Chelnessa Doherty

   Another name for Chelnessa was Nettie.

  General Notes:

The Lawrences had a large plantation in Northern Alabama. Plantations were complex places. They consisted of fields, pastures, gardens, work spaces, and numerous buildings. They were distinctive signs of southern agriculture and ultimately became prime markers of regional identity. Designed to be vast growing "machines" that produced a single crop for export -- tons of cotton, rice, sugar, or tobacco -- plantations are best understood as cultural landscapes, as human environments inscribed with the competing cultural scripts of their owners and the African Americans who were forced to work there. Successful cultivation of a crop required an array of structures including barns, stables, sheds, storehouses, and different types of production machinery. Sets of quarters for slaves were a prominent feature of any plantation estate. The yard adjacent to the planter's house by itself resembled a small plantation. Here were located a range of different outbuildings including, at the very least: a kitchen, well, dairy, ice house, smokehouse, laundry, and quarters for house servants. It is no wonder then that both enslaved occupants and visitors said that plantations resembled small towns. They did.

Description of "The Raid of the Mule Brigade" (following), part of which took place on the plantation of James and Chelnessa Doherty Lawrence. The Battle of Sand Mountain was the event that culminated in the surrender of Colonel Abel Streight's forces to Nathan Bedford's forces, in the kitchen of the Lawrence Plantation, after Streight had been fed breakfast there:


"In April of 1863, Colonel Abel D. Streight proposed a
very ambitious raid. With a force of 2,000, Streight
planned to begin his raid south of Nashville, make a mad
dash across the entire state of Alabama and into
northern Georgia to cut Confederate railroads near Rome.
It was hoped that this would sever Bragg's supply artery
and force his army out of middle Tennessee. Streight's
raid was coordinated with Col. B. H. Grierson's raid
across Mississippi but was by no means a typical cavalry
raid.

Of the 2,000 officers and men, under Streight's command,
the majority were infantrymen -- infantry that would be
mounted on mules for the raid. His provisional brigade
consisted of the 51st Indiana, 73rd Indiana (Colonel
Hathaway), Third Ohio (Colonel Lawson), Eightieth
Illinois (Lt. Col. Rodgers), and two companies of the
First Middle Tennessee Cavalry (Capt. D. D. Smith). To
Streight's advantage was a force of 5,500, led by Brig.
Gen. Grenville Dodge, that would be sent out of Corinth
to drive any nearby Confederates away from Streight's
column.

The raid was plagued with problems from the onset,
causing a three-day delay in Streight meeting with Dodge
at Bear Creek. To Streight's dismay, upon arriving at
Palmyra, Tennessee, he reported; "I then for the first
time discovered that the mules were nothing but poor,
wild, and unbroken colts, many of them but two years
old, and that a large number of them had the horse
distemper; some 40 or 50 of the lot were too near dead
to travel, and had to be left at the landing; 10 or 12
died before we started, and such of them as could be
rode at all were so wild and unmanageable that it took
us all that day and a part of the next to catch and
break them before we could move out across the country."

Arriving at Eastport on the 19th, Streight's men
encamped while Streight traveled to Bear Creek to meet
with Dodge. During his meeting, the mules brayed so
loudly that Roddey's Confederates were alerted nearby
and snuck into the corrals, stampeding 400 mules.
Streight made note of the incident in his report:
"Daylight the next morning revealed to me the fact that
nearly 400 of our best animals were gone. All that day
and part of the next was spent in scouring the country
to recover them, but only about 200 of the lost number
were recovered; the remainder fell into the hands of the
enemy."

Streight, accompanied by Dodge's force, arrived in
Tuscumbia on April 24, where Dodge furnished Streight
with another 200 mules and 6 wagons to haul ammunition
and rations. Streight had his surgeon examine his men,
sending all sick or unfit back to Corinth. This reduced
his command to 1,500 men.

On the 26th, while still at Tuscumbia, Streight learned
that Forrest's cavalry brigade was hurrying toward them.
Bragg had ordered Forrest from Spring Hill, to unite
with Roddey's command and contest Dodge's advance.
Nothing was mentioned about Streight's column in Bragg's
orders.

Forrest reached Brown's Ferry on the Tennessee River on
the 26th and was approaching Town Creek, east of
Tuscumbia. On the 28th, his cavalry was busy thwarting
Dodge's attempt to cross the river, while Streight
managed to extricate his column and turn southward
toward Russellville. When Forrest learned of Streight's
column splitting off, he ordered cavalry to get between
Dodge and Streight, suspecting Dodge's actions to be a
screening tactic. To be safe, Forrest then split his
forces, leaving Roddey in Dodge's front, while he
prepared to give chase to Streight.

On the 27th, Streight found it necessary to stop at
Mount Hope and wait for his entire command to come up,
as 300 of them were without mules and had to travel on
foot. Owing to the heavy rains and muddy conditions of
the roads, Streight was unable to proceed to Moulton
until the morning of the 28th. Before leaving Mount
Hope, he received word from Dodge that he had driven the
enemy and that Streight; "should push on."

By the evening of the 29th, he had reached the foot of
Day's Gap -- and feeling confident that he was well
ahead of any pursuers, allowed his men to rest for the
night. But Forrest had pushed his men and horses hard
throughout the day and night, coming up to within 4
miles of Streight's encampment on the evening of the
29th, at the foot of Sand Mountain.

