Joseph Carr accompanied John Taylor to a court hearing on 19 August 1871 where he gave a deposition In support of John Taylor’s claim for a horse supplied to the Union army.
Deposition of Joseph Carr (regarding John Taylor’s loyalty to the Union)
My name is Joseph Carr, age 44 years, reside four miles south of Lebanon, occupation a farmer. I am not related to the claimant, no beneficial interest in this claim. I have known the claimant since the latter part of 1863. I was in the United States service at that time, I was a Lieutenant in Captain John R. Hawlins company of scouts and guides. My company was on a scout down on the Tennessee River from Larkin’s Landing to what is known as Weeden’s Corner, this was in the latter part of 1863 or early in the year 1864. While on this scout we run on a band of guerillas who had the claimant as a prisoner. We run the guerillas off and rescued the claimant. He went back with us and joined our company and was a member of it until peace was declared and most of the time did active duty as a soldier. He made a good soldier. He always did his duty promptly. He was a willing and active soldier.
I talked to the claimant often during that time. He then said that he was at all times in favor of the union. He always expressed much sympathy for the union and I know that be was bitterly opposed to the rebellion and to the rebels in general. It was understood at the time from soldiers of our company from his neighborhood that he had always been a union man and that it was his reputation among his loyal neighbors. I heard from his neighbors who were in our company that the rebels had said that they would kill him if they could get a hold of him. They also said that the rebels had taken all his property because he was a union man. Captain Hamlin died at [Stephenson?] in November, I think, in 1864 when our company was reorganized and John Flowers was commissioned Captain and we were mustered in the service under him.
Don’t know the reason that he never received his discharge. He was never at any time absent from his company without leave. He done to (sic) much for the United States government to have proven his loyalty to the confederate government if it had been maintained as a separate government.
(Signed) Joseph Carr