Unionists Within the Confederacy

When the Civil War began, Sevier County Unionists at first operated quietly in secessionist Tennessee. In 1861, they set up a secret garment factory in the second floor of this mill and made cloth for uniforms. They also made shoes for Federal soldiers and Unionist Home Guards with leather from Newton Trotter's nearby tannery. According to local tradition, the third floor was later used as a hospital. Capt. William Trotter, son of mill owner John Trotter, commanded Co. H, 9th Tennessee Cavalry (US).