The Battle of Fort Fisher, N.C.

Saturday, August 6, 2011

The Rooster Who Went to War and Camp Douglas-- Part 2

OK, so Jake Donelson survived the Yankees up north in Chicago as well as hungry Confederate prisoners. Now he's back in the South, in Mississippi. His owner, Jerome McCanless had an itinerant artist paint his portrait. Jake returned to the McCanless household in Cornersville, his war days over. He died peacefully in 1864 and was given a military burial.

His owner continued to fight and took part in the actions at Vicksburg, Atlanta, Nashville and surrendered in North Carolina with Johnston's Army. He died in 1906 and reportedly often brought his portrait of Jake along with him to Confederate reunions.

The exact location of Jake Donelson's grave is not known, but his story will be on one of the four Civil War Trails plaques to be erected in Marshall County.

A Real Fighter, That Rooster. --Old B-Runner

No comments: