Debbie,

I completely understand. Part of my family is from East Tennessee and half of them were Union and half Confederate. This was common, especially in East Tennessee.

I also have a gg-grandfather, William Henry Jones, who my family stated was a Confederate soldier. I ultimately discovered that he was a Corporal in the 5th Tennessee Infantry (US). Because I was raised a "Southerner" and my family is Southern, it was just automatically assumed that ol' William Henry being from Tennessee was a Confederate soldier.

Though this service of your ancestor in a Union unit is something of a surprise, you can certainly take pride in the service of your ancestor. Many of these East Tennessee Unionists did heroic and dedicated service and fought for what they believed in, basically the preservation of the Union.

Anyone with ancestry from Kentucky, Eastern Tennessee, Western Arkansas, Missouri, West Virginia is likely to find a mix of loyalties. In some cases, you'll find people from these areas who started the war on one side and switched sides part-way through the war.

I would urge you to obtain Elijah Thomas' Compiled Military Service Record and Pension File, which you can order through our Military Records Research Service. These files should provide you considerable information, much of it from the Veteran's own testimony as to their service and sometimes motive.

Jim