William Franklin Thompson was born on February 12, 1839 to Willis C. & Rebecca Thompson, a merchant on the Tennessee River at Camden, Benton County, Tennessee. Although unpopular with the residents in the area, Willis remained a Union loyalist throughout the Civil War, as most of his trade was dependent on trade with northern companies for goods not produced in the southern states. However, Willis never traded in information or harbored any Union troops or sympathizers or supported any northern activities during the war.

     The regiment was organized at Paris, Henry County, Tennessee, in the Provisional Army of Tennessee, and moved to Camp Brown, Union City, Obion County. Here it was reported on July 31, 1861, with 860 men present, armed with flintlock muskets.William enlisted for a one year period in the Confederacy on June 4, 1861 at Camp Brown, Union City, Obion County, Tennessee and sworn into service by Colonel W. E. Travis, under Captain J.T. Winfrey's Company. This Company was known as Company "M", "Men from Benton County, Tennessee." On May 6, 1882, Company "M" became 2nd Company "H".

     The 5th Regiment was moved to Columbus, Kentucky where they remained until January 1, 1862, then moved to New Madrid, Missouri, a Confederate stronghold on the Mississippi River, which lay across the river to the south from Columbus, Kentucky. Here, the 5th Regiment engaged in skirmishes and artillery fire for thirteen days before marching on to Fort Pillow and Memphis; and finally to Corinth, Mississippi, where it arrived on March 25, 1862.

     On April 6, 1862, William and the 5th Tennessee faced one of the worst battles in the war's first year at Pittsburg Landing on the Tennessee River. Here they faced Union General U. S. Grant's troops where 80,000 Union and Confederate forces would be locked in combat. General Albert S. Johnston's army, consisting of field General's Herdee, Polk and Bragg led the assaults on the Union camps around Shiloh Church at dawn in three waves of attacks. Overrunning camp after camp in the initial hours of the battle, catching the Union encampments sleeping and breakfasting. Union divisions under General's Sherman, McClernand and Prentiss were caught completely off guard. General Benjamin Prentiss' battered division of 2,200 men surrendered to General Johnston following a point blank, 62 piece artillery assault at what was known as "The Hornet's Nest" by 5:30 pm the first day. General Albert S. Johnston led the final attack on this position, was fatally wounded with a severed artery in his leg and fell from his horse dead 30 minutes later. The command then fell to General P.T. Beauregard, hero of Sumpter and Bull Run. General Grant was at his headquarters in Savannah, six miles south and was unaware the battle had started until he finally heard the sounds of artillery fire and rejoined his troops. By the end of the first day General U.S. Grant's troops were so battered and cut up, they not only could not make a push on the Confederate line, but had their backs to the Tennessee River and were just barely holding onto their position. In the dark of the night, Union gunboat's fired on the Confederate lines while 20,000 reinforcements under General Carlos Buell was being ferried across the river. The next morning, General Grant's reinforced army pushed the Confederate lines back through the Union camps they had taken the day before. By nightfall, the Union army broke off their attack when Confederate Colonel N.B. Forrest's rear-guard of Calvary began inflicting heavy casualties on the northern forces. The Union army under Grant was finally victorious by the end of the third day. This was known as, "The Battle of Shiloh." Over 3,500 soldier's dead, 17,000 wounded in an area only four miles long and two miles wide. In a wooded thicket in front of the area known as The Hornet's Nest, over 8,000 dead and wounded were counted. On the fourth day, burial parties started laying the fallen to rest in the long trenches they had dug to protect themselves and hold their positions in. One such trench held 721 fallen soldiers to be buried.

     General Beauregard's Shiloh army retreat to Corinth, Mississippi where they received reinforcements, bringing his Confederate army up to 66,000 strong while General Henry Halleck reinforcements bolstered Grant's army to 100,000. To General Grant's dislike, General Henry Halleck took command of the Union troops for a slow, but steady march on Beauregard at Corinth, Mississippi. Knowing the Confederate force at Corinth was no match for the 100,000 northern troops, on May 30, 1862 General Beauregard ordered his troops to withdraw from the city of Corinth during the night and pushed south.

     Following the evacuation of the 5th Tennessee Regiment from Corinth, Mississippi, I lost track of the 5th Regiment. However, William F. Thompson was still being recorded as present on the 5th Regiment's Muster Roll's until December 26, 1862, six months after his one year enlistment was over.

     William went on to become a Minister for the Church of Christ who married Artimissa M. Poe on January 10, 1864. Reverend William F. Thompson and his wife, Artimissa, had eight children, all born at Camden, Benton County, Tennessee.

     William and Artimissa moved from Camden, TN to Altamont, Labette Co., Kansas where Artimissa died on July 4, 1885. Her obituary was placed in the Camden Herald on July 24, 1885 on page 5.

     William remarried two more times. His second wife's name was unknown and of whom he divorced within one year as he reported that she was unmercifully cruel to the children. He then married Melissa Elizabeth Turner, date unknown.

     The Reverend William F. Thompson finally met his maker on November 3, 1914 at Coffeyville, Montgomery Co., Kansas from double pneumonia. William was buried at the Elmwood Cemetery, grave #830, Coffeyville, Montgomery Co., Kansas. Melissa and all of his children survived William, one of which being my grandmother, Mary Wilma Thompson.