Judge Rose was born in Tazewell, TN, September 1, 1835. There and in the small town of Sneedville, he spent his childhood. In his teens, he attended Emory and Henry College, but in 1858 he left to enter the Tennessee Legislature, taking the oath of office for two years and then resigned to study Law with his uncle, Gen. Arnold in Greeneville, TN. He was admitted to the Bar before the beginning of the War Between the States.
Immediately at the beginning of the war, young Rose organized the first Company from Hancock County and became Captain of the 29th Tennessee Cavalry. He served in this capacity for one year and then became a Colonel in the 61st Tennessee Infantry.
He served with distinction at the Battle of Fishing Creek and other engagements and was wounded at the siege of Vicksburg. While recovering, Vicksburg fell to the Union forces.
Shortly afterwards, Col. Rose was out on parole until an exchange of officers held as prisoners could be arranged between the two opposing armies. He then resumed command of his regiment, part of Gen. Carter’s Division. His leadership and extreme bravery merited the respect, and love of his entire Company, evidenced by excerpts from a poem written by one of his men and published following the conferring of the first Cross of Honor bestowed upon him and his Company:
An Honor to all this Cross will be;
But Honor and more it means to me;
A son of the South, my dearest boast;
It’s just that I fought, though all was lost; As one of that glorious gallant host;
That marched with Lee;
My friend, Jim Rose, was Colonel then;
A comrade and friend to all his men;
And many a time the Rebel yell;
Was shouted above the battle’s hell;
As wavering ranks before us fell like yellowing grain;
And once when a shell shattered my knee; Still crooked my leg is, you can see;
So thickly the foe around us came;
That back, sir, we went, but not in shame; And from the carnage, smoke and flame; Jim carried me!
On October 28, 1864, while endeavoring to check a retreat, Col. Rose’s horse was shot from under him and
he was captured near Morristown. Here he was taken prisoner and sent to Chattanooga to await deportation to prison camp. While there, a Union friend, peculiarly enough, asked about his financial condition. Col. Rose had only Confederate notes, worthless in a Northern prison. The friend insisted that he take $30.00 in Federal Currency. He placed the money inside the lining of his boots, re-sewing the slit he had made.
Shortly the prisoners were on their way to Johnson’s Island on the shores of Lake Erie. They were traveling through southern Indiana, the guard was dozing and giving his baggage to some friends, Col. Rose went into the wash room of the car. He tied his army blanket around his head and plunged through the window. When consciousness came to him, he was sitting in a small store in a small town his hands bleeding and his knees skinned and muddy. Gradually he recalled the experience of his escape from the train. No one seemed to notice him, he quietly slipped out the door and walked up the railroad track.
Coming to a small clothing store, he remembered the $30 in his boot. He purchased a civilian overcoat and tucked his trousers in his boots thus concealing his uniform. He found out where he was and walked the distance between the Indiana town and Louisville, KY, which was unfortunately in the hands of the Union army. He didn't know this and was halted by a guard and taken to headquarters and questioned. Eventually his guileless manner and youthful face deceived his captors and he was dismissed. As he started down the road, the guard called him back, reexamined him and unbuttoned his overcoat. “My God,” he exclaimed, “a Rebel Colonel in full uniform. I think you are a damned Rebel spy.” Col. Rose replied, “I am not a spy. I am an escaped prisoner.” He proved the truth of his statement by reciting the facts of his passage through the city, giving the date and hour when he and his companions were there and referred to the description that was taken of him. Thus, by the barest chance, Col. Rose escaped execution as a Confederate spy!
While a prisoner at Johnson’s Island, one of those angels of compassion and mercy who existed both in the Northern and Southern armies and who lent their spiritual and material aid to soldiers of both armies gave him an exquisitely hand tooled leather bound Bible with the following hand written on the flu-leaf: “With many kind wishes to Colonel Rose,” signed, Fanny Dailey.
He never knew who she was, but the Bible, was later given to his daughter, Lily Rose, as a reward for excellence in spelling.
A fellow prisoner constructed a camera of an old tomato can and other materials and made daguerreotypes of the prisoners. One was made of Col. Rose and is in the possession of Mrs. George F. Smith, as well as the Bible. Years later in a meeting of the Daughters of the Confederacy in Bristol, Lily Rose, by chance met the man who took the picture!
After the war, Colonel Rose located in Jonesville, VA where he remained two years. There he was married to Virginia Josephine Thomas. He then removed to Missouri with his wife and daughter. However, he developed malaria and decided to return to Tennessee. He was persuaded to remain in Morristown. Then began his distinguished career as a jurist. In 1878, first by appointment then by election, over a strong majority of opposite political faith, he became Judge of the 2nd Judicial District of Tennessee. He held that position for ten years and in 1888, he was unanimously nominated to make the race for Congress, but failing health forced him to decline the offer.
Later Judge Rose became the first President of the Board of Education in Morristown. Rose School, the first High School in the city was name for him. Also Judge Rose became the first President of the first bank established in Morristown called the old “Lookout Bank”.
