Records show that my great great grandfather James Goins served in the Confederate Army in the 36th regiment of the Tennessee Infantry. The 36th regiment was formed in February 1862 and disbanded in June of the same year. I haven't found any records that would show that James Goins enlisted in another regiment after the 36th disbanded.
Sons of the Edmond Goins and the closely related Thomas Cowden families are listed as members of the Confederate Army.
Then there is a book written in 1866 by J. S. Hurlburt titled “History of the Rebellion in Bradley County, East Tennessee." The sons of the Edmond Goins clan of Bradley County, Tennessee appear to be on opposite sides in the Civil War. This book was “enthusiastically dedicated to the Union people of Tennessee and their posterity”. In the books appendix, men of the Goins and Cowden clans are listed as Union persons/soldiers or Rebel persons/soldiers. The following are excerpts from this appendix:
Leading Union persons in the second district: Thomas Cowden has a son in the U.S.Army., John Gowans, James Gowin.
Medium men of the second district: Daniel Gowan. I have not found out what “Medium men” are.
Union soldiers from the second district: Wm Crowden and George Crowden dead.
Leading rebels in the second district: Wm Gowan, Hugh Gowan.
Rebel soldiers from the second district: Hugh Gowen, Wm Gowen.
Leading Union persons in the third district: John Cowden died near Atlanta.
Another Leading Union person in the second district was Joel Johnson Sr. This is my great great grandmother Polly Johnson Goins father.
I believe that the sons of the Goins and Cowden families served in the Confederate Army. In the 1870 Bradley County census the families were still living near each other.
