Karen, >From "Shiloh Remembered" pp. 34-35 "The Gray Coat Cutters: There was a time in this country when wearing a gray coat was worse than wearing no coat at all -- even though it might be in the dead of winter. Immediately after the Civil War, gray became a distasteful color to the Northern sympathizers. For many returning Rebels, the gray Confederate overcoat was the only coat they had. The "gray coat cuttings" took place especially in Hardin County when a band of Union symphathizers in the Clifton area terrorized Southern sympathizers for several months. Whenever these men saw an ex-Confederate wearing a gray coat, they would make him take it off and then shoot it to pieces. There was snow on the ground the day Bill BYRD saw a covey of quail hovering by a dead log. He went home and got his gun, loaded it with bird shot and came back to kill the covey. The birds were gone and BYRD placed the gun near where he was cutting wood. The gray coat cutters rode up and demanded BYRD take off his coat. BYRD grabbed the gun and the coat cutters started to ride away. He shot one in the face that looked back. The community knew it was time for something to be done to stop the harrassment. Clay ALLISON was a Clifton resident who had seen service in the Confederate army under Gen. Nathan Bedford Forrest. ALLISON was seething with bitterness at returning home after the war to find everything the family had worked for in shambles. Clifton had been burned to the ground and ALLISON, who was usually backed by brothers John and James MONROE, had had about all of the Yankees he could stand. ALLISON at the time was leading a band of Ku Klux Klan who were trying to help restore order in the area. It was known that members of the group making up the gray coat cutters would be in services at Mt. Carmel Church on a specific date. The ALLISON's waited until everyone was inside and then silently eased their way into the church and set on the back row. While the last hymn was being sung ALLISON and his men formed a circle around the doorway of the church. They let the women and the children through when service was dismissed but blocked the way of the gray coat cutters. A member of the Klan pulled off his Confederate coat and threw it to the leader of the cutters: "Cut this coat, damn you!" the Klansman shouted. The gray coat cutters panicked and ran in all directions with Clay ALLISON and the others in hot pursuit. One coat cutter was caught down by Hardin's Creek and whipped soundly. In another incident, James WATSON, a blacksmith, incurred the wrath of the gray coat cutters. His two sons had fought in the Confederacy and he was a prime target of the cutters. Two of the cutters came by the blacksmith shop one day and observed that Sam, a younger son of James WATSON, had on a gray denim vest. Wade McCASLAND and Dal BROOKS, the two cutters, demanded that he take it off to which the younger WATSON refused. With a pistol in one hand and a knife in the other, one of the men inserted the knife in the arm holes, cutting the best off and while it lay upon the ground they proceeded to empty their pistols into it. The WATSON's only recourse was to submit. John PITTS was a young man who worked at the local gin one day when he saw the two coat cutters ride into the gin yard. The two were returning from town and well stimulated with whiskey when they stopped to accost PITTS. PITTS expected trouble and had taken the precaution to stand his axe within reaching distance of where he was working. He had made up his mind to use the axe rather than give up his coat. McCASLAND and BROOKS dismounted and McCASLAND threw the reins to BROOKS and swaggered toward PITTS. He stopped just in front of PITTS with the pistol in his belt visibly showing. McCASLAND did not speak but eyed PITTS then eyed the axe near PITTS' right hand. After standing there for about five minutes, he wheeled and strode to his horse then the two galloped away. A tragedy was averted as the younger PITTS had clearly stood his ground and defended his principles. John JOURNEY was not so lucky. A Confederate veteran, he came out of the war with no clothing except his gray uniform. JOURNEY was accosted by the same pair and demanded that his coat be removed. He explained quietly that it was the only coat he had. They cursed him and threatened to shoot him. "Shoot away," chided JOURNEY. He was shot but sustained only a minor flesh wound. He reached behind the wagon seat and brought out a double barreled shotgun which he emptied at the two fleeing coat cutters. A warrant was sworn out by the two coat cutters as they knew the courts would be behind them. Ex-Rebels had little protection under the law and could not be used to testify. JOURNEY was taken into court. Fielding HURST had been appointed Circuit Judge and through the efforts of Judge Elijah WALKER, a friend of HURST's, the case was continued until it was worn out. Meanwhile, the Ku Klux Klan and men like Clay and John ALLISON had done their job well as the Wade McCASLAND's and Dal BROOKS' were forced to leave the area. Clay ALLISON, along with his brothers, went west following the war. The bitterness of war and the prospect of living under military control did not set well with the ALLISON's. They gained quite a reputation from Colorado to New Mexico and became quite famous for their escapades. John and James MONROE came back to live and die in Hardin County. They are buried in the same cemetery at Mt. Carmel where the alledged [sic] coat cutting incident happened. Clay was killed in a wagon mishap in 1877 and buried in Pecos, Texas. Clay ALLISON remains to this day regarded as one of the top gunmen of the old West." Best regards, Julie Preston anpreston@msn.com