From an article written by his daughter Lola Dalton Carpenter for a Page County,VA newspaper:
Elder Dalton was born in Robertson County, Tennessee, near Nashville. When the Civil War started he enlisted in the 49th Regiment of Tennessee Volunteers at the age of 17 and fought in many battles throughout the war. It was during these days with men dying all around him that he was impressed to preach and he started his ministry preaching to the soldiers by their camp fires.
On one occasion when he was with General Nathan B. Forrest's troops stationed in Memphis, they received word that the Northern troops were in a position to attack at sunrise the next morning. General Forrest was out numbered ten to one and it was here that he put his famous strategy to work. My father and the rest of the boys worked all night improvising cannon by using both halves of farm wagons. Each wagon provided mounts for two cannons and they had rounded up many wagons. They used logs hollowed at the muzzle end to make them look like the real thing, and they positioned these make believe guns at proper intervals along the bank of the Mississippi River. Before sunrise General Forrest sent word to the Union General to surrender or he would open fire with his overwhelming array of artillery. It evidently looked like certain destruction to the Union General so up went the white flag. General Forrest with 300 men took over 3000 prisoners and all their equipment.
Late in the war it was his duty to deliver a message to General Forrest but to do so he had to pass through the enemy lines. He dressed as a poor farmer boy and carried a basket of fruits and vegetables on his arm while riding an old sway back horse. Fearful he would be searched anyway he placed the message in his mouth and pretended to be deaf and dumb. The sentinel stopped him and started asking questions. He pretended to not to understand and made signs with his hands that he could not hear or speak. The sentinel told him to go on and he almost did, but realized in time that he was not supposed to hear. So he made more signs that he did not know what the sentinel was saying. The sentinel then made motions for him to move on, which he did very leisurely until he was out of sight. It was then that the old sway back horse became the Pony Express, for the message was very important. The outcome of the battle that ensued was another victory for the South.
He was wounded and out of action for several months. After recovering sufficiently to re-enlist, he joined the Seventh Kentucky Volunteers. It was while fighting with this regiment that he became a hero. The flag was shot down and he replanted it on their breastworks and it was shot down again so he decided to hold it there and that he did. He said that it seemed to him that the whole Northern Army was shooting at him and before the South could win that battle his coat sleeves had been cut to pieces but not a bullet found its mark. He said the Good Lord was certainly with him that day. For this display of courage and bravery he was elevated to the rank of Major though still in his teens. He retained this rank until the end of the war.
After the war he attended a medical college in Tennessee and graduated as a medical doctor but the call to preach the gospel was to be his life's work. He served churches in northern Virginia for 50 years. He moved to Stanley, Virginia in 1891. He was editor of the Zion's Advocate for many years. He also was editor and publisher of the weekly paper known as the Stanley Herald until he moved to Front Royal in 1902. In 1911 He moved to McLean, Virginia. He died in 1931 at the age of 86.
Elder Dalton was born in Robertson County, Tennessee, near Nashville. When the Civil War started he enlisted in the 49th Regiment of Tennessee Volunteers at the age of 17 and fought in many battles throughout the war. It was during these days with men dying all around him that he was impressed to preach and he started his ministry preaching to the soldiers by their camp fires.
On one occasion when he was with General Nathan B. Forrest's troops stationed in Memphis, they received word that the Northern troops were in a position to attack at sunrise the next morning. General Forrest was out numbered ten to one and it was here that he put his famous strategy to work. My father and the rest of the boys worked all night improvising cannon by using both halves of farm wagons. Each wagon provided mounts for two cannons and they had rounded up many wagons. They used logs hollowed at the muzzle end to make them look like the real thing, and they positioned these make believe guns at proper intervals along the bank of the Mississippi River. Before sunrise General Forrest sent word to the Union General to surrender or he would open fire with his overwhelming array of artillery. It evidently looked like certain destruction to the Union General so up went the white flag. General Forrest with 300 men took over 3000 prisoners and all their equipment.
