The Pillaged Grave of a Civil War Hero, Part 3

Conclusions

The person, or persons, responsible for vandalizing the grave of Colonel Shy was never apprehended. Many of the local resi- dents are sure that they know the identity of the vandal but this does not necessarily mean that they are correct. The vandal may have escaped punishment from the law but he will probably have nightmares for the rest of his life over this gruesome deed.

The statement that Colonel Shy's body was found naked and impaled to a tree with a bayonet will possibly bring about much comment. This could explain his not being buried in his uniform but his uniform, most likely, was in too tattered a condition for it to be used as a burial suit anyway. The part about him being "impaled to a tree with a bayonet" will probably disturb some Civil War buffs because it suggests undue brutality by the Federal troops. If indeed he was impaled to a tree it could have been done by the looters and scavengers that were always attracted after a battle.

There is also the possibility that it was done by the attacking forces. The Federals paid heavily in taking this hill. One historian states:

It has been said that in the taking of Shy's Hill Minnesota's losses were the greatest suffered by the state in any Civil War engagement - 302 men killed, wounded or missing, from the Fifth, Seventh, Ninth and 10th Minnesota Regiments (Huddleston:1964, Part IV, p.39).

Chivalry had worn thin this late in the war. Perhaps some of the troops, angered at seeing so many of their comrades fall, did perform this shocking deed. There is one case of documented brutality connected with the fall of Shy's Hill. Colonel Shy's commanding officer, Brigadier-General Thomas Benton Smith was captured during this engagement. While being marched to the rear under guard he was struck over the head three times with a saber by a Federal officer. At first the wounds were thought fatal but he survived. Some years later the effects of this injury to his brain caused him to be committed to the Tennessee State Hospital for the insane, where he remained until his death. (Horn 1968:141).

The Science of Forensics has, in recent years, become recognized as an aid to law enforcement. If this case of vandalism had not been properly investigated by a competent Forensic Anthropologist such as Dr. Bass, the truth might have never been learned and the law would still be looking for a murderer in Williamson County.