DOB: ?
DOD: ?
Comments:
“First Tennessee Infantry” Maury Democrat Oct. 22, 1896:
“The 1st Tenn. Regiment, whose Colonel was Hume R. Field (now of Obion County) was formed 5 Nashville Companies, one
company from Rutherford Co., one each from Williamson and Giles and two companies from Maury - Co. Aytch and Brown
Guards of Carter’s Creek. Capt. M.C. Campbell of the Spring Hill Country and a member of the Browns Guards carried with him
to the army a slave whose name was Ike. Now Bishop Quintard was Chaplin proper of the Regiment, but Ike was his coadjutor
and did more singing, praying and preaching in one week than Bishop Quintard during the war.
There were fully 50 others besides Ike who were in the Regiment, brought by their masters to cook, wash, etc. Most of the
negroes of the Regiment had as well as Ike, a propensity to make a great show of their religion, and soon formed what they
called the ‘Social Band,’ they congregated nightly (when the regiment was not in camp, and not marching) not far away,
generally under a tree around a big fire and whose brilliant light made a most unique and picturesque spectacle of these
worshipers.
Ike was the leader - in fact the Chaplin of the colored portion of the Regiment. When all were gathered around the fire, Ike
would arise and intone the following: ‘I looker to the east, and I looker to the west, and it appearer like the judgment day, and the
poor sinner man that never prayed a prayer will want to pray a prayer dis day. Sinners you better believe; sinners you better
believe.’
This was sung in the Sonogambian tone, and was almost of nightly repetition. At the hour when these gatherings took place
was the time when at least one-half of the men were playing cards. Old Hay of Knob Creek, now a good Christian, was then a
master card player. When Ike had finished the above song in his droning, dreary tones the next in order of religious exercises
was prayer. He never failed to ask the Lord to look down on dem white men over yonder and snatch the cards ‘outen’ their
hands. He hardly ever failed to pray for Wash Webster, who he would say was ‘going to hell as fast as the car wheels go.’
Wash was one of his fellow servitors who would not come to these meetings. Ike after prayer would take a text and he
preached a sound morality. Ike one night appealed to his audience to serve the Lord, if not for the love of the Lord, then to
grieve the devil, that the devil hated more. Then the services really commenced, singing, praying, and shouting in a voice that
could be heard miles away. The main song was the ‘Social Band’ and it was a grand on as sung by Ike and his followers in
thundering tones. Ike lead, commencing with the chorus.
But the time came when Ike was no longer heard. At Bardstown, just before the Battle of Perryville, Mack Campbell, John
Miller, and mess waited in vain one morning for breakfast. Ike was gone. He went to the Yankees and became an evangelist in
Palmer’s Division of Rosecran’s army, the same Palmer we now hear so much about. As Horsley says in the words of
Tennyson, ‘So strange, so sad the days that are no more.’”
This is the only confirmed information regarding Ike Campbell. Surprisingly, there are several black men named Ike Campbell that
have been found after the war but cannot confirm they are the same one. One was killed in a saloon in Memphis in 1866, one shows
up on the voter list for Shelby County in 1891, one is living in Nashville on the 1910 Census, and one spends most of the post war
years living in Hardeman County and dies there in 1908. Ike obviously ran into someone from the unit post war since they knew he
ended up with Palmer’s Division of the Union Army. It is likely that Ike may not have even moved back to Tennessee and may have
ended up elsewhere. Unfortunately, Ike’s post war like is uncertain.
Mike Hoover is the web master and researcher for this page