Newspaper Cassville Republican
Date April 16, 1896 Thursday
Headline Lieut. M. W. Berryhill: Veteran of the Florida War and the Southern Confederacy
Text M. W. Berryhill, or "Uncle Mike", as he is generally called, was born near Winchester, Franklin Co., Tennessee on the 8th of May 1815. His father was killed at the famous battle of New Orleans. He had no brother and but one sister. His mother bound him to a Mr. Bridges and then joined the "peculiar" Quaker section. His adopted father was kind to him and he lived with him until he was 21 years of age.

The object of our sketch left home about this time and if all the trials he has endured, the dangers he has encountered the narrow escapes from death he has had, in time of peace as well as war, were written it would make quite a volume. In 1838 he volunteered in the Florida War, and joined Company B with Isaac Roberts in Command.

At one time he with ten other men started from Tampa Bay to New Orleans. The captain disobeyed orders and did not ballast the ships, they were caught in a storm, which broke the steering wheel and tore the rails and they were left to the mercy of the wind and waves for eight days and drifted in sight of Cuba. To use his own words: "We were scared half to death at first, our captain was killed for about three hours and give up in despair afterward. In fact, not a single one of us would " a give a chew of tobacco for the chance of our lives."

Uncle Mike served about three months as a teamster to have provisions from Tampa Bay to different forts in Florida. He was driving a wild our horse team in a train of about 300. He said "My team and about a hundred more ahead of me got frightened and I never saw so much running nor since. Several men beside myself got dangerously hurt and we lost about a dozen wagons and teams too. They were running across the prairie as far as we could see and we never heard of them again."

He then went to Alabama and was married shortly afterward to Miss K C Broyles whose obituary appeared in the Republican a short time ago. He with his companion moved to Mississippi then with a few other families to Camden, Arkansas, and formed a settlement where they lived about eight years. From Arkansas they moved to Barry County in 1852 they settled for life on the same farm, ¾ mile west of Washburn where he has since continually resided.

Uncle Mike was a firm believer in Jefferson Davis and state rights (but denounces in strong terms the present Democratic Congress.) And when the struggle came he espoused the Confederate cause and served four years. In the last year he was engaged in thirteen battles. He was 2nd Lieutenant under Lieut. Winton, but never in his life received a bullet wound. "Although," he said, "I have had my clothes shot full of holes, it seems like a kind of a Providence interfered on my behalf many times. But the saddest sight I saw and one that aroused my sympathy most was a Federal Soldier with both arms off, carrying water to a dying comrade."

Our hero as we will call him for he has proven himself such many times, has been subject to epileptic fits about thirty-four years. And on one occasion fell in the fire and was badly burned about the head, causing the loss of one eye and much suffering, which he endured with much patience and fortitude. Uncle Mike is near the eighty first birthday and very feeble. But he has many friends and is kind and courteous to everyone. For his service in the Florida War he is drawing $8.00 a month.

Written by Clara Hancock Berryhill, April 16, 1896, Cassville Republican, Barry Co., MO The copy that was in the April 16, 1896, paper, includes a penciled drawing of M. W. Berryhill.


Research Note: Michael Weeks Berryhill was my great-great grandfather and he was the grandson of Alexander Berryhill, a Revolutionary Soldier, and Charles Weeks of Franklin Co., TN.
Resource State Historical Society of MO Microfilm
Submitted by Donna Cooper