Caskey, Thomas W., 1816-1896

Thomas Withers Caskey was a Christian pastor and Confederate soldier during the Civil War.

Born on January 12, 1816, in Maury County, Tennessee, Caskey moved to Mississippi as a young man and initially studied to become a Methodist preacher. In the late 1830s, he married Lucy Jones and the couple had seven children. Caskey found work as a blacksmith to support his growing family, and in 1841 the family moved to Alabama. In 1843, his wife passed away during childbirth. Distraught, Caskey turned back to his religious faith. He left the Methodist Church for the Church of Christ and took up full time ministry work. Caskey served as a traveling minister, preaching in Alabama, Mississippi, Kentucky, and Tennessee in the 1840s.

In 1845, he married Harriet Elizabeth Foreman, and four years later he moved his family to Mississippi. Caskey’s fame as a preacher grew, and he reportedly served as one of the Church of Christ’s best orators and debaters, reportedly engaging in more than fifty public debates against representatives from other churches across the south.

When the Civil War broke out, Caskey volunteered for military service. He served as a chaplain for the Eighteenth Mississippi Infantry Regiment. Caskey earned the nickname of the “Fighting Parson” for his willingness to join his unit on the front lines and even shooting at the enemy. However, he reportedly chose to only wound Union troops, for ethical reasons and, supposedly, because it weakened the opposing force even more by requiring one or two other soldiers to leave the fight to carry off their wounded comrade. Caskey also worked in Confederate hospitals, tending to the wounded.

After the war, Caskey moved to Meridian, Mississippi. He continued preaching, and traveled frequently to Texas for evangelical and business purposes. Eventually he moved his family to Texas and became a practicing attorney, on the side of his preaching. He saw only moderate success in the legal profession, and eventually fell back on his preaching as a career.

Caskey died on August 10, 1896, while visiting family in Mississippi. He is buried in Greenwood Cemetery in Jackson, Mississippi.

(“Thomas Withers Caskey,” History of the Restoration Movement; FindaGrave; “Biographical Sketch of Thomas W. Caskey,” Restoration Movement)

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