and yet the 1860 US Census shows not a single slave in the 3 families I'm descended from in that area. Also despite only 4.42% of the White population owning slaves in Tennessee, 87% of the population voted for secession. Obviously most non slave owners voted to secede..
This link shows the percentages of slave populations in Eastern (9%), Central (29%) and Western (34%) Tennessee, 1860. It also shows overall Tennessee slave population as 25%. Numerous studies support slaveholding family numbers, including: Mooney (foundational) Tennessee Encyclopedia synthesis Edwards (explicit “families” language) Cimprich (East TN rarity & small scale) Owsley structural analysis Census Office spatial evidence Any of these you can find with online inquiries, and are the basis for my % families owning slaves: 5%-8% East TN, 22%-28% Middle TN, 35%-45% West TN. Bottom line: here are the numbers I found for Tennessee based on the 1860 census and secondary studies: 1860 Tennessee Population and Slaves by Region: Area Free population (approx.) Estimated free families Enslaved population % enslaved of total pop. % of free families owning slaves East Tennessee 245,000 47,000 28,000 ~10% ~5–8% Middle Tennessee 435,000 84,000 155,000 ~26% ~22–28% West Tennessee 195,000 37,500 92,000 ~32% ~35–45% Tennessee (total) 875,000 168,000 275,719 24.9% ~25% Giles County (Middle TN) 15,800 3,000 9,200 ~37% ~40–45% Marshall County (Middle TN) 11,400 2,200 6,100 ~35% ~38–43% As you can see, Giles & Marshall counties were in the heart of Tennessee's Cotton Belt and so achieved slave populations equal to or greater than those in even West Tennessee plantation counties.
According to the 1860 US census, the percent of the White population in Tennessee which owned slaves was 4.42%. The rates were higher in central and eastern Tennessee but the overwhelming majority of White families in both regions did not own slaves. The culture was therefore one of not owning slaves.
87% of Tennesseans did not vote for secession on June 8, 1861. The actual number was ~70%, and counties like Giles and Marshall did not change much -- they voted for a secession convention on February 9 by 75% and for secession on June 8 by over 90%. That's because Giles & Marshall were solidly in the South-Central Tennessee Cotton-Belt slavery culture, so they voted with their Deep South Neighbors. Also, East Tennessee counties like Scott, Sevier and Carter remained at ~95% against secession, while West TN counties like Shelby (Memphis) remained solidly (over 97%) for secession.
The Entire states had a non slave owning culture since that represents the vast majority of families even in central and western Tennessee. The state voted not to secede until Lincoln chose to start a war to impose federal government rule on states that did not consent to it. Then Tennessee voted overwhelmingly in favor of secession..
So the Feb.-June flip from anti-secession to pro-secession came most dramatically in Northern Middle TN counties -- those counties north of Giles & Marshall -- counties like Sumner, Wilson, Davidson (Nashville) & Rutherford. Those were less tied to the Deep South's Cotton economy than were Giles & Marshall.
Obviously the cotton economy you claim existed in those areas was not enough to get the state to vote in favor of secession until Lincoln chose to start a war. Lincoln's war was clearly the issue they seceded over
FLT-bird: "That was their culture. It was the norm throughout the Southern states. Most of the White population did not own slaves and most supported the CSA." Again, Giles & Marshall (South-central TN) counties were deeply embedded in the Deep South's Cotton & slave culture, with slave populations over 35% of the total and slaveholding families around 40%.
Again most White families did not own slaves. Their culture was one of non slave ownership. Also my research shows that the rate of slave ownership in Marshall county was about 25%.
This means, if your ancestors did not themselves own slaves, then their neighbors, cousins and other relations certainly did.
They did not own any and most of their neighbors, cousins and other relations did not own any.....most of Giles and Marshall counties certainly did not own any.
That's why, unlike East TN (i.e., Knoxville) and North-central TN (i.e., Nashville), which voted against secession in February, Giles & Marshall voted overwhelmingly for secession in both February and June, 1861.
Davidson county....ie Nashville voted overwhelmingly for secession. 93.3%
Giles and Marshall did not need the Battle of Fort Sumter to motivate them to join the Deep South's Confederacy because they were already part of it, economically and culturally.
They supported the CSA in both. Their culture like most of the rest of the South was one of non slave ownership since the overwhelming majority of White Southerners did not own any slaves.
No, those 14,401 are identified and named individuals, not estimates. From those you can extrapolate, calculate or estimate until the cows come home, but Neely's are names, not estimates.
