“Thrilling Adventures of Daniel Ellis”
Autobiography
The great union guide of east Tennessee for a period of nearly four years during the great southern rebellion. Copyrighted 1867 and reprinted in 1989.
The Book the “Thrilling Adventures of Daniel Ellis” was an autobiography written by Daniel Ellis of Carter County, born December 30, 1827. The book was a very interesting and dynamic read. The entire book is written in first person point of view. Mr. Ellis wrote with a very interesting vocabulary and prose throughout the entire book. A lot of the book is also written with some references to Shakespeare, Greek Mythology, Biblical scripture, and other distinguished authors that are too numerous to mention. The author states in his introduction that he has very little education but writes with great detail, thorough accounts of men, soldiers, places, and events, and presents his travels having been very well documented and presented. The amount of correct grammar, vocabulary use, and extremely well written accounts say that the book may have a later editor or second author that is not mentioned in the reading.
Daniel Ellis describes in his book how he was a farmer and wagon maker. In 1848 he volunteered for the Mexican War. After the war he returned to Tennessee and rebuilt his life with a wife and many children. When the Civil War began many Tennesseans sided with the Union army, Daniel Ellis became one of the bridge burners of the Tennessee region, which almost immediately marked him as a target of the confederacy. Ellis, like many men of his time, was forced to leave his family and retreat into the woods to save his life. Once Ellis retreated to the woods he started guiding the hiding men, who refused to join the southern confederacy, from eastern Tennessee through the Cumberland into Kentucky. Ellis didn’t ask for any money from these men as he piloted them through hundreds of miles of woods, streams, fields, mountains, and valleys mainly at night and during all seasons. Ellis also conducted a sort of mail service by carrying letters to the families of many union soldiers.
Daniel Ellis, also known as the “old red fox” by the “rebels” and by the union people due to his ability to evade capture on so many occasions and his ability to act in the capacity of a pilot. He described how so many times he just barely made it out alive and was able to evade the rebels best-arranges strategies and make it out to see another day. Ellis describes how the rebels were confident that no other All of these occasions were referenced by Ellis to be acts of Prudence and her ever engaging mercy on Ellis’ travels and the men who traveled with him. Ellis by many accounts throughout the book mentions his faith in HIM and how his life has been spared many times by His grace. On page 167, Ellis writes “ …I shall ever render up my profound thanks and heartfelt praise to Him who can “take the wise in their own craftiness,” and who, while on earth, “spake as never man spake;” who existed before “the morning stars sang together,” and who will continue to exist throughout the ceaseless and incalculable ages of eternity.” (Ellis, 1867)
Ellis’s writing style has some long winded passages and can, at times, be hard to follow due to his extensive use of literary references and descriptive passages, but the book is a really great read for the person interested in reading about the civil war and a man that moved nearly 4,000 union men from east Tennessee to the Kentucky area. Ellis achieves his goal in thoroughly describing his passages from east Tennessee to Kentucky and what he witnessed in his travels.
There were a couple passages from the book that really stuck out as accounts of the travels that a person inquiring to read the book should look forward to reading. One instance, Daniel Ellis was on his way from Kentucky back to Carter County when he came across a company of men trying to evade joining the southern army about to be hung some rebel soldiers. These soldiers proceeded to put ropes around the men’s necks and not allow them any time to pray. As they were strung up the southern soldiers began dancing around them and beating them brutally and desecrating their existence by yelling at them while they were suffering a horrible death. Another instance was quite funny when Ellis’ men came to house to inquire about provisions. Upon coming up the house he met with the man of the house he proceeded to discuss the situation of the war, thinking that Daniel Ellis and his men were just scouts or hunters. The man talked about how the southern army in the area was stationed about a mile up the river “who are stationed there to intercept and capture a man by the name of Dan Ellis, who is engaged in piloting men through to Kentucky. I have never seen this man Ellis, but U have seen the trail that he and his men have made in passing through the mountains. Ellis is very hard to catch, as he travels altogether after night; the soldiers were down here this evening, and said that they were diligently watching for him and his stampeders.” (Ellis, 1867)
A couple of times when Ellis would meet up with union soldiers his reputation would precede him and the company would take very good care Ellis and his travelers. The union companies and generals always took extremely good care of the “old red fox”, giving them provisions such as food, clothing, tools, and mail to carry. One particular instance was when Colonel Stover took all his men, who were wearing torn and ragged clothing, and presented them all with good clothing and kept them under his care for three days.
Every chapter of the book is just as interesting and capturing as the previous with narrow escapes, long adventures hikes, and hard times in the dead of winter or surviving near starvation. It is hard to describe the extensive amount of good reading this book provides without just providing the recommendation to the person who wants the first person knowledge, point of view of the civil war era, and the views of the peoples of this time, to go get this book and read its thrilling adventures their self. In this modern day gold rush to research the civil war and gain the most interesting and astounding accounts of the era, this book provided a jackpot of information overload with the ability to make a history lover out of the most common student.