Late in the war it was his duty to deliver a message to General Forrest but to do so he had to pass through the enemy lines. He dressed as a poor farmer boy and carried a basket of fruits and vegetables on his arm while riding an old sway back horse. Fearful he would be searched anyway he placed the message in his mouth and pretended to be deaf and dumb. The sentinel stopped him and started asking questions. He pretended to not to understand and made signs with his hands that he could not hear or speak. The sentinel told him to go on and he almost did, but realized in time that he was not supposed to hear. So he made more signs that he did not know what the sentinel was saying. The sentinel then made motions for him to move on, which he did very leisurely until he was out of sight. It was then that the old sway back horse became the Pony Express, for the message was very important. The outcome of the battle that ensued was another victory for the South.
He was wounded and out of action for several months. After recovering sufficiently to re-enlist, he joined the Seventh Kentucky Volunteers. It was while fighting with this regiment that he became a hero. The flag was shot down and he replanted it on their breastworks and it was shot down again so he decided to hold it there and that he did. He said that it seemed to him that the whole Northern Army was shooting at him and before the South could win that battle his coat sleeves had been cut to pieces but not a bullet found its mark. He said the Good Lord was certainly with him that day. For this display of courage and bravery he was elevated to the rank of Major though still in his teens. He retained this rank until the end of the war.
After the war he attended a medical college in Tennessee and graduated as a medical doctor but the call to preach the gospel was to be his life's work. He served churches in northern Virginia for 50 years. He moved to Stanley, Virginia in 1891. He was editor of the Zion's Advocate for many years. He also was editor and publisher of the weekly paper known as the Stanley Herald until he moved to Front Royal in 1902. In 1911 He moved to McLean, Virginia. He died in 1931 at the age of 86.
From an article written by his daughter Lola Dalton Carpenter for a Page County,VA newspaper:
Elder Dalton was born in Robertson County, Tennessee, near Nashville. When the Civil War started he enlisted in the 49th Regiment of Tennessee Volunteers at the age of 17 and fought in many battles throughout the war. It was during these days with men dying all around him that he was impressed to preach and he started his ministry preaching to the soldiers by their camp fires.
On one occasion when he was with General Nathan B. Forrest's troops stationed in Memphis, they received word that the Northern troops were in a position to attack at sunrise the next morning. General Forrest was out numbered ten to one and it was here that he put his famous strategy to work. My father and the rest of the boys worked all night improvising cannon by using both halves of farm wagons. Each wagon provided mounts for two cannons and they had rounded up many wagons. They used logs hollowed at the muzzle end to make them look like the real thing, and they positioned these make believe guns at proper intervals along the bank of the Mississippi River. Before sunrise General Forrest sent word to the Union General to surrender or he would open fire with his overwhelming array of artillery. It evidently looked like certain destruction to the Union General so up went the white flag. General Forrest with 300 men took over 3000 prisoners and all their equipment.
Late in the war it was his duty to deliver a message to General Forrest but to do so he had to pass through the enemy lines. He dressed as a poor farmer boy and carried a basket of fruits and vegetables on his arm while riding an old sway back horse. Fearful he would be searched anyway he placed the message in his mouth and pretended to be deaf and dumb. The sentinel stopped him and started asking questions. He pretended to not to understand and made signs with his hands that he could not hear or speak. The sentinel told him to go on and he almost did, but realized in time that he was not supposed to hear. So he made more signs that he did not know what the sentinel was saying. The sentinel then made motions for him to move on, which he did very leisurely until he was out of sight. It was then that the old sway back horse became the Pony Express, for the message was very important. The outcome of the battle that ensued was another victory for the South.
He was wounded and out of action for several months. After recovering sufficiently to re-enlist, he joined the Seventh Kentucky Volunteers. It was while fighting with this regiment that he became a hero. The flag was shot down and he replanted it on their breastworks and it was shot down again so he decided to hold it there and that he did. He said that it seemed to him that the whole Northern Army was shooting at him and before the South could win that battle his coat sleeves had been cut to pieces but not a bullet found its mark. He said the Good Lord was certainly with him that day. For this display of courage and bravery he was elevated to the rank of Major though still in his teens. He retained this rank until the end of the war.
