Fountain E. Pitts (July 4, 1808 – May 22, 1874) was an American Methodist minister and Confederate chaplain. He established Methodist missions in Brazil and Argentina in 1835–1836. During the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

, he was a chaplain and colonel in the

Confederate States Army The Confederate States Army (CSA), also called the Confederate army or the Southern army, was the Military forces of the Confederate States, military land force of the Confederate States of America (commonly referred to as the Confederacy) duri ...

, and he became known as the "Fighting Parson". After the war, he was the first pastor of the McKendree Church (later known as the

West End United Methodist Church West is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from east and is the direction in which the Sun sets on the Earth. Etymology The word "west" is a Germanic word passed into some Romance langu ...

) in

Nashville, Tennessee Nashville, often known as Music City, is the capital and List of municipalities in Tennessee, most populous city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County in Middle Tennessee, locat ...

, U.S. He also grew poppies to make

opium Opium (also known as poppy tears, or Lachryma papaveris) is the dried latex obtained from the seed Capsule (fruit), capsules of the opium poppy ''Papaver somniferum''. Approximately 12 percent of opium is made up of the analgesic alkaloid mor ...

Early life

Fountain E. Pitts was born on July 4, 1808, in

Georgetown, Kentucky Georgetown is a home rule-class city in Scott County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 37,086 at the 2020 census. It is the sixth-most populous city in Kentucky. It is the seat of its county. It was originally called Lebanon whe ...

Career

Pitts was ordained as a Methodist preacher in 1824. He was ordained as an elder by Bishop

Joshua Soule Joshua Soule (August 1, 1781 – March 6, 1867) was an American bishop of the Methodist Episcopal Church (elected in 1824), and then of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South. Birth and rebirth Born to Joshua and Mary (Cushman) Soule at Broad ...

in 1828. In 1835–1836, he went to Brazil and Argentina, where he established missionary posts that were manned by American men dispatched by the Methodist Church. Pitts owned at least one slave, named David, who died in 1855. During the

of 1861–1865, Pitts joined the

, first as a chaplain in the 11th Tennessee regiment for six months, and later as a colonel in the 61st Tennessee regiment in the

Great Smoky Mountains The Great Smoky Mountains (, ''Equa Dutsusdu Dodalv'') are a mountain range rising along the Tennessee–North Carolina border in the southeastern United States. They are a subrange of the Appalachian Mountains and form part of the Blue Ridg ...

. He also fought "Federal gunboats for about five months at Vicksburg." He became known as "Fighting Parson." Pitts was ordained as a Methodist deacon by Bishop B. T. Roberts in 1866. Shortly after, he was appointed by Bishop

Holland Nimmons McTyeire Holland Nimmons McTyeire (July 28, 1824 – February 15, 1889) was an American bishop of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, elected in 1866. He was a co-founder of Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee. He was a supporter of slave ...

as the first pastor of the West End Methodist Church in

. It was then known as the McKendree Church. Pitts was described as "one of the most notable men in the Tennessee Conference" by ''The Clarksville Chronicle'', and as "one of the pioneers of Southern Methodism" by ''The Pulaski Citizen''. In 1871–1872, alongside Dr. J. W. Morton, Pitts grew poppies to make

Personal life and death

Pitts resided on Gallatin Pike in Edgefield, now known as

East Nashville, Tennessee East Nashville is an area east of downtown Nashville in Tennessee across the Cumberland River. The area is mostly residential and mixed-use areas with businesses lining the main boulevards. The main thoroughfares are Gallatin Ave (also known a ...

. Pitts died of pneumonia on May 22, 1874, in

Anchorage, Kentucky Anchorage is a list of Kentucky cities, home rule-class city in eastern Jefferson County, Kentucky, Jefferson County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 2,500 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, up from 2,348 at the 2010 Un ...

near

Louisville Louisville is the most populous city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky, sixth-most populous city in the Southeast, and the 27th-most-populous city in the United States. By land area, it is the country's 24th-largest city; however, by populatio ...

. His eyes were closed by

John Berry McFerrin John Berry McFerrin (1807–1887) was an American Methodist preacher and editor. He served as a chaplain in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. Early life John Berry McFerrin was born on July 15, 1807, in Rutherford Co ...

, who also conducted his funeral, and he was buried with Masonic honors in Mount Olivet Cemetery. In 1883, a monument was added to the top of his grave. His portrait was painted by

Washington Bogart Cooper Washington Bogart Cooper (September 18, 1802 – March 30, 1888) was an American portrait painter, sometimes known as "the man of a thousand portraits".James Hoobler,Washington Bogart Cooper" ''Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture'' ...

, and it was installed in the art gallery of the West End United Methodist Church (then still known as the McKendree Church) in 1903.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pitts, Fountain E. 1808 births 1874 deaths People from Georgetown, Kentucky Religious leaders from Nashville, Tennessee People of Kentucky in the American Civil War Southern Methodists American slave owners 19th-century American Methodist ministers Confederate States Army chaplains Confederate States Army officers American Freemasons Deaths from pneumonia in Kentucky Burials at Mount Olivet Cemetery (Nashville)