Sevierville Sam’s Sweetheart or Smokey Mountain Sue

Sevierville Sam’s Sweetheart was his best friend, companion, true love and just like so many heart breaks during the Civil War, their relationship became the tale of Smokey Mountain Sue. You’ve heard the legends of the huge kid, his smaller cousin, other neighbors and kin from Sevierville, all these mountain boys fought with a vengeance, they became notorious in battle for their fearless temperament and an almost unquenchable thirst for victory or was it revenge? The Smokey Mountain folk were a proud and hardy lot, family and friends were close-knit and shared each others joys and trials. Life was never easy, but when the mountain paradise was threatened by the Southern Rebellion, many decided to do whatever was necessary in order to return tranquility to their Tennessee mountain homes.

Sevierville Sam never had much schooling, most of what he learned,  had been taught from his mother and older sisters. You’ve got to remember, that Sam’s family were all big, not fat, just big, tall, broad and stout and all lived in a real small, yet cozy cabin, that was warm all year round, especially in the summer time. Most of the learning that Sam experienced was in the confines of the tiny cabin, during the winter months, when crops were not the families main concern. Sam was not book smart, but had an innate and worldly savvy that allowed the young man the ability to make sound decisions, not only in the wilds of his woodland home, but among his other kin and neighbors.

From the time Sam could walk, rain or shine, he was searching the creek bottoms, ridgelines and coves for critters, to feed his family. Sevierville Sam was born big, broad shoulders, thick chest, arms and legs and a huge head. He never had any trouble packing a long rifle or musket, sometimes an ancient pistol and always two large knives. One day, Sam was on a deer trail, crawling through some thick brush, just above the creek,(Sam says he was about ten years old, but he really can’t say for sure), he heard some splashing in a pool below him and he crawled on his belly to investigate what kind of creature was enjoying the coolness of the flow. He peered out of the brush and was astonished to view a blonde little girl splashing and giggling to the deep pool below. Sam was breathless, she was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. She had long blonde hair, was young and slight of build, with a carefree laugh and a devil-may-care, almost defiant countenance to her face and the wet, white muslin undershirt that she wore, left no doubt in Sam’s young mind that he had just experienced the most successful critter hunt of his entire life.

Sevierville Sam slowly and quietly stood up in the brush on the edge of the pool and smoothly whispered, Hey! The young thing was at first startled and then smiled coyly and said , Hey! Big Sam, couldn’t barely speak, he just turned a bright red and grinned back, I’m Sam. The blonde, cool water beauty, responded, I’m Sue. For the first time in his young life, all Sevierville Sam could do was stammer and kind of dig his toe in the mud. Sue waded to the other side of the creek, sat down on a flat rock in the sun to drip dry, for a moment, then pulled her calico smock over her head and waved Sam to her side of the creek.

Sue said she lived up the creek a ways and Sam wondered why he had never seen this young thing before. She explained, that her family had sent her to live with kin folk, that she was originally from Asheville, over the mountain and really was happy living her new life in the beauty of the Tennessee mountains. Sue asked why Sam was so big and all he could say was, we’re all this way. Sue smiled, she knew as did Sevierville Sam, that God had blessed the two Smokey Mountain youngsters and given them a special oneness that would last forever.

Big Sam and little Sue became inseparable, no one thought much about the two, it seemed natural that young folk would run, romp and explore the beauty of the mountains, creeks, valleys and coves. Their families already knew each other, in fact were probably related in some sort of left-handed way. Sevierville Sam and his constant companion Sue, talked and planned of a life together, building their own cabin, raising a patch of corn, brewing a little Mountain Medicine, maybe someday having some young’uns of their own. Their future in the Smokey Mountains and the prospects of a joyful life together made both feel a warmness and closeness, as only two young Smokey Mountain lovers can possibly know.

It didn’t seem very long before an uneasiness descended on the residents of the Smokey Mountains. Folks were becoming divided over their allegiance to the Union and violent arguments, even among kin were becoming the norm. Both Sevierville Sam and little Sue’s families sympathized with the Union factions and had to deal with the Dixie Boys that rode at night and harassed the Northern families, pillaging, plundering and burning their trail through the mountain paradise. Sam and Sue had been lucky so far, living deep in the mountains and far from the wagon traces that were traveled by the southern terrorists.

Sevierville Sam and little Sue met every day at the same cool clear pool, along the creek, where they had first met several years before. Big Sam got there early and waited and waited and waited, it was not like Sue not to show up. He decided to meet her on the path and started to her cabin. As Sam walked, a sense of urgency crept up his back and he began to run to find his little Sue. As he neared her cabin, he smelled smoke and a fear that he had never known shadowed his mind. Sam reached the clearing, hopped the rail fence and the horror of the remains of the burned cabin, rocked his soul, uncontrollable rage racked his mind, as he screamed Sue’s name tearing through the ruins that just yesterday was his true love’s cabin. Searching and digging with his bare hands, Sam finally found his little Sue, long blonde hair, wearing her muslin undershirt, lying burned and lifeless in what remained of her bed.

Big Sam didn’t feel very big now and his little Sue seemed even smaller than she ever was. He carried her lovingly, back down the trail, to the cool clear pool, along the creek, where they had first met. Sam cleared an area beneath an old oak and weeping unlike he had ever known, dug her grave and laid his beauty to rest, in the shade, peace and serenity of their Smokey Mountain paradise.

Sevierville Sam’s Sweetheart, Smokey Mountain Sue, became a tale of revenge for many of the neighbors, friends and kin of Big Sam and their prowess in battle may have been inspired by the beautiful, blonde Tennessee maiden and her murder at the hands of the terrorists of the Smokey Mountains.

Bummer