After the war he attended a medical college in Tennessee and graduated as a medical doctor but the call to preach the gospel was to be his life's work. He served churches in northern Virginia for 50 years. He moved to Stanley, Virginia in 1891. He was editor of the Zion's Advocate for many years. He also was editor and publisher of the weekly paper known as the Stanley Herald until he moved to Front Royal in 1902. In 1911 He moved to McLean, Virginia. He died in 1931 at the age of 86.
Elder Dalton was born in Robertson County, Tennessee, near Nashville. When the Civil War started he enlisted in the 49th Regiment of Tennessee Volunteers at the age of 17 and fought in many battles throughout the war. It was during these days with men dying all around him that he was impressed to preach and he started his ministry preaching to the soldiers by their camp fires.
On one occasion when he was with General Nathan B. Forrest's troops stationed in Memphis, they received word that the Northern troops were in a position to attack at sunrise the next morning. General Forrest was out numbered ten to one and it was here that he put his famous strategy to work. My father and the rest of the boys worked all night improvising cannon by using both halves of farm wagons. Each wagon provided mounts for two cannons and they had rounded up many wagons. They used logs hollowed at the muzzle end to make them look like the real thing, and they positioned these make believe guns at proper intervals along the bank of the Mississippi River. Before sunrise General Forrest sent word to the Union General to surrender or he would open fire with his overwhelming array of artillery. It evidently looked like certain destruction to the Union General so up went the white flag. General Forrest with 300 men took over 3000 prisoners and all their equipment.
Late in the war it was his duty to deliver a message to General Forrest but to do so he had to pass through the enemy lines. He dressed as a poor farmer boy and carried a basket of fruits and vegetables on his arm while riding an old sway back horse. Fearful he would be searched anyway he placed the message in his mouth and pretended to be deaf and dumb. The sentinel stopped him and started asking questions. He pretended to not to understand and made signs with his hands that he could not hear or speak. The sentinel told him to go on and he almost did, but realized in time that he was not supposed to hear. So he made more signs that he did not know what the sentinel was saying. The sentinel then made motions for him to move on, which he did very leisurely until he was out of sight. It was then that the old sway back horse became the Pony Express, for the message was very important. The outcome of the battle that ensued was another victory for the South.
He was wounded and out of action for several months. After recovering sufficiently to re-enlist, he joined the Seventh Kentucky Volunteers. It was while fighting with this regiment that he became a hero. The flag was shot down and he replanted it on their breastworks and it was shot down again so he decided to hold it there and that he did. He said that it seemed to him that the whole Northern Army was shooting at him and before the South could win that battle his coat sleeves had been cut to pieces but not a bullet found its mark. He said the Good Lord was certainly with him that day. For this display of courage and bravery he was elevated to the rank of Major though still in his teens. He retained this rank until the end of the war.
After the war he attended a medical college in Tennessee and graduated as a medical doctor but the call to preach the gospel was to be his life's work. He served churches in northern Virginia for 50 years. He moved to Stanley, Virginia in 1891. He was editor of the Zion's Advocate for many years. He also was editor and publisher of the weekly paper known as the Stanley Herald until he moved to Front Royal in 1902. In 1911 He moved to McLean, Virginia. He died in 1931 at the age of 86.
Inscription
Eld. T.S. Dalton
June 3, 1846 - July30, 1931
Minister of the Primitive Baptist Church for 63 years. Enlisted in the southern army in 1863. a private came out major of the Seventh Kentucky Reg. of Volunteers. He ever said, A more suitable epitaph could not be written than "A Sinner saved by Grace".
Martha E. His wife
April 30, 1858 - August 19, 1944
"She died in the Lord Her works follow her"
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