Tyler & Smith County, Texas: An Historical Survey Page: 72
x, 287 p. : ill. (some col.), maps ; 28 cm.View a full description of this book.
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freedmen was reported in the heavily black counties of East Texas. Tyler
was among those singled out in army, judicial, and Freedmen's Bureau
reports as a center of violence and repression against Republicans and
blacks. The files of Governor Pease and General Joseph J. Reynolds, com-
mander of Texas, filled with protests and appeals from Smith County
Republicans and especially from government and military officials on
duty in Tyler.38 One man in particular seemed to possess a special
penchant for focusing both controversy and violence about himself.
Lieutenant Gregory Barrett of the United States Army and sub-assistant
commissioner of the Freedmen's Bureau in Tyler, and local commander of
a force of about a dozen men, zealously pursued his duty in the defense of
Negro rights, sometimes with a vengeance which provoked violent out-
bursts from the local citizenry. Barrett experienced the usual harassment
given "Yankees," including ejection from the local hotel whose proprietor
complained that the Union officer's presence was ruining his business.
Neither would the local liverymen rent horses to Barrett or his troops. In
addition, Barrett complained of being shot at repeatedly, and on several
occasions was involved in open gun battles with numerous townspeople in
Tyler. For example, on a quiet Sunday afternoon in August, 1868, groups
of worshipers from local white and black churches approached each other
on a sidewalk obviously too narrow to be adequate for all to pass. Words
were exchanged and shortly two women, one white and one black, were
scuffling in the street. A white gentryman named Kennedy came to the aid
of the white woman and vigorously clubbed the Negro with his cane,
shouting, "now, G- d d - n you, after this give the sidewalk to the ladies."
Upon complaint by the injured woman, Barrett had Kennedy arrested and
brought before the Freedman's Bureau court. He was fined $50 and placed
under a $2,000 peace bond for six months. As Kennedy started to leave the
courtroom, he turned suddenly and drew a revolver. When a nearby soldier
sought to restrain him, he shot the trooper through the lung. At the shot
the courtroom became the scene of outright bedlam. Lt. Barrett drew a
small derringer and fired at Kennedy who fled out the door. Kennedy's
friends who had gathered for the trial began firing through the windows
and doorways of the courthouse. In the words of the Union officer who later
investigated the incident, "every store closed as if by magic and men ran
up and down the streets yelling, 'get your guns - get your guns - shoot the
d - n yankee sons of b - hs.' " The streets soon filled with men carrying
double-barreled shotguns and pistols, and freedmen rushed to their homes
to gather arms for defense. A general gun battle ensued and three aides
were wounded. Union soldiers finally got the upper hand and order was
38George W. Whitmore to Pease, 10 October 1868; Pease to Reynolds, 22 October 1868, 11 and 13
November 1868, Fifth Military District, Letters Received, 1867-1870.
72
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Glover, Robert W. Tyler & Smith County, Texas: An Historical Survey, book, 1976; Tyler, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth61117/m1/76/: accessed April 26, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; .