Autobiography
The great union guide of east Tennessee for a period of nearly four years during the great southern rebellion. Copyrighted 1867 and reprinted in 1989.
The Book the “Thrilling Adventures of Daniel Ellis” was an autobiography written by Daniel Ellis of Carter County, born December 30, 1827. The book was a very interesting and dynamic read. The entire book is written in first person point of view. Mr. Ellis wrote with a very interesting vocabulary and prose throughout the entire book. A lot of the book is also written with some references to Shakespeare, Greek Mythology, Biblical scripture, and other distinguished authors that are too numerous to mention. The author states in his introduction that he has very little education but writes with great detail, thorough accounts of men, soldiers, places, and events, and presents his travels having been very well documented and presented. The amount of correct grammar, vocabulary use, and extremely well written accounts say that the book may have a later editor or second author that is not mentioned in the reading.
Daniel Ellis describes in his book how he was a farmer and wagon maker. In 1848 he volunteered for the Mexican War. After the war he returned to Tennessee and rebuilt his life with a wife and many children. When the Civil War began many Tennesseans sided with the Union army, Daniel Ellis became one of the bridge burners of the Tennessee region, which almost immediately marked him as a target of the confederacy. Ellis, like many men of his time, was forced to leave his family and retreat into the woods to save his life. Once Ellis retreated to the woods he started guiding the hiding men, who refused to join the southern confederacy, from eastern Tennessee through the Cumberland into Kentucky. Ellis didn’t ask for any money from these men as he piloted them through hundreds of miles of woods, streams, fields, mountains, and valleys mainly at night and during all seasons. Ellis also conducted a sort of mail service by carrying letters to the families of many union soldiers.
Daniel Ellis, also known as the “old red fox” by the “rebels” and by the union people due to his ability to evade capture on so many occasions and his ability to act in the capacity of a pilot. He described how so many times he just barely made it out alive and was able to evade the rebels best-arranges strategies and make it out to see another day. Ellis describes how the rebels were confident that no other All of these occasions were referenced by Ellis to be acts of Prudence and her ever engaging mercy on Ellis’ travels and the men who traveled with him. Ellis by many accounts throughout the book mentions his faith in HIM and how his life has been spared many times by His grace. On page 167, Ellis writes “ …I shall ever render up my profound thanks and heartfelt praise to Him who can “take the wise in their own craftiness,” and who, while on earth, “spake as never man spake;” who existed before “the morning stars sang together,” and who will continue to exist throughout the ceaseless and incalculable ages of eternity.” (Ellis, 1867)
Ellis’s writing style has some long winded passages and can, at times, be hard to follow due to his extensive use of literary references and descriptive passages, but the book is a really great read for the person interested in reading about the civil war and a man that moved nearly 4,000 union men from east Tennessee to the Kentucky area. Ellis achieves his goal in thoroughly describing his passages from east Tennessee to Kentucky and what he witnessed in his travels.
There were a couple passages from the book that really stuck out as accounts of the travels that a person inquiring to read the book should look forward to reading. One instance, Daniel Ellis was on his way from Kentucky back to Carter County when he came across a company of men trying to evade joining the southern army about to be hung some rebel soldiers. These soldiers proceeded to put ropes around the men’s necks and not allow them any time to pray. As they were strung up the southern soldiers began dancing around them and beating them brutally and desecrating their existence by yelling at them while they were suffering a horrible death. Another instance was quite funny when Ellis’ men came to house to inquire about provisions. Upon coming up the house he met with the man of the house he proceeded to discuss the situation of the war, thinking that Daniel Ellis and his men were just scouts or hunters. The man talked about how the southern army in the area was stationed about a mile up the river “who are stationed there to intercept and capture a man by the name of Dan Ellis, who is engaged in piloting men through to Kentucky. I have never seen this man Ellis, but U have seen the trail that he and his men have made in passing through the mountains. Ellis is very hard to catch, as he travels altogether after night; the soldiers were down here this evening, and said that they were diligently watching for him and his stampeders.” (Ellis, 1867)
A couple of times when Ellis would meet up with union soldiers his reputation would precede him and the company would take very good care Ellis and his travelers. The union companies and generals always took extremely good care of the “old red fox”, giving them provisions such as food, clothing, tools, and mail to carry. One particular instance was when Colonel Stover took all his men, who were wearing torn and ragged clothing, and presented them all with good clothing and kept them under his care for three days.
Every chapter of the book is just as interesting and capturing as the previous with narrow escapes, long adventures hikes, and hard times in the dead of winter or surviving near starvation. It is hard to describe the extensive amount of good reading this book provides without just providing the recommendation to the person who wants the first person knowledge, point of view of the civil war era, and the views of the peoples of this time, to go get this book and read its thrilling adventures their self. In this modern day gold rush to research the civil war and gain the most interesting and astounding accounts of the era, this book provided a jackpot of information overload with the ability to make a history lover out of the most common student.
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