Crockett, Knott

Knott Crockett

Heather Callahan - Great, Great Niece of Knott Crockett

Quick Facts

Significance:

101st Ohio Volunteer Infantry, Company I

Place of Birth:

Pleasant Township, Seneca County, Ohio

Date of Birth:

November 14th, 1832

Place of Death:

Franklin, TN

Date of Death:

November 30th, 1864

Place of Burial:

Murfreesboro, TN

Cemetery Name:

Stones River National Cemetery

Knott Crockett was born on November 14th, 1832 in Pleasant Township, Seneca County, Ohio to James and Mary Crockett. He had a younger brother named Charles (Charley) Crockett and worked as a farmer. At the age of 29, Knott Crockett enlisted into the Union Army on August 12th, 1862 in Tiffin, Ohio. He mustered in as a Corporal with Company I of the 101st Ohio Volunteer Infantry Regiment. His brother, Charles Crockett, enlisted in New York City as a private into Company G of the 65th New York Infantry Regiment on August 24th, 1861.

Knott's first taste of fighting in the Civil War was in Kentucky at the battle of Perryville on October 8th, 1862. His regiment then moved south to Murfreesboro, Tennessee, where they fought at the battle of Stones River from December 31st, 1862 to January 2nd, 1863. After the Union victory at Stones River, they occupied the Murfreesboro area until late June. On June 26th, 1863, they participated in skirmishes at Liberty Gap, Tennessee before moving to Georgia later that year. They fought at Chickamauga on September 19th-20th, 1863, and participated in the entire Atlanta Campaigns. While Knott was in Georgia, his brother, Charles, died on May 10th, 1864 in Virginia.

While participating in the Atlanta Campaigns, Knott wrote to his mother and father about the comings and goings of the campaign. In a letter dated July 29th, 1864, he wrote, "Our Brigade and the second Brigade of our DIvision are guarding in the rear as our Cavalry are mostly away on a raid. The flank and the rear have to be guarded by infantry. There was heavy fighting yesterday but you will get war news long before this reaches you." His letter is filled with comments about the harvest back home, the farm land in Georgia, and the conditions of the town and land surrounding them. During the Atlanta Campaigns, Corporal Knott worked to create breastworks made from dirt, piled rails, and timber to help protect the Union's lines. He wrote, "You can judge something of our experience of building breast works by the fact that the last one was the seventeenth we had made in front of the enemy in this campaign of different thickness from a pile of rails to protect us from Minnie Balls up to works with heavy timbers in front and some fourteen feet of dirt."

A month after his letter back to his folks, on August 30th, 1864, Knott Crockett was promoted to 4th Sergeant. His promotional certificate from the Adjutant of the 101st Ohio Regiment reads "To all who shall see these presents, greeting: Know Ye, That reposing special trust and confidence in the patriotism, valor, fidelity, and abilities of Knott Crockett I do hereby appoint him Fourth Sergeant in Company I of the 101st Regiment of Ohio Vol. Infantry."

The Atlanta Campaigns ended on September 2nd, 1864, and the 101st Ohio Volunteer Infantry made their way back to Tennessee. In November, they made it to the battle of Franklin, Tennessee. On November 30th, they participated in the battle of Franklin.

The battle of Franklin was a fairly even match with approximately 30,000 Union troops facing approximately 33,000 Confederate troops. Both sides came out heavy and in full force, leading to amounting casualties in a short period of time. Although the fight lasted a meager 30 minutes, the casualties were numerous. The Union had an estimated total of 2,326 losses and the Confederates had an estimated total 6,252 losses. This puts the total estimated casualties for the battle of Franklin at 8,578. It was during this fighting that Sergeant Crockett received a mortal gunshot wound to his head. During the fight, he was rushed to a regimental field hospital where he held on to life, only to die a few hours later from the wound in the hospital.

Crockett's messmate, J M Raymond, wrote a letter home to Crockett's parents regarding his death. It reads:
"Knott had been enjoying the best of health was in good spirits and more generally known and as well respected as any enlisted man in the Brigade. I do not think Col.Kirby hadanymore confidence in any other person, officer, or Enlisted man, in the Brigade. He has fallen, deeply lamented, by all with whom he was acquainted, and we all feel that he is missed more than any other member of the Regt. would have been.

Always prompt in the discharge of duty, a willing and most devoted soldier of his country, ever cheerful and obliging to all associates, none could know but to esteem him.

We deeply sympathize with you in your bereavement, and as for myself I feel that it would have been a consolation to you had I seen him after he fell, but I could not find him. We have always been messmates fully devoted to the interest of each, and I feel lonely indeed. Can scarecely engage in anything but I miss his presence and assistance.

May God grant that this cruel war may soon end..."

The loss of Knott Crockett was felt deeply throughout his regiment, and his family grieved for the loss of both of their sons.

Knott Crockett is buried among the many unknown soldiers sent from the battle of Franklin to rest in Section I of the Stones River National Cemetery.