Brother against brother

David

This is one of the antique photos I promised.  It is my great-grandfather, David.  This photo was sent to me by one of my long-lost Tennessee cousins whom I discovered only after the advent of the Internet.  Tennessee is where David and his brothers were raised.

David was seventeen at the outbreak of the Civil War, so it was time to choose a stance.  David opted to serve with the Union, but unless I am mistaken, all his several brothers served with the Confederacy.

The war literally tore this family apart, as it did with many others, and Tennessee was particularly divided in its allegiances.  This photo was preserved by another of my distant relatives who honored those who aligned with the Union, and it supplies one more piece of evidence as to which side David chose. 

I wish I knew more about David’s participation in the war, but details are sparse.  Suffice to say he survived the conflict, as this photo was taken circa 1875, not very many years after my grandfather was born.