Civil War Pension Files - Soldiers from Greene Co., Tennessee

Produced from photocopies of original documents located at the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) in Washington, DC.

Please note:

• I do not have access to any Civil War Pension Files other than the ones listed here.
• Photocopies of original records can be ordered from the National Archives
• Other pension files can be identified via the Pension File index at Footnote.com
• The "Full Files" are extremely large. To view them easily you must have a fast internet connection, plenty of RAM and hard drive space.
• The recommended approach for viewing "Full Files" is to save them to your computer instead of viewing within your web browser. Right-click on the full file link and choose "Save Target As" to save them locally to your computer.
• All files are in PDF format. Get Adobe Reader.
• See Recommended Reading

Recommended Reading

Civil War units containing large numbers of Greene Co., TN residents:

Kirk's Raiders  - A history of Greene Co., TN native George Kirk and his organization of the 2nd and 3rd NC Mtd Infantry Regiments.

History of the First Regiment of Tennessee Volunteer Cavalry

Forgotten Soldiers: History of the 4th Regiment Tennessee Volunteer Infantry (USA), 1863-1865 - Contains a complete roster and a brief historical account based on official records. Hundreds of Greene Countians were members of the 4th Tennessee Infantry. Most of these men either left their homes to avoid the Confederate Conscription (draft) or deserted their Confederate units and assembled in Kentucky. Many of them travelled by night in small to medium sized groups, crossing the East Tennessee mountains and streams and risking execution if caught by Confederate authorities.

Forgotten Soldiers: History of the 2nd Tennessee Volunteer Infantry Regiment (USA) 1861-1865 - Contains a complete roster and a brief historical account based on official records. Another group containing many Greene County citizens. One of the company captains, David Fry of the Bridge Burners fame, was a well-known "pilot" who led Greene County refugees through rough terrain into Kentucky.

The Civil War in Greene County, Tennessee

Thrilling Adventures of Daniel Ellis - A wonderful and colorful history of Daniel Ellis, one of the famed East Tennessee "pilots" who helped citizens escape from Tennessee and join the Union ranks in Kentucky.  Read early edition for free on Google Books.

The Bridge Burners: A True Adventure of East Tennessee's Underground Civil War

"Neighbor Against Neighbor, Brother Against Brother; Greene County in the Civil War", by Carl N. Hayes, c. 1966, 31 pgs. Photocopies can be obtained for a fee from the Virginia Tech University's Civil War Manuscripts collection.  An invaluable resource that documents and preserves Civil War related anecdotes from Greene County families that would have otherwise been lost in time.

These books give outstanding and thoughtful accounts of the nature and conflict between unionist and secessionist sentiments, the activities of guerillas and non-regular militias, and the local violence that plagued East Tennessee:

War at Every Door: Partisan Politics and Guerrilla Violence in East Tennessee, 1860-1869

Mountain Rebels: East Tennessee Confederates 1860-1870

Bushwhackers (Civil War in North Carolina)