At daybreak the following day, Forrest struck Streight's
rear guard as Streight moved up the mountain. In the
thinly wooded, and sandy, ridged terrain, Streight was
able to set up strong defensive positions against
Forrest's attacks. Of this action, Streight wrote; "The
enemy, after a short but stubborn resistance, fled in
confusion, leaving two pieces of artillery, two






caissons, and about 40 prisoners, representing seven
different regiments, a large number of wounded, and
about 30 dead on the field. Among the former was Captain
[William H.] Forrest, a brother of General Forrest. Our
loss was about 30 killed and wounded..." and "It was now
about 11 o'clock, fighting having continued since about
6 o'clock in the morning."

In a series of ambushes and assaults, Streight, with
Forrest nipping at his heals, reached Blountsville on
the morning of May 1. Here, Streight was finally able to
find sufficient corn to feed his tired and hungry
animals. Ammunition and rations were hastily distributed
to his men, and within two hours he resumed his march in
the direction of Gadsden. The column had barely got in
motion when their pickets were driven in, and a sharp
skirmish ensued between Forrest's advance and Streight's
rear guard in the town of Blountsville.

On the morning of May 2d, Streight was fiercely attacked
at the crossing of Black Creek near Gadsden. After a
sharp fight the Confederate cavalry was repulsed, but
Streight learned of a large enemy column was moving on a
route parallel to his own. Streight recalled weary
evening of the 2d; “I had learned in the mean time,
through my scouts, that a large column of the enemy was
moving on our left, parallel with our route, evidently
with the intention of getting in our front, which made
it necessary for us to march all night, though the
command was in no condition to do so, and, to add still
more to my embarrassment, a portion of our ammunition
had become damaged in crossing Will's Creek." Streight
stopped in Gadsden only long enough to destroy a
quantity of arms and commissary stores he found there.
By now, many of his animals and men were worn out from
the forced marching, some falling behind to be captured
by their pursuers.

Streight hoped to reach Rome, where he might cross the
river and burn the bridge behind him. But every time his
column stopped to rest or to cross a bridge, Forrest had
to be beaten back. At Blount's Plantation, fifteen miles
outside of Gadsden, Streight was again engaged but was
once more able to beat back his attackers. During this
engagement, Streight mourned the loss of Colonel
Hathaway, of the 73rd Indiana, who fell mortally
wounded, saying; “His loss to me was irreparable. His
men had almost worshipped him, and when he fell it cast
a deep gloom of despondency over his regiment which was
hard to overcome." Here, Streight also detached Captain
Milton Russell (51st Indiana) and 200 men to proceed to
Rome and hold the bridge there.

Reaching Centre without further interruption, Streight
passed Cedar Bluff just after daylight on the 3d of May,
where he halted to feed the animals. The men,
unaccustomed to riding, had become so exhausted in
fatigue that Streight noted it was almost impossible to
keep them awake long enough to feed. While halted, he
received word that the enemy was now nearer to Rome than
his forces. About this same time, his pickets were
driven in and the men were ordered into line of battle.
But Streight found "Mule Brigade" had reached their
limits; "... every effort made to rally the men for
action, but nature was exhausted, and a large portion of
my best troops actually went to sleep while lying in
line of battle under a severe skirmish fire." After some
maneuvering, Forrest sent in a flag of truce, demanding
the surrender of Streight's forces.

Streight called for a council of war, noting that most
of his commanders had already expressed the opinion they
may be compelled to surrender, depending on the news
from Captain Russell. That news was shortly forthcoming
-- Russell had been unable to take the bridge at Rome.
Forrest had sent warning ahead, and Russell's men were
met by armed citizens behind barricades, forcing them to
turn back. Though Streight personally opposed the
surrender, he yielded to his regimental commanders and
entered negotiations with Forrest. Despite the condition
of his command, Streight still refused to surrender
unless Forrest proved he had superior numbers.
Forrest, with few more than 600 men on hand, utilized
the tactics of bluff and intimidation that he was
becoming well known for. By ordering his men and guns to
continually move in and out of sight along a ridge, he
convinced Streight that he was outnumbered. Streight
accepted the surrender at about noon on May 3d, becoming
a prisoner of war.

Streight reported the Union losses at 15 officers and
130 men killed or wounded. He was taken to Libby Prison
in Richmond, Virginia, where four of his officers and
himself managed to escape on February 9, 1864.
For securing Bragg's communications and keeping






Georgia's railroads and factories secure, Forrest
received the thanks of the Confederate Congress.
Streight's surrender netted Forrest 1,600 Federal
prisoners, outnumbering his forces three to one."

OF NOTE: Forrest later recalled Streight's
conversation regarding the surrender: "...When
Streight saw they were barely four hundred, he did
rear demanded to have his arms back and that we
should fight it out. I just laughed at him and patted
him on the shoulder, and said: "Ah, Colonel, all is
fair in love and war you know." (Longacre, Edward G.,
Civil War Times Illustr. June 1969, "All Is Fair In
Love and War.")

Resources:
* Longacre, Edward, "All Is Fair In Love and War," Civil
War Times Illustrated, June 1969;
* Official Records of the War of Rebellion, Vol. I,
Series XXIII/1 [ADR #34]: Report of Abel D. Streight and
Thanks of Congress.

Chelnessa married James Lawrence, son of James Lawrence and Unknown. (James Lawrence was born on 11 Feb 1799 in Jefferson County, Tennessee, USA Formed 1792, died on 23 Apr 1856 in Cherokee County, Alabama, USA Formed 1836 From Cherokee Nation and was buried about 1856 in Lawrence Cemetery, Aka Demaris Cemetery, (Near Cedar Bluff), Cherokee County, Alabama, USA.)