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Harrison E. Lewis

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Harrison E. Lewis

Birth
Blount County, Tennessee, USA
Death
19 Feb 1934 (aged 85–86)
Selma, Dallas County, Alabama, USA
Burial
Englewood, McMinn County, Tennessee, USA Add to Map
Memorial ID
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From the Chattanooga Times dated Feb. 24, 1934

HARRISON E. LEWIS

ETOWAH, Tenn., Feb. 24.--Funeral services were held today at Liberty Hill church for Harrison E. Lewis, 96, last Union soldier in McMinn county, who died in Selma, Ala. of pneumonia.
Mr. Lewis was one of the most colorful characters in this section. In addition to being a veteran of the War Between the States, he served with "Buffalo Bill" Cody on the Texas frontier and told many exciting stories of his experiences. About three years ago he was acquitted of a murder charge when arraigned in Chattanooga.
He was born in McMinn county in 1838.

___________________________________________________________

Colorful soldier beat murder rap after 1931 brawl in Chattanooga
By Robert Scott Davis and Carolina Nigg
Railroad transportation created Chattanooga and, for most of the city’s history, served as its economic life force. This environment came with a dark side in the form of drawing many very different, and sometimes violent, characters to this transportation center. Files in the Local History and Genealogy Department of the Chattanooga Hamilton County Bicentennial Library document thousands of the killings in what was, through much of the 20th century, one of America’s most violent cities. Those files, however, omit any information on one of the most colorful of these characters and the incredible story of how he gained special recognition for killing a man in Chattanooga in 1931. Harrison E. Lewis began his long, tortuous journey to his Chattanooga adventure with his birth to Anderson Lewis and his part-Cherokee Indian wife Sarah Ledbetter in Blount County, Tenn., in 1850. Newspapers would credit Harrison as a Confederate veteran, although his obituary described him as the last Union veteran in McMinn County, Tenn. Any record of that service has been lost. He would also claim to have been a prospector in Australia. In 1870, he lived as a farmer in McMinn County. Half of what has survived of Lewis’ life comes from his memoirs of his adventures between 1872 and 1874. He published this work in 1922 as only one of several such works by the self-proclaimed witnesses of the Old West after that part of American history had passed on into widespread popular memory. Such stories gained popularity with the tours of William "Wild Bill" Cody’s traveling show. Lewis would take that same nickname from his claims to have been Cody’s friend, following Cody’s show appearing in Chattanooga. In October 1872, Lewis claimed that he and his companions were buffalo hunting in Kansas. From nearby Fort Lyons, Colo., he claimed to have joined the Sixth United States Cavalry Regiment, under Civil War hero Maj. John Biddle, as a scout. Lewis would relate two years of his experiences in helping to chase Comanche and Cheyenne Indians across Arizona, Colorado, Kansas and New Mexico in a now largely forgotten guerrilla war. He described hardships, daring escapes, desperate tactics and bloody battles. The memoirs are highly suspect, however, and not just because of his confusion about names, ranks and locations. Lewis, profession farmer, actually enlisted in Louisville, Ky., on March 7, 1872, under a Lt. Ward, but as a private in Company A. Historical events that he described as his accomplishments, such as the rescue of Julia and Addie German, formerly of Fannin County, Ga., and the Buffalo Wallow Fight of Sept. 12, 1874, earned the real participants, civilian and military, the Congressional Medal of Honor. The historical