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      Confederate Grave Yard Found In Campbell County
Two Women’s Efforts Lead To Discovery Of Burial Ground
Submitted With Permission By Trulene H. Nash

For some forgotten soldiers in Campbell County, it took the chance meeting of two women to uncover a treasure trove of history.

Alice Coker knew the cemetery was there and that Bob Delap and several others kept it in excellent shape until the 1960s.  Coker used to visit the cemetery and always wondered why there were so many sunken graves and who was buried in them. Delap told her he had heard that there was a Civil War encampment at the foot of Pine Mountain near a big spring and that many of the soldiers had sickened and died.  

Coker says, “I always thought I’d find time to do some research but I never did.”

Some 40 years later the second piece of the puzzle dropped into her lap.  In December 2002 a woman by the name of Leta Cornett from North Carolina walked into the Campbell County Historical Museum and said she believed that her grandfather was buried in Delap Cemetery.  Sara Chaniott was on duty that day and was one of the few people who knew about the old neglected cemetery.  Sara called Alice and Alice said “Please send the lady to my house as soon as possible.”

From the visitor Coker learned that records showed members of the 58th Regiment of the Confederate Army of North Carolina were buried at Delap.  From these bits of information an image began to swirl into focus.

“The winter of 1862-63 at Delap was a very harsh winter,” Coker found after doing more research.  “Over 1000 men came from Cumberland Gap, where two Tennesseans had joined the troops. (The regiment was formed at Camp Martin in Mitchell County, NC.).  The regiment was assigned to guard Big Creek Gap.”

Records show that a total of 50 men died while camped in the Jacksboro area.

County prisoners, under the supervision of Environmental Officer Glennis Monday, began the slow and arduous process of clearing the ground.  Eighty loads of brush have been removed from the cemetery, but the needs are still many. Chemicals to kill the roots of plants that have been cut down, road work, fill dirt, and a fence with a strong gate. 

This Memorial Day these once “lost” soldiers can rest in peace.  Although they were never completely forgotten, their remains will soon be marked with tombstones after more than 140 years.  Now, their families have a place to come and honor their ancestors, thanks to two determined women who never forgot.

List of Men

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