Artifacts Nineteen

Following his graduation from the University of Nashville at age 14, William Walker earned his Medical degree 5 years later and moved to New Orleans where he also studied law and worked as a newspaper editor. In 1850, he moved to California and tried to establish a colony at Sonora, Mexico. When it failed, Walker was declared a criminal by the U.S. Government forcing him and a mercenary force of Tennesseans to join the Nicaraguan Army. His force beat back the rebels and Walker's men seized the capitol and formed a provisional government. William Walker was elected President of the republic in 1856 and recognized by the U.S. Government. He held the post for 20 months before being overthrown. Walker tried to reclaim the government, but was forced to surrender his force to the British who handed him over to the Honduran government. On September 12, 1860, William Walker the "grey-eyed man of destiny" was executed by a Honduran firing squad.

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Four Tennessee Governors were brothers.

Neill Brown	John C. Brown
Robert Taylor	Alfred Taylor

In the 1886 election, the Taylor brothers ran against each other prompting the "War of The Roses" campaign that gained national attention. Democratic supporters of Robert Taylor wore white roses and Republicans supporting Alfred sported red roses. Farmers' support for Robert Taylor helped win him the election.

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In 1891, Tennessee sent in leased convict laborers to break a coal miners strike in Anderson County. The miners revolted, burned the stockades, and sent the captured convicts by train back to Knoxville.


Governor John Buchanan sent in the state militia to enforce the order. In 1892, miners and militia waged an open war resulting in 27 deaths and over 500 arrests of the strikers. The action caused Tennessee to end its convict leasing program in 1895 and lead other states to do the same.

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9th Mississippi mustering before The Battle of Shiloh.
While digging in his garden in 1934, Mancil Milligan unearthed an unmarked grave of nine Federal soldiers. Scientists later discovered one of the bodies to be that of a female with a musket ball next to her ribs. While she was never identified, she is the only known female to have been killed in the Battle of Shiloh.