John disappears from the historical record for a decade, turning up in Izard County, Arkansas in 1897, where he successfully applies for a Confederate pension. He states he has been living in Arkansas for 6 years. He claims he was wounded on September 30, 1863. His wounded heel "swells up gets very sore as painfull when much used." He has to go on crutches occasionally. He makes his living "Making brooms seling Books such things as I can do." His brother James Jackson Dickenson provides an affidavit proving John's military service. Perhaps this indicates a reconciliation between the brothers. His pension is approved and he is awarded $25.
In 1901 he is in Fulton County, Arkansas, again applying for a pension. It is again approved. Affidavits from neighbors state that John C. "does all he can to make a living. He lives entirely alone in a poor excuse for a cabin 3/4 to 1 mile from anyone & not on a public road. He has rheumatism is threatened with paralysis & had his heel shot off during the war."
At some point John is accepted into the Arkansas Confederate Home, in Pulaski County, AR. His stay there is short.
By 1905 John is back in Tennessee, in Davidson County, again applying for a pension. He also applies for entry into the Confederate Soldiers' Home in Nashville. At this time he states "I am engaged in no bussiness I earn nothing." In answer to the question "Do you use intoxicants to any extent?" he answers "I tuch not tast not handel not the unclean thing."
In answer to the question "Is your mind ever unbalanced?" he replies "I act a fool ocasionaly or I wood have been near the Flesh Pots of Ark." John is admitted the Confederate Soldiers' Home in Nashville on April 24, 1906. He doesn't stay long. He discharges himself on February 20, 1906 and returns to wandering and applying for Tennessee pensions.
Unfortunately for John, his constant badgering of pension officials soon angers the pension examiners. In 1906, John P. Hickman, the secretary to the Board of Pension Examiners writes:
"It seems impossible to make him understand that the laws in the different states are different, and the fact that one state has pensioned him does not of itself entitle him to a pension in Tenn. We have heard from him, first in Campbell [County, TN], then in Claiborne County, then in this, then in Wilson, then in Putnam, then again in Davidson, and now again in Claiborne County. He seems to have no fixed place of abode. During his last short stay at the Tenn Home, he regaled some of the inmates with abuse of myself, our Secretary, and the Board, for not granting him a pension. I see from a paper lately filed in the case, that in May last he was in Richmond, Va. While at the Tenn. Home, he stated that he had a son, or perhaps two sons, at or near Well Spring - that he had visited one of them, and loaned him 150$ to buy land. According to his story, there was some disagreement, and so he left. He seems to be a wanderer. I understand he is a peddler, and walks all over the country. When I saw him, he appeared to be a stout able bodied a man, as I am. He was no more lame than I am. We do not know that he is a bona-fide citizen of Tenn. We do not know that he is not still drawing a pension in Virginia or Arkansas, or both.
The Board has seen him, heard him, and considered everything he has filed, and declined to grant him a pension."
Buried within his Confederate Home application is a letter from Taylor Gray. In it he discusses John's wound:
"Some time after the war was over John got Dr Tom Kernan and Dr Malicoat to split his heal open. He thought it would heal up but did not. The second operation they found a piece of leather in his heel suposed to be a piece of his boot or shoe. then after a long time his heel healed over."In yet another pension application, John discusses his children. When asked if his children could support him, he states "they don't do much good takeing care of themselves could not or wood not take care of me."
Despite his protestations and affidavits, John's Tennessee pension applications were denied.
In 1909 John was back in Russell County, again applying for a pension! He claims he has been a resident of Russell County for 50 years. He was making his living "pedling spettials combs &c." This claim was allowed and he was awarded $24 in 1910.
John was apparently wandering again when his son was married in Tazewell County in October of 1909.
Late in 1909 he applied for entry to the Robert E. Lee Camp Confederate Veterans Soldiers' Home in Richmond. He stated "I have to Peddel pills Notions around Coal Camps for something to Eat." In April of 1911 John was accepted; he entered the home on February 19th, 1912. However, John's wandering nature again took hold of him, and he asked for a discharge on April 4th, 1913. He reentered the home on September 28th, 1916. While at the Home he ordered a headstone from Edward L. Perkins of Richmond, Va. He again asked for a discharge on August 21st, 1919 to go live with his son. He reentered the home for the third and last time on November 14th, 1925.
While at the Home, John wrote letters to the editor of the Lebanon News, which were published. He reminisced about his school days in Russell County 70 years earlier.
On June 16th, 1927 John left the Soldiers' Home without permission. He had been suffering from a bad case of eczema and was unhappy that he was not allowed a furlough. John managed to talk a conductor into allowing him to travel on the train to Roanoke and refused to go back to the Home. The Police Superintendent of Roanoke eventually sent him back to the Home. On August 22nd, 1927 he asked for his final discharge from the Confederate Soldiers Home. He cited the "awful hospital" as the reason for his leaving.
On September 9th, 1927, the Lebanon News ran this article:
Old Soldier at Russell Poor Farm
Sixty-odd years ago a brave company of men, Confederate soldiers, met the invading Yankees in battle at Wytheville and through the Valley of Virginia where some hot fighting took place in the war of 1861-65.
One of these young men who faced the enemy and did his share of fighting was John T. Dickenson, a Russell county boy. Today this old hero of the stirring days that tried men's souls, is spending his remaining days in the Russell county poor house, having been admitted to the home of the homeless a few days ago.
It is said that every penitentiary in the United States have been searched and that no Confederate soldier could be found there, and indeed we are sorry that one has been compelled to seek refuge in the alms house.
Until recently Mr. Dickenson was cared for at the Soldier's Home in Richmond, but he says that he does not want to go back. Perhaps it is a desire with home to be near the scenes of better days.
God bless this old soldier. God bless every old soldier.
John remained voluntarily at the Poor Farm until July 1st, 1930, when he died peacefully in Lebanon, Virginia.