Judge Rose died June 5, 1903, honored as a gallant soldier, an eminent jurist, a loyal friend, and above all, a Christian gentleman. The only direct descendants of Judge Rose living today (1972) are his grand niece, Mrs. George F. Smith, Mrs. Smith’s daughter, Mrs. George Keener, and her three children by a former marriage.
Immediately at the beginning of the war, young Rose organized the first Company from Hancock County and became Captain of the 29th Tennessee Cavalry. He served in this capacity for one year and then became a Colonel in the 61st Tennessee Infantry.
He served with distinction at the Battle of Fishing Creek and other engagements and was wounded at the siege of Vicksburg. While recovering, Vicksburg fell to the Union forces.
Shortly afterwards, Col. Rose was out on parole until an exchange of officers held as prisoners could be arranged between the two opposing armies. He then resumed command of his regiment, part of Gen. Carter’s Division. His leadership and extreme bravery merited the respect, and love of his entire Company, evidenced by excerpts from a poem written by one of his men and published following the conferring of the first Cross of Honor bestowed upon him and his Company:
An Honor to all this Cross will be;
But Honor and more it means to me;
A son of the South, my dearest boast;
It’s just that I fought, though all was lost; As one of that glorious gallant host;
That marched with Lee;
My friend, Jim Rose, was Colonel then;
A comrade and friend to all his men;
And many a time the Rebel yell;
Was shouted above the battle’s hell;
As wavering ranks before us fell like yellowing grain;
And once when a shell shattered my knee; Still crooked my leg is, you can see;
So thickly the foe around us came;
That back, sir, we went, but not in shame; And from the carnage, smoke and flame; Jim carried me!
On October 28, 1864, while endeavoring to check a retreat, Col. Rose’s horse was shot from under him and
he was captured near Morristown. Here he was taken prisoner and sent to Chattanooga to await deportation to prison camp. While there, a Union friend, peculiarly enough, asked about his financial condition. Col. Rose had only Confederate notes, worthless in a Northern prison. The friend insisted that he take $30.00 in Federal Currency. He placed the money inside the lining of his boots, re-sewing the slit he had made.
Shortly the prisoners were on their way to Johnson’s Island on the shores of Lake Erie. They were traveling through southern Indiana, the guard was dozing and giving his baggage to some friends, Col. Rose went into the wash room of the car. He tied his army blanket around his head and plunged through the window. When consciousness came to him, he was sitting in a small store in a small town his hands bleeding and his knees skinned and muddy. Gradually he recalled the experience of his escape from the train. No one seemed to notice him, he quietly slipped out the door and walked up the railroad track.
Coming to a small clothing store, he remembered the $30 in his boot. He purchased a civilian overcoat and tucked his trousers in his boots thus concealing his uniform. He found out where he was and walked the distance between the Indiana town and Louisville, KY, which was unfortunately in the hands of the Union army. He didn't know this and was halted by a guard and taken to headquarters and questioned. Eventually his guileless manner and youthful face deceived his captors and he was dismissed. As he started down the road, the guard called him back, reexamined him and unbuttoned his overcoat. “My God,” he exclaimed, “a Rebel Colonel in full uniform. I think you are a damned Rebel spy.” Col. Rose replied, “I am not a spy. I am an escaped prisoner.” He proved the truth of his statement by reciting the facts of his passage through the city, giving the date and hour when he and his companions were there and referred to the description that was taken of him. Thus, by the barest chance, Col. Rose escaped execution as a Confederate spy!
While a prisoner at Johnson’s Island, one of those angels of compassion and mercy who existed both in the Northern and Southern armies and who lent their spiritual and material aid to soldiers of both armies gave him an exquisitely hand tooled leather bound Bible with the following hand written on the flu-leaf: “With many kind wishes to Colonel Rose,” signed, Fanny Dailey.
He never knew who she was, but the Bible, was later given to his daughter, Lily Rose, as a reward for excellence in spelling.
A fellow prisoner constructed a camera of an old tomato can and other materials and made daguerreotypes of the prisoners. One was made of Col. Rose and is in the possession of Mrs. George F. Smith, as well as the Bible. Years later in a meeting of the Daughters of the Confederacy in Bristol, Lily Rose, by chance met the man who took the picture!
After the war, Colonel Rose located in Jonesville, VA where he remained two years. There he was married to Virginia Josephine Thomas. He then removed to Missouri with his wife and daughter. However, he developed malaria and decided to return to Tennessee. He was persuaded to remain in Morristown. Then began his distinguished career as a jurist. In 1878, first by appointment then by election, over a strong majority of opposite political faith, he became Judge of the 2nd Judicial District of Tennessee. He held that position for ten years and in 1888, he was unanimously nominated to make the race for Congress, but failing health forced him to decline the offer.
Later Judge Rose became the first President of the Board of Education in Morristown. Rose School, the first High School in the city was name for him. Also Judge Rose became the first President of the first bank established in Morristown called the old “Lookout Bank”.
Judge Rose died June 5, 1903, honored as a gallant soldier, an eminent jurist, a loyal friend, and above all, a Christian gentleman. The only direct descendants of Judge Rose living today (1972) are his grand niece, Mrs. George F. Smith, Mrs. Smith’s daughter, Mrs. George Keener, and her three children by a former marriage.
