| Submitted by: Jeanne Holland,
Aug 19, 2014 My great grandfather was Moses William Holland. He was born 8 July 1846 in Etowah Station, which was located on the Etowah River banks near the Western & Atlantic Railroad, about 2 miles from Cartersville, Bartow County, Georgia. His parents were Chesley Holland and Martha Lindsey Holland. Moses brothers and sisters were: Nancy Josephine Holland, James G Holland, Mary Ellen Holland, Ambrose Moses Holland, John A Holland, Sarah C Holland, and Daniel Webster Holland. When the Civil war began, his brothers James (killed at Petersburgh, VA) and Ambrose joined the Army of Tennessee. Moses was too young to enlist when the War began. However, at the tender age of 16 years, on February 20, 1863, he enlisted at Camp McDonald in Big Shanty (Kennesaw) which was only about 15 miles from his house. He enlisted in Company "F", 1st Regiment, Georgia State Line. The purpose of the Georgia State Line was twofold: (1) to defend and fortify the railroad, especially the bridges (2) and, to serve the Confederate Army should it become necessary as Sherman began his Atlanta Campaign after Chickamauga, marching down the W & A R R from Ringgold to Atlanta. Sixteen year-old Moses served bravely and well. As Johnston's army retreated along the railroad, Sherman's forces continued down the line toward Atlanta. Moses was given the job of a "skirmisher" and sniper. His first action was to help burn the very bridge over the Etowah River that he had defended within sight of his home. This was after Johnston's Army had already crossed, but before Sherman's advancing army had had a chance to cross. Then, Moses fell back along the railroad with his unit toward Marietta and Big Shanty. Along the road to Atlanta, Moses fought in the following battles: Kennesaw Mountain, Peachtree Creek, Atlanta, and Jonesboro. These were bloody, agonizing battles. Johnston was replaced by John Bell Hood and took command at Atlanta. The final assault was at Jonesboro, and in the terrible fighting, Moses was shot in the left side as he loaded his weapon. He was severely wounded and suffered very significant blood loss. He was told to try to make it back to his home as the field hospital was destroyed at Jonesboro. Moses passed through enemy lines, and forests, trying to stay out of sight, crawling and walking back toward his home, a distance of 47 miles. He was very weakened by blood loss and fever, but finally made it back, collapsing on the porch of a doctor he knew near Etowah. When the doctor pulled his shirt from the wound, Moses fainted. Back at his home, his family cared for him as he healed. After the defeat of Atlanta, Sherman burned the city and began moving north back along the railroad. His men destroyed the tracks and blew up trains the whole way. When Sherman stopped, he camped at Etowah on the bluff overlooking the town. He decided on his scorched earth policy while there and began his March to the Sea. As he left, he had the entire town of Etowah burned to the ground, including the homes. He did not destroy nearby Cartersville, though his men took everything of use. When the War ended, Moses was mustered out of Co. F, 1st Regimen, Georgia State Line, in Kingston, Georgia, just a few miles from his home. Moses William entered the War as a private, but was a 4th Sergeant when he was mustered out. Moses healed slowly. He married Susan Virginia Smith, a nearby neighbor. They would have 3 children: Frederick Roy Holland, Mary Ellen Holland, and Herman Trusten Holland. When Herman was only two years-old, His mother, Susan, contracted tuberculosis and died, leaving Moses to raise them. The families in the area were literally starving in Reconstruction Georgia. The skills that Moses had learned on the W & A R R led him to seek another direction. In 1884, Moses bid his parents and siblings farewell and began the trek to Texas, where he knew that railroads were being rapidly built. Along with his children, Trusten Smith, Susan's brother made the trip as well. Moses, the children, and Trusten Smith, arrived in Limestone County, Texas in 1885. Mary Ellen Holland would soon meet William B Reeves and marry. Trusten also was soon married to Laura Rogers. According to tax rolls, Moses lived in Limestone County 1886-1887. He then moved to Buffalo in Leon County, Texas, where he would live for the remainder of his life. He raised a house garden, but his primary employment was with what became the Houston & Texas Central Railroad. He worked as a gang foreman and had to move around a lot on a temporary basis. On February 17, 1892, he married his second wife, a widow named Mary Samantha Marsh Lathrop. By that time, only Herman Trusten Holland, Moses' youngest son was living with him. Mary become a very kind and loving step mother. Moses and Mary would have three children: Douglas, Norman, and Edgar. Sadly, Norman contracted diphtheria and died at the age of 6 years. He was buried in Sandhill Cemetery east of Buffalo. The boys attended a one room school at "Tightwad," near Jewett. They walked to school every day, which was several miles from home. Mary's parents, Marcus D Lafette Marsh and Harriett Matilda Hughes Marsh, sold a parcel of land to Moses and Mary, 1/2 at the time spread over several years. It was there that Moses built their house, raised a garden, and made sugar cane molasses. This, of course, had to be done while working on the railroad, so it took some time. Moses suffered greatly due to his Civil War gunshot wound and walked with a limp. He also suffered from diabetes and eventually contracted tuberculosis. Moses was retired from the railroad when it was discovered that he was color blind, though he had worked for many years and was able to tell the difference in the color of the railroad signal lamps. Herman Trusten Holland, his son by Susan Virginia Smith Holland, would become a gang foreman as had his father, building and maintaining the early railroads of Houston and Central Texas. Moses William Holland died at his home in the early hours of November 8, 1909. He was buried November 9, 1909 in Sandhill Cemetery beside the grave of his son, Norman. He will always be remembered by members of his family. NOTE: A well-meaning person has placed a concrete marker at the foot of Moses' grave which designates Moses as a member of Baylor's Battalion. Moses William Holland was never a member of Baylor Battalion. I would be pleased to have a proper plaque placed at his grave commemorating his faithful service in the Civil War in Company F, First Regiment, Georgia State Line. If there is any question as to his military unit, refer to the application for Confederate Pension filed by Herman Trusten Holland on behalf of Mary Samantha Marsh Holland. The interrogatories are very specific. Also, a study of the roster of Baylor's Texas Cavalry Regiment will show that there was no Moses Holland, therein. I have personally gone to the Courthouse in Cartersville, Georgia and seen the hand written recording of Moses' service. |