Scott County's fighting Newports: A prolific Civil War family
No family served in greater numbers during the Civil War than the Newports. Six brothers and several of their sons joined the Union army during the war.
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The fighting Newports: Scott County’s Newport family in the Civil War
During the Civil War, hundreds of men from Scott County served in the Union army — and several dozen in the Confederate army. There’s an old narrative that Scott County didn’t want anything to do with the war and simply wanted to be left alone. That’s not exactly true, however, as so many able-bodied men left home to fight in the four-year conflict.
While many from Scott County went off to war, no family sent as many men to the fight as the Newport family. Six brothers and many of their sons all joined the fight on behalf of the Union. One of them — Richard Newport — died in the war. Two of their sons, including Richard’s son, Calvin Newport, were killed in the war. And several others were wounded or captured.
This is the story of the Fighting Newports from Scott County, and their almost immeasurable contributions to the Union army during the Civil War.
The family tree
Ezekiel Newport (approx. 1777-1852) was originally from Virginia. He married Rebecca Cecil (approx. 1787-1860) in 1805. Both of their families — Ezekiel’s parents, Richard Newport and Sarah Connor, and Rebecca’s parents, Benjamin Sollers Cecil and Priscilla Boylseton — moved from Virginia to Wayne County, which is where Ezekiel and Rebecca met and were married on Jan. 3, 1805.
The couple migrated to present-day Scott County shortly after their marriage and settled on Brimstone Creek. They had several sons, including James W. “Jim” Newport (1807-1880), Calvin Newport (1810-1858), Richard Hicks Newport (1812-1864), Samuel Newport (1816-1899), William Newport (1824-1913), Joseph Cecil Newport (1825-1890), Benjamin Solomon Newport (1826-1899), and Asahel “Asa” Newport (1831-1867). Their daughters included Malinda Parker (1808-1891), Lucinda Begley (approx. 1822-1880), and Sarah Elizabeth Newport (1822-approx. 1860).
The Newport family thrived on Brimstone Creek. Jim was born in 1807, then Malinda in 1808, Calvin in 1810, Richard in 1812, and Samuel in 1816. They added Lucinda and Sarah around 1822, William in 1824, Joseph in 1825, Benjamin in 1826, and finally, Asa in 1831.
In time, their children were married. Jim married Elizabeth O’Daniel, and their children included Rebecca Gosnell, Ezekiel Newport, Sarah Jeffers, Fielding Newport, Elizabeth Jeffers, William A. Newport, and Julia Ann Sexton.
Malinda married Isaac M. Parker of New River in 1840.
Calvin married Elizabeth Begley, and their children included John C. Newport, Ezekiel Newport and Mary Robbins.
Richard married Anna Goad of Brimstone in 1837, and their children included Rebecca Newport, Sarah Griffith, Calvin Newport, Phoenix Newport, James Thomas Newport, Lavica Phillips, Solomon Newport, Thomas Newport and Ezekiel Newport. Anna also had a child, Little Berry Goad, born before they were married.
Samuel married Lucinda McPeters, and their children included Elizabeth Sexton, Nancy Newport, Emeline Sexton, Rebecca Griffith, William Newport, John Newport, Emily Long, Alverson Newport, Melvin Newport, Florinda Sexton, Temperance Harness and Marion Newport.
Lucinda married Phelix Begley of Brimstone (little is known about the Begley family but it seems likely that Phelix and Elizabeth were siblings).
William married Elizabeth Griffith of Brimstone in 1843. Their children included Louisa Newport, Lucinda Brown, Samuel Newport, Sarah Jeffers, Esau Newport, Rosey Newport, Farina Newport, Martha Jane Sexton, and Tennessee Phillips.
Joseph married Lucretia Begley around 1840 (she may have also been a sibling to Phelix and Elizabeth). Their children included James Mountville Newport, Annaliza Buttram, Christopher Columbus Newport and Millard Fillmore Newport.
Benjamin married Elizabeth Goad of Brimstone (she was a sister to Anna Goad) around 1845. Their children included Lucinda Griffith and Priscilla Sexton.
Finally, Asa married Rosannah Greer in 1855. Their children included Rebecca Emeline Dew, Mary Jane Elkins, John Marion Newport, Sarah Colanzia Earle and Margaret Violett.
Several of the Newport siblings married descendants of Revolutionary War veterans who had moved their families to Scott County shortly after the war. Anna Goad and Elizabeth Goad were the granddaughters of Abraham Goad, who settled on New River. Elizabeth Griffith was the granddaughter of Joseph Griffith, who settled on Brimstone Creek. And Lucinda McPeters was the daughter of Joseph McPeters, who settled in the Glenmary area.
The Civil War
Once Tennessee voted — despite strong objections in Scott County and the rest of East Tennessee — to secede from the Union, and the Civil War began, most of Ezekiel and Rebecca’s sons joined the federal army. It was remarkable that so many of them enlisted to fight, because none of them were young men by the time the war began. Asa, at 31, was the youngest. The oldest, Jim, was in his 50s.
The enlistment dates aren’t available for all of them, so we don’t know who joined up first, but Jim, Calvin, Richard, William, Joseph Cecil and Benjamin Solomon all enlisted in the Union army. The only of the brothers who didn’t enlist in the Union army was Samuel.
