John Coleman Morrow

MORROW, John Coleman - John Coleman Morrow was born December 12, 1842. He was captured at Vicksburg, paroled and exchanged, and later came home to Washington County on furlough. In the neighborhood of West Fork, he and two other men, Wright and Crozier of Cane Hill, encountered bushwhackers. In the ensuing fight, on February 16, 1865, Morrow was killed; the other two escaped to reach home. Mariah Morrow with two daughters took the remaining stock, an ox team, and made a two day journey to bring the body home for burial in the Cove Creek cemetery of the Morrow family. [WCHS Flashback Vol. 7, No. 3]

John Coleman Morrow, born December 23, 1842, Washington County, Arkansas, died February 17, 1865, was the son of John Morrow of Warren County, Kentucky, who was the son of John Morrow and his wife Mary Calhoun. Maiden name of subject’s mother was Mariah Cox, daughter of Coleman Cox and his wife Martha Buchanan. Subject was a Democrat, served with the 15th Arkansas Infantry and was at Vicksburg. [1911 Arkansas Confederate Census]

A Washington County Soldier at Corinth and Vicksburg - R.R. Logan, WCHS president, recently visited Dr. J.A. Morrow in Sallisaw, Oklahoma and obtained the following information about Dr. Morrow’s grandfather, John Morrow of Cove Creek. As our readers know, the Morrow home is being moved from Cove Creek to Battlefield Park at Prairie Grove where it will be converted into a Battle Museum. The importance of the Morrow house as history lies in the fact that it was Sterling Price’s headquarters in route to Pea Ridge and Gen. Thomas Hindman’s headquarters on the eve of the battle of Prairie Grove. Dr. J.A. Morrow of Sallisaw has a letter written by John Coleman Morrow, Confederate soldier and the latter’s parole after Vicksburg. The letter reads as follows:

Rienzi, Miss.

April 21st, 1862

Dear Brother,

As I have an opportunity of sending you a letter by Mr. Brown I thought I would try to do so. We had a tolerably pleasant trip of four days from Des Arc to Memphis. We stayed at Memphis nearly two days and came out to Corinth about one hundred miles northwest of Memphis and took the cars and came out here which is about fifteen miles from Corinth on the Mobile and Ohio Railroad. The news is in the paper that we will be pressed into service when our time is out for two more years. The Colonel says our time, that is the company will be disbanded when the regiments time is out and that is the fifteenth of July and I intend to come home then if I can get there. There is about one hundred and twenty five thousand men in this vicinity. I expect that we will have a big battle before our time is out but I don’t look for it soon. Our company is nearly dwindled out. Only report 22 privates able for duty, Mitchell has command of us. Bill Pyeatt says for to tell his folks that he and Dick are well. I am well myself. All men that are absent from our company and the command today put down as deserters and a reward of $30 is offered for each man. No more at Present. Please write soon. J.C. Morrow

Private Morrow’s parole reads as follows:

Vicksburg, Miss.

July 9, 1863

I, John C. Morrow, a private in Co. H, 13 Reg., Arkansas Volunteers, C.S.A., a prisoner of war by virtue of capitulation of Lt.Gen. John C. Pemberton on 4th of July ….etc…etc.,

Sworn and subscribed before

James Wm. Davis.

Capt., 97th Reg. Ill. Vols.

(On the back of the parole is this order:)

Port Delphi, La.

July 13, 1863

Furloughed for 30 days to report at Camden, Ark., unless sooner exchanged. By order of

H.S. Grimsted

Col. Commanding Post

A.W. Barnes

Adj. Post

[Flashback, Vol. VII, No. 3 May 1957]