No. Neely's estimate is at the extreme low end. Records from the Provost Marshal's office in Washington D.C. indicate as many as 38,000 citizens were arrested and made prisoner without the benefit of the writ of habeas corpus.
IOW, just as you can extrapolate, calculate & estimate Union numbers based on Neely's 14,401 named Union individuals, so you also extrapolate, calculate or estimate based on his 4,108 named Confederates.
I already cited the source for the 38,000 figure.
https://www.abbevilleinstitute.org/lincolns-prisoners/
I don't doubt that you are telling the truth about your own ancestors, but I'm certain someone is lying about the 87% voting for slavery.
That claim is false.
Here is the real vote on June 8, 1861: 69.6% for secession.
However, your 87% could be true, if you exclude East Tennessee from the totals.
IOW, this is likely true: "87% of Tennessee voters outside East Tennessee voted for secession on June 8, 1861.
Non-slaveholding East Tennesseans voted 2 to 1 against secession".
"4.42% of whites" is irrelevant, what matters is that roughly 25% of Tennessee voters owned slaves and they all voted for secession on both February 9 and June 8, 1861.
This means a vast majority of non-slaveholders voted against secession on February 9, but a small majority of non-slaveholders (55%) voted for secession on June 8.
The flips from anti-secession to pro-secession happened primarily in the North-central TN counties around Nashville.
Your 4.2% of the white population is roughly 25% of all voters.
Those 42,000 slaveholders all voted for secession on both February 9 and June 8.
So, what changed was that on February 9, some 90% of non-slaveholders voted against secession, while on June 8, about 55% of non-slaveholders voted for secession and that's what flipped Tennessee.
FLT-bird: "The Entire states had a non slave owning culture since that represents the vast majority of families even in central and western Tennessee. "
Slaveholders dominated Tennessee economically, politically and culturally in West Tennessee and in South-Central TN, where Giles & Marshall counties are.
We know this because Giles & Marshall counties had over 35% of slaves & slaveholding families and the counties voted over 70% for secession on February 9, then over 90% for secession on June 8, 1861.
FLT-bird: "Obviously the cotton economy you claim existed in those areas was not enough to get the state to vote in favor of secession until Lincoln chose to start a war."
West Tennessee's cotton economy-culture-politics voted ~90% for secession on both February 9 and June 8, 1861.
South Central Tennessee's (including Giles & Marshall) cotton economy voted over 70% for secession on February 9 and over 90% for secession on June 8.
Non-slaveholding East Tennessee voted over 80% against secession on February 9 and 70% against secession on June 8.
Tennessee's non-slaveholders voted over 90% against secession on February 9, but flipped to ~55% for slavery on June 8.
Obviously, a small majority of non-slaveholders bought into Confederate propaganda that even though Jefferson Davis attacked and took Fort Sumter, it was Lincoln who "chose war".
FLT-bird: "Again most White families did not own slaves.
Their culture was one of non slave ownership.
Also my research shows that the rate of slave ownership in Marshall county was about 25%."
Yes, ~25% was the average for Tennessee in 1860, but Giles and Marshall counties were far from average.
Marshall County's slave population was 35% of the total, making Marshall equivalent to Deep Cotton South states where 35% to 40% of families owned slaves.
Marshall County voted 71% for secession on February 9 and 94% for secession on June 8.
Giles County votes were roughly the same (74% & 99%).
So, any suggestions that Giles & Marshall were not then deeply embedded in the Deep Cotton South economy-culture-politics are lacking in evidence.
FLT-bird: "Davidson county....ie Nashville voted overwhelmingly for secession. 93.3%"
Davidson county voted 55% against secession on February 9, then 93% for secession on June 8, 1861.
FLT-bird: "They supported the CSA in both.
Their culture like most of the rest of the South was one of non slave ownership since the overwhelming majority of White Southerners did not own any slaves."
Slave populations in both Giles and Marshall counties were over 35%, meaning slaveholding families were also over 35%.
There is no evidence -- zero, nada, zip evidence -- suggesting the other 65% of families (& voters) did not sympathize with the economic, cultural & political interests of the 35% slaveholding families in Giles & Marshall counties, Tennessee.
FLT-bird: "Neely's estimate is at the extreme low end.
Records from the Provost Marshal's office in Washington D.C. indicate as many as 38,000 citizens were arrested and made prisoner without the benefit of the writ of habeas corpus."
All of that is a lie.
The truth is:
Abbeville Institute is your source and this is the quote: