Private Enos Stokes
Pvt. Enos Stokes
Private Enos Stokes was born between 1841 and 1846 in Franklin County, Virginia, and came to Kentucky when he was a small boy where he was enslaved by Dr. William Overton Stokes, who owned a farm on Cadiz Road about 10 miles southeast of Princeton, Kentucky. It was an area called Long Pond.
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Enos enlisted on January 18, 1865, in Smithland, Kentucky, during the final stages of the Civil War and he was mustered up on the same day. His muster roll reported that he was 19 years old at that time, although several pension file documents suggested he was born 5 years earlier. Stokes stood 5'6" tall, with a black complexion, black eyes, and black hair. At enlistment, he was a farmer. a role that reflected the agricultural labor many African Americans were involved in, particularly in the southern United States.
Stokes served with the 13th U.S. Colored Heavy Artillery, Company B, a regiment composed of African American soldiers fighting for the Union cause. Enos said his company stayed at an old church in Smithland separate from the regiment until spring.
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Enos was likely referring to the Old Methodist Episcopal Church in Smithland, which was constructed in the 1840s and used as both a warehouse and a hospital by Union forces. Churches were often used by the military because their large open spaces were ideal for both these purposes.
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Enos said he then traveled with Company B to Caseyville, Kentucky, by boat where the soldiers camped out in tents until the summer and then traveled on to Louisville. They then took a train to Camp Nelson where they joined the rest of the regiment. His regiment performed garrison duty at Camp Nelson, Smithland, and Lexington, Kentucky. These assignments involved guarding forts, supply routes, and strategic locations vital to maintaining Union control of Kentucky during and after the war. Enos Stokes was mustered out on November 18, 1865, in Louisville, Kentucky.
In a 1900 deposition, Enos, who said he was 54 at the time, described some of his wartime travel: “The hardest march I made was from Caseyville to Morganfield and Uniontown, Kentucky. I always managed to keep up with the company however I was in some little skirmishes but no real battle.”
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In 1900, Enos said the men he bunked with during service were dead, although other men from his regiment were interviewed to support his pension claim including another man born in Franklin County, Virginia, Robert Stokes.
Robert Stokes was also enslaved by Dr. Stokes, and while he is not Enos’ biological father, Robert says he raised Enos. It was common for enslaved individuals to form families of choice or kinship bonds to fill gaps left by forced separations or deaths. Robert said Enos was “weak breasted” from at least age 12 onward and that many members of his family had similar lung issues. Enos’ sister, Jennie, died of lung disease, he said.
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Enos suffered from lung disease his entire life, something he called “breast trouble.” Enos told a special examiner sent to interview him about his pension claim that he was treated for lung disease by his former enslaver Dr. Stokes but “exposure in service made it worse.”
After his discharge, and in his own words, Enos “went back to my old master’s place and stayed until Christmas following when I came to Princeton, Kentucky, where I have lived ever since. I worked at farming for part of a year, then I was a mason’s helper, carrying bricks or rather hauling them in a wheelbarrow for a while, and have had some carpenter work.”
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Enos married Alice Stokes, who died on December 23, 1892, at the age of 44. Together they had six children: Starling, born June 6, 1879; Lula, born December 22, 1881; Phil, born August 31, 1883; Melville, born November 25, 1880; Gertrude, born December 20, 1887; and George, born January 1888. He had a second wife, Clara, who died in September 1905 at the age of 65.
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Enos received a pension and successfully applied for increases as they became available to him over time, but these benefits were the result of constant applications, examinations, and expenses to hire attorneys to represent him in Washington D.C. He first applied for a pension in 1891 but was denied. Stokes was paid a $6 monthly pension in 1897. His rate was increased to $12 in 1907 and $13.50 in 1912.
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In a 1912 application for increase, Enos said he was now past the age of 70, although his age is recorded as 67 based on his military records. He said he was “very much afflicted with rheumatism and not able to do manual labor and have not been for some time past. I am almost blind and am bothered a great deal with neuralgia.” Neuralgia is a condition that causes severe nerve pain in the face and can be brought on by shingles. Two doctors’ affidavits state that he also has chronic bronchitis and issues with his heart.
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Enos died on September 22, 1913, from chronic pulmonary tuberculosis. In his final days he was nursed and cared for by his daughter Gertrude.
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After his death, his daughter Gertrude Stokes Sprow petitioned the government for help paying for his outstanding medical and burial expenses. Robert Britt, who was appointed administrator for his estate, also petitioned for reimbursement. This appeal was rejected because Enos left a piece of real estate worth $230, and his outstanding expenses were $108.60. Enos' property was a single lot in the City of Princeton worth $250 with a mortgage of $20.
Private Enos Stokes is buried at Cedar Hill Cemetery in Princeton, Kentucky, in the African American section in an unmarked grave.
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Contributors: Sarah Plummer and Macie Alford