T. J. Byrne: A confederate nitre bureau officer

T. J. BYRNE: A CONFEDERATE NITRE BUREAU OFFICER

Marion O. Smith

’ T. J. Byrne has not yet been adequately identified. His signature matches that

of Terence J. Byrne, a private in Company E, 16th Tennessee Infantry, CSA, which was
primarily composed of Warren County men. But no T. J. or Terence J. Byrne has been
found in that county's 1860 and 1870 censuses. All that is known about this man falls
between September, 1862, and the end of 1863.

From September 16, 1862, until early November, 1863, Byrne as assistant superin-
tendent..(at S100 a month) of Nitre District No. 8. Through July, 1863, he spent much
of his time in Division No. 2 of that district, which had its headquarters at McMinn-
ville, eee dee His exact duties are unknown, but in December, 1862, he was an "Asst
upon exploration, and at office" and three months later was an "Asst to Lt [ Bolling a. |
Stovall," the chief Nitre Bureau officer in the area.

On April 21, 1863, a Federal force from Murfreesboro briefly captured McMinnville,
along with a couple hundred prisoners, including Terence J. Byrne, who claimed to be
a soldier with the 16th Tennessee Infantry. Five days later Byrne signed a "Prisoner's
Parole" at Murfreesboro, and he was forwarded via Nashville, Louisville, Fort.McHenry

he ,
near Baltimore, and to City Point, Virginia, where was returned to the Confederacy.

After the Confederate army retreated from middle Tennessee Byrne was in Chattanooga
by late July, 1863, Dalton, Georgia, into September, and after that Kingston, Georgia.
His duties included those incident with the retrograde movement. August 25-27 he went
to rispeenti eae Mine near Charleston, Bradley County, Tennessee, "to remove tools &
property to Dalton Ga." Two days later he went "to Kingston Ga. to take inventory of
Government Property removed there and for furloughing the hands of the Ben Dees On
September 5 he returned to Chatata Lead Mine to continue overseeing "the removal of the “
Government property there." Four and five days later he helped remove “horses & mules

from Dalton to Kingston" and September 20-24 he went to Atlanta to receive and invoice

saltpeter from the 9th [North Alabama| District. On October 5 he was sent back to

Atlanta to "take charge of a Shipment of funds from the Govt Depositary to Kingston Ga."

(LI9Z

While still at Kingston, Byrne on November 7, 1863, received the following order
from Captain William Gabbett, superintendent of the newly combined 8th and 9th Nitre
Districts:

You will proceed by waggon road with the laborers selected for
your operations to "Bell Nitre Works," near Blue Mountain Ala --
Take with you the necessary tools & c for the immediate opening of

the works.

Byrne moved the "working force" to Bell Cave by November 10 and renewed the Government

operation there. This cave, now known as Lady-Weaver Cave, had been mined off and on
since the beginning of the war, first on private account and then by the Government.
While at the cave, Byrne on November 19-23 made a trip "to Big Spring Nitre Works
[euntersville Caverns| Ala, in charge of white force." He remained as superintendent
of Bell Cave or the Blue Mountain Nitre Works through December, 1863, and then he
disappeared from the record.

SOURCES

Tennesseans in the Civil War (2 vols., Nashville, 1964-65), Vol. 1, 208.

Compiled Service Records, Record Group 109, Terence J. Byrne, 16th Tennessee Infantry.

Confederate Papers Relating to Citizens or Business Firms, Record Group 109 (Microcopy
346, Roll 131), National Archives, T. J. Byrne file.

Confederate Payrolls, Record Group 109, National Archives, Blue Mountain Nitre Works,
November-December, 1863.