Sam Houston Anderson - 1861 It was August 1861 and Sam Houston Anderson was 16 years old. Sam was hauling a load of grain to market with his brother James. They had their last 2 horses, a mare and a 2 year old colt, pulling the wagon. Confederate Rebel soldiers approached their wagon and cut the horses loose. Sam tried to hit them with a whip but one of the soldiers pulled it from his hand.

After the Confederate soldiers had taken their horses and left Sam and his brother James with the wagon, Sam told James to go tell their mother what happened while he tried to get the horses back. Sam never found any trace of the horses and returned home and told his mother he was leaving to join the Union army.

At 16 years of age, Sam Houston Anderson walked to Louisville, Kentucky and joined the 10th Tennessee Northern Volunteer Calvary in September 1861, where he trained the remainder of the year. After having to buy his own horse, he was then sent to Frankfort, Kentucky. On Jan 2, 1862 he joined the command of Col. James A. Garfield who later became the 20th president of the United States.

After returning to Tennessee, Samuel was at the battle of Shiloh on April 6th and 7th. Shiloh was one of the bloodiest battles of the Civil War, but the big battle for Sam was at Boonesville, Mississippi on July 1, 1862. They had been fighting all day. During the battle Sam was knocked from his horse but not injured. When he got up he saw a Rebel soldier aiming his rifle at the head of one of the soldiers in Sams company. Sam had only a pistol, knife, and sword (it wasn't until after this battle they were issued carbines). Sam fired the last 2 bullets in his pistol from a distance of about 33 yards, striking the Rebel with both shots and killing him. The soldier whose life he saved was that of his own brother, Thomas Anderson. It was told in the Anderson family that Thomas was forever thankful to his brother Sam for saving his life that day.