accounts, except for Lewis’ own memoirs, however, make no mention of Lewis. Quite possibly, he only repeated "camp fire" accounts of and events he had witnessed of the legendary Lt. Frank D. Baldwin and scout Amos Chapman. Lewis remained with the Sixth Cavalry until 1877, when his five-year enlistment expired and not, as he claimed, because wounds from fighting Indians in Kansas compelled him to retire to Arizona. Eventually, he drew a federal military pension. In 1910, he lived in Chattanooga but, in 1930, the census takers found him back in McMinn County. By 1931, Harrison E. Lewis had moved to Beech Street in Rossville, Ga. On June 20, he was with 24-year-old Henry Mayberry, who lived with his sister at 200 Peachtree St., and acquired home brew at a drunken gathering at the home of Chattanooga’s Thelma Cripps at 1610 51st St. After the old Indian fighter had polished off two bottles, he and Mayberry argued over payment for their prize. Lewis then left in a huff but, half a block away, Mayberry caught up to him. Mayberry called Lewis an obscenity, for which Lewis hit him with his cane. The two men went down, with Mayberry on top and trying to choke Lewis. They rolled on the ground. When the young man would not respond to Lewis’ pleas for release, the elderly Indian fighter used his old skills to pull out a Barlow pocket knife and slit the throat of his attacker. A cut and bruised Lewis returned to Rossville while Mayberry staggered down the street. An ambulance from Chapman’s carried Mayberry to Erlanger Hospital, where he died at 11:40 that night from having his jugular vein cut. Rossville patrolman Carruthers, accompanied by Chattanooga homicide detective Joe Paradiso and patrolman Cline, arrested Harrison E. Lewis at his home, even before Mayberry had died. After posting a $1,000 bond, he had to appear before Judge Martin Fleming in City Court. (Mayor E.D. Bass filled in for Fleming, however.) The city and state prosecutors, however, recommended his release as they had failed to find any evidence that Lewis had acted out of anything but self-defense. The former trooper became a local celebrity, while boasting to local newspapers of his time with Gens. Custer and Miles. He claimed that for all of his adventures in the West, he "had never been so shaken" and that the brawl cost him 25 years of his life, even as he claimed to be "90" (sic, 81) years old. A crowd pushed forward to meet the old hero. Mayberry’s brother Will tried, unsuccessfully, to get a continuance in order to gather more information on Lewis. The old Indian fighter had won his last battle. Harrison E. Lewis died of pneumonia on Feb. 24, 1934, in Selma, Ala. The death of this colorful old soldier was noted only in his native Tennessee upon his burial in Liberty Hill Cemetery in his home town of Etowah. Professor Robert Scott Davis is director of the Family & Regional History Program at Wallace State College in Hanceville, Ala. His publications include "Requiem for a Lost City: Sallie Clayton’s Memoirs of Civil War Atlanta," published by Mercer University Press. Carolina Nigg was one of the founders of the Family & Regional History Program. She authored a number of books and articles on Alabama genealogy. Ms. Nigg died in 2005.LOCAL HISTORY The Times Free Press is printing a series of condensed versions of articles that have appeared in the Chattanooga Regional Historical Journal, a semiannual publication of the Chattanooga Area Historical Association. Each journal has features on the history of Chattanooga and surrounding areas. Back issues are available at the Chattanooga-Hamilton County Bicentennial Library. For information on the journal and association memberships, call LaVonne Jolley at (423) 886-2090. Web site: www.chattahistoricalassoc.org This story was published Sunday, January 15, 2006
From the Chattanooga Times dated Feb. 24, 1934

