GEORGE WASHINGTON MARTIN CIVIL WAR QUESTIONNAIRE
CIVIL WAR QUESTIONNAIRE
MARTIN, GEO WASH
(FORM NO. 1)
The chief purpose of the following questions is to bring out facts that will be of service
in writing a true history of the Old South. Such a history has not yet been written. By
answering these questions you will make a valuable contribution to the history of your
State.
Editors Note: Answers of the respondent have been merged with the
questions and highlighted in bold type. Answers are, as is, without editing.
1. State your full name and present Post Office address:
A1. George Washington Martin - Browns, Tenn.
2. State your age now:
A2. Eighty years of age
3. In what State and county were you born?:
A3. Haywood County Tenn
4. In what State and county were you living when you enlisted in the service of the
Confederacy, or of the Federal Government?:
A4. Haywood County, Tenn.
5. What was your occupation before the war?:
A5. Farmer
6. What was the occupation of your father?:
A6. Farmer
7. If you owned land or other property at the opening of the war, state what kind of
property you owned, and state the value of your
property as near as you can:
A7. none
8. Did you or your parents own slaves? If so how many?:
A8. Yes ten
9. If your parents owned land state about how many acres:
A9. One hund & Eighty
10. State as near as you can the value of all the property owned by your parents,
including land, when the war opened:
A10. Don't Know
11. What kind of house did your parents occupy? State whether it was a log house or frame
house or built of other materials, and state the number of rooms it had:
A11. Popular log w/ 4 rooms
12. As a boy and young man, state what kind of work you did. If you worked on a farm,
state to what extent you plowed, worked with a hoe, and did other kinds of similar work:
A12. Farmed, did gen. farm work pulling fodder and picking cotton and going to
school between times
13. State clearly what kind of work your father did, and what the duties of your mother
were. State all the kinds of work in the house as well as you can remember - that is
cooking, spinning, weaving, etc.
A13. My father was a reg. farmer. And my mother acted as tailoress for the ciminty
and provide for her children
14. Did you parents keep any servants? If so, how many?
A14. Kept a cook
15. How was honest toil - as plowing, hauling and other sorts of work of this class -
regarded in your community? Was such work considered respectable and honorable?:
A15. All was considered respectable and honorable
16. Did the white men in your community generally engage in such work?:
A16. Yes
17. To what extent were the white men in your community leading lives of idleness and
having others do their work for them?:
A17. Very few
18. Did the men who owned slaves mingle freely with those who did not own slaves, or did
slaveholders in any way show by their actions that they felt themselves better than
respectable, honorable men who did not own slaves?:
A18. no; no
19. At the churches, at the schools, at public gatherings in general, did slaveholders and
non-slave holders mingle on a footing of equality?:
A19. yes
20. Was there a friendly feeling between slaveholders and non-slaveholders in your
community, or were they antagonistic to each other?:
A20. yes
21. In a political contest in which one candidate owned slaves and the other did not, did
the fact that one candidate owned slaves help him in winning the election?:
A21. I think not
22. Were the opportunities good in your community for a poor young man honest and
industrious - to save up enough to buy a small farm or go into business for himself?:
A22. I think so
23. Were poor. honest, industrious young men, who were ambitious to make something of
themselves, encouraged or discouraged by slaveholders?:
A23. They were encouraged
24. What kind of school or schools did you attend?:
A24. Rural
25. About how long did you go to school altogether?:
A25. About three miles
26. How far was it to the nearest school?:
A26. Two miles
27. What school or schools were in operation in your neighborhood?:
A27. ----
28. Was the school in your community private or public?:
A28. Private
29. About how many months in the year did it run?:
A29. about 10 months
30. Did the boys and girls in your community attend school pretty regularly?:
A30. No
31. Was the teacher of the school you attended a man or a woman?:
A31. Man
A32. In what year and month and at what place did you enlist in the Confederate or of the
Federal Government?:
A32. May 1861 Dancyville, Tenn
33. State the name of your regiment, and state the names of as many members of your
company as you remember:
A33. 9th Tennessee Company A
34. After enlistment where was your company sent first?:
A34. Union City Tennessee
35. How long after your enlistment before your company engaged in battle?:
A35. about one year
36. What was the first battle you engaged in?:
A36. Shiloh
37. State in your own way your experience in the war from this time on until the close.
State where you went after the first battle - what you did, what other battles you engaged
in, how long they lasted, what the results were; state how you lived in camp, how you were
clothed, how you slept, what you had to eat, how you were exposed to cold, hunger and
disease. If you were in the hospital or in prision, state your experience here:
A37. From Shiloh we went to Cornith and there I was taken and went to the
hospital. was wounded and taken prisoner at Perryville. I was accused of stealing by a
negro. I was exchanged at Vicksburg about Christmas 1862.
38. When and where were you discharged?:
A38. ----
39. Tell something of your trip home:
A39. Came home on a furlough March 7, 1865 and while I was at home the
confederates surrendered. I never did go back to the army.
40. What kind of work did you take up when you came back home?:
A40. Clerking
41. Give a sketch of your life since the close of the Civil War, stating what kind of
business you have engaged in, where you have lived, your church relations, etc. If you
have held an office or offices, state what it was. You may state here any other facts
connected with your life and experience which has not been brought out by the questions.
A41. Belonged to the Methoist Church for sisty five years. Tried to live a
Christian life. And was a fifth sargent in the army
42. Give the full name of your father_________________ born_____________at____
_______; in the county of;__________ state of____________. He lived at__________
Give also any particulars concerning him, as official position, war services, etc.; books
written by, etc.
A42. Abner H. Martin b. N.C.
43. Maiden name in full of your mother:__________________ She was the daughter of
____________________(full name) _______________ and his wife____________( full
name)__________ who lived at ____________________________
A43. Rebecca Dancy
Isaac Dancy
Haywood County Tenn.
A44. ----
A45. ----
A46. ----
MARTIN, GEO WASHINGTON Pension No. 10736