John is the son Adam Kimble and Susanna Shook. Here is another version of what happened to John. It was given to me from Dwayne Borror and is from a book called "The Comanches" that was printed in 1871 that is a history of Whites battalion, Virginia cavary. It tells of White's battle in Smoke Hole. AS soom as the enemy found that they had waked up fighting people, in earnest they ran off; but one man, an old citizen with a sporting rifle, resolved to kill somebody, and creeping through to bushes, had levelled his gun on the Colonel, at ten steps, when Nich. Dorsey saw him and warned White
, who instantly fired on him with his pistol, wounding him in the hip, and at the same moment Alonza Sellman shot him in the side, and the old man rolled over with the load still in his rifle. The old citizen was placed behind John Walker, and carried down the mountain, but he soon died, and was left at a cabin on the road where his son lived, and with no further attention than to lay him on the ground,(except that the dog licked his face in passing) the battalion marched on, looking out for more trouble with the Dragons. On approaching a house in a less wild and broken country, a woman, mounted man-fashion, on a horse, met the command, proclaiming that she was a rebel, and being shown the rifle of the old citizen, who had been shot, she exclaimed "It's daddy's gun; I know it; he's a damned old Yankee, and I hope you have killed him."
another version. John was shot on his front porch by group believed to be McNeil's Rangers during the Civil War. Some tales say He had his flintlock rifle pointed blank at McNeil and the musket misfired and John was shot dead on his front steps and it was witness by Little Ben Shreve. Another story from Judge Calhoun's book "Twixt North and South" They say he went to the woods with the home guards, and was with Isaac Kimble, Benjaman Shreve and Jacob McDonald. They all ran but John, Isaac was killed and Benjamin was slightly wounded and McDonald got away unharmed. John stood his ground and snap his gun at the officer who was refered to as Capt. White. One report said he gun failed to fire. Another said he shot the officer's horse in the nose. Anyhow the officer shot Kimble. They threw him on a horse and carried him toward his house and left him. It is reported they mutilated his body with their bayonets. It was said they raided Smoke Hole because the Home Guards killed Lieut. Bernard Dolan the day before in battle at Johnson Run near Petersburg. Sam Kimble, John's brother, claimed to have shot Lieut. Bernard Dolan. The dates don't match that because John and Isaac Kimble were killed in December of 1864 and Dolan was killed June of 1864, so the Smoke hole raid had to come later.Other Home Guards killed in the battle at Johnson Run are, Henry Harman, John Ours, Arnold Kimble, William Shreve , Godfrey Kesner, John Kesner and John Hartman.