or three days by God’s own assistance: the darkness of night and the frequent storms. We have lost one battery on the mainland and the floating battery from several shots has thought best to retire leaving our island considerably weakened.

          The gunboats passed down stern foremost with the lights on the bow so as to attract our fire to that portion of the boat. The attack was terrific, made doubly so by heaven’s own artillery.

The Federal gunboats staged their attack on Island No. 10 on April 7th and once the ground forces cut off any hope of retreat by taking over Tiptonville, Tennessee just south of the island, the Confederates were doomed. 

          You must use your own discretion with the advice of Colonel Maples as regards the Negroes, but I believe it would be best to stop the sales, especially if you cannot get good prices and then the money is no better than they are. If you have any money, transfer, and get the State Bank of Tennessee. Get gold for some of it if it can be procured without an awful sacrifice. You must tell Mr. Williams to pitch in and make a good corn crop if he does not have to go, and if he does go, to get somebody in his place.

          Kiss the babies and give my love to all at home and to Colonel Maples’ family; tell them to write.

 I remain as ever your devoted husband,

John R. Farabee

Captain, C.S.A.

 

Sources:

Letter from Captain John Randolph Farabee, Co. H, 4th Confederate Infantry, Cadiz Democratic Sentinel (Ohio), April 23, 1862, pg. 3

Record of John R. Farabee, Complied Service Records of Confederate Soldiers Who Served in Organizations from the State of Tennessee, NARA

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