Samuel T. Poteete was born 7 April 1842 in White County, TN to James and Sarah (Price) Poteete. The Civil War broken out in April of 1861. Sam initially joined the Confederate Army but was discharged due to age. In 1864, he joined the 1st Tennessee Mounted Infantry, Company B and quickly rose to the rank of Sergeant.
On November 28, 1864, he and several other Union Soldiers decided to attend a revival at Cherry Creek Church. It was a rainy Monday night. Captain Charles Burgess felt that it was a bad idea and remained outside to monitor the area. Not long after services began, Captain Burgess hear hoof beats. Champ Ferguson and his band of guerrillas opened fire on the Church. They shot Sam in the mouth while he was singing, killing him instantly. They also wounded a woman by the name of Ann Gouch. The people in the church began fleeing for their lives.
Sam's body was lying in the church until the next day, when the Union soldiers,reinforced, came and took the body for burial. He was buried in the family graveyard, Saylors Cemetery, White County, TN.
Those family members, who survived the war, moved to Texas not long after the war's end.
A 150 years later, time and the elements had worn down his tombstone. It was broken and almost illegible. A new tombstone was ordered from the US Government to permanently mark the resting place of this brave soldier.
On December 8, 2007, the Sons of the Union Veterans came to Saylor's Cemetery to dedicate Sam's tombstone.