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Mitchell Gum
Private, Company A, 7th Kentucky Infantry
By Vince Barker
Mitchell Gum was born in Estill County, KY, on Oct. 28, 1840, to William
"Buck" Gum and Loucinda (Burton). In August 1861 he enlisted in Company
A, 7th Kentucky Vol. Infantry. He was present with the 7th during all
of their campaigns in Kentucky and Cumberland Gap except apparently for
Perryville, when according to his records he was "cut off by rebel cavalry at
Proctor (Owsley County), Kentucky". It is "interesting" that at this
same time, on Sept. 20th, 1962, he was married in Proctor, KY, to Ellie
Fowler. At any rate, Mitchell did rejoin the 7th prior to their departure
for Mississippi and the Vicksburg Campaign. At around this same time,
on Sept. 11th, 1862, Mitchell's younger brother, John P. Gum, travelled from
Owsley County, Ky, to neighboring Breathitt County and enlisted in Company
B, 5th Ky Vol. Infantry (Confederate). John Gum was one of the few
Owsley County men to cast his lot with the Confederacy. Meanwhile
Mitchell was present for duty during the entire Vicksburg Campaign. Late
in July 1863, about 3 weeks after Vicksburg's surrender, Mitchell Gum took
seriously ill and was transferred to a hospital boat on the Mississippi River,
and then on to Jefferson Barracks Military Hospital in St. Louis, MO. He
was granted a furlough and was then transferred to the 7th Kentucky's
fatigue barracks at Louisville, Ky, where he was discharged with others from
the 7th at the end of their enlistment, on Oct. 5, 1864. After being
discharged Mitchell and Ellen settled in Beattyville, KY. It was probably
shortly after the war that Mitchell learned that his Confederate soldier brother
John P. Gum, was killed near Kennesaw Mountain, Georgia, on about June 20th,
1864. John's regiment, the 5th Kentucky Infantry had been assigned
to the legendary Kentucky Orphan Brigade in 1863 and had seen hard
fighting at Chickamauga and the Atlanta Campaign. John's body was
never recovered. It is interesting that Mitchell named his first child, a
boy, born in 1866, John P. Apparently Mitchell held no ill will against
his slain brother.
Mitchell worked as a blacksmith in Beattyville until 1873, when for unknown
reasons, he moved his family to Clay County, Indiana. He had applied
for a disability pension as early as 1882. Apparently he had never fully
recovered from his illnesses contracted during the war. He lived in Clay
County until his death in 1922.
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