In the photo are Henry Harrison Rains and some of his fellow Union Army soldiers.
This photo contains a collection of Civil War mementos: “War Papers of the Confederacy,” a United States postage certificate, a photo of General Robert E. Lee, and a sketch of a group of Confederate soldiers.
The U.S. Civil War is known as the single deadliest war in American history. More American soldiers died in this war than in all of the country’s previous conflicts combined, most likely because the soldiers on both sides were, in fact, American. The war pit state against state, town against town, neighbor against neighbor. For my family, though, the war pit brother against brother.
My great, great, great, great grandparents were named John A. Rains and Mary “Polly” Long. They had several children, two of whom being John P. Rains, born in 1833, and his younger brother Henry Harrison Rains, born in 1841. Henry is my great, great, great grandfather. John A. died when Henry was eleven and John P. was nineteen. The brothers lived at home in Decatur County, Tennessee helping their mother with the farm, with their family’s timber work, and with the slaves. The Rains’ were considered to be very kind to the family of slaves that worked on their farm: Uncle Sam, Aunt Lizz, and their two boys Elmer and Noah. Henry was about 21 years of age when the Civil War reached their front door. Stories have been passed down through my family from this time of cascades of Union and Confederate raids alike. Families had to hide their food, their slaves, and themselves from these people who, under Martial Law, could essentially do as they pleased.
At the age of 23 Henry enlisted in the Union Army in Nashville, Tennessee. His brother John P. had enlisted several years prior to Henry, but in the Confederate Army. John’s Regiment, “B” Company, 33rd Tennessee Infantry, is accredited with serving in every single battle that occurred in Tennessee. This fact means that Henry and John fought in many of the same battles, including the Battle at Shiloh. After two or three years, Henry was honorably discharged, while John served for the duration of the war.
This is the official death certificate of John P. Rains.
After the war, John began working as County Court Clerk. He married and lived with his family until his death in 1900. Henry went home to Decatur County and began rebuilding the family farm, which he had inherited, to its former glory. He married a girl named Mary Jane in 1866 and led the life of a farmer with their sons James (my great, great grandfather) and John. At the close of the war, all slaves were given their freedom. While many slaves left for a promising new life, the Rains’ slaves decided to stay. Eventually Sam and Lizz passed and their sons grew up and left to find work in the city. Every so often, though, they would come by to see their old friends and for a hot meal from Mary Jane. During this time period Henry constructed the first cotton gin in the area, and ended up starting a business partnership with his son James.
The picture displays the remains of a combat boot from the Civil War. The remains were found in middle Tennessee, the same area where the Rains brothers fought.
Although the Civil War tore two brothers apart, Henry’s decision is a reminder of how important it is to stick to your guns (pun intended) when you have a goal or belief that others might disagree with. I personally am enormously proud of my great, great, great grandfather who, even after his older brother chose to support the Confederacy, dedicated himself to fighting for the Union, for the freedom of men.
Works Consulted
Bell I. Wiley Civil War articles collection, University Libraries Division of Special Collections, The University of Alabama.
“Civil War Casualties.” Civil War Trust. Council on Foreign Relations, n.d. Web. 24 Mar. 2015.
Civil War Shoe or Boot Remains, W.S. Hoole Special Collections Library, University Libraries Division of Special Collections, The University of Alabama.