John Reid McClanahan was the sole owner and Editor-In_Chief of the Memphis Appeal newspaper during the Civil War. He and his newspaper were the subject of the book: "The Moving Appeal: Mr. McClanahan, Mrs Dill, and the Civil War's Great Newspaper Run", by B.G. Ellis. Rather than submit to censorship under Union occupation of Memphis, Mr McClanahan took his newspaper on the road. Through five Confederate held towns -- Memphis, TN; Grenada and Jackson in MS; Atlanta, GA; and finally Montgomery, Alabama -- the paper had several nicknames, "The Moving Appeal", "The Greatest Rebel of Them All", " The Bible of the Confederacy, " and "Old Reliable." McClanahan was able to stay ahead of Union forces who chased them across four states, yet never could silence the "Voice of the Confederacy." After the war, McClanahan and his newspaper returned to Memphis. Shortly thereafter, however, he died under mysterious circumstances. The nature of his death will never be known. Some said he was pushed, others said he fell from a 3rd story window of the Gayoso hotel. Another theory holds that he was robbed and beaten to death in the alley. No one was ever charged with his death.
John Reid McClanahan was the sole owner and Editor-In_Chief of the Memphis Appeal newspaper during the Civil War. He and his newspaper were the subject of the book: "The Moving Appeal: Mr. McClanahan, Mrs Dill, and the Civil War's Great Newspaper Run", by B.G. Ellis. Rather than submit to censorship under Union occupation of Memphis, Mr McClanahan took his newspaper on the road. Through five Confederate held towns -- Memphis, TN; Grenada and Jackson in MS; Atlanta, GA; and finally Montgomery, Alabama -- the paper had several nicknames, "The Moving Appeal", "The Greatest Rebel of Them All", " The Bible of the Confederacy, " and "Old Reliable." McClanahan was able to stay ahead of Union forces who chased them across four states, yet never could silence the "Voice of the Confederacy." After the war, McClanahan and his newspaper returned to Memphis. Shortly thereafter, however, he died under mysterious circumstances. The nature of his death will never be known. Some said he was pushed, others said he fell from a 3rd story window of the Gayoso hotel. Another theory holds that he was robbed and beaten to death in the alley. No one was ever charged with his death.
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