August Round Table author tells of “Jack Hinson’s One-Man War”
Jack Hinson never planned to become a deadly sniper. A prosperous and influential plantation owner in Dover, Tennessee in the 1850’s, Hinson was devoted to raising his growing family and working his land. A friend of Ulysses S. Grant and Confederate officers alike, Hinson was opposed to secession and watched the start of the Civil War with impartial disinterest. After a unit of Union soldiers moved onto his land and summarily captured, executed, and desecrated the bodies of his sons, however, “Old Jack” Hinson began a trail of revenge that by 1865 would leave more than 100 men dead. By the end of the war, the Union had committed infantry and cavalry from nine regiments and a specially equipped amphibious task force of marines to capture Hinson, who was then nearly sixty years old. They never did.
On August 9, 2009, at 3 P.M., at the Williamson County Library in Franklin, the Franklin Civil War Round Table (FCWRT) will present Lt. Col. Tom McKenney, USMC (ret.) to speak on his latest book, “Jack Hinson’s One-Man War.”
McKenney will recount Hinson’s extraordinary feats as a lone Confederate sniper. Equipped with a rifle he made for long-range accuracy, Hinson became a deadly gadfly to the occupying army. His incredible story, the result of fifteen years of research by McKenney, has a cast of characters that includes the Earp Brothers, Nathan Bedford Forrest, and Jesse James. McKenney is a graduate of the University of Kentucky and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He was an infantry officer and parachutist in the United States Marine Corps, serving in Korea and Vietnam. He has contributed articles to numerous magazines, and his books and activism for veterans’ issues have had him appearing on radio and television shows including Fox News, The Today Show, and CBS Morning News.
The event is free to the public and is being co-hosted with The Carter House which will present an author’s reception after he speaks to the Round Table. The Franklin Civil War Round Table is an educational program of Franklin’s Charge and meets on the second Sunday of each month at the Williamson County Library. For more information contact Greg Wade at Greglwade@yahoo.com or 615-473-3034.
