C. T. Suddeth

Confederate guerrilla, cold-blooded killer, or something else entirely?

George Henry “Beanie” Short (about 1838 Cumberland County Kentucky, died January 4 1865 Monroe County after raiding Turkey Neck Bend and was caught and hung. Union people had stories about him killing people, but none have been corroborated. He had joined the 28^th Tennessee Infantry, CSA but served only a few weeks. I don’t believe he was interested in saving slavery or fighting Yankees.

He has also been called Robin Hood. Beanie was mixed blood, white and Yuchi. The Yuchi lived on Turkey Neck Bend until about 1820 when Coe Plantation was built, possibly where the village stood. The Yuchi fled into Pea Ridge and intermarried with whites. I believe Beanie was taking money from the rich who had stolen the land. His nickname is Beanie, but local folks spell it Bennie and pronounce it Beanie just as Yuchis still do. He was buried in an unmarked grave on the Coe Plantation.

The Short family still names sons after Beanie (Grandma’s brother was Bennie). He is Grandma’s second cousin, my third cousin. I am proud to call him family.