Several of them had sons who enlisted in the Union army, as well. Richard had three sons to enlist: Calvin, Phoenix and James. Jim’s sons, Fielding and William, enlisted. Joseph’s son, James Mountville, enlisted. And Calvin’s sons, Ezekiel and John, enlisted. Calvin’s son-in-law, John Michael Robbins (Mary’s husband) enlisted, as well.
Several of the Newports signed up for the 7th Tennessee Infantry, the ill-fated Union regiment that was organized in Scott County by Col. William Clift in 1862. The 7th Tennessee fortified an area south of town by building a breastworks on the hillside overlooking what is now River Road. However, the regiment was routed by Confederate forces that marched to Scott County from Knoxville in 1862. The regiment then spent a period of time chasing guerrillas in the Upper Cumberland area before disbanding. The Newports then went on to serve in other regiments.
Among the Newports who served in the 7th Tennessee were Richard, Asa, Fielding, Ezekiel, and John. Brothers Richard and Asa, and all three of their nephews, transferred to Co. E of the 11th Tennessee Cavalry after the 7th Tennessee disbanded. Asa was a 1st lieutenant in the 7th Tennessee, as was his nephew, John.
Besides John and Asa, the other sons of Ezekiel and Rebecca Newport who served in the Union army included Joseph, Jim and Benjamin, who all served in Co. C of the East Tennessee National Guard; and William, who served as a corporal in Co. E of the 11th Tennessee Cavalry — the regiment to which two of his brothers and three of his nephews transferred after the 7th Tennessee disbanded.
Among the second generation of Newports, Richard’s son, Calvin, served with him in the 7th Tennessee, while James served in Co. H of the 12th Tennessee Infantry. Phoenix enlisted later, in 1864, and was assigned to Co. F, 7th Tennessee Infantry. Jim’s son, William, served as a corporal in Co. E of the 11th Tennessee Cavalry. Joseph’s son, James Mountville, served in Co. H of the 12th Kentucky Infantry. And John Michael Robbins served in Co. C of the East Tennessee National Guard.
The Newports paid a heavy price during the war. Of the six brothers and their eight sons (and a son-in-law) who served in the federal army, three would not return home.
Calvin Newport, one of Richard’s three sons to serve, was killed during a skirmish at Warm Springs, N.C. in 1863. He was later buried at Chattanooga National Cemetery. Richard himself was taken prisoner by the Rebels and imprisoned at Andersonville, Ga., where he died of flux (diarrhea) on July 12, 1864. He is buried at Andersonville National Cemetery. Finally, John Newport — the older Calvin Newport’s son — was shot in the groin while in command of Co. E of the 11th Tennessee in a skirmish near Jonesville, Va. on Jan. 28, 1864. He died as a result of the wound.
Three more of the 15 men were casualties of the war, as well. Jim’s son, Fielding Newport, was wounded while foraging in Scott County during the fall of 1862. His brother, William A. Newport, was captured by Confederate forces in Lee County, Va. on Feb. 22, 1864, but managed to escape at Bristol, Tenn. two weeks later. Joseph’s son, James Mountville Newport, was wounded in the left arm and left thigh during the war, and also battled measles and chronic diarrhea during the war.
Out of the 15 men from the Newport family who fought in the war, six — nearly half — were casualties of war, though Fielding, William A. and James M. all survived and returned home.
Aftermath
Anna Goad Newport, Richard’s wife, never remarried. She died on May 4, 1900 and is buried at Goad Cemetery near West Robbins.
Asa Newport survived the war but was shot to death by Mark Pennington in Huntsville on April 24, 1867.
John Michael Robbins was murdered by his wife’s first cousin, James Mountville Newport, in 1869. His son, Melton James “Mitt” Robbins, later served as Scott County Judge. He and Mary (“Polly”) had several other children: Calvin, Elizabeth Phillips, Melvin Cox, William M., Almira Walker, and Samuel Richard Moore.
Ezekiel Newport married Nancy Smith (1837-1883) in 1860. Their children included John Critton Newport, Cal Newport, Minnesota Strunk, Ulissis S. Newport, William Wyatt Newport, Augusta Newport, Genira Newport, Conna Ada Newport, Alvin Newport and Sarah Yarbrough.
James Mountville Newport married Elizabeth Sharp in 1872. Their children included Joseph Marion Newport, Elswick Washington Newport, Lettie Walters, Mae Paul, and Franz Sigle Newport.
William A. Newport married Kizzia Anne Phillips in 1867. He later married Mary Sue Ammons and, in 1927, married Mary Teague. His children included John Freeman Newport, Martha N. Provins, Margaret Newport and Daniel Newport.
Fielding Newport married Margaret Jeffers. Their children included Marion Dealus Newport, William Cleve Newport, Ezekiel Newport, John Riley Newport, Martin Bailey Newport, Elmira Brown and Louvania Jeffers.
As for Phoenix and James, the surviving sons of Richard Newport: Phoenix married Polly Ann Smithers in 1868. Their children included Vilaney Welch, Thomas Newport, Urania Bowling and Myrtle Pemberton. And James married Syrenna Hurtt. Their children included Safrona Etta Clark, John Crawford Newport, Sterling Newport and Isham Frank Newport.
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