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Civil War Interactive Discussion Board > Civil War Talk > General Civil War Talk > Who was George Dance of the 8th Tennessee? |
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Civil War Interactive Discussion Board > Civil War Talk > General Civil War Talk > Who was George Dance of the 8th Tennessee? |
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| Who was George Dance of the 8th Tennessee? | Rating: 
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| Posted: Wed Jun 20th, 2012 09:23 am |
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1st Post |
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Hellcat Person 
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I've come across this name and want to see if there's more on him. George Dance, apparently a corporal with the 8th Tennessee, Donelson's Brigade, Cheatham's Division, Polk's Corps, Army of Tennessee. He took part in the fighting at Stones River and served as a member of the burial detail for Colonel William Moore.
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| Posted: Wed Jun 20th, 2012 12:50 pm |
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2nd Post |
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Texas Defender Member 
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Hellcat- George Dance was a black man who served as color bearer and later color sergeant of the 8th Tennessee Infantry, CSA. He was apparently the slave or former slave of the family of the regimental surgeon. Here is a bit of biographical information and a picture. The picture is from a reunion of the regiment in 1906. George Dance is the second man from the right in the back row. Civil War Soldiers I don't find George Dance in the CWSS, but he did apply for a Confederate pension. http://www.amtour.net/downloadable/BlackMenListedOnConfederateRosters.pdf As for the regimental surgeon, Dr. S.E.H. Dance- he didn't make it to the 1906 reunion, since he died in 1900. S.E.H. Dance (1834 - 1900) - Find A Grave Memorial He was a charter member of two schools after the war, the Lynchburg Male and Female Institute, and the Lynchburg Normal School. The latter had both white and black students. Lynchburg, Moore County, Tennessee Schools A short bio of Dr. Dance, as of 1887, can also be found on this site. Last edited on Wed Jun 20th, 2012 02:07 pm by Texas Defender |
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| Posted: Wed Jun 20th, 2012 02:46 pm |
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3rd Post |
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csamillerp Member 
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Looking at the list of black men that served in the confederate armies i see that a good number of them came from york county south carolina. do ya'll have any information as to why so many? Did york county at the time openly enlist black soldiers?
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| Posted: Wed Jun 20th, 2012 04:53 pm |
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4th Post |
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JG6789 Member
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csamillerp wrote: Looking at the list of black men that served in the confederate armies i see that a good number of them came from york county south carolina. do ya'll have any information as to why so many? Did york county at the time openly enlist black soldiers? I’m not an expert, but a quick look at a few different rosters shows many black men from York County listed as "body servant" to a white man. Maybe it was an especially popular fad in their neck of the woods. It is interesting, though.
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| Posted: Wed Jun 20th, 2012 05:03 pm |
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5th Post |
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Mark Member
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TD, what is your source for the claim that Dance was a color bearer? To me he looks like a slave pressed into service as a nurse-not uncommon. Mark
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| Posted: Wed Jun 20th, 2012 05:16 pm |
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6th Post |
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Texas Defender Member
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Mark- There are a number of sources that identify George Dance as color bearer of the 8th Tennessee Infantry, CSA. Here are a couple of them: Film Maker Has Personal Interest In Blacks Who Served Confederacy color bearer « kevin-m-weeks-blog Going back to the 1906 reunion photo that I posted a link to in my previous post- look closely at George Dance. He has his hand on the shoulder of the white man standing next to him. He isn't taking the posture of an inferior, but seems to be indicating an affection for a white comrade. If he was indeed a member of the color guard of the regiment, I would not be surprised if the other man was also. Civil War Soldiers Here is the photo again.
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| Posted: Wed Jun 20th, 2012 09:42 pm |
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7th Post |
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csamillerp Member
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it is very strange. worth investigating i think
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| Posted: Thu Jun 21st, 2012 12:29 am |
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8th Post |
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Hellcat Person
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No Mark, what I was reading says he was Color Guard from 1861 to Stones River at the very least and he finished the war as a Color Sergeant.
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| Posted: Thu Jun 21st, 2012 12:24 pm |
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9th Post |
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Mark Member
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I am curious what you were reading Hellcat. Was it written during the war or afterwards? Mark
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| Posted: Mon Jun 25th, 2012 02:47 am |
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10th Post |
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Hellcat Person
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Sorry to not get back sooner, Mark. The book is It Happened in the Cvil War by Michael R. Bradley. Bradley does state Dance first became color guard at Shiloh (Pittsburg Landing).
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| Posted: Mon Jun 25th, 2012 12:29 pm |
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11th Post |
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Mark Member
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Thanks for the reference Hellcat. I'm going to do some digging and see what I can find out. Mark
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| Posted: Mon Jun 25th, 2012 03:16 pm |
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12th Post |
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Hellcat Person
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TD, the link Kevin Weeks link you provided had an address for African-Americans in the Confederate Army (http://www.blackconfederatesoldiers.com). I found Dance in the Tennessee Confederate Pension records (http://www.blackconfederatesoldiers.com/tennessee_confederate_states_pensions_13.html) as 173 on the list. Lists him as being from Moore County with pension number C46. C in the pension number is stated on the page to mean Colored. Seems a low pension number, maybe he was one of the first African-Americans from Tennessee to get a Confederate pension.
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| Posted: Mon Jun 25th, 2012 03:35 pm |
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13th Post |
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Texas Defender Member
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Hellcat- I mentioned that George Dance from TN didn't appear in the Civil War Soldiers and Sailors System. But, of course, as good as that archive is, it doesn't include everyone who served, and it double and triple counts some with different names, initials, and aliases who are the same person. Civil War Soldiers and Sailor System As you said, George Dance is well documented in the state records. As an aside, referencing the links I provided, both Stan Armstrong and Kevin Weeks are black.
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| Posted: Sat Jan 26th, 2013 11:39 pm |
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14th Post |
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Texas Defender Member
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Hellcat- Here is more info on George Dance. Whoever wrote the text has confused Shiloh with Stones River (01 Jan 1863). George "Uncle George" Dance (1842 - 1924) - Find A Grave Memorial It seems that early in the war, George Dance was a medical orderly in the 1st TN when his former master, Dr. S.E.H. Dance, was a surgeon in that regiment. In 1862, apparently, both men moved on to the 8th TN, where George Dance became a member of the color guard of that regiment. Last edited on Sun Jan 27th, 2013 12:02 am by Texas Defender |
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