Robert McGaha

Robert McGaha

Robert McGaha g3grandfather’s brother

Though not a soldier, he was “killed in action,” as they say:  “Robert lived with his family in the Cosby area [of TN].  During the Civil War, one winter he did not have enough clothing to keep his body protected.  Frostbite damaged his feet so much that his bones showed through.  (Like most of the mountaineers in the [East Tennessee] region, the McGahas were staunch unionists living surrounded by rebels.)  One day four soldiers came to the McGaha home and asked for something to eat.  Since they were wearing blue uniforms, Robert was happy to oblige.  (In those brutal days, food was often raided to the point where civilians starved to death - especially if they were suspected of being unionist.  So food was often hidden away.)  As they were finishing their meal, Robert heard someone coming, and thinking it might be rebels, said to his guests, "Come on boys!  You can go out the back way."  What he did not know was that his guests were Confederates dressed in uniforms of the north.  When the men got outside, one of the soldiers turned on his host, put a gun in Mr. McGaha's mouth, and shot him to death as his horrified children watched.”  He was about 63 years old.