HARRISON E. LEWIS

ETOWAH, Tenn., Feb. 24.--Funeral services were held today at Liberty Hill church for Harrison E. Lewis, 96, last Union soldier in McMinn county, who died in Selma, Ala. of pneumonia.
Mr. Lewis was one of the most colorful characters in this section. In addition to being a veteran of the War Between the States, he served with "Buffalo Bill" Cody on the Texas frontier and told many exciting stories of his experiences. About three years ago he was acquitted of a murder charge when arraigned in Chattanooga.
He was born in McMinn county in 1838.

___________________________________________________________

Colorful soldier beat murder rap after 1931 brawl in Chattanooga
By Robert Scott Davis and Carolina Nigg
Railroad transportation created Chattanooga and, for most of the city’s history, served as its economic life force. This environment came with a dark side in the form of drawing many very different, and sometimes violent, characters to this transportation center. Files in the Local History and Genealogy Department of the Chattanooga Hamilton County Bicentennial Library document thousands of the killings in what was, through much of the 20th century, one of America’s most violent cities. Those files, however, omit any information on one of the most colorful of these characters and the incredible story of how he gained special recognition for killing a man in Chattanooga in 1931. Harrison E. Lewis began his long, tortuous journey to his Chattanooga adventure with his birth to Anderson Lewis and his part-Cherokee Indian wife Sarah Ledbetter in Blount County, Tenn., in 1850. Newspapers would credit Harrison as a Confederate veteran, although his obituary described him as the last Union veteran in McMinn County, Tenn. Any record of that service has been lost. He would also claim to have been a prospector in Australia. In 1870, he lived as a farmer in McMinn County. Half of what has survived of Lewis’ life comes from his memoirs of his adventures between 1872 and 1874. He published this work in 1922 as only one of several such works by the self-proclaimed witnesses of the Old West after that part of American history had passed on into widespread popular memory. Such stories gained popularity with the tours of William "Wild Bill" Cody’s traveling show. Lewis would take that same nickname from his claims to have been Cody’s friend, following Cody’s show appearing in Chattanooga. In October 1872, Lewis claimed that he and his companions were buffalo hunting in Kansas. From nearby Fort Lyons, Colo., he claimed to have joined the Sixth United States Cavalry Regiment, under Civil War hero Maj. John Biddle, as a scout. Lewis would relate two years of his experiences in helping to chase Comanche and Cheyenne Indians across Arizona, Colorado, Kansas and New Mexico in a now largely forgotten guerrilla war. He described hardships, daring escapes, desperate tactics and bloody battles. The memoirs are highly suspect, however, and not just because of his confusion about names, ranks and locations. Lewis, profession farmer, actually enlisted in Louisville, Ky., on March 7, 1872, under a Lt. Ward, but as a private in Company A. Historical events that he described as his accomplishments, such as the rescue of Julia and Addie German, formerly of Fannin County, Ga., and the Buffalo Wallow Fight of Sept. 12, 1874, earned the real participants, civilian and military, the Congressional Medal of Honor. The historical accounts, except for Lewis’ own memoirs, however, make no mention of Lewis. Quite possibly, he only repeated "camp fire" accounts of and events he had witnessed of the legendary Lt. Frank D. Baldwin and scout Amos Chapman. Lewis remained with the Sixth Cavalry until 1877, when his five-year enlistment expired and not, as he claimed, because wounds from fighting Indians in Kansas compelled him to retire to Arizona. Eventually, he drew a federal military pension. In 1910, he lived in Chattanooga but, in 1930, the census takers found him back in McMinn County. By 1931, Harrison E. Lewis had moved to Beech Street in Rossville, Ga. On June 20, he was with 24-year-old Henry Mayberry, who lived with his sister at 200 Peachtree St., and acquired home brew at a drunken gathering at the home of Chattanooga’s Thelma Cripps at 1610 51st St. After the old Indian fighter had polished off two bottles, he and Mayberry argued over payment for their prize. Lewis then left in a huff but, half a block away, Mayberry caught up to him. Mayberry called Lewis an obscenity, for which Lewis hit him with his cane. The two men went down, with Mayberry on top and trying to choke Lewis. They rolled on the ground. When the young man would not respond to Lewis’ pleas for release, the elderly Indian fighter used his old skills to pull out a Barlow pocket knife and slit the throat of his attacker. A cut and bruised Lewis returned to Rossville while Mayberry staggered down the street. An ambulance from Chapman’s carried Mayberry to Erlanger Hospital, where he died at 11:40 that night from having his jugular vein cut. Rossville patrolman Carruthers, accompanied by Chattanooga homicide detective Joe Paradiso and patrolman Cline, arrested Harrison E. Lewis at his home, even before Mayberry had died. After posting a $1,000 bond, he had to appear before Judge Martin Fleming in City Court. (Mayor E.D. Bass filled in for Fleming, however.) The city and state prosecutors, however, recommended his release as they had failed to find any evidence that Lewis had acted out of anything but self-defense. The former trooper became a local celebrity, while boasting to local newspapers of his time with Gens. Custer and Miles. He claimed that for all of his adventures in the West, he "had never been so shaken" and that the brawl cost him 25 years of his life, even as he claimed to be "90" (sic, 81) years old. A crowd pushed forward to meet the old hero. Mayberry’s brother Will tried, unsuccessfully, to get a continuance in order to gather more information on Lewis. The old Indian fighter had won his last battle. Harrison E. Lewis died of pneumonia on Feb. 24, 1934, in Selma, Ala. The death of this colorful old soldier was noted only in his native Tennessee upon his burial in Liberty Hill Cemetery in his home town of Etowah. Professor Robert Scott Davis is director of the Family & Regional History Program at Wallace State College in Hanceville, Ala. His publications include "Requiem for a Lost City: Sallie Clayton’s Memoirs of Civil War Atlanta," published by Mercer University Press. Carolina Nigg was one of the founders of the Family & Regional History Program. She authored a number of books and articles on Alabama genealogy. Ms. Nigg died in 2005.LOCAL HISTORY The Times Free Press is printing a series of condensed versions of articles that have appeared in the Chattanooga Regional Historical Journal, a semiannual publication of the Chattanooga Area Historical Association. Each journal has features on the history of Chattanooga and surrounding areas. Back issues are available at the Chattanooga-Hamilton County Bicentennial Library. For information on the journal and association memberships, call LaVonne Jolley at (423) 886-2090. Web site: www.chattahistoricalassoc.org This story was published Sunday, January 15, 2006

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