Hunt for guerrilla fighter Big Zay Coalter
ended at remote Anderson cemetery

(EDITOR’S NOTE: Gerald Fischer may be Kentucky’s most dedicated Civil War guerrilla hunter. The Webster resident has devoted himself to tracking down and writing about the Commonwealth’s most prominent guerrilla warriors. The author of “Guerrilla Warfare in Civil War Kentucky” was asked recently by a Georgetown University educator to help him find the grave of guerrilla fighter Isaiah Coalter. Here is Fischer’s story of the search in his own words.)

By GERALD FISCHER

On Dec. 17, I joined a group of historians led by two Army Corps of Engineers Forest Rangers and visited a remote Anderson County cemetery containing the grave of Isaiah Coalter.

Big Zay, as he was called by his associates, stood 6-foot-6 and was handsome with the physique of an athlete. He had coal black hair and eyes and may have had Native American blood. He was a member of Co. F, 5th Kentucky Cavalry, believed captured with John Hunt Morgan in 1863 and sent to P.O.W. Camp Douglas. He either escaped or was exchanged, because he was active in 1864 and 1865 as a guerrilla fighter.

The visit occurred after I met Harold Peach of Georgetown University who was interested in information about a Civil War guerrilla fighter named Foreman and Isaiah Coalter, better known as Big Zay.

I sent him what I had and he told me he would be getting up an expedition to hunt for Zay Coalter’s grave. I told him I wanted to go along. We had only to wait for the Salt River to recede and the forest rangers to acquire time to guide us to the remote location. We anticipated this trip to occur in July, but too much rain had fallen. The trip was rescheduled to happen in October or November, but was again delayed. I received a call on Dec. 14, saying the trip was on for the following Thursday. I had previously invited my friend and fellow guerrilla hunter Perry Brantley and Harold had invited Tom Watson who had teamed up with Perry on the book “Confederate Guerrilla Sue Mundy.” Genealogist David Sengel, Dr. Kate Jacques and I accompanied by my partner, wife, and navigator Fran Fischer rendezvoused in Anderson County at the appointed time. Anticipation was in the air, and from there our expeditionary quest began. We drove two four-wheeled drive vehicles and ferried across the Salt River at a place named promisingly Coalter’s Ford. From there, we drove 250 yards more or less to a place to turn the truck around and hiked an estimated half-mile or so to the remote cemetery. There we found big Zay’s grave.

Zay had a notable guerrilla career and was considered infamous by the Union. In early October 1864, he robbed the Nicholasville Stage with Sue Mundy and One Arm Sam Berry. Later, he fought alongside Henry Magruder and Capt. Bill Marion. Among other exploits, he led a 15-man guerrilla attack on a rear guard of 40 Union troops near Simpsonville in January 1865, killing 19 and wounding 20. The attack was so fierce, the soldiers threw down their weapons and fled, while a 40-man Union guard a mile or so in the front declined to join the fight. Mistakenly named the Simpsonville Massacre, it was actually a rout by 15 men arrayed against 40.

Big Zay’s last battle was five days later in Spencer County (Jan. 28, 1865) about 10 miles from his grave. Sue Mundy, Henry Magruder and three other guerrillas were surprised and attacked by Capt. Ed Terrell’s independent scouts. As the guerrillas began to return fire and flee, Coalter with 10 men rode to their rescue. Cheering, the five guerrillas joined forces with Coalter’s men attacking Terrell. Retreating from one defensive position to the farm of Squire Heady, Terrell’s superior force went into a defensive position in Heady’s barn. Attempting to improve his aim, Coalter charged the barn on horseback while the bullets around him “rang like bees.” Terrell shot Big Zay through the chest.

In those days, silk was thought to stop the flow of blood. Coalter removed his silk bandanna and with his ramrod pushed the cloth through the wound and out his back. He had a man tie it off in the rear and tying a knot in front rode off, never to be seen or heard from again. He supposedly rode to an aunt’s house to obtain medical attention and safety and was thought to have developed pneumonia and died two days later.

The graves of Isaiah, his mother and father, Sabra Coalter and Rowan Coalter, as well as his Aunt Jane and Uncle John Morgan were found after being lost for 150 years. He may have died at his Aunt Jane’s house, but he had other aunts living nearby, posing a question, “In which aunt’s house did he die?”

Some questions have been answered. Most spell his name Coulter or Colter, and rarely Coalter. According to his tombstone, it is correctly spelled Coalter. Most historians believe he died Jan. 20, 1865. The date on his stone is Feb. 6, 1865, meaning he lived for nine days or more after being wounded. This colorful 22-year-old Confederate guerrilla was a hero and freedom fighter to the South, a hated terrorist to the North. Perry Brantley and I shook hands over his grave and Perry told me he was sure Big Zay was happy to hear us once again relate some of his many exploits. I believe he did.