Thrilling Adventures of Daniel Ellis

Some men seek fame; others simply rise to the occasion. Daniel Ellis did not aspire to be a hero, but the role thrust upon him during the Civil War was accepted as a service to his country and the flag he so dearly loved.

Like the majority of his neighbors in Carter County, Ellis was a staunch Lincolnite, but sentiment in the area was divided. Forced to flee for his life after he took part in burning a bridge, Ellis joined a group of Union men already in hiding and anxiously awaiting arrival of the Federal Army. After several months passed with no sign of "the Yankees", Ellis determined to go through the rebel lines, and on August 1, 1862, he set out on his first trip. Thus began the unbelievable saga of one man's performance in taking more than 4000 men through Confederate lines and into the Federal Army.

This edition includes an index compiled by Allen Ellis (a descendant), with the 212 names marked to denote whether Union or Confederate.

Daniel Ellis guided thousands of Union supporters, slaves, and Confederate deserters through the mountains to the safety of the Northern lines during the Civil War. One of the many Union sympathizers in East Tennessee, Ellis eventually became a captain of the Tennessee Volunteer Calvary where he led raids against Confederate soldiers as well as finding and arresting Union deserters.